John 1:14 This
statement is packed with superlative connections. Without naming Jesus (yet),
the gospel of John connects Him by the statement that the Word of God became
incarnate, that is, in flesh.
Previously, the Word was described as that active agency of God by which
the universe and all within it were created. He was with God and He was God.
Part of the mystery of the Trinity is that they are together as individuals and
yet as one. There is probably no adequate metaphor in human experience to
describe this relationship or state of being. The Logos is the verbal and
written expression of what God desires to convey. And He is not a set of words,
but a living being who is Himself God. And based on all that has gone before,
John now asserts that this God, the divine Word, became flesh and lived among
men.
John
does not repeat the Christmas story, the story of Mary and Joseph, the angels,
the visitations, or discuss the virgin birth. How could God become man? For
pagans there would have been no theological problem. The gods of Greek
mythology often took on human form as a disguise, and did things with character
that corresponded to human behavior, albeit with supernatural power. But for
devout Jews, the divine nature was not like the human nature and it would have
been unthinkable to claim that God would or could be born as a human. And in
truth this is another mystery, how the very being of God could possibly be
veiled in flesh. In most Old Testament visitations, the visited were awestruck
and in terror of the revelation of God's presence. God emptied Himself of His
divine prerogatives to take on human form. (Philippians 2:6-7)
What
Jesus showed us, if we will receive it, is that the essence of Godliness
(Godlikeness), the nature and character of God, is not primarily omnipotent
power, but a personality and behavior that is both perfectly holy and also
unfailingly loving. And that there is no
conflict between these two characteristics. We may think from a human
perspective that we must sometimes compromise holiness to show love, or that in
some circumstance it is less than loving to do the right thing. But what Jesus
showed by example is that in God's character there is no conflict. And
ultimately this meant that He had to exhibit the ultimate in sacrificial love -
giving Himself as a sacrifice to pay the price for the penalty for the sins of
the whole world so that individuals could be redeemed and reconciled to God.
John
goes on to discuss the glory of God, which is manifested in the flesh as grace
and truth. The Old Testament concept of glory was manifest radiance,
symbolizing God's perfection, and the lofty architecture of the Temple and the
opulence of its furnishings. The visions of heaven show the angels and other
creatures worshipping God in His holiness. But John says that he and his fellow
apostles beheld the glory of God as it was manifested in the flesh. Only on one
occasion (the mount of transfiguration) was Jesus' divine glory manifestly
visible. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Truth is more elusive - Pilate
asked Jesus 'What is truth?' (John 18:38) but Jesus had only hours earlier
explained to His disciples that He was truth incarnate (John 14:6). The
simultaneous exhibition of grace and truth is just as difficult for us to
fathom as the simultaneous practice of holiness and love. Courts of law place
truth above all else - getting to the truth of human actions despite the lies
and deceptions of sinful humans. And Jesus certainly knew those truths, but He
also knew a deeper truth about God's love, and the grace that came from it, as
for example when He met the woman at the well (John 4), and when they brought
Him a woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8). So this is what God's
glory looks like when present in human flesh - not a person with a halo or aura
emanating visibly, but a character that knows the deeper truth than what we
have done which is the truth of God's love and purposes, and exhibits grace and
compassion to us who don't deserve it.
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