John 1:1 & 14

by: Tito J. Basar

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[b] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God's plan is to reveal His glory and to extend His abounding grace to man by saving man from the penalty of sin through His beloved Son. God deeply cares for us. He has made a plan to save us from our sin and ourselves. He wants to change our lives and give us a life worth living that will ultimately result in eternal life. This is the kind of God we serve. He loves us more than we will ever know, and he has not come to take the fun out of life, but to make life enjoyable in ways that we never imagined. How much easier it would have been for God to leave us to our own devices, or rain fire down from heaven and destroy us for our sin. But God is not hostile toward us, neither did he remain distant.

When John says in his Gospel that “the Word became flesh,” he used a Greek word with which those in that culture were familiar. It was the word logos. But this Word became flesh. He came out of the words of Scripture so that we would have more than a prophecy or a moral code, we would have God himself standing among us — Emmanuel.

The most important words in the entire Bible are these: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). This is the great truth that sets Christianity apart from all of the other world religions. Our God has not remained remote and unapproachable, he has come to us in person. He did not just write us a letter. He did not just send us a representative. He did not just speak his laws from a mountain. He came to us as one of us. He made His dwelling amongst us or made a decision or have chosen to dwell amongst us in flesh and blood. The Infinite became an infant. Another truth that reveals His coming to this World....

It is impossible to overemphasize how important God’s arrival on earth was. The world, and life itself, is forever different. There is so much that could be said and so many points that could be made, but let me say, God’s coming in human form is important because: It reveals the heart of God. God’s appearance in human form on the earth speaks volumes about God’s love for us.

God’s entrance into the world reveals not only the the mystery of God’s plan, the heart of God. But thirdly, God’s coming in human form is important because: It reveals the need of people.

Which can be seen in the 2nd phrase of verse 14 – We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[b] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. I like the New Living Translation on this which says, Full of unfailing love and faithfulness (NLT)

But God came, even though he knew the consequences. He was willing to come even if it meant that the Almighty and Eternal One had to experience pain and death — so great was his love for us. He came so that he might share the human condition and take our burdens upon himself.

Jesus Christ has come along side of us to take on the roughness of the world on our behalf. He has put on our shirt — experienced what we experienced, walked where we have walked, and eased the pain of life. He is willing to place our suffering and pain on his own back. He loves us so much and cares for us. He reached out His hand to help us with our needs. He even hears the cries of our heart..... perhaps this is one of the cries of your heart....

When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.”

Yes, friends that is the real meaning of Christmas.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us!