by Dr. Andrew C S Koh
John 1:14
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before You with reverence and awe. We pray for quiet, soft, receptive, and teachable hearts. Speak to us as we listen to You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Word became flesh
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
John 1:14
Commentary
I will dissect this verse into 5 parts.
The Word became flesh
The Word is Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh means incarnation. Incarnate means embodied in flesh. Jesus is the embodiment of God in human flesh. Jesus of Nazareth stepped out from eternity into our time-space continuum and became a man 2000 years ago. This explains why the calendar is divided into BC and AD.
In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
John 1:1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched, this we proclaim concerning the Word of life
1 John 1:1
made His dwelling among us
The Greek word for “dwelling” is “tabernacle”. God dwelled among the Israelites in the tabernacle and later, the temple. The tabernacle or temple was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. Today, Jesus tabernacled among us. The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When someone is born again, the Holy Spirit tabernacled in his/her body. During the inauguration of the first temple, Solomon asked whether God would really dwell in the temple that he built, 1 Kings 8:27. God answered this question 1000 years later when Jesus came to earth and dwelled among us!
But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!
1 Kings 8:27
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
1 Corinthians 6:10
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him
John 14:23, amplified Bible
we have seen His glory
The Greek word for glory is “doxa” which means splendour. “We” is a plural pronoun. John and the apostles had seen, heard, and touched Jesus. They saw the glory, grace, and truth of the Son of God. John was not only an eyewitness of Jesus but also a reliable one. John was a cousin of Jesus because his mother Salome and Jesus’ mother Mary were cousins. As children, they would have played together as a family. This was how close they were.
the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father
The Greek word for one and only is “monogenes’’ which means the only unique or the only begotten. Jesus Christ, the unique Son of God, came from the Father as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.
He was in the beginning with God
John 1:2
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known
John 1:18
full of Grace and Truth
Grace is to get something that we do not deserve. Truth is something that is authentic. The Hebrew words for grace and truth are “hesed” and “emet”, which means unfailing love and faithfulness. Hesed and emet in the Old Testament correspond to Grace and Truth in the New Testament. Salvation is by the Grace of God through faith in Christ, who is Truth.
So, the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness
John 1:14 (a), NLT
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Ephesians 2:8
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
John 14:6
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free
John 8:32
Application
Jesus Christ stepped out from eternity into our time-space domain to become a human being. Jesus Christ is God in a human body. He is not just a good man, wise teacher, or prophet. He is fully God and fully man. He is God whom you can know, see, hear, love, and relate to. He is the message, the Word of God.
Do you know Jesus? Do you want to know Him? You can know Him right now, right where you are.
If you want to know Jesus say this prayer with me:
Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. Please forgive me. I believe You died on the cross to pay the punishment of my sin for me. I surrender my life to You, in Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
If you prayed this prayer you are born again as a child of God. This is the first step. Find a Bible-believing church near you, inform the church pastor about your decision, and join in the fellowship of believers to grow and mature in the faith.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to step out of eternity into our time-space domain to live among us. Thank You for showing us Your Glory, Unfailing Love, Faithfulness, Grace, and Truth. Thank You for the gift of salvation and eternal life by grace through faith in Christ, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
