GOD IN FLESH

ESSAYS AND POEMS ON JESUS CHRIST

DOMENIC MARBANIANG
Copyright Domenic Marbaniang, 2011
All rights reserved.


ISBN: 978-1-105-31731-6


www.marbaniang.com

ESSAYS
The Humanity and Divinity of Christ
Published in REVIVE, Kumbanad, May 2011


In beginning to write this article, I dare to add another string to a theme in the exposition of which, wrote
Muggeridge, literally billions of words, oceans of paint, acres of canvas, mountains of stone and marble,
have been expended, not to mention, in recent times, miles of film [Jesus Rediscovered]. But, it is a theme
well deserved. Saints and sinners, critics and divines, princes and subjects, all have marveled at the
magnificence of this event called the Incarnation of the Son of God, in which divinity united with humanity.
It baffles human imagination to think that God would condescend to the state of a human. The Bible calls it
the mystery of godliness (1Tim.3:16). Sacred in its very essence, it is the story of the love of the King of the
Universe, a story so sacred that the colonnades of Romance tremble in disbelief.

That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,
Wherewith he wont at Heavns high council-table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside, and here with us to be,
Forsook the courts of everlasting day,
And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay.
[John Milton, On the Morning of Christs Nativity]

To the Apostle John it defined the essence and foundations of Christian ethics: In this the love of God was
manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through
Him Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1Jn 4:9, 11). For, if one but looks
at human society and where we have faltered and then, at the Divine Community (the Trinity) and see how
it stands, one wouldnt fail to perceive the brokenness of our kind that He came to heal with the love that
binds heaven: that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one
in Us. that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them (Jn. 17:21, 26). And, He
did that when He stepped into the skin of man, when the glory of infinite resplendence got wrapped into
the frail flesh of a babe, and immortality encased itself in a mortal frame. Once and for all, the divine and
human elements united, inseparably, yet without any admixture in the birth of the Son of Man.

Now, this truth is so sublime that history has bred several misconceptions, as well, in an attempt to fathom
it. The misunderstandings must be cleared before we can proceed on to grasp what significance the
manifestation of God in flesh has for us.

Clearing Misunderstandings
1. Christs Humanity is not at the Expense of His Divinity, nor Vice Versa. To many of us this is, by fact of
the matter, the truth. But, there are some cults, for instance, the Christadelphians, who deny the divinity of
Christ and claim that Christs life began in the womb of Mary. There are others, meanwhile, like the
modern day Jehovah Witnesses for instance, who think that Jesus life began a long time before His
incarnation (a position similar to the one held by a bishop called Arius, whose heresy was condemned at the
Council of Nicaea in AD 325). The Bible, however, very specifically teaches us that Christs life is without
any beginning or end (Heb.7:3). He is eternal, and therefore is called the Son of God. Alexander of
Constantinople (ca. 244-337) was right when he said that the Fatherhood of the Father is eternal, likewise
the Sonship of the Son is eternal as well; therefore, Christ has eternally been the Son of God.

There have been others, besides, like the Adoptionists, for instance, who taught that Jesus was adopted at
His baptism and thence became the Son of God. The Docetists taught that the humanity of Jesus was a
mere illusion and the Monophysitists believed that Christ had only one nature, His humanity being
swallowed up by His divinity. Of the Monophysist group, the Eutychianists believed that the humanity and
divinity of Christ were fused to produce a single nature. Contrary to all these heretical views, the Bible
clearly reveals Christ as fully human and fully divine; both the divine and human natures being united in
His person without any confusion or mixture of any kind (Col.2:9).

2. Misunderstandings in Islam. There is another misunderstanding, especially among our Muslim friends,
that we teach Jesus to be the Son of God in the sense that He was conceived by Mary through some kind of
union with God. That would be incorrect from the Biblical point of view as well. For, the Scripture clearly
states that the conception of Jesus in Marys womb was by the overshadowing of the Holy
Spirit (Lk.1:35). Jesus was not produced. He incarnated. Various ancient mythologies falsely talk of their
gods coming and cohabiting with women to produce semi-divine offspring. Such myths are both false and
unbiblical. The Incarnation was not so. For, in it the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, God the Son
Himself, took on the form of man (Phil.2:6,7). Jesus was not a third element produced from the fusion of
the divine and the human. There was no mixture of natures. He was fully God and fully man. The
Incarnation did not make Christ the Son of God. He was eternally the Son of God. In the Incarnation, He
assumed human nature and became the Son of Man. Through the Virgin Mary He became the Seed of the
woman that would finally crush the head of Satan (Gen.3:15; Gal.4:4).

3. Essential Differences between Christs Incarnation and the Avataras. The four main differences between
the avatara and the Incarnation relate to the nature, duration, mission, and instances of the two concepts. In
its nature, the mythological avatara is not completely the form that it assumes; but in the Incarnation, Christ
became fully human; not merely in appearance but in essence and reality. Also, the duration of the avatara
is limited, after which it returns to its original form; however, in the Incarnation Christ became permanently
human; He continues to be the Son of Man, our High Priest in heaven and the Glorious King who will one
day return to reign from Davids throne. Next, the mission of the avatara is conceived to be the destruction
of evil forces or personalities; on the contrary, the mission of the Son of Man was to seek and save them
that were lost a propitiatory mission that meant His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. Finally, the avatara is
said to repeat for at least ten instances to put an end to evil. But, the Incarnation of Christ was once for all.
It was final. There cannot and need not be a second Incarnation; for He already is Man forever and He has
finished His propitiatory mission on earth (Heb.9:26,28; 10:10-14).

God in Flesh for Us
Apart from the facts that we have noted regarding the Incarnation as being real (not mere appearance),
complete (not partial), permanent, propitiatory, and final, there are some important truths that the Bible
wishes us to know.

1. The Logos of Fellowship. As the Incarnate Word (Logos), Christ stands as the Reason and Logic of our
acceptance into the family of God. In the Incarnation, Christ partook of human nature, so that through
Him we might become partakers of the divine nature and experience the glorious liberty of the children of
God (Heb.2:14; Rom.8:15-17,21,23). Paul mentions that Jesus was made in the likeness of men (Phil.2:7)
and John records that He was made flesh (Jn.1:14), both using the same Greek word ginomai for made,
asserting the realness of His humanity. This doesnt imply that there was any change in His divinity. That
could never be; for, God is beyond change He is immutable. But, since the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb.2:14-15; cf. Col.1:13).

He became one of us so that we, through Him, might become His forever. Therefore, all that have received
Him have received the right to be called the children of God (Jn.1:12). He partook of human nature, so
that we might have the right to partake of the divine nature (2Pet.1:4; Rev.2:7) by becoming partakers of that
one Bread who came for our salvation (1Cor. 10:17; Jn.6:51), who through His death offered Himself for
us an eternal peace offering so that we can be accepted into His divine fellowship by partaking of His Body
(Jn. 6:51, 54-56; Matt.26:26; Deut.27:7; Lev.7:15). Unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament, the Sacrifice
of Jesus needs no repetition, for He lives forever, as the Reason of our acceptability. The Lamb that was
slain lives (Rev.5:6). Those who partake of Him will never hunger again; He is the Bread of Life. Now, the
promise of a blessed resurrection and a glorious eternity remains for all those who have accepted Him;
because, through death He has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through His
Gospel (1Cor.15:44,52,53; Heb.4:1; 2Tim.1:10).

2. The Logos of New Creation. Also, in the Incarnation, Christ did not just become a man; He became the
Last Adam and the Second Man. He put an end to the old and began the new. Therefore, He says
Behold, I make all things new (Rev.21:5). He bore the earthly image, so that we might bear His heavenly
one (1Cor. 15:49, 45,47).

Both the titles, Last Adam and Second Man refer to His role as the Seed of the woman. His heel was
truly bruised when on the Cross He bled and died for the sins of sinful Adamic race. He took upon Him
the guilt of the old world and met death face to face. The Seed fell to the ground; sin was destroyed
(Rom.8:3) the world was wrapped in silence and darkness. Then, He arose. The Seed sprouted and He
arose as a New Man, the Second Man, and the Beginner of a new race that was born not of the will of flesh,
but was born of God. Natural did the Seed die, but Spiritual did He arise; for the Seed was not merely
Adamic, the Seed was the Eternal Son of God. Death could not vanquish Him, nor could the grave hold
Him forever; for, He offered Himself once for all by the Eternal Spirit (Heb.9:14), dealing an irreparable
death-blow to death itself. What mortal could qualify for such a sacrifice? For man must first pay for his
own transgressions and burn for it eternally in the angry flames of hell, before he could do it for others; and,
even if he were to suffer for other men, besides, the punishment would only be everlasting, with no hope of
a resurrection. But, the Eternal One took upon Himself our eternal punishment and infinitely suffered it in
time. Thus, by death He defeated the devil that had power over death; He crushed the head of the serpent
and brought to naught the kingdom of darkness. By His resurrection, He obtained for us justification,
redemption, adoption, and newness of life, so that we are now accepted before the Father in the Beloved.
As the Second Man, He became the author of our faith and salvation, the Head of the Body which is His
Church. (See Gen.3:15; Heb.2:14,15; 1Cor.15:20-23, 44-49, 55; Jn.12:24; 1:12-13; Eph.2:15; Rom.4:25;
8:3-4,10-11; 6:3-10; Heb.5:9; 12:2; Eph.1:4,22; Col.1:18).

The prophets of the Old Testament looked forward with anticipation to this day; but, God has given us the
grace to be born in the Sunrise of His Love. We live in Anno Domini, the Year of our Lord. Lets live our
days for Christ our King!

The Bridge

From "Encountering God in Prayer" Published in BASILEIA, April 2010.

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1Tim.2:5, NKJV).

The Bible teaches us the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. We have direct access to God.
However, this directness of access is grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ, past all religious
boundaries. He is God, He is Man; He is the Bridge between God and man.

The distinctive teaching of Christianity is that the universe was created out of nothing (ex nihilo); therefore,
it has no fundamental standing; it is contingent. The building blocks of this universe are made of the
substance called as void, zero, cipher, or shunya for, the world is basically made out of emptiness.
However, it is not nothing; though, in itself and by itself it is engrossed with the sense of abstract-yet-
personal rootlessness and voidness that produce anxiety or vanity as manifest in the consciousness of
sentient beings. Neither reason (which is devoid of concrete elements) nor experience (which is devoid of
the ground of necessity) can rescue man from his falleness which may be described as the condition of self-
zeroing. The only rescue is God, who gives us shape and purpose by the Word of His power (Heb. 1:3)
that brought this world into existence (Heb. 11:3). Throughout the Bible recurs the truth that it is not the
human longing as much as is the divine calling that functions as the primary motivation for all recourse to
faith. God desires and calls us to seek Him, therefore prayer exists.

One may, however, ask whether prayer existed before the Fall. Indubitably, yes; for, prayer being a seeking
of Gods will, permission, or action regarding any given subject, is prior to and unrelated to the Fall. A clear
evidence of this fact is that the Lord Jesus Christ prayed, in fact, more than any other man on earth; yet, He
was untouched by the fallenness of man. Therefore, it would not be right to say that prayer originated after
the Fall. Whether the Fall existed or not, prayer would exist as the bond that linked our contingent and
finite worlds to the eternal purposes and resources of God. The bridge, essentially, is Christ who is the only
One Mediator between God and man. Every other way is redundant and terminal.

Eternal Priesthood
The significance of Christs Incarnation is paramount to an understanding of the possibility and
effectualness of prayer. His eternal and mediatory priesthood is the ultimate foundation of prayer.
Therefore, the New Testament prescribes all prayer to be done in the Name of Jesus Christ (Jn.14:13,14;
16:23,24,26). The essence of this truth is captured in the declaration of Christ Himself: I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (Jn.14:6). This understanding is
important since the statement is trans-temporal, it applies to both Pre-Fall and Post-Fall situations alike.
There was never that Christ was not the way. He did not become the way. He eternally exists as the way, the
truth, and the life the eternal I am, immutable and absolute. Through Him were the worlds created, and
for Him (Col.1:15). All things begin in Him and return to Him, who is the Alpha and Omega, the
Beginning and the End (Rev.1:11), in Him will the worlds merge and consummate (Eph.1:10) the
segregate, aggregating into eternal damnation and infernal death. This exclusivity will explain why prayers by
any person or group throughout history (past, present, future), irrespective of creed or culture, are either
answered or rejected: the criterion is whether the prayer responds in answer to the work of the Spirit of
Christ or not. Everything else is fleshly and transgressional. The prayer in spirit and in truth can only be
such as responds to the Spirit of grace (which is of Christ Jn.1:17; Heb.10:29) striving with, testifying to,
and drawing one to the Father; for the Spirit also intercedes for us (Gen.6:3; 1Pet.3:18-20; Jn.12:32; 17:8-
10; 1Cor.12:3; Heb.3:7; 4:2; 1Cor.10:4; 1Pet.1:11; Rom.8:26). That was the reason why Cains sacrifice was
rejected while Abels was accepted. Cains was not patterned after the law of faith of the revelation of the
Spirit of Christ (Heb.11:4; Gen.4:7). John says that Cains works were evil while his brothers were righteous
(1Jn.3:12), which means that it was not the works in themselves but the disposition of faith by which they
were performed that established them as righteous or evil Abel was, therefore, justified and declared
righteous (Heb.11:4) all this connects with the Biblical aphorisms in James: the prayer of faith shall save
the sick and the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Jas.5:15,16). Christ alone is
the eternal source and end of all saving faith; for He alone is the essential revelation of God He is the way,
the truth, and the life (Heb.12:2; Rev.22:12-14,17-20).

In the Incarnation and Passion of Christ the chasm between the eternal and the temporal qualities of being
or existence is infinitely and immutably bridged forever. However, it must be understood that the two were
never poles never polarized. The eternal quality has no rival pole and so is itself not a pole: it spans
infinity. The eternal, in fact, contains the temporal in the sense of the Cretan aphorism In Him we live,
and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), meaning that the both are not two distinctly equivalent and
individual ends; only the eternal is self-contained, temporality is contained in and relative to it, though
infinitely distinct from it: this infinite distinctive constitutes the chasm we talked about. They are different,
but they are not poles this is the difference. The dualism is not dialectical (as in Taoism or Process
philosophy); for that would circumscribe each and eternity would be an impossible category. The dualism is
only relative, as between the necessary and the contingent. The world is contingent upon God. In the
Incarnation, then, eternality and temporality are bridged in the sense that the contingent world is embraced
in the being of Christ, the Son of God, in an essential connection He became Man; yet the nature of the
contingent and the nature of the absolute are unmixed in His person. This, says the writer of Hebrews,
qualifies Christ for His everlasting and immutable priesthood. Now, there are two everlasting orders of
Biblical priesthood established by God; the first is Melchizedekian (Ps.110:4; Gen.14:18, 20; Heb.5:6; 6:20;
7:21), established by divine oath, and the second is Aaronic (Exod.40:15; Num.25:13), established by divine
covenant. The Melchizedekian order is general and eternal, whereas the Aaronic order is national and
temporal; the Melchizedekian order has no origins in time nor geographical or cultural specifications while
Aaronic priesthood had such. Some understand Melchizedek to be a Christophany of the Old Testament.
This is a plausible conjecture seeing that only one High Priest is ever mentioned in that order and the
Hebrew word dibrah for order used in Psalm 110:4 may also mean word, as indicated by John Gill, or
be taken asdabar, meaning word (without the later scribal additions of vowels), as a Messianic Jewish
pastor had once indicated, interpreting the text to say Upon My word, O Melchizedek, You are a priest
forever in the eternal establishment (notice it affirms You are, not You shall be) thus, showing that the
Melchizedek addressed here is Christ Himself. Also, if the order is established by God rather than being
merely recognized by Him as such, then the history of the establishment could only first be seen in Psalm
110:4, which was spoken with regard to Christ in eternity. Scripturally, the eternal priesthood belongs to
Christ alone, which is neither continued nor taken from anyone but is exclusively His eternally; therefore,
He is also called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8), and in light of this can be
understood all those prophetic scriptures that signify the sufferings of Christ, even as it is said regarding the
prophets, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings
of Christ and the glories that would follow (1Pet.1:11): all this pointing to the fact of how eternity and
temporality are summed up in the core of Christs incarnate being; therefore, His one offering annuls
infinite condemnation once for all, and the effects of His atonement apply trans-historically to both the Old
and the New Testament believers alike. This explains also why and how prayers in the general order (apart
from the Law) are accepted before God without any demand of sacrifice for sins, because the Way is
eternally rent open in the sacrifice of His flesh, being available to all who approach God in brokenness and
faith. The historical manifestation of Christ in flesh, consequently, constitutes the mystery of Gods will
regarding man which is, godliness (1Pet.1:20; 1Tim.3:16). To sum this up, the eternal priesthood of
Christ is the foundation of the possibility and expectancy of prayer. It is only in Him (relation), by Him
(foundation), through Him (mediation), and for Him (intention) that all prayer has any meaning; we are
only accepted in Him (Eph.1:6; Heb.10:19,20). This is the mystery of eternal godliness.
How Could An Innocent Man Die for the Sins of the World?

The Scandal of Particularity questions how one Man could be God and also be the Savior of the whole
world. There are two pictures in the Bible that answer this:

1. Surety. Jesus Christ is made the surety of the New Covenant by which participants in the Covenant share
in the blessings of the Covenant (Hebrews 7:22). Now, a surety is someone who provides a warrant or
guarantee for another. If I wish to borrow Rs.5000/- from a creditor, and he doesnt trust me, he would ask
for a guarantor or surety, who answers to him and is willing to pay in case I am not able to pay the amount
back. Similarly, when we were weak and without strength, and in a state when we could not repay our debts,
Christ paid the penalty of our sins.
2. Priest. A Priest is a legally appointed Mediator who represents man before God; as such, Christ,
appointed after the order of Melchizedek as a Priest forever, provides a better sacrifice than the blood of
animals that the priests after the Aaronic order presented for centuries before Him. Their sacrifices
couldnt have efficacy since they had to make atonement for their own sins first, then for the sins of the
people. In addition, the blood of animals cannot adequately atone for the sins of mankind. Through the
offering of His Body, the High Priest Jesus Christ, opens up a way for us before God. We now have access
to the Father. His appointment was official and His sacrifice without blemish; therefore, it was fully
acceptable and satisfactory in the sight of God, and we also in Him.
Estrangement and Belongedness in the Ultimate Sacrifice of God

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to
His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:10-12)

The sense of belonging is an amazing epistemic quality among humans. The animal world is not without it:
the lioness with her cubs, the elephant with her calves, and the eagle with her eaglets portray a picture of
attachment that are the subject of many a story, movie, and a documentary novel. But, in humans the sense
is qualitatively different. It is epistemic and existential. Martin Buber talked of its occurrence in two worlds
of relationships: the I-It (related to the world of utility) and the I-Thou (related to the world of relational
bonds). Where the sense of I-Thou doesnt exist, dehumanization occurs. Estrangement is a horrific
aftermath of a loss of the Thou in the I-Thou world of epistemic and existential sensibility. Added to that,
this is also the world where values (both aesthetic and moral) are a reality beyond any materialistic, scientific
recognition. The sense is spiritual. The world is spiritual. Therefore, loneliness, boredom, emptiness, and
rootlessness are not causes but symptoms of disturbance in the world of I-Thou. Their persistence will
result in the human person seeking escapism in some alternate I-It world (sensations (drugs, sex, alcohol,
etc) or anti-sensation (sleep, suicide).

Volumes can be written on this topic. But, lets focus on the verse before us today. When John talks about
the Word (God the Son) being in the world, the word world comprehends both the physical and the
human. The human, in fact, is responsible for how the world treats God. The human is the world. Now, it
was through the Son that the world was brought into existence the world that belongs to humans, since it
was given to them. But, humanity fell into the corruption of sin and the bondage of death (and with it the
entire creation was made subject to bondage).

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Death, in essence, was not merely physical. It was spiritual, epistemic, existential, aesthetic, and ethical. Sin
brought estrangement from God (the ultimate Thou in the relational set). Yet, the umbilical cord was not
snapped, or else man would have sunk into diabolical hellishness. We see strands of love and belongedness
and a deep quest for God in the hearts of men. Distortions only occur where the I-Thou world has been
fully erased. The Scripture records that God didnt leave humans alone; His spirit kept striving with them,
and through prophets and holy men of God in every tribe, He communicated to them an anticipation of
liberation that was soon to come:

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God.

The reason why the Son of God came to the world was because the world was made through Him it
ultimately belonged to Him. It was lost; yet, it was His. He was willing to leave alone the 99 in order to seek
this one that was lost. But the world did not recognize Him, His own didnt receive Him. There are sharp,
acute, and yet distinct pictures here. The pictures are sharper in prose than any poetry can portray.
The world is not the world as a whole and yet it is the world as a whole. Not everybody failed to recognize
Him, and not everybody rejected Him; and, yet in the moment of the Sacrifice, that was what happened.
The world as a whole was represented by the leaders (both religious and political) who put to death the Son
of God. The depth of estrangement and contortion was manifest in the kind of death administered: the
death of the Cross. It was the world that failed to recognize Him the world that belonged to Him. Yet, the
real story is not that the world rejected Him; the real story is that He was willing to let the world reject Him.
Divine self-emptying, divine servanthood, and divine crucifixion are powerful themes that shock the
philosophy of religion. Nietzsche called the greatest of all sins to be the murder of God (deicide). There was
nothing more sinful than that. On the reverse, the greatest of all righteousness fulfilled was in the self-giving
of the Son of God. This self-giving brought an end to the history of hostility between man and God. It
cancelled all debts. Man had committed the greatest of all crimes, and God had allowed it to be done to
Him in the ultimate divine sacrifice. The Cross was where Justice and Love met vis--vis. It was where man
affirmed his estrangement and God affirmed His belongedness. It was where God accepted man as he was.
The one act of righteousness by the Son of God nullified forever the writ of accusation against all humanity.
The veil was torn away; the entrance is paved, now the ball is in our court. He has accepted us. Do we
receive Him or choose to remain estranged?

Therefore, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who
believe in His name.
Eusebius on the Discrepancies between the Genealogies of Matthew and Luke

The discrepancies between the genealogy of Jesus given by Luke and the genealogy of Jesus according to
Matthew have received various solutions by Scholars. Many modern Scholars believe that Lukes account
traces Jesus genealogy along the line of his mother, Mary, who was the daughter of Heli (Eli); Joseph was
Helis (or Elis) son-in-law. John Gill quotes a Jewish text in support of this view. He writes:

though it is true indeed that Joseph was the son of Eli, having married his daughter; Mary was the daughter
of Eli: and so the Jews speak of one Mary, the daughter of Eli, by whom they seem to design the mother of
our Lord: for they tell (b) us of one, that saw, , Mary the daughter of Eli in the shades,
hanging by the fibres of her breasts; and there are that say, the gate, or, as elsewhere (c), the bar of the gate
of hell is fixed to her ear.

By the horrible malice, in the words, you may know who is meant: however, this we gain by it, that by their
own confession, Mary is the daughter of Eli; which accords with this genealogy of the evangelist, who traces
it from Mary, under her husband Joseph; though she is not mentioned, because of a rule with the Jews (d),
that

the family of the mother is not called a family.

Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263339), in his Church History, promotes the view of Africanus who in his
epistle to Aristides discusses the harmony of the gospel genealogies. According to Africanus, Lukes
genealogy is of Joseph (not of Mary), who was the natural son of Jacob, though legally of Eli who was the
uterine brother of Jacob. Africanus cites the Jewish tradition according to which the names of the
generations were reckoned in Israel either according to nature or according to law;according to nature by
the succession of legitimate offspring, and according to law whenever another raised up a child to the name
of a brother dying childless.

According to this view, Matthan, a descendant of Solomon, had married Estha by whom he begat Jacob
(who was Jesus grandfather, in the genealogy of Matthew). But, when Matthan died, Melchi, a descendant
of Nathan, married Estha and she gave birth to Levi (who was Jesus grandfather according to the genealogy
of Luke). Thus, Jacob and Eli were uterine brothers. Now, when Eli died childless, Jacob married Elis wife,
in accordance to Jewish Law, to raise up seed for his brother, and she gave birth to Joseph. Thus, Joseph
was by nature the son of Jacob (as Matthews genealogy recounts), but according to Law the son of Eli (as
Lukes genealogy recounts). Eusebius concludes:

Hence the genealogy traced through him will not be rendered void, which the evangelist Matthew in his
enumeration gives thus: Jacob begat Joseph. But Luke, on the other hand, says: Who was the son, as was
supposed (for this he also adds), of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Melchi; for he could not more
clearly express the generation according to law. And the expression he begat he has omitted in his
genealogical table up to the end, tracing the genealogy back to Adam the son of God. This interpretation is
neither incapable of proof nor is it an idle conjecture.

To sum it up:
1. Matthan, of Solomons descent, marries Estha and gives birth to Jacob. [Matthew]
2. Matthan dies. Melchi, of Nathans descent, marries Estha and gives birth to Eli. [Luke]
3. Jacob and Eli are uterine brothers (same mother but different fathers).
4. Eli marries a wife but dies childless.
5. Keeping Jewish Law in view, Jacob (Elis brother) marries his brothers wife to raise up seed for him.
6. Joseph is born.
7. Joseph is naturally Jacobs son. [Matthew]
8. But, is, according to Law, Elis son. [Luke]

Incarnation Vs Avatar: 8 Differences

Some tend to confuse the incarnation of Christ with the avatars of Hinduism. There are a few who even
consider Christ to be the tenth avatar or the Kalki avatar. However, there are significant fundamental
differences between the incarnation and the avatars. Following are a few of them:

THE INCARNATION
1. Real. Christ truly incarnated in flesh, real flesh.
2. Permanent. The incarnation was permanent and irrevocable. Christ continues to be in flesh.
3. Complete. Christ became full man. He is full man and full God.
4. Propitiatory. Christs incarnation was propitiatory. He came in flesh to represent man to God as a
Mediator and High Priest, and to sacrifice His body for the sins of the world. There would not be a need
for omnipotent God to incarnate in order to destroy sinners.
5. Revolutionary. Christs incarnation, death, and resurrection destroys the old order and establishes a new
order. The new order is the Kingdom of believers in Christ, who partake of the resurrection from the dead
and inherit the Kingdom of the Son.
6. Impartational. The virtue of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ is imparted to the believer
who is reckoned to be united with Christ in His Body.
7. Final. Christs incarnation was final. It cant be repeated again.
8. Trinitarian. The doctrinal setting of incarnation is Trinitarianism. There is only One God who is Triune,
Tri-personal, and distinct from the universe.

THE AVATAR
1. Appearance. The avatar appears to be in flesh.
2. Impermanent. The avatar returns to its former form after the fulfillment of its mission.
3. Partial. The avatar is semi and partial. It is never fully incarnated.
4. Vindicatory. The avatar appears to destroy the sinners and to save the righteous.
5. Restorative. The avatar restores the world to its original state of balance (dharma) by removing the
elements of wickedness (adharma). The world then moves along in the same way until the surge of iniquity
again invokes another avatar.
6. Segregated. The avatar preserves a discontinuity between the world and the deity throughout. They are
never united in one.
7. Several. The avatars are many and cyclical.
8. Polytheistic. The setting of avatars is polytheistic that avouches myriads of finite gods, demons, the world
of magic, and a cyclical and evolutionary view of the universe.


Beyond the Shadows
Published in the Light of Life, Mumbai, 2008


new moon, or the sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ (Col. 2:
16, 17).


The pale light from the silvery moon cast dark figures on the ground. Frightened, the little boy asked,
Whats it, mother? Its the spirit she replied.

The shadow was a frightening phenomenon to many a pre-literate man. Even in a seemingly sophisticated
society as the Indian one, there was a time when caste Hindus considered the very shadow of an outcaste as
defiling. Somehow a connection was imagined between the dark figure and solid reality. The modern world,
however, seems to have been greatly emancipated from the myth of the shadow. Modern dictionaries define
shadow as a dark shape projected by any body blocking out light. In itself, the shadow has no existence. It
owes its existence to light and a body on which the light falls. The shadow, of course, is only relatively real,
i.e., in relation to the body. Candidly, the shadow is equal to darkness, in one way. When night comes, we
say that darkness has descended: we dont say the shadow of the earth is now on us. Its only because we are
able to see the dark figure in contrast to its radiant surrounding that we call it a shadow. Where such
contrast is not possible, as in a dark room, we accept that were in some dark place. We dont say, for
instance, in the dark room case, that were in the shadow of the rooms four walls. We simply say, were in a
dark room. The only difference between pure darkness and shadowy darkness, however, is that the shadow
implies the existence of both light and a body while pure darkness implies none.

When the Bible declares the Old Testament rituals as shadows of the reality, which is Christ, it also implies
the existence of both the light and the body: the light is the revelation of Biblical prophecy about Christ (the
Holy Scriptures); the body is Christ Himself, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (cf. 1 Pet. 1:
10, 11, 20). Christ was not absent from Old Testament history; He was with them all the time (1 Cor. 10:4,
9; Heb. 11: 24-26). All the Old Testament stipulations found their fulfillment and reality in the being of
Jesus Christ, the Messiah and the Son of the Living God. Therefore, Christ could boldly state that the
Scriptures testified about Him (Jn. 5: 39). The revelation of Jesus Christ in New Testament history has
emancipated the world from the shadowy philosophies of humanity. This emancipation, however, can only
be experienced by an encounter with divine truth by solid faith (Jn. 8: 32). This encounter involves an
intellectual, affectionate, and volitional response to Gods revelation of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Bible
calls man to abandon his life of obsession with shadowy reality and enter into the reality of Gods light.

There are two gigantic shadows of human origin that one can still behold in the world today: the shadow of
human religion and the shadow of human effort. Both of these seek salvation of some kind but can only
find solace in the reality of Jesus Christ.

The Shadow of Human Religion
Religion in itself should not be considered to be evil. Someone has defined it as mans attempt to reach
God. Obviously, desiring God is not evil in itself. Paul was not incriminatory of the religious spirit of the
Athenians (Acts 17: 22-30). To be religiously minded after the things of God is not a problem. The
problem relates to the kind of God and religion that one desires and invents accordingly. The Bible is
against any human religion that corrupts the divine image and relegates it to the level of corruptible
creatures. This is the great wickedness of changing the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (Rom. 1: 23). It is an
insult of Gods glory.

God doesnt denounce people of all religions. The Bible does speak of prophets and priests of God in non-
Jewish religious traditions. Melchizedek, Balaam, and Epimenides were not all Jewish prophets; however,
God used them to reveal His truth to people. One must understand that religion has both a positive and a
negative aspect.

The positive aspect of religion is that it often foreshadows Christ as the Saviour from evil. The various
symbols and sacrifices can contain some revelatory information, and missionaries in the past have found
some of them to be important conceptual links in communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don
Richardsons book Eternity in their Hearts gives good examples of such positive aspects of religion.
However, this should not serve to overlook the negative aspects of it: carnality, pride, self-spirituality,
occultic involvement, demonic doctrines, superstitions, and evil rituals. The Bible makes a specific call to
repent from all such humanly devised and demonically influenced appearances of religiosity (Acts 17: 30).

Human religion is shadowy, for it has no power in itself for salvation. Its wisdom is earth-bound and its
power transient. But Christ is the eternal power and the eternal wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1: 24). Therefore,
He is able to save those to the uttermost that come to Him (Heb. 7: 25). Religion is a shadow; Christ is the
Reality. Religion is anticipation; the Gospel, the answer.

Dr. John T. Seamond, in his The Supreme Task of the Church, if I am right, puts this comparison quite
strikingly:

Religion is man-made; the Gospel is God-given.
Religion is mans search for God; the Gospel is Gods search for man.
Religion is good views, the Gospel is Good News.
Religion is good advice; the Gospel is a glorious announcement.
Religion white washes; the Gospel washes white.
Religion places the prime emphasis upon doing; the Gospel places the emphasis on a person.
You can take Buddha out of Buddhism and Buddhism still remains with its Four Noble Truths and its
Eight-fold Path.
You can take Mohammed out of Islam and Islam is still intact with its Five Pillars of Action and its Six
Articles of Belief.
But if you take Christ out of the Gospel, there is nothing left, for the Gospel is Christ.


Christ is the body; everything else is dependent on Him for meaning. All religious philosophies and
practices are nullified without Christ. That is why Paul said that he considered all things that were profitable
in the worlds eyes as loss for Christ. In fact, he continued, he counted all the glories of carnal religion as
refuse and dirt (Phil. 3: 4-8). We no longer need to strive after salvation and God; Jesus has appeared as the
answer to all human problems. Let us publish the Good News.

The Shadow of Human Effort
In the minds eye, one can see the soaring figure of Babels tower, the combined effort of humanity, the
symbol of mans consummate energy; now, all in the dust. Jewish historians tell us that the tower of Babel
was mans affront against God, the symbol of human pride. Far glorious and magnificent than the Great
Pyramids, any man could feel puny, little, and moth-like in comparison to it. The sky-scaling
accomplishments of man are awe-inspiring, yet not without some intimidation.

God destroyed the tower of Babel because united human affront could mean total destruction of all
humanity. The division of man along linguistic barriers saved the world from unrestricted propagation of sin
and allowed each ethnic group to seek God separately (Acts 17: 26, 27). However, such barriers do not
significantly count in the modern age of information explosion. The barriers of language are being broken
with machines doing much of the work across boundaries. Man is becoming, seemingly, more invincible
and unconquerable. An edifice, greater than Babels tower, is on its way. It is the image of man against all
reality as man keeps pushing himself more and more to the center of all values. Mobile gadgets, silicon
chips, and uncensored media; skyscraping towers, breath-taking architecture, and incredible edifices;
amusement parks, clandestine parties, and bar clubs; multi-millionaire enterprises, soaring salaries, and easy
money; medical wonders, newer therapies, and Yoga techniques (now believed as able to defeat
everythingperhaps even God!); all of this mixed with more psycho-traumas, broken families, fall of values,
and ubiquitous corruption. All human striving without devotion to God, said Solomon, is a wild chasing
after the wind, ultimately winding up in the grave (Eccl. 1: 14; 12: 13, 14, NIV).

Death, said Solomon, comes to all men and beasts alike (Eccl. 2: 16; 3: 20). Neither beauty nor might is
eternal. All fade like the withering grass. When the feet of death draw near ones door, then neither beauty
nor strength can plead or prevail. When the mourning bells of death ring and the funeral house is filled
with cries, when mourners go about the street and a dirge surrounds the corpse, then will it be said: dust is
man and to dust he has returned. All works and glories, now nailed to the coffin, are interred in the grave.

The great philosopher and emperor of Rome, Caesar Marcus Aurelius, it is said, was in his old age
murdered by his own son. If that was true then such death was unfortunate for such a great man. But death
doesnt portend its time, style, and appearance. Alexander the Great, who conquered kingdoms and held
nations in absolute control, was smitten to death by a malarial parasite, an insignificant mosquito.

Therefore, says one poet:

Why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,
He passes from life to his rest in the grave.

Tis the wink of an eye, tis the draught of a breath,
From the bosom of health to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud.
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

The absolute helplessness of man before the looming power of death fills him with anxiety. The German
philosopher, Martin Heidegger, said that it is the thought of death that drives man to thinking about reality.
He saw all human indulgence in pleasure and daily activities as attempts to forget the reality of death.
Contrary to what Shakespeare said, it is the tooth-ache experience, the reality of pain that makes one a
philosopher. It was the reality of suffering that compelled Siddhartha Gautama to leave his comfortable
palace and seek the meaning of life and the way of liberation. To him, emancipation comes only when the
illusive soul successfully dismantles at death, never to be reborn again. But this looks confusedly at reality. It
treats the soul as an enemy and considers death as the savior, the liberator. The Bible, however, makes it
very clear that it is neither body nor soul but death that is mans greatest enemy and that it rules over man
by the power of sin. But the good news is that Christ has appeared in human history as the salvation of God.
By taking on human nature and going through the death of the cross and rising up from the grave, He has
dealt a death blow to death itself. Now those who come to Him can boldly announce that physical death
doesnt mean their death but the death of death itself. Physical death is only a reality to those who are
outside the reality of Jesus Christ. To those who are in Christ, death is itself become a shadow; we are freed
from the fear of death.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more: death, thou shalt die.

Jesus Christ infuses life with eternal worth and meaning. All creation was made by Him and for Him (Col.
1: 16), and without Him all creative activity is void of real significance. But anyone who works and lives by
faith in the Son of God brings fruit that endures forever, for he draws sap and energy from the True Vine
(Jn. 15), and whatever he does shall prosper (Ps. 1: 3).

The Reality of Jesus Christ
Christ is the Truth of God. Faith on Him alone brings salvation home. Today we walk by faith and not by
sight (2 Cor. 5: 7). We believe and rejoice in the Lord though we do not see Him (1 Pet. 1: 8). But there
will come a day when our present faith will be rewarded, for faith does have a reward (1 Pet 1: 7, 9). This
will be when Christ our life appears in glory, at the end of the age, for judgment and salvation. The roof of
the sky will rend open for the return of the King; the bright Sun of Glory will shine and all shadows will flee.
We will stand and behold the glory of God in the very face of Jesus Christ. The candle light revelation that
we now have (2 Pet. 1: 19) will give place to the perfect one. We will see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3: 2). Then will
the works of each man be judged, whether they be gold or hay; and if any mans work abide, he shall
receive a reward (1 Cor. 3:14). Our toils will be rewarded (Gal. 6: 9). Just one glimpse of Him in glory will
the toils of life repay. Then will the world know that the narrow way of the cross is far richer and glorious
than the broad way of pleasure.

Therefore, along with Paul, one should be bold to say that it is the cross of Jesus Christ and not the array of
human endeavors that is really praise-worthy and glorious. The cross of Jesus Christ reduces the tower of
Babel into a miniscule nothing. For all that man does is dust and ashes: dust he is and dust is all he can do.
But what Jesus has done on the cross is eternal. His work of redemption is everlasting (Heb. 9: 12). His
work goes beyond the shadows, for He is the Reality, the source of eternal life, the ground of all truth. He is
the Light of the world and he that follows Him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He
is coming back. In fact, Hes as close as at the door. When the curtains shall be drawn on this age and the
veil lifted from the face of eternity, then will there remain no room for remorse and regrets. The present
now, therefore, is incomparably precious. It is the moment to break off with sin and embrace life. It is the
moment to renounce the morbid arms of darkness for the refreshing reality of light. It is the moment when
the chains of falsehood can be broken with the sword of divine revelation. Let us, therefore, forsake the
shadows and cling to the reality that is Christ. In Him we live, and move and have our being (Acts 17: 28).
Without Me ye can do nothing (Jn. 15: 5). Amen!

Christ, Truth, and Politics
Published in Souvenir of CITS, Itarsi

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? (John 18:38)

It is interesting to note that the only instance where Christ ever met Pilate in recounted history was at His
trial. The ensuing dialogue between both of them is intriguing. It heavily concentrates on the urgency of
Truth in a world mismanaged by humans.

The trial of Christ at Jerusalem reminds us of the trial of Socrates at Athens. Tertullian might have been
too quick to retort What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? The unjust sentence of Socrates
explicitly points out the fact that the greatest problem with humanity is not that it has not known the truth
but that, to the contrary, having understood the ramifications of truth it has suppressed it and chosen to put
an end to any voice that speaks on behalf of it. Werent there at least 80, of the earlier 220 who voted
Socrates as innocent, who also later voted for his death penalty? Truth had less significance in the
democratic Athens, whose laws Socrates himself highly respected. In Jerusalem as well, though Christs
sentence was not decided through a Jury based on votes, yet it was the voice of the mob that prevailed
against the truth. The obvious truth was that Pilate had found nothing worth condemning in Jesus. Yet,
however, he talked of the Passover custom of releasing a prisoner and had Christ whipped despite the
evidence that Christ was not a criminal.

The contrast between Socrates and Jesus is high at the point where Jesus begins to speak of a kingdom
beyond this world and of His coming to bear witness to the truth. While for Socrates, truth had to be
discovered through rational analysis, Christ claimed to know the truth and be a witness to the truth. While
Socrates didnt find any meaning in a world beyond Athens, Christ talked of a kingdom that transcends all
spatial-temporal existence.

Pilates question to Jesus as to what was truth insinuates several meanings. He might have meant Does
truth mean anything at all? or What is truth in this situation? or Is truth absolute or relative? or Do
politics and truth go together? or Even if there is something called Truth, is there any significance to it?
or What truth are you talking about? Whatever the import of the question was, the fact remains that
Pilate found nothing appealing in any understanding of truth in a world that relativized everything to suit its
selfish purposes.

Pilate had already become infamous for his hard ways of dealing with mobs. Josephus tells us of Pilates
aversion of Jewish religious interference in his political moves. For instance, when he brought Roman
banners with Caesars image on them, the Jews protested. He tried to put them down by deploying his
troops only to find out that these people were committed to their religion more than they were committed
to Caesar. In another instance, he sent his soldiers dressed in tunics to infiltrate the crowd and beat the
offenders with clubs. They had protested against his secular employment of temple treasure. And so, now,
when the Jews come to him with Jesus, he straight away dismisses them with the words Take ye him, and
judge him according to your law. When they insist that he was a political malefactor, he takes him aside
and asks him some questions only to find out that the Jews who once protested against the images of Caesar
were now using the name of Caesar to get rid of Jesus. Later, Pilate finds himself accused of enmity against
Caesar on grounds that he wished the release of Jesus. Understanding the breadth of experience Pilate had
in politics, it is not amazing that his famous question What is truth? comes in response to Jesus statement
that He was a King and had come into the world to bear witness to the truth. How could one be a King and
also bear witness to the truth at the same time. Was the Roman Empire ready for such news?

Several centuries later, an Italian political philosopher by the name of Machiavelli was to write that a ruler is
not bound by traditional ethical norms and is free to use whatever means available for his political purposes.
His principles of power politics came to be known as Machiavellianism. Machiavelli proposed that it was
better that a ruler be both loved and feared; but, since a combination of both was too difficult, it was
desirable that a ruler be feared though not loved. His formulation of such principles was allegedly drawn
from studies in Roman political history and the politics of his age. Unquestionably, tyranny and despotism
are perfect possibilities in a political system that doesnt recognize the sovereignty of God. Assuredly, every
Nebuchadnezzar still needs a Daniel.

When questioned about His Kingship, Jesus promptly replied: My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but
now is my kingdom not from hence. This clearly recognized that force was indispensable to kingdom.
Puzzling, however, is the way Jesus uses the concept of kingdom. He distinguishes between two kinds of
kingdom: one, of this world; another, not of this world. He claimed to be the King of the latter with an
additional comment that His servants didnt help Him now because His kingdom was not from here. The
word used for world here is kosmos (world, order), not aion (age, course). It denotes this very physical
world order that we live in. Important is also the phrase not from here, which is to mean that Christs
kingdom didnt have its origin or basis in this world. It is from above even as Christ is from above (the
second man). And the King of this other-worldly kingdom is a witness of truth. His passion for truth led
Him to come to this world confused by raging falsehood and deception. He said that everyone that
belonged to the truth heard His voice. He was the King of the Kingdom of Truth. A few chapters earlier,
He claimed to be the personification of Truth itself so that anyone who believes in Him and follows Him is
delivered from the falsehood of this-worldly glory (which truly is darkness) and transferred to His kingdom
of light. Knowing Him is far more urgent than knowing several diverse truths. He is the Truth that connects
together all truths of past, present, and future and fills them with transcendent and eternal meaning. Pilate
could not hear Christs voice. Dazed by Christs statements, he retorted What is truth? and left without
waiting for an answer.

Immediately, he goes out and declares to the Jews: I find in him no fault. That was the truth. However, he
added: But ye have a custom that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I
release unto you the King of the Jews? That was the falsehood. Why talk of releasing Christ as a criminal
when no fault indicting Him had been found in Him? The ethical relativism of this-worldly politics thickens
still further when the crowd demands the release of a notorious robber (they could endure physical robbery
as long as their spiritual status was left untouched and their religiosity approved of). Pilate scourges Jesus
and lets his soldiers humiliate Him thinking, perhaps, that this would soften the violent temper of the
crowd. He still tries to stick closer to justice and truth though the current is tearing him away from it.
Jesus had told him earlier that His kingdom was not of this world. Pilate still seems to be out of touch with
the import of His word. He asks Him: Where are you from? Jesus gave no reply. Pilate says: Do you not
speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to crucify you, and I have authority to release you?
To which Jesus replies: You could have no authority against Me unless it were given to you from above.
Therefore he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin. The relating of political authority to a
transcendent Rulership above is significant. Hegel in his Reason in History writes regarding the role of the
Divine in politics:

Religion is the sphere where a people gives itself the definition of what it regards as the True. Such a
definition contains everything which belongs to the essence of the object, reducing its nature to a simple
fundamental characteristic as focus for all other characteristics the universal soul of all particulars. The
idea of God thus is the general fundament of a people.

...secular existence is temporal and moves within private interest. Hence it is relative and unjustified. Its
justification can only be derived from the absolute justification of its universal soul, its principle. And this is
justified only as determination and existence of the essence of God. For this reason the State is based on
religion.

Of course, Hegel writes of God, Religion, and Truth within the framework of his Phenomenology of the
Spirit. But his insight into the necessity of truth and God as the unifying fundament of a people is great.
Biblically speaking, God is the creator of man, and is the giver of not only political authority but also vision
and direction to a nation. A nation which loses sight of God, will soon lose sight of practical value in truth
and honesty. Private interest and engrossment with the present would reign high and become the ground for
the release of despotism and tyranny. Jesus, by reminding Pilate that his authority was from above, was
telling him that he was not autonomous in his field of politics. He was accountable to God. However, it is
the one who handovers Jesus to Pilate that has the greater sin. Pilate has an opportunity to be just. He tries
to release Jesus but is backfired by the crowd with the words: If you let this man go, you are not Caesar's
friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. Threatened by such accusation, Pilate gives
in to the demand of the crowd and handovers Jesus to be crucified, at the same time referring to Jesus as
the King of the Jews, to the chagrin of the priests who, themselves having succumbed to the relative
situation, ironically exclaim that they have no king but Caesar. Pilate, however, doesnt stop here. He
inscribes on the title on Jesus cross the words JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS and
refuses to change it despite the chief priests protest. Somehow, Pilate seems to be attempting to stick close
to the truth despite his obvious distance from it. He had already fallen prey to the public appeasement of
secular politics. Truth had fallen in the earthly city.

But Christ, the Truth of God, did not die forever. He rose again on the third day. By His physical death on
the cross, He put an end to the falsehood of this world order and rose again as the Firstfruits of a new world
order founded on the very fulfillment of truth (His life and teaching), righteousness (His obedience), and
justice (His sacrifice). If He didnt arise humanity would have been left without any hope of justice and a life
eternal that transcended this world. But He rose again. And one day, He will come back to judge the world
according to Truth (Romans 2:2). He will return in the glory of His kingdom (Mt. 16:28; 2 Tim. 4:1) to
inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness (2 Pt. 3:13).
In the Beginning was the Word (Exposition of John 1:1-5)

Author
Name: John the disciple whom Jesus loved, son of thunder
Father: Zebedee, Matt.4:21
Mother: Salome (guess cf. Matt.27:56; Mk.15:40; Jn.19:25, perhaps a sister of Mary, mother of Jesus)[1]
Brother: James
House: Jerusalem, Jn.19:27[2]
Profession: Fishing business in Capernaum, but after the call, disciple of Christ, apostle of love; had been a
disciple of John the Baptist (Jn.1:35,40)
Note: Rejection of John as the author of the book and attributing the work to a certain John of Ephesus
undermines the book as a testimony to the Deity of Jesus. The rejection is based on inadequate
evidences.[3]

Date
About 90 AD,

Purpose
An eye-witness testimony of the things which took place; a testimony to the Truth, so that the readers may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they may have life in His Name.
(Jn.21:24; 20:31)

The Text
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was
made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it. (Jn.1:1-8, RSV)

Important Vocabularies in the Text
Beginning Word God Made
Life Men Light Darkness

Beginning. A, according to H. Bietenhard, is an important term in Greek philosophy, which means,
among other things, starting point, original beginning. (Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 1:64).[4]

Word. . Ordinarily it refers to a spoken word, with emphasis on the meaning conveyed, not just the
sound. Logos, therefore, is an expression of personality in communication. To the Hebrew the word of
God was the self-assertion of the divine personality; to the Greek the formula denoted the rational mind
that ruled the universe.[5]

Heraclitus (c.535-c.475 BC), a Greek noble man from Ephesus believed that the world is ceaselessly
changing. There is only one thing that is permanent, and that is change, he said. But the process of
change, he believed, was not random and haphazard. Instead, he saw all change as determined by a cosmic
order that he called the Logos.[6] Logos is the source of all order, lawfulness, and justice. It is almost
entirely unknown by earthly mortals in part, because nature loves to hide the deeper reality is the Logos,
the unity of opposites in which all is one.[7]

The Stoics (members of a philosophical school founded by Zeno (308 BC)) used logos to explain the
cosmic reason; the reason, the natural law that permeated the whole universe. The Stoics were pantheists,
who embraced modern New Age beliefs. Stoics viewed the world as imbued with intelligence: man is part
of a cosmic animal (Boardman, Griffin, & Murray, The Oxford History of the Classical World, pp.355-
386).[8] The Aramaic word is memra.
John seems to try to give the Greek world a true understanding of logos. What logos really is, transcendent
or immanent? How do we know it? Can we know it?

God. is in reference to the Almighty God of Israel: the Creator, Ruler, and Sustainer of the universe,
in contrast to the gods of the heathens. In the Greek world was a general term for any deity (Common
Noun). But Xenophanes, Plato, and Aristotle used as a personal name for the one Supreme God in
their writings. The Septuagint writers/translators found this word as more suitable to the Biblical concept
than any other word and used it for Elohim.[9]

Made. . Translated as came into being by Berry (Interlinear Lit. Trs.); as come into
being or existence (also NASV).

Life. , from which our English word zoo and zoology are derived. It is used to mean life as a principle,
life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself. Also used of that which is
the common possession of all animals and men by nature, and of the present sojourn of man upon the
earth with reference to its duration.
In the present text the former meaning is implied.

Man. ; men, in the present text.
The Jewish Concept. Man was created in Gods image from dust.

The Sadducees. Denied the immortality of human soul, the resurrection of the body, and judgment in
future. Man is the determiner of his destiny. God doesnt determine his future. As a matter of fact, they
didnt believe in the existence of life after death. What happens, happens here. Present. Obedience to God
should not be utilitarianistic, but absolutely disinterested.

The Pharisees. Believed in life after death and the resurrection of the body. Obedience to Gods law is
emphasized.

Note: The word Sadducees is not mentioned in Johns Gospel. As to why John doesnt mention them is
not clearly known. The Jewish concept of man is that man is created in Gods image and likeness, is
superior to all beasts, must walk according to the Torah, and rely on God. The sinful nature of man is not
explicit. Wisdom helps the wise for good.

The Grecian Concept. There was a wide variety of philosophical units, but one thing stands almost in
common: Man is similar in emotions to gods. Reason is his guide to a good life.
Platonism. The universe is changing, becoming. The ultimate Reality is the ideal world, which is
unchanging. The human soul is eternal. He believed in transmigration of souls. Reason, wisdom,
discretion are words that Plato uses to describe that by which a man can understand the truth and know it.
There is no mention of sinfulness, fallen nature, or future judgment.

Stoicism. Pantheists, believing in a world-soul, Reason. Reason orders and controls the universe. Man is a
tiny portion or fragment of this divine Reason, and could find true fulfillment only by living in harmony with
Reason.[10]

Epicureanism. They were materialists; everything is matter; and so pleasure is the ultimate good for man.
There is no deliberate design behind the universe. Man is the product of chance.[11] And so, eat, drink,
and make merry; for tomorrow we die.

The true concept of man; the truth about man is important so that the Gospel be effective. Is man a
product of chance or a product of design; was he created by God or is a god? Does man possess eternal life
or is doomed for annihilation? Is there a judgment? Is man sinful, or just what he is, rational or
unthinking? Can man live up to the standard of God?

Light. . The OT concept is that of divine enlightenment, revelation, salvation, and Gods presence.
God is my light and may salvation (Ps.27:1). Apart from God there is no light, and so no life
(animate).[12] Darkness is judgment, secrecy, distress.

Greek Thought. Light symbolized life itself, as well as happiness. Plato compared the good with sunlight,
and light developed a distinct relationship to the ethically good, as well as to healing and the illumination of
ones thoughts and life. Strikingly, the Greeks did not relate light and darkness to the activities or realm of
the gods. Later Gnostic thought transformed light and darkness into opposing and hostile powers.[13]

Darkness. . The OT relates it to judgment, distress, mystery, and divine intervention (where men
cannot act, God intervenes).[14]

The Greek Concept. Darkness (skotos in Greek) had no specific philosophical importance in itself except
in contrast with light (phos). It was associated with ignorance, with sinful doings, and particularly with mans
fear of death, for death was often characterized as a realm of darkness.[15]

EXEGESIS
Verse 1. In the beginning was the word. . It is the presence of the verb (en,
was) that brings out the importance of this phrase. Literally, it could and should be rendered When the
beginning began, the Word was already there. This is the sense of en, which is in the imperfect tense and
implies continuing existence in the past. So before the beginning began, the Word was already in existence.
This is tantamount to saying that the Word predates time or Creation.[16]

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
God is emphatic, so God Himself (Amplified, F.N.)

John means to say: At the beginning (of the Cosmos) of time, the Word existed. It was before time and was
with God (the Almighty God, God of gods) eternally as He was. The Word was God.

Note: In the Greek . Literally, God was the Word. Perhaps the absence of the article to
might have reversed the position; the endings are in the nominative. The Amplified Bibles footnote
ascribes God as emphatic.

There is one problem in understanding this verse. Does John refer to the Word as the same God or as
another God?

If an article were present before God, the answer would have been easier. But, the absence of the article
causes problem of understanding. Note: John was writing to the Gentile world (who believed in many gods
and didnt know the concept of Trinity).

Article a before God would state it indefinitely Jesus was a God and was in the beginning, but this syntax
raises another question. Why then mention that God which was also a God? If it be assumed that the
God is the Almighty and God is an inferior or lesser, probably the problem is solved. But the article a
is not mentioned.

The definite article the would give the meaning the Word was the same God. Still the problem is, If is
the same God, why mention with God? The article the however is also not mentioned. Perhaps, John,
aware of the problem of understanding, willfully put the sentence in that way so that no confusion may arise
concerning the deity of Christ.
He doesnt put an article; therefore, Jesus is not the same person with the God; but His divinity must be
stated and not as inferior; therefore, John puts God at the beginning of the third phrase, and thus
emphasizes the divinity of Jesus without adding any article. The absence of the indefinite article rules out
the possibility of absolutely stating that there were two Gods.

The Word must be understood in Johns terms as the Truth, the Revelation of God. It is not what
the Stoics think about as immanent in cosmos the Cosmic-soul. But this Word, the Truth, the
Revelation of the Truth,, the Source of our understanding of truth is distinct from the cosmos. He was
with God; near and in the presence of God, to be understood with v.18 in the bosom of the Father. Thus,
verses 1 and 18 are to be understood together. He hath declared (made known) Him.

Note: Word as expression of thought. Our language is limited, our thoughts, (as reality) not always clearly
expressed. The Logos of God is His perfect expression, The perfect expression of the perfect Idea. We
can know the Father only and only through Jesus His Word. May it not be understood in the sense that
what God speaks, His speech is Jesus; for that would mean to say that God has a language made of
vocabularies and His usage of them is Jesus. It must be understood that the language of John is wholly
metaphorical and symbolical. The Truth of God cannot be comprehensively explained in human terms;
therefore, the use of metaphors, similes, and symbolic language. Jesus is the Word who was with God and is
God. Beyond the concept of mere word is the concept of reason, intelligence which Jesus reveals.

With God, together with in the bosom of the Father and I proceed forth and have come from God
(Jn.8:42), thus can be understood as the eternal close relationship and nearness, togetherness of the Father
and the Son. They are distinct in person and still One. He proceeds from the Father, and is at His
bosom. Our minds are limited enough and our speech limited enough to express it so clearly that it be
comprehensively understood. Absolute Truth can only be understood in relative terms.

John knew that and so his syntax. Thus, verse 1 is the introduction of Jesus Christ as the eternal God, one
with the Father; in relationship, closer than any other; in deity, equal; in person, distinct; the expression and
revelation of God. The image of God, the true image and not just a shadow, the form of God, is revealed
through Jesus and in Jesus alone, who is the revelation of God to man. Jesus is the Word, exact
expression of the Intelligence of God; to know Gods mind and heart, we need to know Jesus.

Verse 2. The same was in the beginning with God. (KJV)
He was present originally with God. (Amplified)
It seems to be, along with v.4, an explanation of v.1; so that,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God is equal to
He was in the beginning with God to mean:
God was there in the beginning
The Word was there in the beginning
The Word was with God in the beginning

Therefore,
God and the Word existed together eternally in close relationship and were there in the beginning when;

Verse 3. All things came into being through Him, and without Him came not even one thing which has
come into being.

There can be a possibility that this verse could be read together with Proverbs 3:19; but this is not to be just.
For it would mean that Jesu sis the wisdom (In 1 Corinthians 1:24, the context is different) and
understanding of God and so God utilized Him as distinct from Him (If Jesus is a distinct person from the
Father, then wisdom is a distinct entity from God; if Jesus is the same person, then God is wisdom play of
words. How then can God found cosmos with Himself? It must, therefore, be accepted that such a construe
is not adequate). Metaphors and similes must not be played with or else confusion will be the end.

Verse 3 must be understood with verse 10.
Verse 10. the world was made through Him.

The word for through in Greek is dia and can mean also on account of, because of[17]. Putting
together And without Him came not even one thing which has come into being. We arrive at a
conclusion that God created the cosmos together with Jesus (cp. Gen.1:26: Let us: Perhaps a point to this)
and created it for Him.

Verses 1-3 can, therefore, be thus summarized as:

In the beginning the Word (Jesus) was with God. He co-existed with Him eternally being God and the
expression of God ((word relative term) to men). God did not make the universe, brought it into
existence apart from Jesus, His Son; for whom He created and through whom, and because of whom He
created the universe.

Verse 4. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
There is no life apart from the Son. The principle of life was in Him. He was, is, the life. (metaphor)

The Grecian concept of light was as that which was good, that which helps us to understand and see things
clearly; the Hebrew concept, also similar. Light helps us to see; the light of men then would mean that by
which and with which man sees and understands the truth clearly. But how does the life in Christ become
our light? We need to retrace to verse 1.

The Word the exact expression of Gods intelligence, reason, and idea (not to be understood in the way
the Stoics understood as impersonal) , this Word apart from whom nothing came into existence that has
come into existence, in this exact expression and image of the Idea and intelligence of God was the Life in
its absolute sense. And man, being created by God in His likeness and image (John was a Jew and knew the
Scriptures), came into existence through this Word. And the principle of life in that expression of Gods
Intelligence and Reason, being also in man whereby he lives, gives him understanding, knowledge, and
power to reason into the nature of truth. The life and power to understand and reason flows from the
Divine Word (express intelligence of Gods intelligence) because man is created through Him, for Him and
in His image. (Ref. Job 32:8. Makes it reasonable that John was putting the Jewish idea in Greek terms)

Job 32:8. But there is [a vital force] a spirit [of intelligence] in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives
men understanding. (also cp. Prov.2:6).

Verse 5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (cp. Gen.1:3,4,5).

The meaning seems clear: Knowledge and understanding of Truth repels ignorance and deception.
Whenever the light shines in us darkness must retreat, it cannot stay along side of light; understanding of
Truth implies denunciation of the lie. Light delivers from darkness, and darkness doesnt overcome it.



Conclusion
The meaning of John 1:1-5 will become clear and easily understandable by the time the reader (Greek-
minded) completes reading the book. Jesus is the Word from eternity, co-existed with God, He is God. He
is the Revelation of God, we know God only in and through Him. The Word is an expression of
thought, revelation of idea, intelligence, reason. John uses these as a metaphor, a way to describe
Him, along with words like Light, Way, Bread etc. Jesus must not be, therefore, be limited to an
impersonal (when the metaphors are read). He is a Person from eternity. He is God, Creator, the Source of
reason and understanding. We are, however, free and have the freedom of will to reject the Truth even
after understanding it, and live a life of darkness (lovers of darkness).
We may never understand, in this earthly life, the complete truth of Jesus, for our mind is limited and our
understanding limited (As a matter of fact, it is impossible even to totally comprehend the mind of our
fellow-men). Jesus is God, and we mortal, finite beings. And though we may never comprehend, here, the
absolute and exhaustive truth of Jesus, we can relatively know Him. We can know Him, His love, His heart
by walking with Him in Truth, in the Light, in a right fellowship with Him by Whom and through Whom
we exist; by Whom and through Whom we can know Life, Truth, and the Father.

Notes
[1] Halleys Bible Handbook, Special Abridged Edition (Zondervan) p. 428
[2] Ibid, pp.428-429
[3] Op.cit.
[4] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositors Bible CommentaryVol.9. John by Merrill C. Tenney
(Zondervan, 1984), p.29
[5] Ibid, p.28
[6] Brooke Noel Moore & Kenneth Bruder, Philosophy, the Power of Ideas, 2nd edn. (Mayfield Publishing
Company, 1993), p.29
[7] Ibid, p.559
[8] Michael Garton, Believing in the Evolution of Life A Christian Option or Anathema?, Tishrei,
Vol.1, No.2. Clifford Denton (Ed.), Winter 1992-93.
[9] Don Richardson, Eternity in their Hearts, rev.edn. (Regal Books, 1984), pp.19,20
[10] N.R. Needham, 2000 Years of Christs Power, Part 1 (London: Grace Publications Trust, 1997), p.32
[11] Gorton, Evolution, p.71
[12] Lawrence O. Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words (Zondervan, 1991), pp.413-414
[13] Ibid, p.414
[14] Ibid, p.413
[15] Ibid, p.414
[16] Gaebelein, Commentary, p.29
[17] Thomas Robert l. NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Holman, 1977).
POEMS
The Passion

The sun lifted his arm to hide his reddened face,
The winds ceased and the earth jolted in confusion;
The universe blackened; history was blotted out.

The One who held this vast universe by His power
Now hung motionless in body on the Cross
That cursed pole obliterated by His crushed frame.

Puny little powers had wielded powerless hammers
Driving nails, lifting Him up for all eyes to see
What salvation God ordained through this cursed tree.

Two thieves for company; few friends, more foes
Waited, as time fled, to watch this end;
Time did end; history choked.

The quivers quivered as bitter arrows were disengaged;
Sin rattled against that Love immutable and true:
O Mockery, you had never so hatefully grimaced
Than when He prayed,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!

One sinner cursed, the other his sins confessed
And sought a hope this world never knew;
Glory shone from Gods battered face,
As to him He said,
Verily, youll be with Me in paradise today, I say to you!

Then, from those torn lips flowed words of sealing
A woman whose breast He leaned on
To the disciple that leaned on His:
Woman, behold your son!
Son, behold your mother!

And, darkness covered the land for hours three;
Chronicles and almanacs wriggled in disbelief;
Time dropped her hands all mystified,
As He cried,
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

What pride mars the hearts of sinful mortals,
Their evil enflamed by their wishful desires!
One blinded man whispered, He calls for Elijah!
Another mocked, Now, he needs help.
We plunder our lives for goods of godless pleasure,
We plummet our souls into hells horrendous grave;
Then, we look at the Crucified Savior,
And whisper to ourselves, He needs help!

The agony was over, the agony released;
He knew it was over and felt the peace;
Then, He said, I thirst!
Lord, I was the cause and the reason why You thirsted.
The liquid that most composes this earthly sheath
Was drained from Your veins to wipe my shame;
You thirsted in order that I may never thirst again!

They lifted to You that venomous vinegar
To burn Your lips, to blunt Your pain.
You turned Your Holy face in refusal,
Your thirst was quenched when You quenched my shame.

Then, He cried It is finished;
The Law and the Prophets brought to an end in Him.
One Act of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Nullified religion, culture, and every human whim.
The wisdom of the wise in their wallets,
The power of princes in their pockets,
Let forever be confined:
Hes done with these, Im done as well;
Im crucified to the world through Him.
The old is blotted out, history has changed,
The transgressor is no more; see, there this saint!
Man no longer has works; these are acts of the Cross,
From where alone flows each disciples works.

What cry now rends the heavens and the earth!
What voice echoes through the corridors of space!
Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!
The only Obedient Son died to live again!

The veil of the temple was torn asunder,
The earth quaked and the rocks were split;
His material case broke open; the path of heaven was paved.

The centurion fell to his knees in wonder,
The crowd beat their breasts and cried;
Silence! God hangs motionless, the penalty is paid.

As the sacrificial lamb brought to the altar,
As the sparrow over running waters slain,
He poured out His boundless love and drenched me with grace.

Lord, what is passion and how much zeals enough?
Your Passion displayed passionately the ultimacy of love.
The worlds fully obliterated, its only You all now!
The Truth

Days have changed said an elder.
Crafty change takes a stealthy stride.
And even before the eyes could wonder
Supersonic change does steal the ride.
Neither allowing to predict nor ponder,
Another change soon whizzes by.
Its Future Shock, said Alvin Toffler.
Inevitable process, said Harvey Cox.
Its last days, said Paul the apostle
On winds of change the world now rocks.
Were living midst lights and thunder,
Camera truths and lusty lies.

The tower of Babel looms sublimely higher,
Now built of neither brick nor clay.
Floors of fantasy built one upon the other
Defy the heavens in total array.
But Babel comes tumbling down asunder
And men depart as flurrying flies.

Lie is a multi-headed monster,
Unsatiated, ever-seeking some new
Fancies to placate its infernal hunger,
Spinning changes and choices not few.
As insatiable desire flares up stronger,
The hurried heat is its death-sigh.
This world of wars, wishes, and woes
Now finds in it her most fearsome foes,
Lawless winds of change on fire
Burn this world with venomous desire.
But rough winds corrode minds apt power
To tell the difference between truth and lie.

Truly, a vision for change twards the good is noble.
One must leave the wrong for right;
For fanatical falsehood breeds contagious trouble,
And falsehood cant with falsehood fight.
Fanaticism is a blind surrender
To unchecked views that might one day die.

But, truths unfrightened by bullet or ink;
Neither does it rot nor stink;
But while mens fancies expand and shrink,
Truths eye will never wink.
The wise take courage to stop and think
How change changes by the brink
Of eternity, another world to link
Thatll bring to the just living waters to drink.
Icons, Idols, Images now fall and crumble
Before Gods own Son and our True Life


Amazing Love

Amazing love of Jesus
Never minding my scarlet stains,
He holds me up in His arms of glory
And covers my heart with His unfailing grace.

The sun may despise my heart of darkness
The moon from me may cover her face.
But never has His light once failed me,
He holds me up in His hearts embrace.

Im wrong, not once Ive fumed over
My heart in doubt His Name disgraced.
But still can I but love my Jesus,
My Lord, my friend, my only praise?

The stars above me hung in silence
As thoughts confusing marred my face.
Yet, deep within me was His assurance;
Hed love me through the end of days.

Ill doubt myself, my Lord Ill never
Who saved me by the cross of shame.
Each stripe He took, my soul delivered
Each drop of blood, my life reclaimed.

having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end (John 13:1)
The Light

You entered my dark room
With Your gentle light,
My eyes were hurt
By this brilliant sight,
My soul lay bare open,
My thoughts all revealed,
Before the brilliance
Of Your gentle light!

I gazed on in horror
At the inadequacies within,
My faces to the ground
For Im a creature of sin;
You reach out and touch me,
You say Its alright,
Your sins are forgotten,
Youre healed from within!

As long as I look at myself,
My infirmities remain,
But, when I look at You, Jesus,
There lingers no stain.
For, You treat me as Your son,
Not as a stranger without,
And, when Im in Your presence,
I remember no pain.

Be with me Lord Jesus,
Drown me in Your light,
Dispel my darkness,
Fill my sight!
Drown me in Your light!