I first heard the verse John 1:1 when my grandfather read it in the Bau dialect from his Fijian Bible. I was maybe six or seven and thought it strange that someone would be called a word, or a speech. It reminded me of a prominent man whom people of my grandparent’s generation referred to as ‘na vosa vakadua‘ – a man of power and authority whose word went unchallenged. I thought this word the Bible talked about must have been like that.
Ena i vakatekivu a sa bula Ko Koya Na Vosa; a rau sa tiko vaka kei Na Kalou Ko Koya Na Vosa. A sa Kalou Ko Koya Na Vosa.
Joni 1:1
‘I saw you’
John doesn’t bother with the pre-birth happenings about Yeshua. His very first sentence goes straight to the heart of who Yeshua is. Yeshua is not only from God but He is indeed God. I’ve wondered about John’s decision to begin his book this way and I think that what he’s trying to tell us is that he’s getting us to look beyond the birth in the manager, to look deeper than the miracles, to look into the heart of God and see how God wants intimacy with us.
God tells us Who He is and Whom He has sent. His Son, His Word, the same Word He used and breathed out of Him to create the world and make us.
God sees us and wants us to see Him – to see how He sees us. Like how Yeshua tells Nathanael in verse 48 about seeing him. Isn’t that what we’d like to hear Him tell us? I know I do. I need Him to see me.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you“
John 1:48b NKJV
I need Him to see me as I struggle to get out of bed in the morning and can’t find the words to pray. I need Him to see me as I get ready for work and, oh! what’s that, great I just got my period, a stomach ache, and now I feel blah! I need Him to see me as I stand at the bus stop while yet another filled-to-capacity bus passes me and I worry about being late to work. I need Him to see me as I deal with yet another demanding client who wants to get a five-star experience on a no-star budget. I need Him to see me as I try to remain calm in front of my micromanaging employer. I need Him to see me as I try to get through another day amongst loud intrusive people while all my introvert instincts tell me to find a quiet place. I need Him to see as I try to live out my purpose in a culture that looks down on single women, especially ageing ones.
He is the Word and He is God. He sees me.
Prayer
Abba, Father God! Thank you for seeing us for who we are, wherever we are. Thank you for being patient with us as we reach out in trust and let You guide us one small step at a time. In Yeshua Hamaschiach, we pray. Amen.
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