"Has the Body Gone Missing?"

Scripture Passage

John 4:7-5:21; 2 John 1:1-13; 3 John 1:1-15

Scripture Focus

I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. … I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. (2 John 1:5,7 NLT)

Observation

I’ve tied together two verses in today’s Scripture Focus because they seem (to me) so disparate at first glance, yet I assume they must connect.  Verse 7 must relate to verse 5—they’re not that far apart! If not, John has taken an incredibly radical change of direction between verses 6 and 7. I find that unlikely. So I'm asking myself about the connection within 2 John 1:5-7. What is John’s train of thought? Why does John move from reminding us to love one another to warning us about those who deny the physical Christ?

Indeed, for the third day in a row from our readings, the Scriptures have made particular note of the reality of Jesus’ flesh and blood…His physical body. These reminders were included in some of the last Scriptures being written—likely near the end of the 1st century. These words were written no earlier than 50 or 60 years following the birth of Christianity.

So I’m thinking about what transpires over 50 or 60 years, and how easy it is to lose a sense of reality regarding someone who lived that long ago. My paternal grandfather passed away just over 50 years ago. All I know of him are black and white photos from an era I never experienced. My own father passed away nearly twenty years ago. Unfortunately, like my experience of my grandfather, my children’s experience their grandfather is almost non-existent. Apart from eternity, they will never know the reality of who my dad was like I do from having known him in the flesh.

The point—I’m suggesting—is that the limited understanding my children have of their flesh-and-blood grandfather also limits their understanding of the power of his life—what he stood for, how he impacted others, how his life shaped mine. And so it would be for second- and third-generation Christians who only knew the story of Christ, with no living memory of Christ Himself. These believers would more easily succumb to some false doctrine dismissing Christ’s physical existence. And these believers would more easily miss the impact of Christ’s command to do the one thing that would define us as His—“love one another.”

What has that to do with us? Their challenge is our challenge. Having not seen or touched Jesus of Nazareth, let us not diminish the reality of His physical existence! Let us not reduce His life to myth! Let us not be deceived into thinking He—the Christ—was anything less than “the Word become flesh” who “made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14 NIV)!

Rather…

Let us acknowledge the LORD;
     let us press on to acknowledge him.
                              (Hosea 6:3 NIV)

About this, John says, “Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” (2 John 1:8 NLT) This is our challenge and opportunity.

(And on a completely related note, "Merry Christmas!")

***