Fri/Sat/Sun—December 29–31•Jesus: Fully God “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:58–59) John’s Gospel records a time when some people asked Jesus, “Who do you think you are?” (John 8:53). Today’s passage records part of His answer: “Before Abraham was born, I am!” From our perspective, there seems to be a grammar issue with His answer. Normally we would expect Him to say, “Before Abraham was born, I was.” When Jesus said “I am,” He used the name by which Hebrew people knew God. They understood He was equating Himself with God. The people reacted violently, because they couldn’t accept this reality. Jesus was sovereign Lord of the universe, even as He was born as a baby, grew up through childhood and adolescence, and lived as a man. The apostle Paul wrote that “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell” in Jesus (Colossians 1:19). We will never fully comprehend how that is possible, but the reality is that God will always far exceed our ability to understand. The prophet Isaiah recorded God’s declaration: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). This is evident in Jesus’ identity as fully God and fully human. The essence of Christianity isn’t rooted in a creed or a system, but in the Person of Jesus Christ. The challenge of Christmas is to realize that the baby in the manger, fully human and fully divine, is the core of everything we are as Christian men. Let’s devote ourselves to loving Him better and demonstrating that relationship through our daily choices. WEEK Week 11 List three choices you’ve made recently that reflect the depth of your relationship with Jesus. Do your choices show your love for Him? Explain your answer. FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP December 25–31 During this week of Christmas, please take time to celebrate the birth of Christ through giving, through worship and through spending time with family and friends. Daily Reading: Zechariah 14:1–21, Malachi 1:1–4:6, Revelation 20:1–22:21, Psalm 148:1–150:6, Proverbs 31:8–31 57
20514 Man in Mirror
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