Jesus is the Word of God. How do we know this? The first five verses of the Gospel of John tell us this, leaving no doubt about this fact. Jesus IS the Word of God!
The Gospel of John is unlike the other three synoptic Gospels: It principally focuses on the ministry of Jesus, His Death and Resurrection, going into great detail in these areas. John states the purpose of the Gospel bearing his name in Chapter 20:30-31.
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)
Who was John and how did he know Jesus Christ?
John knew Jesus personally. John was chosen, called, and commissioned by Jesus. John lived with Jesus, laughed, and cried with Jesus, and walked with Him daily for three years. Along with James and Peter, John was part of Jesus' inner circle. John is the man who laid his head on Jesus' shoulder at the last supper, he is the only disciple seen at the Cross, he was one of the first to witness the empty tomb and the resurrected Christ. And throughout this Gospel, John refers to himself as "the Disciple whom Jesus loved".
As you read this amazing book you see WHO Jesus is. In order for us to become more like Jesus, we have to grow closer to Jesus. And to grow closer to Jesus, we must seek to know Him better. I believe that you can learn more about Jesus from John's Gospel, than in any other book in the Bible.
The Personality of our Savior
We can learn much about the personality of our Savior in John's Gospel. We see the passion of Jesus as He gets angry and casts the money changers from the Temple.
We see the boldness of Jesus when He tells the unbelieving Jews that Satan was their father. We see the humanity of Jesus in the fact that He got tired and hungry. We see compassion in Jesus as He reaches out to the outcasts of society. We see the emotional side of Jesus as He wept at the grave of Lazarus. We see the humbleness of Jesus as He bows and washes the feet of His disciples. We see the forgiveness of Jesus as He forgives and restores Peter for his denial.
The Seven “I Am” Statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John
The Gospel of John also records what Jesus had to say Himself concerning who He is, the seven “I Am” statements.
“I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48)
“I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
“I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11)
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” (John 11:25)
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1)
There are many names and titles of Jesus recorded in the Book of John, but in the very first verse of this Gospel John refers to Jesus as "The Word". The reason for this is that Jesus existed before He was born on earth. "God the Son" existed long before His incarnation in Bethlehem. The name 'Jesus' was only given to Him when He was born as a human being. Matthew 1:21 states, “…You shalt call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
John uses the Greek word 'Logos'
Here, John uses the Greek word 'Logos' or "The Word" to describe Him. If you want to express yourself to someone, how do you do it? You use words. God used "The Word" (Jesus Christ) to express Himself to humankind. As "The Word", Jesus was God's message to mankind. When Jesus walked the earth as a man, He expressed the mind of God. Jesus revealed the thoughts of God to mankind.
Through "The Word", God sent us a message of love, hope, forgiveness, salvation and so much more. And this shows God's love toward us!
Blessings to you,
Brad