Christ: Jesus Takes Us from The Wilderness to See God

The coming of Jesus into the world is what turns the whole biblical story from disaster to triumph.

John begins his gospel in the most profound way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1). We see the uniqueness of Jesus’s being and of his eternal relationship with God, and hence how the impact of his coming is to be like no other!

As the Word, Jesus creates, reveals, delivers and brings life and meaning. And through him beneficial order is achieved in the universe. There is no revelation, salvation, life or meaning outside him. The phrase “in the beginning” also evokes the opening words of Genesis and sets the coming of Jesus in the context of God’s whole story of the world.

Indeed, John 1:1-18 retells this story: the world being made, light coming, life given to all, but the world turning its back on its Creator and being in darkness. It looks like it’s all come off the rails… But Jesus enters this story, at the crisis point, to bring it to its rightful climax, the new creation, in which those who receive him enjoy life with God as his children.

If we ask how we can move from our brokenness and the brokenness of this world to possessing this status as God’s children (1:12) in the new creation, the answer comes spectacularly in verse 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.”

The word translated as “dwelling” means that he “pitched his tent” or “tabernacled” among us. This recalls the exodus – the great time in Israel’s history when God dwelt with his people displaying his awesome presence and power. Jesus’ coming is like the time of the exodus. God has come to live with his people in power, but this time he has come in person. As the tabernacling presence of God, Jesus is taking us to the new creation through a new exodus. In the first exodus, God delivered his people and revealed his glory. This time the deliverance is available to all peoples, to leave the horrible results of sin – slavery, oppression, ruined lives – and become the free children of God.

In Jesus, God became what we are in order that we can become like he is. The Message says beautifully how he did it:

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish” (John 1:14 The Message).

So, how can we step into other people’s neighbourhoods and show them Jesus?

In Isaiah 43:19, God said:

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs us; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

God has done a new thing in Jesus who is the way from the wilderness to the new creation. Let us share in the new thing that God has done, journeying with Jesus to see God and drawing others along with us.