Advent: Why did Jesus Come? (Part 1)

Dr Alfonse Javed
2 days ago
10 min read

Jesus didn’t come to hand us facts about God; He came to reveal God’s heart full of love, compassion, mercy, grace, and truth.

John 1:1-18 - ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴And 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.’”) ¹⁶For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

What does Christmas mean to you? If you ask this question, you'll hear many different answers. A common answer would be that it’s a holiday for giving and receiving gifts, which makes it the most wonderful time of the year. Surely not for the spenders, but for Amazon, Temu, and other retailers, because they make tons of money from of us.

The problem is that most people who celebrate Christmas don’t actually know why it is the most wonderful time of year. They need to know it is because Christmas invites us to celebrate the incarnation of God at the birth of Jesus and reflect on why Jesus came.

This incarnation of God has been the focus of our text, John 1:1-18. Previously, we looked at this text to understand “Who Jesus Really Is,” but in this Advent season, and the rest of December, we return to this theologically rich text again to understand why Jesus came in the first place. By the way, the word, Advent, comes from a Latin word which essentially means “to come” or “arrival.” It signifies both the celebration of the fulfillment of God’s promises at the first coming of Jesus and the expectant second coming of Jesus.

The big idea is, Christmas is the most wonderful time of year because it invites us to celebrate the incarnation of God at the birth of Jesus and reflect on why Jesus came. The question is, do you know why Jesus came into the world, and more importantly, what does the Bible teach about that?

John 1:1-18 outlines three reasons for the coming of Jesus: Jesus came to reveal God’s heart, Jesus came to enter our humanity, and Jesus came to rescue us from hell. Today, we cover the first point and the other two in the coming weeks.

Jesus Came to Reveal God’s Heart

That is the number one reason for which Jesus came. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” We’ve looked at this verse before but I said we would come back to it to understand the meaning and purpose of Christmas because the focus shifts from who Jesus is to why Jesus came. In John 1:18, to know is not just head-knowledge, but rather it is to know someone personally, intimately, and relationally.

I remember when I was doing mission work in Iran, a group of young Iranian men asked me if I knew then-President Bush because they wanted me to talk to him to help them liberate their country from the Islamic regime. I said I knew of President Bush, but not personally.

Many people in the world claim to know God, but they do not know Him personally, intimately, and relationally. John teaches only God’s Son, Jesus, knows Him personally, intimately, and relationally. Therefore, only Jesus is qualified to make God known. The Greek word there for “to make God known” is to explain or interpret God.

In John 6:38, Jesus, self-describing the reason for which He came, said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” This means knowing God and making Him known is about doing God’s will and not ours, no matter the cost. Jesus’ very being was committed to explaining, interpreting, and revealing God’s heart, His will, His purposes, His desires. Everything He did, every word He spoke, revealed God’s heart.

The number one reason that God took on flesh and became man, Jesus, not just so He could save us, but so that we could know God. So, the question is, do you know God? If you say yes, then the question is how you know that you truly know God. The Bible teaches that we know God by knowing His Son, Jesus, personally, intimately, and relationally.

Now, knowing God is not just a New Testament teaching; that is the same teaching in the Old Testament. God wanted to be known by His people, Israel. Therefore, in Psalm 46:10, God said, “Be still and know that I am God.” Every mighty miracle He performed to display His power and to deliver Israel was so that Israel and the nations around them would know Him.

Why is knowing God such a big deal that He had to take on flesh and become man, Jesus? To understand the answer, we need to turn to Jesus’ priestly prayer in John 17. Starting at verse 3, Jesus prayed to the Father, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That means, knowing God, for which Jesus was sent, is eternal life.

Continuing His prayer to the Father in John 17:26, Jesus prays, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” So, the objective of knowing God and having eternal life is to experience the love of the Father and we experience that by having communion with God as Jesus always had and will always have with the Father, unhindered and uninterrupted. Now that makes perfect sense why 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Did you know that one of the top reasons why Muslims come to Jesus is the love of God through Jesus? It is clear why Jesus came to reveal God’s heart; He reveals God’s heart in the person, purpose, and provision of God in the incarnation of Jesus.

The Person of God

The heart in the Bible refers to the central part of a person. To know God’s heart is to know His person. John 1:1-18 insists that no one knows the person of God intimately but Jesus. John 1:1-2 states, “¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God.” That means since Jesus is coeternal, coequal, and consubstantial with the Father, meaning sharing the same divine substance, essence, and nature, only Jesus knows the person of God fully. Not only that, the phrase “with God” signifies the relational nature of God. Jesus reveals God is a relational being.

In every other religion, God is unknowable and distant because their spiritual leaders simply didn’t know God personally, intimately, and relationally. Subsequently, whether Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, etc., they don’t know who God is or what His heart desires, so they all do all sorts of things to reach God, meet God, and please God.

Application

God is not some cold-hearted, distant being who is out to get you; rather, He is a loving and relational being who desires a personal relationship with us.

The Purpose of God

John 1:3-5 reads, “³All things were made through him [Jesus], and without him was not any thing made that was made. Though everything was created through Jesus, the creator is God the Father. ⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” In the Bible, the light refers to God. For example, 1 John 1:5 says, “…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” If Light represents God— good and righteousness, then darkness signifies Satan— evil and sin.

The threefold purpose of God in providing continuous light is so that darkness never overcomes the light.

The light, which is God, shows the truth, especially when lies and deceptions surround us. The lie of Satan is that God doesn’t care; the truth is that God cares so much that He does not want “any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9).”

The light supplies direction, especially when we are lost in the darkness which is evil and sin.

The light secures hope, especially when darkness seems to prevail.

All of this reflects God’s heart— that He loves and cares. Just as a perfect mirror reflects exactly what stands before it, so the Son perfectly reflects the Father without distortion or deficiency. He is the Light because the Father is Light.

Application

When we truly know God and His heart, we trust that no dark time in life will last, but the purpose of God will prevail.

The Provision of God

John 1:14 says, “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.” Just as our generosity in giving reflects our hearts, so does God’s generosity in giving grace— unearned, unmerited favor, generously. The greatest of all provisions of God is His Son that what we see in John 1:14.

An illustration of this truth is in 1 John 4:9, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

Application

God is not distant, detached, or disinterested. In the incarnation of Christ, God drew near to the lonely, the hurting, the searching, and the sinful. We know that because Jesus is not merely a messenger of God; He is the manifestation of God, and He came to reveal God’s generous, loving, gracious heart so that by knowing His heart we might know the person of God, the purpose of God, and the provision of God.

Closing Thought

As I close, let me say this: a biography tells facts about a person, but living with someone reveals their heart. Jesus didn’t come to hand us facts about God; He came to reveal God’s heart full of love, compassion, mercy, grace, and truth.

Action Step

If you are not a believer yet, receive Him. If you are a believer, trust Him and rest in Him. Christmas is the most wonderful time of year because it reminds us of the incarnation of God at the birth of Jesus, and why Jesus came.

Appeal

In this Advent season, tell people why Jesus came in the first place. The best gift you can give to someone this Christmas is to share Christ with them. The best way you can celebrate Christmas is by reflecting on why Jesus came. This week, I challenge you to identify one person to whom you can explain why Jesus came into the world.

Inductive Bible Study: Observation, Interpretation, Application

Observation https://www.kathyhoward.org/10-observation-tips-for-better-bible-study/
Interpretation https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-tips-to-help-you-understand-the-bible/
Application https://www.kathyhoward.org/4-ways-you-can-apply-scripture-to-your-life/

Warm-Up: Getting Started

What does Christmas mean to you personally?
Why do you think most people associate Christmas primarily with gifts, shopping, or nostalgia rather than with the incarnation of Christ?
What are some misconceptions you’ve heard about the meaning or purpose of Christmas?

Observation: What Does the Text Say?

According to John 1:18, what is humanity’s problem when it comes to knowing God?
What does the text say Jesus— the Word— reveals about God in John 1:18?
What words or phrases in John 1:16-17 highlight God’s generosity and grace?

Interpretation: What Does It Mean?

Why is it significant that John says no one has ever seen God, but Jesus “has made Him known?”
How does Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father qualify Him to reveal God’s heart?
In John 17:3 and 17:26, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God. How does that deepen your understanding of why Jesus came?
How do the concepts of Light and Darkness in John 1:4–5 clarify the purpose of Jesus coming into the world?
In what ways do grace and truth together reveal the heart and character of God?
How does the incarnation (God becoming flesh) demonstrate God’s provision, compassion, and nearness?

Application: How Should We Live?

Many people “know about God” but don’t know Him personally. How does this passage challenge your own relationship with God?
Which aspect of God’s heart— His person, His purpose, or His provision— was most meaningful to you and why?
How does understanding that Jesus came to reveal God’s heart bring clarity or comfort in the dark or confusing areas of your life right now?
If Jesus is Light, how can you live as a “child of the light” in a culture filled with spiritual darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5; 1 John 1:7)?
Who in your life needs to hear the true meaning of Christmas this season? How will you reach out to them?
In this Advent season, what is one intentional way you can slow down and reflect on why Jesus came?

Action Step: Putting It Into Practice This Week

Identify one person to whom you can explain why Jesus came into the world.
Set aside one specific moment this week for personal reflection on the incarnation— read John 1:1–18 and journal what God reveals to you about His heart.