Verse of the Day 12-22-22

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Came to Dwell Among Us: John 1:14

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NASB)

            Who or what is “the Word” that “became flesh, and dwelt among?” The word in Greek that John used for “word” is logos. It is related to the Greek verb lego (to speak) and most often refers to either oral or written communication. In some contexts it mean statement or report, but in John’s Gospel (and the New Testament in general) logos refers to God’s Word (the Old Testament) or to Jesus’ words. Thus, the primary use of logos is to denote divine revelation in some form or another. John uses the term in its most exalted sense when he personifies logos to refer to Christ. The Logos eternally existed as God (the Son) and with God (the Father)-he was in fact the Creator (John 1:1-3)-but he became a human being (v. 14), Jesus of Nazareth, so that he could reveal the Father and his will for humanity (v. 18).

            Now that we know who John is referring to when he used the phrase “the Word,” let’s explore the “became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” We have already determined that “the Word” is Jesus, and that John is telling us in a really unique way that Jesus and God (the Father) are equal. So, when John wrote “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,” he was and is telling us that Jesus, the eternal God, became human being and lived among us not as the eternal God but as a flesh and blood man (Philippians 2:5-9). In other words, humanity and deity were united together in Jesus. In this humble way, he entered human life with the limitations of human existence (John 3:17; 6:38-42; 7:29; 9:5 and 10:36).

            Now let’s look at the last part of this verse, “and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Because of the way Jesus came to earth, he would experience all the difficulties and temptations that a normal human being would face, but with one notable difference, Jesus overcame all of them without failing or disobeying God. And this happened so that he can relate to us in every way (Hebrews 4:15). It was because Jesus became one of us, that he could give his life in our place, thus paying the complete penalty for our sin, which is our defiance and opposition toward God). In Jesus’ sinlessness, he met the full requirement demanded by God; therefore, Jesus is the only one who could have bridged the gap that sin had created between God and humankind. As a result of his work, the opportunity for a personal relationship with God is offered to everyone.

            As the world prepares over the next few days to celebrate Christmas, let’s not forget the real reason for the season. We are not celebrating the idea or belief that on one night of the year a fat and “jolly” man, who is dressed in a red suit and who rides in a magically sleigh pulled by eight reindeer, comes and delivers gifts. Rather, we celebrating the fact that the King of kings and Lord of lords stepped down out of heaven “to dwell among us,” thus putting in motion is his plan to bring the gift of salvation to the whole world.

Today’s Bible Readings:

Zechariah 2-3, Revelation 13, Psalm 141:1-10 and Proverbs 30:18-20