1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
I think one could write a whole month’s worth of devotions on this passage and not be done. For today, look just at the last words of this passage. That phrase “made him known” in Greek is “exegesis” or “to exegete.” The word means to interpret or make known, but it is also the technical term for what theologians do with the Bible. If I have ever succeeded in these devotions, I have been exegeting the text of the Bible. When someone interprets Scripture fruitfully and to your blessing, that is exegesis. I find it fascinating and amazing that this is what Jesus does for us, but instead of a book like the Bible, He is exegeting the Father Himself. We cannot know God. Sin has blinded us and obscured Him from our view. Being sinners, this is a blessing. We would surely die if we saw God. Isaiah thought he would when he had a vision of God (Is. 6). Jacob was amazed that he had not been killed after he wrestled with God in the night (Gen. 32). But we can see Jesus and Jesus makes the Father known. He is the user interface. This is the point of Christmas. God has solved the problem which we could not solve. His holiness and our sin were a deadly combination for us. He has set aside his power and majesty, cloaked himself in humility, that Jesus might exegete the Father for us. And His exegesis is that God loves us.