Matthew 4:17–24; John 1:1–2, 11–14, 18, 29

Bible Studies for Life
Assistant Professor of Religion, Samford University

God Sends His Son

Matthew 4:17–24; John 1:1–2, 11–14, 18, 29

The Son’s Identity (John 1:1–2, 14) 
One witness to the great impact Jesus had on His followers is found in the fact that His life is recounted by four separate Gospel writers (and many more than four if the non-canonical “Gospels” are counted). Perhaps because no one Gospel could hope to contain all that Jesus was and did, many writers felt compelled to make their own contribution to the record. Each Gospel writer accents a different facet of who Jesus was. In Matthew, the angel instructs Joseph, “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Mark labels his Gospel, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Announcing the birth of Jesus in Luke, the angel tells Mary, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever. His kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32–33).

While the Gospel of John shares much in common with the other Gospels, it also provides its own unique focus onto the life of Jesus. Here more than anywhere else in the Bible we find an emphasis on Jesus’ role as the self-revelation of God. In John, Jesus says, “My teaching is not My own; it comes from the one who sent Me” (John 7:16); “I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me” (John 8:28); “I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me” (John 7:29); “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only do what He sees His Father doing” (John 5:19). John perfectly captures this self-revelation of God in Jesus when he describes Jesus as “the Word” (John 1:1–14). “Word” suggests communication. Through Jesus, the Father communicates His mind, heart and character to humanity; He discloses to humanity who He really is.

The Son’s Purpose (John 1:11–13, 18, 29)
John’s description of the Word reaches its crescendo in verse 14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Here we find a remarkable marriage of new and old in God’s interactions with humanity. New is the fact that, in Jesus, God moved beyond mere theophany and on to incarnation. Old is the way this incarnation is described. The phrase “dwelt among us” means literally “pitched His tent among us.” This is the language of God’s dwelling among His people in the tabernacle, the tent set up in the middle of the camp during Israel’s wilderness journeys.

Earlier in this series, we noted that the tabernacle functioned as a visible reminder of Israel’s experience at Mount Sinai. Through the tabernacle, the people were reminded that God was present with them in their journeys just as He was present with them at Sinai. In John’s Gospel, that old language of God dwelling in the tabernacle in the midst of His people is given new life. Now the Word has become flesh and dwelt in the midst of His people in an even more intimate way.

The Son’s Ministry (Matt. 4:17–24) 
The language of the tabernacle continues to echo in the latter portions of John’s first chapter. In verse 29, John the Baptist declares, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Here John the Baptist foreshadows the culmination of the tabernacle sacrifices in the sacrifice of God’s own Son.

It is interesting to note, though, that a further function of the tabernacle is evident not just in Jesus’ death but also in His life. One of the purposes of the tabernacle was to carve out a space in which creation operated as it was supposed to. In the tabernacle, God was in complete control, sin and impurity were pushed out and the faithful could approach God. The tabernacle was a promise of a time when God’s control would be evident in all of creation. Through His life, Jesus gives us a foretaste of the fulfillment of this promise. As He heals the sick, feeds the hungry and proclaims the good news, Jesus heralds the day when all will be set right. Through His life and His death, Jesus renews the promise whose fulfillment we eagerly await: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).