And the Word Became Flesh

I'm preparing to speak to a group of high school students tomorrow morning, and what I want to share with them is the centrality of the incarnation to the Christian message. The text I've chosen is John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (KJV)

The incarnation is one of the great mysteries of the faith. It's difficult to grasp that God the Son, the pre-existent, eternal Christ, would leave the splendor of heaven and the adoration of the angels to come to earth as one of us, be born in the most humble of circumstances, deal with all the temptations and frustrations of human existence, yet never sin, and ultimately die in our place, taking on himself the death penalty we all deserved.

One of the best illustrations I have found gives this picture:

Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. He wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar, and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”

The King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself to you and me. The Bible calls Him, “the unspeakable gift!” (bible.org)