John 1

"The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14 CEB

There is deep theological significance to verse 14. The Creator of the universe determines that faithful proximity to Their creation requires Their participation with that creation. So God—that is, the second Person of the Trinity—becomes human. God does not lose Their divinity; rather, Their divinity "assumes" humanity. The scripture says, "The Word became flesh," meaning the Word remains the Word and is now the Word in the person of Jesus Christ. This is what we refer to as the doctrine of the Incarnation.

This verse signals the reason the birth of Christ requires so much celebration. It is the reason the Nicene Creed affirms:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.

It is the inspiration behind Charles Wesley's hymn, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," where we proclaim:

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th' incarnate Deity!

While verse 14 holds deep theological significance, it can also hold personal significance. We find this in Eugene Peterson's translation of verse 14:

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. - The Message Bible

Peterson helps us see that the Incarnation means the God of the mountain desires to be the God of the valley; the One who sits up high does not consider it beneath Him to be brought low. To say that The Word moved into the neighborhood is to say that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, longs to be neighbors—and even roommates—with us. God wants to live with us and be with us.

The words of Jesus in Revelation 3 reveal this longing:

Look! I'm standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me. - Revelation 3:20 CEB

John Wesley's deathbed declaration echoes this desire: "The best of all is, God is with us." His brother Charles puts this desire to music:

Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel.

The theological implications of verse 14 invite us to consider the mystery of the Word becoming flesh. But the personal implications of the Incarnation are an invitation to open the door of our lives to the One who longs to be God with us in our daily lives.

The God who could have remained distant chose proximity. The God who deserved worship chose relationship. The God who needed nothing chose to need us. The question isn't whether God wants to be close to you. John 1:14 settles that. The question is: Will you open the door?

Additional scripture readings: Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews, 1:1-4