One morning I was reading Psalm 22. I recognized the first verse as something Jesus said on the Cross. As I made that connection, a phrase came to me. In Jesus, the word of God became flesh. My wife Claire walked past me as she was heading out for a walk. I mentioned to her that Jesus said the same words on the Cross as those written by King David in the first verse of Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Psalm 22:1 NIV

She stopped for a moment, then gave me a brilliant smile and said, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh.” With that, she walked out. I thought, “That was a great exit line.”

I also realized her sentence included parts of two Bible verses from the Gospel of John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…

John 1:1, 14 NIV

Jesus is ‘The Word’

The first verse in the Gospel of John seemed complicated and convoluted to me when I first read it years ago. As I studied more, I learned that the phrase ‘The Word’ often referred to Jesus. In the original, John used a Greek word, logos, which could mean words or thoughts. But by writing it as the Word, John showed that Jesus himself was and is the living, breathing Word of God.

The Word of God

Jesus came to earth as a living Bible of God’s thoughts and commands. Jesus thought and spoke in the words of God. By linking the two verses together, Claire helped me understand this passage in a way I had not before.

The Word Of God Came Alive In Jesus

Every day, Jesus lived and breathed the words from the Bible in a manner that no mortal man could do. The inspired words of the prophets had existed in the scrolls and books of the Bible for hundreds of years.

In Jesus, those words came to life. They were no longer just words on a papyrus scroll, but they were brought to life in him. On earth, Jesus was a living, breathing Bible. In him, the Bible became flesh and blood.

The Word Can Come Alive In Us Too

The Word of God can come alive in us too. If Christ is living in us then the Word of God lives in us too. As you read and study the Bible, it will become a part of you. You will begin to use it to express yourself. To clear your head. Settle your thoughts. To begin building a strong foundation of faith in your life:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

Among these verses, is there one that grabs you? Good, then read it again. Think about it and even start to memorize it. Use it in your life.

That’s what Jesus did. If you take Bible verses to heart, the Word of God can become flesh in you too.

Yours in Christ, Kurt

See also: Why Have You Forsaken Me?