John 1:14

Who is Jesus? – part 11

Welcome back to John’s Gospel. I took a break from writing about it over Advent, so Merry Christmas.

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas, or more likely have enjoyed it. If you have managed to get through the festivities without reading blogs or descending into the black hole of social media. Well done, I say.

Or perhaps you spent Christmas alone and the internet was the only support you could find. Again, well done. Christmas does not need to be what the TV says.

Whether you have a busy or quiet time, Merry Christmas.

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.

It’s a heartfelt return to the beginning. John’s Gospel opens with the profound act of creation through The Word. He gently explores the concept that life resides within the Word and how that life brings light to our world. John acknowledges the bittersweet reality that while some embraced this light, others turned away. This brings him to a crucial moment: the Word of God, the force that shaped the universe, chose to become human, connecting with us in our journey.

I have included a traditional nativity picture, even though John seemed to have missed the entire baby shower! It’s like trying to pop a watermelon into a shoebox! John’s nativity story gives us the thrilling plot twist of the Word becoming human, like the ultimate “surprise guest” at a party, but then he zooms past all the fun stuff and dives straight into the sequel about what happens now that the Word is in town.

John is not trying to blind us with psychology, or boast about how clever he is, he’s singing a song. Most songs have a structure. Verses 14-18 cover the same ground as verses 1-13, only shorter. Firstly it’s about the Word, then a short interlude about John the Baptist, then onto what it means to us.

It’s a wonderful blend of themes, showcasing remarkable contrasts. In Verses 1-13, the Word is the creator, bringing vibrant life and radiant light. Then, in verses 14-18, the Word joyfully becomes human, delivering abundant grace and truth. What a delightful set of Christmas gifts!

Glory

First a note about the giver of the gifts. That is the Father. The glory of the Father is the wrapping the present is wrapped in. When John says, “We have seen his glory,” he means it. He’s one of the actual witnesses to a true event.

He’s also letting those who know their Old Testament know that God ha planned this from a while back. He’s using words similar to Isaiah …

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 40:5

But what good is seeing a wrapped present if we only look at the wrapping?

Grace

There’s glory for us too. But it is a reflected glory, a share in the glory of God through Jesus. It isn’t a glory due to how forceful we have been, our glory comes from trusting God, the same way that Jesus won his Glory. And it’s free. We have done nothing to deserve it, it is a free gift from God’s love.

So are you going to open God’s present?

Truth

According to theologian Warren W Wiersby, truth in the context of John 1:14 means  “that which is open to view, that which is unconcealed, that which is transparent.” There is nothing hidden about Jesus.

Humour

The word becoming flesh makes the Gospels funnier. I am not saying Jesus was a comedian, he wasn’t, but there is humour in our everyday encounters with people, and it’s meetings like these that make up a large part of John’s Gospel. But in this intro to John’s Gospel, there’s no humour here is there? Of course, there is. I didn’t say, “This is a joke,” when I wrote about it, but it’s there, I’ll point it out in the next post or two.

This introduction is in the form of a song, I don’t know if John had a tune in mind when he wrote it or was just using a form from the Psalms, But here’s a challenge, can you make a Christmas carol out of it? Jesus Christ, (Yes it is about him, I’ve read on.) The greatest Christmas present of all time.

Merry Christmas.

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