“The Word Became Flesh”
John 1:1-18
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [John 1:1] This is the classic deity verse on Jesus, whom Christians know as fully God. HOWEVER, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” [John 1:14]. This is the classic humanity verse on Jesus, whom Christians know as fully Man.
And thus, the doctrine of the Person of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully Man articulated within the first fourteen verses of John.
What does this mean to you and me?
Firstly, it means that Jesus is not only God; He is God’s tangible Word [to us]. He came to communicate as the Perfect Man the words of God the Father in a real and direct way. Like the Old Testament prophets communicating God’s word to Israel; Jesus being the Word of God communicated in a visible, physical, audible, and touchable way, i.e., “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” And we have record of His correspondences in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Every red-lettered word in your New Testament Bible are those tangible correspondences between God and us.
Secondly, the Person of Jesus Christ [the “Word”] introduced the world to a new and better way. The writer of Hebrews described that the blood of bulls and goats could only cover sin; but the blood of Jesus [fully Man], that “better sacrifice,” not only covers sin but removes it [ref. Heb 10:1-18] That is why Jesus, fully God, veiled His glory to become Man so that He might be that Perfect Sacrifice that removes sin.
There is much packed into these first fourteen verses of John. John skipped the beginning parts that Matthew, Mark, and Luke recorded, things like Jesus’ birth, baptism, and temptation. He offers, however, another perspective on the Person of Jesus that emphasizes additional aspects of our Lord’s life and ministry. The Upper Room Discourse is one example [John 14-17]; four entire chapters on what Jesus taught His disciples just hours before going to the Cross.
John also emphasized seven great “I am” declarations, which simply were seven statements of declaring Himself to be God. And then John recorded the support for these statements with seven great miracles that John called “signs.” As with the Synoptics there is the miracle/message cadence, but John reveals it through seven signs and seven “I am” declarations.
Let’s be expecting God to do wonderful things in our lives as we invest the next several months hearing from Him through this powerful Gospel of John!
