Peter, John, Paul and the other apostles made much of being eyewitnesses of the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.  John takes it further, in a sense (pun intended), in 1 John 1.1-4 when he describes the experience of interacting with Jesus: “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…”

This Jesus was “from the beginning” (vs 1), “the eternal life” (vs 2), “with the Father” (vs 2).  This man is also God, and he “was made manifest to us” (vs 3).  Many miracles are recorded in the Gospels and Acts; their purpose was to give credence to the testimony of Jesus and the apostles.  John is saying that this enormous miracle of God becoming man is still the reason why he will testify and proclaim all that he has experienced.

John knew Jesus as a man and a friend; he came to know Jesus as his Master, Lord and savior; he continues to grow in his understanding of Jesus as God and creator of the entire universe. He hopes for many to have this same saving fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ (vs 3).  He knows that it is another massive miracle each time the Holy Spirit changes a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and opens the eyes of a dead sinner to see and believe the truth about Jesus.

John’s personal testimony is very heartfelt – we heard him, we saw him, we TOUCHED him.  This same John records in John 21.28 that Jesus knew already about the generations to come who did not have this same level of interaction – “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  God’s church continues to grow as his disciples testify to the truth that they know, even though they have not yet seen, heard, or touched Jesus.