And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
What is the significance of Jesus coming in the fullness of grace and truth?
When God sent Jesus to the earth, He knew what we needed to be restored to the His original intent. Jesus came full of grace and truth to break the bonds of sin and religion that had taken the place of relationship with Him. Adam walked in the cool of the day with the Lord, but sin and religion had brought impenetrable barrier between God and man. Before Jesus came on the scene, people were afraid of God and could not get close to the Holy of Holies. In that era, God only spoke to a certain few and getting close to Him was only reserved for those with a special calling and anointing. However, with the coming of Jesus everything changed!
The mercy of Jesus allowed us to reach God without being afraid of Him. It also helped us to become vulnerable before God without the fear of reprisal. People opened up to Jesus in ways that they had never been able to do so with their religious leaders. Jesus broke down class barriers. They knew He cared about them and that He desired to help them. They found a shepherd for their souls who did not shun them or look down upon them. People brought their loved ones to Him, and Jesus healed their sick, cast out demons, and gave them recovery of sight.
Jesus also came full of truth. He was truthful with people about their condition. Jesus showed that the root of their ailments was sin that had quietly been ruining their lives. He did not sugar-coat sin or make excuses for it. He knew that if people wanted to be truly whole, they had to have the courage to face their sin and walk away from it.
The fullness of mercy and truth in Jesus paved the way for our salvation and transformation. The mercy of Jesus showed the heart of God for people and His desire to be in relationship with them. The truth of God showed them that unless they are willing to face their sins, no forgiveness or freedom is available to them.
Jesus’ interactions with people were unique yet similar. When He met the woman at the well, He told her He knew about her lifestyle, yet He was willing to get a drink of water from her. His mercy towards the woman committed in adultery allowed Him to protect her from those who were going to stone her, but He told her that she should change her life and sin no more. When He saw Zacchaeus, He acknowledged him and told him that He wanted to eat with Him. Zacchaeus was used to being shunned by people because he collected exorbitant taxes from his own people. However, now he came face to face with someone who valued him. Jesus didn’t have to tell Zacchaeus about his sin against his own people. Instead, Zacchaeus was convicted because he felt safe and loved enough to face the reality of his sin and the need for change.
We have many people who are need of someone walking in the fullness of truth and grace in their lives. Are you walking in the fullness of grace and truth? If not, what do you need more of to be effective in reaching people for Jesus?
