Who was Christ and how did words figure in His ministry? Christ on earth was the embodiment of all God's attributes. Christ carefully selected a series of disclosures and discourses to reveal His identity. For the multitude, He chose signs and wonders. For those closest to Him, He chose words. In the absence of this explanatory speech, Christ would have been a complete mystery. Christ entered the lives of His followers by speaking of Himself: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6).

In Christ, the world discovered that there is a purpose and direction in history. He demonstrated that the Word of God defies fate and chaos. Christ could usher in the Kingdom and redeem history by becoming a part of history. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:13). The essence of history is rational discourse. In the absence of rational discourse, there can be no self-discovery. Only through properly aligned words can a person discover that she or he is not an accident. Thus, we can say that history is not only theocentric, but logocentric.

The New Testament narrative is not simply made of words, it is largely about words -- the words of angels, prophets, Mary, Zachariah, Anna, John the Baptist, and ultimately, the Christ. The point is well made that the New Testament centers on the redemptive deed, the death and resurrection of Christ. But that deed would have little or no meaning without the perspective offered by words. The Messiah's coming was preceded and followed by prophetic words. The angels are the harbingers:

Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased (Luke 2:14).

Christ announced the purpose of His own coming: "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jeruslaem" (Luke 24:46-47).

John the Baptist's ministry consisted of words, so much so that he was often called the "voice." A single message has never been more timely, succinct and critical than the one which he preached: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29b). John's words instructed Roman soldiers, prepared hopeless peasants and rebuked King Herod. He was put to death because his words had been unhedging and unequivocal. He left no monument, healed no disease and performed no miracle (At least none is recorded.). Yet Christ said of him, "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!" (Matt. 11:11a).

By contrast, Jesus came performing all sorts of supernatural acts. In fact, He used the miracles to validate His ministry to John when the "voice" wondered whether he had made the correct identification of the Messiah. Jesus' supernatural acts were primarily intended to get people's attention, to prepare them to listen to His words: "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Matt. 11:5). Rarely, if ever, did Jesus perform one of these acts without declaratory words. He often prefaced a healing with a command: "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed" (Matt. 8:13). "Get up, pick up your bed and go home" (Matt. 9:6). "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" (Mark 5:41b).