Words

Have you ever wondered how many words there are in the our language?

According to an article in Dictionary.com, there are over one million distinct words in English. That’s a lot of words. According to the same article, most people only know about 40,000 of them and generally only use about 20,000 of them.

So, I’m going to pretend that I’m smart and know 50,000 words (just because the math is easier – I’m not really that smart.) That means I know a whopping 5% of the total English words. I know, that actually makes me feel dumb.

John, as he begins his gospel account, calls Jesus the Word:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning … In him was life, and that life was the light of men … The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

John 1:1-4, 14, CSB

Jesus became the living Word of God. The Greek word used here is Logos. And while I don’t usually spend too much time with the Greek words, this one is critically important. It means more than just an ordinary word. Logos implies a logical argument that explains an important concept. In most cases, Logos takes multiple words and often multiple books to make its point.

In calling Jesus the Logos, John is saying He is the language of God. He demonstrated through His words and actions what God is like and how He relates to people. He demonstrated the reality and character of God.

And in keeping with this picture, the last verse of John’s Gospel says:

Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.

John 21:24-25, NLT

You see, Jesus is still doing His thing, just as He has been for the last 2,000 years. His story isn’t finished yet. He is still demonstrating the power and love of God!

What story is He writing in your life right now?