Wetin We See and Wetin We Touch

One old man raise im two hands up. Dem don squeeze now, and dem get spots because of old age. Dis hands, e talk, touch am. No be story wey I read for somewhere I dey tell you. I dey there.

Since di early centuries, most Christians believe say na John write dis letter, di disciple wey Jesus love, near di end of im long life, maybe for inside or around di city of Ephesus. About sixty years don pass since e first waka with Jesus for di side of di Sea of Galilee. Most of di oda apostles don die. And some new teachers dey go round di churches dey talk one strange thing: say Jesus no really be man wey get flesh and blood. Say God no go ever really become human being. Say di Christ just look like say e get body. John, wey dey there, no fit allow dat one stand.

So e begin im letter almost like person wey dey pant, as e dey pile di evidence. Di thing wey dey from di beginning. See how e dey echo im Gospel: for di beginning, di Word dey. Then: wey we don hear. Wey we don see with our eye. Wey we don look well well. And wey our hand don touch. Hear, see, look, touch. Four ways to talk di same thing. Dis thing na real. Di Word of life, di One wey dey with di Father from di beginning, na man wey you fit listen to, watch, and stretch hand hold.

Think of di memories wey John go carry. Carpenter hands wey dey help pull net wey full with fish. One voice wey dey call across di water. To lean on Jesus for supper. To hold im leg for di garden after e don rise from di dead. And go back even further, to one baby for Bethlehem, wey dem wrap with cloth, small reach to carry for hand. Di life wey no dey end, wey dey with di Father, John talk, God don show am to us. Dem show am. E come near. And we dey tell you wetin we don see and wetin we don hear.

Why John dey tell dem? No be to win argument, but to share friendship. We dey announce am give una, e write, so dat una too go get fellowship with us. And true true, our fellowship dey with di Father, and with im Son Jesus Christ. Fellowship mean to share life together. John want make im readers share wetin e dey share, real friendship with God through real Jesus. And e end with dis one: we dey write dis things so dat our joy go full. John joy no go complete until dem share am too.

We know about teachers like di ones wey John fight against. Irenaeus, one bishop wey write around di year one hundred and eighty, describe one man wey dem call Cerinthus, wey teach say Jesus na ordinary man, and say di Christ come on top am only for im baptism and comot before di cross. Irenaeus also pass down one story say John, for Ephesus, once rush comot from one bath-house when e hear say Cerinthus dey inside.

Wetin We See and Wetin We Touch. You go find am for First John chapter one, verse one to four. For Christmas, Christians dey celebrate exactly di thing wey John insist on: say God really become man, close reach to touch. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. John share wetin e see so dat oda people fit share im joy. Wetin you don see about God wey you fit share?