The email subject line read: “Polar Bear Attacks Man.” The message itself said, “Warning: The following pictures document an actual polar bear attacking a man. The pictures were taken while people watched and could do nothing to stop the attack! Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery.” And then you scroll down to look at the pictures.

The information was accurate but misleading. When you first heard “Polar Bear Attacks Man” I doubt these are the images that popped into your head. And that is the problem with communication. You may say something that is true and correct, but that does not mean others will understand what you are trying to convey to them. Communication is a difficult thing. People do not always understand what you tell them.

A while back I came across an article about people ordering cakes for special occasions. You would think that ordering a cake would be a simple thing, and it usually is. The problems come from what people want put on the top of the cake. Someone ordered a cake for her daughter’s graduation. She told them she wanted a graduation cap, some flowers, and the year. They asked her if she wanted anything else on the cake and she said, “I want sprinkles.” Another person, when asked what he wanted on his cake, answered “Nothing.”

Communication can be very difficult. I found that to be true in my profession. Sometimes people heard me say things that I didn’t say. It is hard to accurately convey a message in a way that it will be understood by others. You may think you have made yourself clear, that you got your point across, only to be completely misunderstood. Communication takes work and effort and care if you are going to do it properly.

The same is true for God communicating with His creation. He tells us what we need to know, but we don’t always hear Him, we don’t always understand Him. He told the first people “Don’t eat the fruit of that tree or you will die.” Well maybe He didn’t really mean that. They ate, and so we all die. Ever since, God has been clear and consistent with His message. “You’ve sinned. You deserve death. I’m going to send you a Savior.” That message didn’t change, but people have not always understood it, or they have refused to listen. What we had was a failure to communicate.

That is why the Word Became Flesh. God came down to make Himself known to mankind in terms that we could understand. He came as one of us, someone we could relate to. He lived among us. He lived the life of perfection God’s righteousness demands. And then offered that life as payment for our sins. That is God’s message. Everyone who hears and takes this message to heart receives forgiveness and life and salvation for Jesus’ sake. That is why the Word became Flesh – to communicate this message to the world.

As I already illustrated, the lack of communication can at times be amusing. It can also be disastrous. If people do not hear God’s message, if they do not understand it, if they do not come to faith, if they do not know and believe in the reconciliation accomplished through Jesus, they will not get what He earned for them. That means death and condemnation. We should not want that for anyone, to go to hell. God doesn’t. He wants His promise of life and forgiveness and salvation to be known. He wants everyone to come to faith in Jesus and be saved.