The Word Incarnate Tented Among Us John 1:14
John 1:1-14 (nas)The Infinite character and person of the Word before Creation and His Work at Creation: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Witness of the Word to John: 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
The Rejection of the Word by the World at large: 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
The RECEPTION of the Word by some by the will of God: 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Announcing the Word in the Flesh: 14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Word Became Flesh
“And the Word became flesh.” Is this phrase so familiar to you that it seems trivial to you? I hope not. Every year, no, wait, EVERY DAY, believers in Christ celebrate His incarnation, his “in-flesh-ment”. Biblical Christianity stands on the fact that the Self-Existent, Eternal Son of God, who IS God, made His appearance on earth in Flesh in order to die for sin. This verse exclaims the most profound love and grace of our Great God exacted in the Lord Jesus. It is not in the least bit “trivial”. At an exact point in time, The Word, the Lord Jesus “became” what He was not before. The purely divine Logos-Person described in the previous verses maintained His Divine God-nature, but ALSO took on something that He was not before, namely FLESH, in order to accomplish something that was never done before, and could ONLY be accomplished by Him: God took on Human Nature in order to redeem sinners.
Jesus definitely took on this fleshy covering, a body, which all human beings have but He did not become MAN as did other human beings; that’s not what verse 14 is saying: It is saying that this Infinite, Self-Existent Light and Life, the Eternal God, took on the frailty of man’s nature, but without sin. The INFINITE Word became FINITE flesh, but maintained ONE personality. The Timeless One stepped into Time. The creator stepped into His Creation. The Word of God who existed with God and AS God appeared in Flesh.
This TRUTH had already been challenged during John’s time and God used the eyewitness of John the Baptist and of John the Apostle and the other disciples who had seen and been with Jesus to refute the various heresies which had arisen (including Gnosticism, which we have talked about recently). Verse 14 continues to refute all heresies since that time. Here is the truth about the Biblical Jesus: The Word of God, Jesus is the Divine God-Son who came in the Flesh to suffer and die in the Flesh for sinners.
Jesus did not come merely to set a good example of humility and obedience so that we could “do better”. If that were actually the case, we would only become MORE self-centered and more self-indulgent than we are already in our sinful selves. God came to earth because man CANNOT improve himself. Sinful man cannot “become better” in order to enter God’s Family. That is paganism at its best.
The Greeks and Romans could not imagine one of their gods lowering themselves down the ladder to human form in order to Suffer and DIE; In their pagan framework, humans would work to achieve the status of the gods. Present day false religions believe the same: “Work to achieve status; work to become better.” God’s Word teaches that Our God came to us in the flesh to die in the flesh so that His Perfect Life and death might be applied to those to whom He gave the right to Sonship, to those who would believe in His Name, to those who would deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. He was born to die for us so that we might DIE TO OURSELVES and have life in His Name, by faith in HIS NAME, to bring glory to His Name.
Today some schools of thought think that the “spirit man” transcends the “flesh” or material man. Their basic philosophy is that we want and can have our victories now WITHOUT self-denial or suffering; that we are entitled to wealth and good health now: That thinking is according to “human will” but not the will of God. In God’s economy, contentment and life is found in HIM, not in saying yes to self.
At an exact point in time, The Word, the Lord Jesus “became” what He was not before and He did so without ever giving up anything that He was. Jesus, who created the FIRST ADAM, came in the flesh as the SECOND ADAM, to live the way He intended for the FIRST ADAM to live. The First Adam died because of his sin; the Second Adam, Christ, came to die FOR the SIN of the First Adam.
In doing so, Jesus did not change INTO a man. His essence was the same as He always was: As the second Adam, He appeared pure, holy and sinless. When Jesus came in the Flesh, He was still genuinely God and He was also genuinely human: Jesus, the Word of God, did not change in His Essence. He remained in His character, in His will; He maintained His God-consciousness and omniscience and demonstrated the very power of God. The PROFOUND nature of the statement and the gifted faith which He has given us should continue to astound us. “The Word became flesh” causes us to LOVE HIM more and to be moved to worship and to serve Him alone, knowing full well that FEW receive Him and serve Him: Most of the World still rejects this Glorious Jesus. What a privilege we have and what a message to bring to a sin-darkened World!
And Dwelt Among Us
John 1: 14: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” This part of the verse, and “the Word dwelt among us”, is every bit as astounding as the first part. “God made His dwelling among us.” “God took up residence among us.” “God moved into our neighborhood.” God entered our history in the flesh so that flesh could see Him and behold His glory. The verb means “to pitch a tent”, or “to live in a tent” and so the verse might be stated: “The Word became Flesh and “pitched His tent among us” or “The Word became Flesh and ‘tabernacled’ among us”. THE WORD TOOK ON HUMANITY AS HIS TABERNACLE.
The symbolism causes us to immediately think of the Old Testament, Tabernacle, the mobile tent of meeting which God instructed Israel to build. Wherever Israel camped, the Tabernacle was to be the center of Israel’s camp. (Num 2:17.) Now Jesus would be the center of God’s people. Jesus said in John 12:32: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Jesus shines into the darkness of human hearts and He becomes to source and center of our lives, dwelling in us by His Divine Spirit.
The Tabernacle was where the second set of commandments (the Law) was preserved in the Ark of the Covenant. The first set had been broken when Moses came down and found the Children of Israel worshiping other gods while he was meeting with the Almighty Creator Redeemer God. (Ex. 32); the second set was kept in the safety of God’s Ark of the Covenant. The people could not and would not keep the law, but God would keep it. Jesus kept it perfectly. In John 8:29 He says: “And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him." The person who is born of Spirit of God can say with the Psalmist in Ps. 40:8: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
Thirdly, the Tabernacle was the place where God dwelt. The shekinah glory of God appeared in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. This light symbolized the very presence of God. At times, the cloud would come over the tabernacle, hiding the light. At other times, the light would flash out in judgment upon evil in Israel’s camp, but it was VISIBLE; it is why John finishes verse 14 with the words we will look at next week: “And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Tabernacle was the place where God revealed Himself, however, God only revealed Himself IN PART. (Ex. 33:20) In the Incarnation, God reveals more of Himself in the Son. Heb. 1:1-3 exclaims: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (John 1:3 as well) 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Word became Flesh and ‘tabernacled’ among us” so that we might know God. We need NO MORE REVELATION. Jesus is the first and last WORD from God.
The tabernacle was the place where sacrifices were made. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins,” Said Heb. 9:22 referring to the Old Testament. Sacrifices were brought to the Tabernacle as well as the temple, but now Jesus comes in the FLESH to make THE sacrifice which will atone for the sins of the world, to those who believe in His Name. Heb. 1:3: After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” IT WAS FINISHED. Rest for all those who have been given the right to become children of God by Faith. The word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and gave Himself for us. PRAISE HIS NAME!
Lastly, the Tabernacle is where God’s people came to Him to worship Him; We worship in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ today, but not in the Tabernacle. The people of Israel brought their sacrifices to the Tabernacle, gave their gifts there, approached God there, and on occasion they were called there to hear the very voice of God. The priests ministered there and in the Temple: In the same way, we gather, but we gather around the very person of Jesus; we gather around our Lord and HE regulates our worship and receives the very praise of our lips and our lives…but ONLY BECAUSE Jesus first came to His people in the Flesh, taking on human nature, and becoming OUR SACRIFICE for sin. He alone opens the door for you to know God, to be reconciled to Him through the Cross of Jesus. Look to Jesus and you will know God.
That is why it is so essential that you forgive others in the same way that you have been forgiven. You are coming into the very presence of the God who made Himself flesh and sacrificed Himself for you.
Ephesians 2:13: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
The Word, the Lord Jesus, came into our World in the same way that every human being has entered this World. He was born into our World. He came in human nature to die our death for sin, so that we might be born into His World through Him, not by the will of man, but born by the Will of God… and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” He showed us His infinite glory that we might exist for His Glory Alone. So let it be in your life. Amen
OUTLINE: Vs. 1-5: The Infinite character and person of the Word before Creation and His Work at Creation. Vs. 6-9: The Witness of the Word to John.
Vs. 10-11: The Witness of the Word to John. Vs. 12-13: The RECEPTION of the Word by some by the will of God.
I. “The Word became flesh” at an exact point in time:
A. The Word of God “became” what He was not before.
B. The Word of God, Jesus is the Divine God-Son who came in the Flesh to suffer and die in the Flesh for sinners.
C. The Word of God “became” flesh without ever giving up anything that He was: The Word of God did not change in His essence.
II. “The Word dwelt among us”: “made His dwelling-” “pitched His tent-” “took up residence-” “moved into our neighborhood.” The Word ”tabernacled” among us.
A. The tabernacle was the center of Israel’s camp. (Num 2:17, John 12:32)
B. The tabernacle was where the Law was preserved. (The first set was broken (ex. 32); the second set was kept. (John 8:29, Ps. 40:8)
C. The place where God dwelt. (shekinah glory)
D. The place where God revealed Himself. (Ex. 33:20, Heb. 1:3)
E. The place where sacrifices were made. (Heb. 1:3, 9:22)
F. The place where God was worshiped. (Eph. 2:18)
