01/18/2026
Snow Day Devotion
18 January 2026
Eyewitnesses of the Incarnate Christ
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which
we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—” (1 John 1:1)
During the 1988 vice-presidential election, Dan Quayle faced criticism for his youth and lack of
experience. In an effort to defend his readiness for office, Quayle compared himself to another man who had once been considered young and inexperienced—John F. Kennedy. In response, his debate
opponent, Senator Lloyd Bentsen, delivered one of the most memorable lines in modern political
history: “I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
That single statement devastated Quayle’s argument. And the reason it was so effective is because
Bentsen was appealing to firsthand experience. He was essentially saying, I knew him. I spent time with
him. I can tell the difference. In one sentence, a false comparison was exposed.
That moment is remarkably similar to what the apostle John is doing in the opening line of his first
letter. False teachers had arisen in the church who were teaching things about Jesus that were not
historically true. They claimed to possess special knowledge—a deeper, more spiritual insight into who
Jesus really was. But the Jesus they described was less concrete, less incarnate, and ultimately less real.
Most notably, they denied that the Son of God had truly taken on human flesh, claiming that He only
appeared to be human.
To counter these dangerous claims, John writes this letter, and he begins in a very Bentsen-esque way. In
effect, John says: “I knew Jesus. I walked with Him. I heard Him speak. I saw His works. I touched Him
with my own hands. And the Jesus these false teachers are presenting—is no Jesus at all.”
John’s testimony is devastating to their claims because Christianity is not built on myth, theory, or
philosophical speculation. It is grounded in history. John’s knowledge of Christ is not based on the latest
theological fashion or secret insight, but on firsthand experience with the incarnate Son of God. Here, in
1 John 1:1, John reminds the church that the true Jesus is the Jesus who entered history, took on flesh,
and was encountered by real people in real time.
1) “Which We Have Heard”
When John speaks of hearing Jesus, he is recalling years spent listening to Christ teach, proclaim, warn,
promise, and explain His mission. John heard Jesus speak publicly with an authority that astonished
crowds and unsettled His enemies. He heard Jesus call sinners to repentance and faith, explain that He
had come to lay down His life for His sheep, and speak in ways that only God can speak. John’s faith
was shaped by the sound of Christ’s own voice.
Read and reflect on these passages where John heard Jesus speak:
• John 5:19–29 — Jesus speaks with divine authority about life, judgment, and resurrection.
• John 10:1–18 — Jesus explains His mission as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life.
• John 14:1–11 — Jesus comforts His disciples and declares His unique unity with the Father.
As you read, consider how Jesus speaks—not merely as a teacher, but as one who reveals God and gives
life.
2) “Which We Have Seen With Our Eyes”
John also insists that he saw Jesus. His witness was not formed by a single moment, but by a sustained
experience of Christ’s life and work. John saw Jesus’ glory displayed through signs, witnessed the
reality of His suffering and death, and stood before the empty tomb and the risen Lord. John’s testimony
is rooted in what his eyes beheld across the whole arc of Christ’s ministry.
Read and reflect on these passages where John saw Jesus’ glory:
• John 2:1–11 — John sees Jesus manifest His glory through His first sign.
• John 19:16–37 — John witnesses the crucifixion and testifies to Jesus’ real death.
• John 20:1–10, 19–20 — John sees the empty tomb and the risen Christ.
As you read, consider how John emphasizes seeing and witnessing as he records these events.
3) “Which We Have Touched With Our Hands”
Finally, John emphasizes that he touched Jesus, directly confronting claims that Christ was not truly
human. John shared meals with Jesus, leaned against Him, and later saw and touched the risen Lord.
Jesus was not an illusion or a temporary appearance; He was truly flesh and blood. John’s testimony
leaves no room for a spiritualized Christ detached from physical reality.
Read and reflect on these passages where John encountered Jesus in tangible flesh:
• John 13:21–26 — John reclines beside Jesus at the table.
• John 19:31–37 — John observes physical proof of Jesus’ death.
• John 20:24–29 — The risen Christ invites His disciples to touch Him and believe.
As you read, consider why it matters that the eternal Son truly took on flesh and rose bodily from the
dead.
Conclusion
John’s testimony leaves us with no abstract or reimagined Christ. The Jesus he proclaims is the Jesus
who truly lived, truly spoke, truly suffered, and truly rose again in history. John did not bear witness as a
detached observer, but as one who heard Jesus’ voice, saw His glory, and touched Him in real human
flesh. And yet this testimony is more than John’s memory or personal experience. As Scripture, it is the
inspired witness of the Holy Spirit, who ensured that what John saw and heard was faithfully proclaimed
for the church in every age. The same Spirit who bore witness to Christ in history now bears witness
through this Word, so that we may know the true Jesus, have fellowship with God through Him, and
rejoice with a joy that is grounded in truth.
