God / Jesus has many names which reveal something of His nature / character, e.g.:
But "The Word" is more puzzling to me. Why is Jesus called "The Word" and what does it reveal about Him?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
By Greek word being translated to Word is "Logos". Both Jews and Gentiles would have taken significant meaning from this.
For Jewish readers, Logos is how God achieved his will and is the personification of God's revelation to them.
For Gentile readers, Logos would have been understood as an intermediate entity through which God created and communicated.
By calling Jesus "the Word" in John 1:1, he is saying Jesus is God's will and God is communicating through him. He is also saying that Jesus is a part of God, therefore anything which comes through Jesus, even though it is through the flesh, is directly from God.
John 1:1 begins the same way that Genesis 1:1 does. In the Genesis passage, God speaks the world into existence. This tie emphasizes that The Word was present in creation. A Jewish reader would recall the plural collective name of Elohim used in that passage along with the "Let us make man in our image..."
God the Son is co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, so the name Jesus/Yeshua (The Lord saves) was given to Him when He became a man and entered into His own creation.
Jesus is the One who reveals/discloses/unveils God. In that sense, He is God's message/word/declaration. "No one has ever seen God (the Father), but the Monogenes/only begotten/one of a kind Son of God has declared Him."
So, "The Word" ties back to Genesis 1 to indicate Jesus' presence in creation and also describes His role in revealing God to mankind.
In the greek the word for "Word" there in John 1:1 is lógos and according to strongs
Lógos
A word, being the expression of a thought; a saying. 3056 /lógos ("word") is preeminently used of Christ (Jn 1:1), expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit.
To me this means that Jesus is the manifestation of the Father's heart.
Yahuwshuwa HaMashiyach (Jesus Christ) is called the Word because he is the Messenger of His Father, the Mediator between the Father and Man, fulfilling His Father's will in all things.
John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
He is the Word because he is the manifestation of the Fathers divine word and will.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
"The Word" is not just a New Testament thing, we can take a journey throughout the scriptures and see The Word moving among the Patriarchs and prophets of old, we can even see the Word in creation.
The Father did all things through the Word. He revealed Himself and communicated to the prophets through the Word:
1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
1 Samuel 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
These were actual appearances of the Son delivering His Father's divine words to man. This is why he called the Word. The Father always revealed Himself through His Son. In Genesis 15:1 it showed that Abraham seen the Word in the vision. many who read these passages might think these were just spoken words of the Father, but no it was actually the Son who's name is the Word:
Revelation 19;13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
But now lets start from the beginning:
genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The scriptures specifically shows us how all things were created:
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Its likely This is where the Apostle John made the connection with the Word being in the beginning with God, and that all things were made by him. And he identified this Word as the Son, he says this word took on flesh and dwelled among us.:
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
The Apostle Paul also made these connections, except he interchanged "The Word" with "Jesus Christ", showing that This Word was indeed the Son that took on flesh:
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Colossians 1:14-16 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created
1 Corinthians 8:6(KJV) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
That word BY literally means THROUGH, so its saying all things were created THROUGH the Son. The author of Hebrews even explains how this was done:
Hebrew 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
So the author illustrates for us how this was done. the same exact way the Father spoke through his Son during His earthly ministry, being inside His Son, is the same way he created the words THROUGH his Son the Word. compare it to acts 2:22
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Again, same way God did miracles through His Son, is the same way He created all things. The Word was with the Father is the beginning , as John explained. This is why there was more than one in the beginning when the Most High said in genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Some might think this contradicts isaiah 44:24
Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
but it does not contradict. Right here the Father is showing His preeminence above all. The prophets and apostles never said the Father and Son created together helping eachother, they said THE FATHER CREATED ALL THINGS, and he created them THROUGH his Son. The Son said he could do nothing of his own ( John 5:19-20), and that he learned all things from His Father, and that His Father is greater than Him. So this does not contradict.
we can see that the Word was also prophesied to be exalted :
Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
which was fulfilled through Yahuwshuwa HaMashiyach:
Ephesians 1:20-22 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
and we also see it was shown from the old testament that The Word would be sent to save us from our sins and heal us by his stripes:
Pslams 107 17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. 19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. 20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
How would he heal us?
Isaiah 53:5. But He was wounded because of our transgressions; He was crushed because of our iniquities; The chastening for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we have been healed.
So in this answer i wanted to show you why he is called the Word, but also i wanted to show you the Word can be found all through the scriptures.
Jesus Christ is not just “the Word:” He is “the Word of God.”
God exists beyond the time, space, and matter of creation. For that reason, He cannot be seen. Most certainly, He is able to cause an appearance of Him to be visible to His creatures, but it remains only an appearance. God is omnipresent and can never be limited to one place in His universe. For example:
Jesus Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15).
“The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim 1:17);
“No one has seen God at any time” (1 John 4:12)
“The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Tim 6:15-16);
Therefore, in all respects, God interacts with His creation ONLY through His only begotten Son:
“All things came into being through Him” (John 1:2-3; cf. 1:10)
“There is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Cor 8:6).
“By (Gr. en = in) Him all things were created, both in (Gr. en = in) the heavens and on earth … all things have been created through Him” (Col 1:16).
“God … in these last days has spoken to us in His Son … through whom also He made the world” (Heb 1:1-2; cf. 2:10).
“God did ... send the Son into the world ... that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16)
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through ... Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23-24).
“What the Law could not do ... God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin” (Rom 8:3).
“God ... gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).
“God ... reconciled us to Himself through Christ” (2 Cor 5:18).
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... has blessed us with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world … He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3-5).
“It was the Father’s good pleasure ... through Him to reconcile all things to Himself (Col 1:19-20).
“God has ... destined us ... for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9).
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … has caused us to be born again … through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3).
“God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).
“Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst” (Acts 2:22).
“An hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself” (John 5:25-26).
“God … will judge the world ... through a Man whom He has appointed” (Acts 17:30-31).
“He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man” (John 5:27).
“God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (Rom 2:16).
“I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all” (Rom 1:8).
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:25).
“To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever” (Rom 16:27).
“Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Col 3:17).
“In all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11).
“To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory” (Jude 1:25)
"Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11).
“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him (the Son of God, Christ Jesus) they are yes” (2 Cor 1:20).
“Such confidence we have through Christ toward God” (2 Cor 3:4).
“The Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6).
“Having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33).
“Jesus … is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him” (Heb 7:24-25).
“You also … are being built up … to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
“He is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15).
“He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb 1:3).
“I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49).
“God ... in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb 1:2).
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place” (Rev 1:1).
“The God of our Lord Jesus Christ … raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (Eph 1:17-21).
“God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW” (Phil 2:9-10).
While the Trinity doctrine teaches that Jesus is God and that the Father, Son, and Spirit are one single Being, these verses, as the New Testament consistently does, maintain a clear distinction between God and Jesus Christ.
God always interacts with the creation through Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God provides everything that the creation needs and, through Christ, the adoration and thanksgiving of the creation flow back to God. This is the true circle of life. Jesus Christ is “the Word of God” because He alone is the communication between God and His creation:
“There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).
