EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 08-07-2024
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “The Word of Life is Historical”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
1 John 1:1b-2a
Message of the verses: “what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested,”
We begin this evening’s SD by looking at the third way
John had actually perceived the Word of Life with his senses, as we looked at
the first two in the last SD.
Third is reinforcing the truth that he had actually seen
Jesus, John added the term looked at. MacArthur
adds “That word involves more than a mere glance or quick look; instead, it
denotes a long, searching gaze (cf. 4:14; Matt. 11:7; Luke 23:55). It is the same verb (theaomai) that the New King James Version translates ‘behold’ in
John 1:14. Beyond the works that Jesus
performed, John and the other apostles watched Him intently for several years
and saw the stunning and unmistakable realities of who He is (cf. Matt.
13:16-17)—the Lord and God, Messiah and Savior (Luke 2:25-32; John 1:29, 41),
with supernatural power over demons, disease, nature and death (Matt. 4:23-24;
8:28-32; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 5:4-6; 7:12-15; John 2:6-10; 4:46-53; 5:5-9; 9:1-7;
11:38-45), and the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5; 9; Luke 7:48) and grant
eternal life (Luke 19:10; John 11:24-27).
As intimate and constant eyewitnesses to His earthly ministry they had
ample proof that Jesus Christ was God in human flesh (John 14:8-11).”
Now we want to look at the fourth, which is John telling
his readers that he had touched with his hands the Word of Life. Now Let us better understand the word that is
rendered touched (pselalphao) and
this means “to feel after,” or “grope” (like a blind man has to do on many occasions. Let us now look at Luke 24:39 which is the
same word, “"See My
hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not
have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’” Now we know that the disciples would have
touched Jesus all the time in the daily course of their companionship with
Him. John even described himself as one
who leaned on Jesus’ chest as seen John 13:23, 25; 21:10. Now the Lord had encouraged Thomas to touch
Him on that postresurrection occasion as seen in John 20:27 “Then He said to
Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here
your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’”
MacArthur concludes:
“With the incarnation of Jesus Christ the life was manifested. The verb translated was manifested (phaneroo) means ‘to reveal,’ or to make
visible what was hidden.’ God did not
reveal Himself in human flesh until Christ’s earthly ministry when the divine
or eternal life became visible to mankind.
As Jesus said, ‘For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He
gave to the Son also to have life in Himself’ (John 5:26; cf. 1:1-4; 5:39-40;
11:25-26 ; 1 John 5:12). The Father and
the Son have the same divine life, and both can grant eternal life (John
6:37-40).”
8/7/2024 11:31
PM
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