John begins his letter with something unusual. He emphasizes the physical reality of Jesus. What we have heard with our ears, seen with our eyes, looked at, touched with our hands. This concerns the Word of life, and that life was made manifest.
I suspect John is fighting against a creeping spirituality. Some believed Jesus was a spirit, not truly embodied, not truly vulnerable. John insists on the materiality. Jesus was touchable. Visible. Audible. That's essential because if Jesus wasn't truly human, truly physical, then incarnation is a sham. And if incarnation is a sham, then God never truly entered our condition.
John writes so that we might have fellowship with him and with his Father. The witness isn't interesting information. It's an invitation into relationship. Come join the circle of people who've encountered this real, physical, risen Christ.
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