Devotional Tuesday: Touching Jesus
John's True Jesus through the Real Senses
Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:1–4.
John the Apostle opens his first epistle in similar fashion to his Gospel—pointing his audience back to the beginning. The beginning for John is the place in which Jesus has come.
He writes like Paul does in much of his writing—as a pastor and friend. These first five verses in 1 John show us that John was quick to acknowledge that Jesus was indeed seen, touched, and heard by the apostles themselves. John wants to establish for his readers that they are fully confident in Jesus’s complete human experience.
In v3, John references fellowship with “us.” This reference is to his fellow believers and apostles. He wants his listeners to be brought into the light of truth that the others who had seen Jesus have found.
Below is a picture of the highlighted sensory words John uses to exhort his audience that Jesus was indeed fully present with them. You may notice it has plenty of connections to John's opening in his Gospel.
John saw Jesus. The real human Jesus…
John heard Jesus teach. The real words of God.
John felt Jesus. The real body that was broken for humanity.
The writer here is able to bring us back to the resurrection of Jesus with a beautiful allusion to our doubting brother—Thomas.
When Jesus comes back from the dead, he was physically raised back to life. His body was resurrected. His body was given new life. John saw this and believed. Thomas also saw, but more so than that, he felt the holes in his hands and side. There was no way that Jesus was an apparition or ghost, he was present. The words of Jesus were not only a teaching but were evidence of the eternal life.
Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jn 20:26–29.
This allusion draws the readers back to seeing Jesus appear before the disciples (1 Jn 1:2). That is the truth of their testimony. It comes first hand. They touched Jesus. This is the power of the word of Life. The eternal life that comes from God has now been given to the world.
John not only heard this but touched the power of God to bring life from death.
This is where the confidence comes from for John to write such a powerful and explicit affirmation of the Gospel of Jesus.
Take a few moments to sit and read these first four verses of 1 John a couple times. Take time to reflect on the sensory language that John uses. What comes out of what he saw, touched, and heard? What comes from the life appearing to us? What do we gain from seeing this miracle happen?
I came back to this thought today, and I am so thankful that Jesus was like us. John and the disciples being able to touch Jesus and proclaim with full confidence Jesus is Lord (over death and darkness) is a beautiful reminder of what God has done!