Incarnate; Incarnation 

     We define it below. Or, search at your convenience. 

     For the next two weeks or so, leading to Christmas, the celebration of an exceptional birth, we will focus on that "person." No jingle bells: just knowledge we all need.

     In A.D. 80 or later, the disciple John wrote a "gospel" with details of the life, death and resurrection of his teacher and friend. Why did he wait some 50 years after living the events? One guess is that someone was vigorously teaching falsehoods. Maybe John's associates urged him to set the record straight. We don't know. 

     Chapter 5 is not known for familiar verses. We don't memorize it like the 23rd Psalm. But chapter 5 could be a book of its own. We need to comprehend this special Father and Son relationship.   

     John wrote of Jesus giving seven convincing signs, seven profound discourses, and seven claims, "I am." (Not that John counted them.) 

     In chapter 5, Jesus had healed an invalid of 38 years. Jewish religious leaders were upset that the man "picked up his mat" and walked. Carrying your mat on the Sabbath was against the rules. It wasn't that the man deserved healing, for Jesus told him to "stop sinning," or else!  

     This minor encounter became a major moment for all who desire the truth. Jesus informed his doubters he is the Son, who came from the Father, and does only the will of the Father. That was another no-no ... claiming God is your own Father.   

     Incarnation ... a union of divinity with humanity. To be incarnate means the embodiment of a deity or spirit in an earthly form or appearance.   

Tomorrow: The Incarnation begins to explain