THE GOSPEL OF JOHN – Part 8 – Whitestone Fellowship

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THE GOSPEL OF JOHN– Part 8

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

NOTES:

I will use the Greek translation for a few words in verse fourteen, so we can get some idea of the depth and breadth of this ‘miracle of all miracles and mystery of all mysteries’. It is important to read these translations and ponder their meanings.

“And the Word”, the ‘lógos’, is a word, being the expression of a thought; preeminently used of Christ, expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit, “speaking to a conclusion”.

“Became”, ‘gínomai’, came into being. A manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth. It is used for God’s actions as emerging from eternity and becoming, and showing themselves in time and in physical space.

“Flesh”, ‘sarx’, a body, containing human nature and attributes. with its frailties, both physically or morally and with its passions.

“Dwelt”, ‘skēnóō’, to pitch or live in a tent, denoting much more than the mere general notion of dwelling, it is to occupy and to reside, as God did in the Tabernacle of old. A symbol of protection and communion.

(For the Christian, skēnóō is dwelling in intimate communion with the resurrected Christ, even as He who Himself lived in unbroken communion with the Father during the days of His flesh.)

“Among us”, ‘en’, inside or within; “in the realm or sphere of and in the condition or state in which something operates from the inside; within.

COMMENTS:

It is a sad, and sometimes tragic fact, that with repeated exposure, we can take even the most amazing, profound and breathtaking realities, for granted. In this case, hearing the words, “And the Word became flesh”, which is the unrivaled and premier event in the history of existence.

We know that no one has seen God at any time, yet, in a miracle which even science stumbles over, God came from the ‘unseen’ realm the and appeared in the ‘seen’ world.

It is more than a mystery and a miracle, it is the ultimate act of sacrifice, mercy and grace. In this ultimate self-revelation, God put His divinity aside, took on the appearance of a man and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross so that we, His creation, could be redeemed from captivity and from the curse of sin and death.

The mind of man can try to explain these things that John 1:14 tells us, but, we can never fully grasp what God has done and continues to do for those who believe and follow Him.

We can, however, experience God and what He has done and continues to do. How? Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything and tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done; then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Concluding this fourteenth verse, John proclaims, “and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

NOTES:

“And we saw”, ‘theaomai’, is to gaze at a spectacular event to contemplate and observe it intently; especially in order to interpret and to grasp the significance and to be thoroughly impacted and influenced.

“His glory”, ‘doxa’, is His renown glory and divine quality from the manifestation of God’s splendor.

“Grace”, ‘charis’, is a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ; showing us extreme selfless favor and kindness.

“Truth”, ‘alétheia’, is not merely truth as spoken; but, the truth of idea, reality, sincerity; truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man. Straightforwardness.

COMMENTS:

John reveals to us that “the Word becoming flesh” is not just something to read or see or even to know, but, it is to be experienced. This is God revealing Himself through Jesus Christ, transcending the unseen realm of the heavens and being manifest and living among us, on earth.

Secondly, the phrase “The Word became flesh” is in the Greek aorist tense, which means there is no regard for past, present or future as it is an ongoing occurrence.

Although Jesus has ascended into the heavens, He still resides within those who believe. He continues to reside in us, transforming us and filling us with His attitude and His Spirit. John 17:23, Jesus tells us ‘I am in them and You, (The Father), in Me, that they may be perfected in unity.” And again in John 15:7, Jesus tells us that we must ‘remain in Him’.

So, when Jesus then says things like, ”And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14),

Or, when He says, “And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now, you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:23-24), we must know that this is THE TRUTH, and He is still actively at work through you, if you believe.

Look with me, through John’s eyes for a moment, and see the things he saw and is writing to us about. The Living Word of God, standing before him, calling.

From that moment, the world was changed, forever. And for the believer, you have been changed forever. But, you still must take up your faith, submit to Him and boldly go about the Father’s Business.

The enemy of Christ knows the End of Days are near, and he is intensifying his efforts to defeat you and every other person on this earth. It is our calling to rise up in Christ and carry this fight to the enemy.

He is still alive, at work and calling to you and to me, saying, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is deserving of his support.” (Matthew 10:7-15)