John 1.14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word, Jesus, became flesh. Sometimes theologians will use the phrase, “God incarnate”. This word, incarnate, is a little obscure, but there are similar words we use commonly, such as “carnivore”, which means meat eater. Perhaps you like to eat chili con carne. This means you like your chili with meat mixed in. Jesus is part of the Godhead. He has always existed. But he lived differently during the time he spent on earth. He actually became human, too. He was born, just like any other baby and he went through the same travails and little victories that any child would. 

The implications of God becoming flesh are extremely important. For one, this proves there is nothing inherently wrong with the flesh. God could not have become one with an evil body. We are not spirits trapped in evil bodies. Rather, our very nature is wrapped up in our bodies. We are, to a degree, defined by our bodies. When God created Adam and Eve he pronounced them a good creation. Our bodies are good, in spite of the afflictions that might befall them. Jesus proved that it’s possible for humans to live sinlessly in a human body. Because of this we can enjoy our bodies and not be ashamed of them. 

His incarnation also brought about a greater empathy between Jesus and all of humanity. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.(Hebrews 4.15). There is so much wrong with the world and there are times when it seems that God is silent and absent. When these troubling thoughts come upon us it is important that we remember what he has done. This Jesus who lives outside of time is every bit as interested in the human race today as he was during the time of his incarnation. Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8.34). 

The world is in a state of turmoil and conflict. The United States is deeply divided between conservatives and liberals and, make no mistake, both camps are pursuing policies that break the heart of God. The earth itself is increasingly rebelling against the careless stewardship of humanity. Great fires plague the western half of the U.S. This week Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans, and then continued upward through the States, causing considerable damage throughout the Northeast. There was considerable flooding and a number of people were killed. But the two days following the storm were the most perfect days you could imagine. Cloudless blue skies, low humidity, comfortable temperature on the heels of a hot August. It felt like a reminder from God that he is still in control of the universe and that he will continue to make it a place suitable for human habitation up until the time when he says “Enough! I am returning to collect my people.”

John observes that the Word “dwelt” among us. Most translations have chosen the world “dwelt”, though a more literal rendering is “tabernacled”. It’s understandable why translators have avoided the word, “tabernacled”, since its meaning is lost on the average reader. But its meaning should be discovered. 

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years before they entered the promised land. Whenever the Israelites were to break camp and move, a pillar of cloud would move out before them. In the evening, the cloud would descend on the tabernacle. In the night the pillar of cloud would appear to be a pillar of fire. This pillar was recognized as a visible manifestation of God’s presence.

God’s presence, from this time until the arrival of Jesus, was associated with the tabernacle. Solomon built the more permanent temple, that was designed after the pattern of the tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies and the Presence of God remained in a special way, immediately above the Ark. This presence is what made the temple holy and, by extension, Mount Zion and Jerusalem were also considered holy. This remains true in the thinking of many Jews even today. “God is with us” is the point. 

Matthew 1.23 says, ”Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” The incarnation of Jesus is a continuation of this important concept of the faith. God is with his people. He has not abandoned them. He is their protector.

After the Egyptian pharaoh had finally allowed the enslaved Israelites to leave (because God’s plagues were destroying Egypt), pharaoh changed his mind. What was Egypt going to do without all the cheap labor that had been the engine of Egypt? He sent his army after the Israelites, trapping them against the Red Sea. There would be a slaughter, while the vast majority of the Hebrews would be driven back to Egypt, back into slavery. But the pillar of cloud/fire moved in between the Israelites and the great army, keeping the Egyptians at bay. Shortly thereafter, when the Israelites, by God’s power were able to cross the Red Sea, the Egyptians followed and there they were destroyed. 

These images should be called to mind when we read, “The Word tabernacled among us”.

Then John goes on to say that he and others have seen Jesus’ glory. What is John thinking about when he says this? We have to speculate, but here are some likely answers. One answer is that John was recalling the Transfiguration. This is the name given to an event in which Jesus was literally changed. Peter, James, and John witnessed that “his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as light.” This was a physical manifestation of his glory. Then Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus and the three men stood, talking to one another. 

Peter, the bold disciple who had a tendency to speak first and think later, proposed to Jesus that the disciples erect three tents, one each for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Perhaps this was a bit of nation-building on Peter’s part. He saw the gathered charisma and recalled the resumés of miracles and wonders. “Let’s entice Moses and Elijah to stay with us awhile. What nation could stand against the combined powers of these three great men?”

Then a bright cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud there was a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The disciples fell flat on their faces in terror. Perhaps there was a note of rebuke in the voice. In effect, Peter had equated Jesus with Moses and Elijah. The voice singled out Jesus as the one they should listen to. It did not say they should not listen to Moses, who represented the Old Testament books of the Law, or Elijah, who represented the Old Testament prophetic writings. What the voice said was that Jesus, as the Father’s beloved Son, was of greater rank than the other two, and he had authority over all the writings they represented. He was the Word. He was the final interpreter of truth. Perhaps it was this event that John was thinking about when he said, “we have seen his glory”.

Jesus, seeing the disciples in a state of terror, went over and touched them, and then said, “Stand up, and have no fear.” Remember, the voice from heaven had just instructed the disciples to listen to Jesus. I’m sure the Father’s meaning was that the disciples should listen to everything Jesus had to say, but the first thing Jesus said was, “Stand up. Don’t be afraid.” This command should not be understood as a one-time directive; it more of a statement about how the disciples were to conduct their lives. When God is with you and he tells you to stand up and be fearless, this actually becomes possible. Independent human bravery is a kind of whistling in the dark. “I will stand up against all comers (until, one of them comes and put an end to me).” Even the strongest man in the world is only the strongest man for a little while. But God’s care changes everything. Even death cannot conquer God’s people because, for them, it is the entryway into resurrection and glorification. God’s power, then, is effectively transferred through Jesus into his disciples. Perhaps this is what John was thinking about when he said, “We have seen his glory.”

Or perhaps John was thinking about how Jesus went willingly to the cross. When Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter, impulsively, cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. Jesus put a stop to that and then asked, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26.53). I’m sure one angel would have been more than enough to put an end to the high priest and any army he might have been able to muster. Twelve legions of angels could have eliminated the Roman army from Israel in an afternoon. Jesus was saying to Peter, “If I intended to address this problem through force, I have trained troops for that. But force is not the plan.”

What was the plan of Jesus? His plan was to die. The problem of sin cannot be corrected by killing a lot of bad guys. Noah and his ark proved that. Sin must be addressed in a more radical way: all must die. But it was Jesus’ mission to save sinners from their bondage to sin and from their due punishment. Only he could be the sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of the world. 

On the other hand, the idea of the torturous death that awaited him made Jesus utterly sick. Before the betrayal he had spent a great deal of time in prayer.  Being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22.44).

So this is the picture: Jesus, in agony over what awaited him, had at his disposal twelve legions of angels who could put an end to his ordeal at any moment. But to put an end to the ordeal was to disobey his Father. His Father was intent on saving his people… and so was Jesus. He had to lay down his life to save his friends. Even though Jesus was completely innocent, even though his every act in Israel was to speak liberating truth and to bring healing to the needy, he was to suffer at the hands of ruthless hypocrites. He moved forward, knowing that the wrath of his Father was about to fall on him. He moved forward, every torturous step of the way, with full power to stop the torture. His submission to the cross was the greatest act of discipline in the history of the world. This was God, sacrificing himself for the sake of his people.

It’s not clear that John understood this glory while he was witnessing Jesus going through it. It did not look like glory. But when John and the disciples encountered Jesus after his resurrection, the light finally went on for them. John saw the confluence of an all-powerful God with the God who deeply cared for his people. God revealed his deepest glory through the love he demonstrated by his own sacrifice. And this became the model on which the Christian religion was built. This is the foundation. John will recall later in his book what Jesus, before his crucifixion, had told his disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13.34). When John finally saw the full glory of Jesus, he understood what this commandment meant.