John 1:14

IntroductionIn this section, we begin to explore one of the

greatest revelations of truth recorded in Scripture.

"The Word was made flesh!” Think about this. The Eternal God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was

made flesh and blood! He became a man so He could redeem us to Himself. No greater message

could ever be proclaimed to man.

John 1:14And 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.

The Word Became FleshJohn 1:14a

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

We have looked at the concept “Word”. The Word is the total discourse of who God is. The understanding that the “Word became flesh” lets us know that John is speaking of Jesus.

At Christmas we celebrate the “incarnation” when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. We need to remember that Jesus did not

begin at His birth, but was with the Father from before the beginning of Creation.

The Word Became FleshJohn 1:14a

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

The word "flesh“ is the same word that Paul used to describe man's nature with all of its weakness and tendency to sin. This is a staggering thought. Jesus

Christ is fully God, yet Jesus Christ is fully man.

Jesus experienced life as a man. He experienced all the temptations and limitations of humanity, but He never

sinned. He indentified with humanity so He could die in our place.

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

The word "beheld“ means actually seeing with the human eye. It is used about twenty times in the New Testament. There is no

room whatever for saying that God becoming a man was merely a vision of some man's mind or imagination. John was

saying that he and others actually saw the Word as flesh. Jesus Christ was beyond question God Himself who became man,

who partook of the very same flesh as all other men.

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

The word “dwelt” literally translates “to live in a tent”.

The concept of Jesus dwelling with man parallels the idea of “God pitching His tent” with the Israelites. The

idea is that Jesus dwelt with man in the tent of His humanity, just as He dwelt in the tabernacle and temple

with His people.

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

God’s Glory was Seen

Two things are meant by the word "glory.“

1. The glory that is spoken of here most likely refers to the Shekinah glory of God. It refers to the bright cloud that God used to guide Israel out of Egypt and that rested upon the tabernacle and above the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place The cloud symbolized God's presence, and

that is just what John was saying. "We beheld," actually saw the Shekinah glory, God's very presence "dwelling among us.”

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

God’s Glory was Seen

2.  Christ was the very embodiment of God, all that God is and does. John said "we beheld," looked at Him, and could tell He was God. All that Jesus was in His person and being, character and behavior, was so enormously

different.

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

God’s Glory was Seen

Jesus in His person and behavior, work and ministry was...

•  the very embodiment of "grace and truth."

•  the perfect embodiment of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control.

•  the absolute embodiment of all that God could be.

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

God’s Glory was Seen

The glory of all that God was stood right before them, right in their very presence. They beheld Him with their very own eyes.

Jesus Christ, the Man who dwelt among them, could be no other than the glory of God among men.

Colossians 2:9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

Proof 1: Jesus Dwelt Visibly Among UsJohn 1:14

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.

The glory that was seen was “full of grace and truth”. Man lives in ignorance of God. Jesus came to reveal who God is and

what He thinks and feels. He has declared the absolute truth of God’s existence, His holiness, and His great love for mankind.

Jesus also declared God’s grace. The gospels show us how he treated the repentant sinner. Jesus is full of God’s grace.

Have you experienced that grace in your life?