What He Did

I love this time of year. And this year has, for some reason, been extra special. I think the months of planning leading up to the nativity are maybe some of it for me, but I’m not sure.

Christmas isn’t my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving all the way), but this Christmas season has been something, even losing this entire week to the stinking flu.

Something about this time of year… the kids’ school Christmas concerts, the ritual watching of “Home Alone,” “Christmas Vacation,” “The Family Stone,” and the dozen or so Hallmark Movies I’m contractually obligated to watch with my wife…

I know some of you are on the more “Bah humbug” side of things or a little more Grinchy this year than normal. And that’s okay. Life gets in the way, doesn’t it?

You don’t have to feel happy if you aren’t. But, for the Christian, there’s always a refrain—maybe distant from our hearts and faint to our hearing—but there’s always a refrain of unending joy and hope that doesn’t waver. Repeat the sounding joy, yeah?

There’s something about this time of year…

The Biblical passages which give us some information about the birth of Jesus are fewer than you might think.

We tend to find ourselves in Matthew, Luke, John, (possibly Isaiah, and once in every blue moon Revelation to catch a glimpse of the Christmas dragon), and then we turn around and rotate through them again.

So we’ve heard it all before. Every December we take at least one Sunday (usually 2 or 3 or 4) to preach something Christmas-related.

For the last two weeks, and today, Christmas morning, we’re looking at the Gospel according to John.

John is writing about the light—the TRUE Light—which is coming into the world. John writes about another fella named John who came as a witness to the light. This morning, on Christmas, we will focus on Jesus; today, we look at What He Did.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to John 1. If you are able and wiling, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

John 1:1–18 NIV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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In the prologue to his book, John’s writing about who Jesus is and what the people did with Jesus when He came.

There’s a pretty sad statement of fact: Jesus came to His own people and they didn’t recognize Him or receive Him; they rejected Him.

Here at the start of John’s Gospel, we’re presented with the problem. The True Light came into the world, and the world looked the other way.

The Son of God, who made Himself nothing, was rejected and unrecognized by those who should have received Him most eagerly.

When John wrote this letter, in the early-mid 1st Century, in and amongst the Israelites, the majority of people would have been familiar with the OT (the only part of the Bible there was at the time).

They knew the OT, and would have understood just exactly what John was saying.

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Literally, what it says:

John 1:14 YLT

14 And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus Tabernacled Among Us

Most of us don’t use the word “tabernacled” day to day. Can’t remember the last I used it outside of church or conversations about the Bible. I might make that my New Year’s Resolution: use the word “tabernacled” more often.

Likely because tabernacled isn’t a word that’s part of our vocab, those who translated our Bibles swapped it out for a word a little more common, a little more easily understood.

Instead of “tabernacled,” they chose “dwelt” or “made His dwelling.” A few versions simplify it to “live” or “take up residence.”

Eugene Peterson translates verse 14:

John 1:14 (M:BCL)

14 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

I kind of like that, but we miss the bigger picture if we take the word—ἐσκήνωσεν, tabernacled, lit. pitched His tent—and don’t consider what that means and why John used that particular word here.

This, that God Himself, in the Second Person of the Trinity, tabernacled among His people is something that God has done before.

In the past, God had made known His presence to His people in/through the tabernacle and temple. It was there He met with them, the place God would dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.

Before there was a temple, it was a tent that went before the Israelites as they made their way to the Promised Land.

Within the tent/tabernacle was the most holy place, the altar of sacrifice; the tabernacle was the center of worship, where worship was directed.

There the glory of God hovered above the Ark of the Covenant.

This—the tabernacle—was where God came to meet with mankind.

Just as God came to meet with man in the tabernacle, He came in Jesus to meet with us—He, the Word, Jesus, took on flesh and tabernacled here among us.

When the temple was built, the tabernacle ceased being the place where people met with God. And then, when Jesus burst onto the scene of history, the temple was no longer the place or the object of worship. Jesus was. And is!

Jesus tabernacled among us.

It was before this baby, the One lying in a manger, all swaddly and smelly—this baby, the shepherds worshipped, glorifying and praising God.

It was this child, the One hanging at home with Mom and Dad, this child both Divine and drooly—to this child, the band of Wise Men came and presented gifts.

Jesus tabernacled among us.

In the OT times, you couldn’t think of the tabernacle without being reminded of the glory of God (that’s where the glory of God resided).

As Israel marched through the wilderness, the glory of the Lord appearing like a cloud went with them, regularly descending upon the tabernacle. That glory was the “visible manifestation of the excellence of God’s character.”

The glory of God, in other words, is the greatness of God seen visibly.

The tabernacle was, for all it’s grandeur and awe-inspiring touches, just a partial and incomplete picture of the glory of God.

What John does here in verse 14 is teach when Jesus came to earth as a man to dwell with men—to tabernacle among us—the glory of God was seen in all its fullness.

The truthfulness of God to keep His promises and the grace of God to rescue His people found their ultimate expression when God sent His Son.

As John was writing this, he could say, “Our fathers experienced the grace and faithfulness of God, but if you want an even greater demonstration of it, look to Jesus—the true and better tabernacle!”

This “tabernacling” of Jesus, the incarnation of Christ, Jesus born unto us is one of the top-three events in all of history.

The eternal, all-powerful, ever-present Son of God took on human nature and living among humanity as one who was both God and man at the same time, in One person.

Max Lucado writes this:

“It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment that was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened and placed this most precious One in a human womb.

God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother.

God had come near. [Now] it is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation.

But don’t do it. For heaven’s sake, don’t. Let Him be as human as He intended to be. Let Jesus into the mire and muck of our world. For only He comes to us can He pull us out.”

Jesus Tabernacled Among Us.

It’s the main part of Christmas—God come down. Reflect on that today, Christmas, for sure.

But don’t stop. Think about it tomorrow, and the next day. And every day after that. Wonder and Worship. Be amazed that He would do this and adore Him for doing it.

>We’re going to look at one more comment John makes. For the sake of time and we’re going to skip over verses 19-28. It’s the story of John the Baptist, who we were introduced to in verses 6-8, denying that he himself was the Messiah.

The day after that interaction is some 30-years removed from the “tabernacling” of Jesus, but John puts the stories together, so then, we can, too.

This is what John says in John 1:29:

John 1:29 NIV

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is another deeply OT theme, something the people to whom John was writing and something everyone listening to John the Baptist’s preaching would have understood immediately.

Again, back to the time of the Exodus, the first Passover was when God commanded each family to choose a lamb, male, perfect (without defect), and have it live with them for four days.

On the fourth day, they were to kill the lamb, wipe it’s blood on the doorposts of their homes, and then ready themselves to leave Egpyt.

They were to eat a meal (standing up, cloaks tucked in their belts, ready to run); they were to eat this meal with the lamb a centerpiece, being reminded of God’s mercy and grace in light of the lamb’s sacrifice.

But it wasn’t just Passover when this happened. Every day two lambs were killed at the temple—one in the morning and one in the evening, their deaths were necessary because of sin.

Hebrews 9:22 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

All the lambs—Passover and temple lambs—pointed to the One Lamb who would be sent from God to shed His blood ONE TIME so sin would be forgiven FOREVER.

Hebrews 7:27 NIV

27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.

Jesus was the Lamb sent by God to offer His life as sacrifice.

At just the right time, God decided good ol’ John the Baptist should take his hand and use it to point at Jesus, saying with all the joy he’d had in-utero: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Jesus Takes Away Our Sin

Under the old way of doing things, the sinner was responsible for providing the lamb for the sacrifice.

But who brought this Lamb to be sacrificed? Well, God did. God was offering His Lamb as a substitute.

We should have to pay the price for our own sin, but God provided Jesus for us.

God sent the Only Lamb who could perfectly and completely pay the penalty for our sins—the One who tabernacled here and experienced temptation we do.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, died in our place for our sin.

He’s not just another lamb. He’s the Lamb of God. He’s the One who has come to take away our sin—yours and mine—when we trust Him and give our lives to Him.

This is a once-for-all-time satisfactory sacrifice.

Jesus doesn’t need to die all over again to forgive. He has done it.

Jesus has come down to us—tabernacling Himself with us—and offered Himself as the Lamb of God, to take away our sins.

This is what He did.

This is what Jesus did.

He came down to us, tabernacling Himself, incarnating Himself, and giving His life for ours, taking our sins and making us right with God.

This, friends, is what Christmas is about. It’s about Jesus, tabernacling among us and taking away our sins. It’s about Jesus, what He’s done for us, and how we respond to Him.

Several months ago, I knew I wanted to close with morning with a poem entitled “The Word” written by my good friend, the Right Reverend, Philip J. Fox.

He wrote this in 2013, based on John 1:

Word with God, Beginning of all.

Word of Creation and Maker of all.

Both Word and Wisdom, the One Word of God.

The Life and Light that enlightens us all,

In the darkness He shines. Does it seem odd

That in His presence the darkness must flee?

It can’t understand Him; how else could it be,

For over Him darkness can never hold sway.

The darkness of ignorance fades away -

Can never resist when He comes to stay.

The Light that enlightens came down to man.

John pointed to Him. Did they understand?

He came to His own; they received Him not,

Could not bear His presence in their small land.

They cast Him aside with a thought.

They knew not their Maker - they could not see,

But to those who could He gave the power to be

The Sons of God, made by God’s own will -

By faith (not by flesh or by human will),

For God is creating His children still.

So the Word became flesh. We saw His face

Filled with God’s glory and God’s own grace.

By Moses’ hands God delivered the Law,

But His grace and truth have taken its place.

The Word lifts us up and mends every flaw,

For the grace of God is found in His Son

(The One who preceded and followed John).

The Father is every on Heaven’s throne,

And who can claim to have seen Him? No one;

Only through His Son is the Father made known.