Creator Becomes Created
Waiting for Light to Come | Erik Reed
ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE. JOHN 1:3
The baby lying in the manger under the sky of Bethlehem looks like an ordinary child. He cries for his mother’s milk. His reflexes respond if you tickle his feet. Mary’s soothing touch comforts him. On appearances alone, this child is like all others.
If you were to follow Joseph and Mary into Egypt when they are told by the angel to flee Herod’s command to kill all baby boys under two years old, or travel with them to Nazareth when they return to Israel, you would watch as the young boy matured and grew as all others. You could observe him getting tired as the evening hours grew later. You would watch him laugh as he played with other boys outside. You could hear his stomach growl when the time for a meal drew closer. He looks like everyone else.
But our passage today reminds us that the one born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and who ministered throughout Israel, is not like any other before Him. He is one-of-a-kind. Yes, He is a human being with all the characteristics and experiences just described. However, what sets Him apart from all who came before Him and all who ever come after Him is He is the creator of the universe.
Our passage today teaches us about Jesus’ nature. The first lines of John’s Gospel anchor the God-Man‘s existence back to when He was only God, not man. Unlike every other person, whose existence begins at conception in the womb, Jesus’ existence has no beginning. He is the Word who is from the beginning. He was with God, and He is God.
Then John drops this bombshell in our laps: All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Jesus is not only present in Genesis 1 and 2, but as the Father says, “Let there be light,” it is the Son of God who executed that command. As the universe is being formed, and the world is taking shape with galaxies, mountains, and lizards, the One fashioning the life and contours of it all is the Word who became flesh. Nothing that is made can locate its origins apart from Him.
The apostle Paul in another place tells us that the Jesus who walked among us is the One responsible for the earth He walked on. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” All things were created through Him. The Savior of the world has the right to save it because it is His world. It exists through him, and for him. His work of redeeming man’s sinful heart fueled His coming, but His work to save includes restoring the world He made. He comes to heal the groaning from brokenness that the creation longs to be set free from (Romans 8:22). The Light has come.
Questions for Reflection
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE. JOHN 1:3
The baby lying in the manger under the sky of Bethlehem looks like an ordinary child. He cries for his mother’s milk. His reflexes respond if you tickle his feet. Mary’s soothing touch comforts him. On appearances alone, this child is like all others.
If you were to follow Joseph and Mary into Egypt when they are told by the angel to flee Herod’s command to kill all baby boys under two years old, or travel with them to Nazareth when they return to Israel, you would watch as the young boy matured and grew as all others. You could observe him getting tired as the evening hours grew later. You would watch him laugh as he played with other boys outside. You could hear his stomach growl when the time for a meal drew closer. He looks like everyone else.
But our passage today reminds us that the one born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and who ministered throughout Israel, is not like any other before Him. He is one-of-a-kind. Yes, He is a human being with all the characteristics and experiences just described. However, what sets Him apart from all who came before Him and all who ever come after Him is He is the creator of the universe.
Our passage today teaches us about Jesus’ nature. The first lines of John’s Gospel anchor the God-Man‘s existence back to when He was only God, not man. Unlike every other person, whose existence begins at conception in the womb, Jesus’ existence has no beginning. He is the Word who is from the beginning. He was with God, and He is God.
Then John drops this bombshell in our laps: All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Jesus is not only present in Genesis 1 and 2, but as the Father says, “Let there be light,” it is the Son of God who executed that command. As the universe is being formed, and the world is taking shape with galaxies, mountains, and lizards, the One fashioning the life and contours of it all is the Word who became flesh. Nothing that is made can locate its origins apart from Him.
The apostle Paul in another place tells us that the Jesus who walked among us is the One responsible for the earth He walked on. Colossians 1:16 tells us, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” All things were created through Him. The Savior of the world has the right to save it because it is His world. It exists through him, and for him. His work of redeeming man’s sinful heart fueled His coming, but His work to save includes restoring the world He made. He comes to heal the groaning from brokenness that the creation longs to be set free from (Romans 8:22). The Light has come.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does the reality that Jesus is the creator of the world blow our minds when we take time to reflect on it?
- What are some basic things we learn about Jesus just from the fact that He is the creator of the universe?
- How is Jesus’ redeeming work extending to creation? Why does that matter?
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
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