The Word is With Us
My Mom said the rocks would be amazing. I believed her, but sitting in the car for hours made me wish I was back home. She said we would ride on donkeys. I thought that sounded uncomfortable and smelly. She said I would never see anything like it again. But moms are good at hyperbole. Then we arrived at the Grand Canyon.
John 1:14-18
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, "This was the one of whom I said, 'The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'") Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father's side—he has revealed him.
We're familiar with Jesus. But for John's audience, this is strange news. Only in the Temple could priests serve God. Now the Temple is a human being. Not even Moses could see God. Now God has a human face. Moses gave the law, a gift that set Israel apart. Now the Giver of the law has come to personally give grace and truth. "Grace and truth" aren't two words John happens to like. He's drawing from Exodus 34, where God describes his identity to Moses. The one who was born after John the Baptist existed before him. In every line, John is saying that Jesus is God. That ought to mean that Jesus is inaccessible. Instead, it means he's revealed to us. Moses and the Law were good. But they were preparation for something so much greater. After waiting for centuries, those who saw Jesus understood why he was worth the wait. The invisible is visible. The unknown is known. The Creator has become a creature. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." We can look at Jesus now.
Reflection Questions
What's the most surprising line in this passage?
In both Exodus 34 and John 1, God is described as "full of grace and truth." Do you tend to separate the God of the Old Testament from Jesus in the New Testament?
"No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son has revealed him." What do you see when you look at Jesus?
One Thing to Try
Verse 14 is the key verse for this series. Do you feel you have to go searching for Jesus? Prayerfully meditate on the reality that Jesus is already with us. Then tell your friend what you see when you look at Jesus.