by Jerry Berggren

Created on: February 22, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." - 1 John 1:1-4

How is it that the twelve apostles, and the others that were with them, saw God incarnate, yet the entire priesthood and the majority of the Jewish population did not? The Jewish people knew that the Messiah was supposed to be with them at the time of Jesus. Their scholars and rabbis could reasonably estimate the very year Jesus was to walk the earth based on Daniel 9. Yet when Jesus was standing in front of them, they could not see Messiah. They saw a prophet, a rabbi, a heretic. They could not see Messiah.

The Jews expected a savior in their own image, but Jesus came in the image of the Father. The 12 saw, the nation of Judah did not, despite Jesus' credentials. This is what happens even today. Peter, in his second epistle, tells us this same thing,

"That there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

The Jews of Jesus' time could not see Messiah even though He was present among them. The couldn't see Him because they were searching for a Messiah that fulfilled their view of what Messiah should be. They made fun of Jesus because He represented something very different from their image of Messiah.

The apostles, however, had their image of Messiah shattered. The apostles understood, after years of following Jesus, after spending 40 days with the resurrected Messiah, and, finally, after the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost. Their hearts, and ears and eyes had been circumcised. They no longer looked upon the world around them with the perspective of the ego, but now could see from the perspective of God, that all was completed, their joy fulfilled.

Now in this letter, John is doing the very thing repeated over and over in the Psalms, he has seen the life and now he sings of it with great joy. Jesus told His followers,

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

John is telling the churches the same thing, "I cannot hide this light. I must tell you of the light, of the total joy, so that you too may know the light and the joy." I pray that your eyes are opened, your ears can hear and your heart is circumcised, so that you may come out of the twilight and begin to see the light that surrounds you.

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