The Gospel of John: John 1.14b

Read and meditate on John 1.14.
What does it mean to meditate on a verse like this? How many questions can you think of to create a new approach to looking at this verse? What are the key words to focus on as you ponder this verse? What connections to other parts of Scripture come to mind? How do you respond emotionally to meditating on this verse? John says emphatically that the Word dwelled among us – us. What does that make John in relation to the events he is about to unfold for us? How does he further emphasize this in 1 John 1.1-3?

¹⁴The Word of God, the Light and Life of men,
Creator of all things in earth and heav'n,
took flesh unto Himself, became a Man, 
and dwelled among us in this ancient land.
And we have seen His glory, glory as of
the Only Begotten of the Father’s love,
and full of grace and truth.

- John 1.14

Reflect
1.  The verb John chose here, which we translate dwelled, is eskenosen, and means much more than simply “lived.” How many different words can you think of to describe what it means to dwell somewhere? Complete this prayer: O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, and…

2.  At the time John was writing his gospel, the most widely used version of the Old Testament was a Greek translation called the Septuagint, which was translated from the Hebrew many decades before John’s day. In the Septuagint, the word used to describe the Tabernacle, which God made through Moses and others, is skene. Do you see any similarities between this word and the word John chose – one of many he might have chosen – to describe the Word’s becoming flesh? Lord, You are our Tabernacle, where I expect…

3.  It would be appropriate to say that “the Word tabernacled among us.” What was the Tabernacle? What was in it? What happened there? What role did the Tabernacle have in the life of the people of Israel? Thank You, Lord, that as You pitched Your tent among the people of Israel, You…

4.  John deliberately intended to link the Word’s becoming flesh with Israel’s Tabernacle. Why would he do that? How does this help us to think about the purpose of the Word’s becoming flesh? Lord Jesus, You came among us so that I and others…

5.  The Tabernacle of Israel was associated with the presence and glory of God, as He led His people out of captivity, through the Wilderness, and into the land of promise. Does this suggest any ways for us to think about the Word’s tabernacling among us? Bring together your brief prayers from questions 1-4 into a single prayer.

Summary
“The Word was made flesh, but how he was made flesh, we do not know. The doctrine from God, I have; the science of it, I do not have. I know that the Word was made flesh; how it was done, I do not know.” Jerome (347-420 AD)

Is it possible to know something truly without understanding it completely? John knew the Word had become flesh, because he saw Him, knew Him, travelled and associated with Him, and much more. We cannot know the Word in this way; but can we know Him truly? Explain.

Closing Prayer
But He made His own people go forth like sheep,
And guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear;
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And He brought them to His holy border,
This mountain which His right hand had acquired.
He also drove out the nations before them,
Allotted them an inheritance by survey,
And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

Psalm 78.52-55

Psalm 78.4, 5, 52-55 (Foundation: How Firm a Foundation)
The glorious deeds You have done in Your might,
And all of the works You have done in our sight,
Together with all of the words of Your Law,
Would we on ourselves and our children bestow.

For You, as a Shepherd, Your people did tend
With care and compassion, as close as a friend.
You led them and brought them into the sweet land
Where they in Your grace and protection could stand.

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.