John 1:14-18:

The Word Became Flesh

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

June 21, 2009

 

I.  Introduction

A.  Please turn to John 1:14. 

B.  While you are turning.... 

1.  The story is told of a naturalist who as he

was walking in his garden, he came on an ant hill covered with a swarm of ants that seemed greatly agitated as his shadow fell on them.  "If only these ants knew how kindly I feel towards them," he thought, "they would not be disturbed at my presence."

            Following this line of thought, he found himself wondering if a man would ever communicate his thoughts to ants.  "No," he decided.  "That is impossible.  For a man to teach an ant what he is like, and to convey to them his thoughts, he would have to become an ant."  Then, like a flash of lightning came this thought--"That is it exactly; the God of this universe, infinitely high as He is above us in His being and in His thoughts, had to become a man to teach man to know Him, and to know His thoughts.[1]

 

2.  C. S. Lewis wrote:

The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man--a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone.  The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became no only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman's body.  If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.[2]

 

II.  Exposition

A.  Background

1.  We are in the prologue to John's gospel, his introduction (John 1:1-18).

2.  We saw that the Word was God, the Creator, the Source of life and light (John 1:1-5).

3.  We saw that even though the Light illuminates the world, the world, even His own people, did not recognize the Light when He came (John 1:6-11).

4.  Nonetheless, those who did receive the Light by faith became children of God (John 1:12-13).

5.  John concludes his introduction with the Word.

a.  John began with the divine Word.

b.  Now, he concludes with that same divine Word invading human history.

c.  This inclusio or bookend structure completes John's introduction and prepares us for the history of the gospel.

B.  Exposition: The Word became flesh (John 1:14-18)

1.  The Word became human and we saw His glory (John 1:14).

^1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

 

a.  "The Word became flesh"

1)  This is the Word (Logos) that we saw in verses 1-5 is no less that the divine Creator God.  This has to be the greatest miracle of all time that "the Word became flesh."

2)  The Gk. word translated "became" is in the aorist tense, a past snapshot action. 

a)  The Word was deity, continuous past action, but the Word became flesh at a point in time.

b)  Wuest translates the Gk. verb as, "entering a new mode of existence" (NTET).

c)  Paul makes the same distinction.

i)  He wrote that Jesus "was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom 1:3-4).

ii)  Paul also wrote that the Christ was from Israel "according to the flesh," but really "is over all, God blessed forever" (Rom 9:5).

3)  While Paul often uses "flesh" in a negative sense morally, John uses "flesh" for human weakness.

a)  This is the same sort of Gk. construction as John 1:1 ("and divine was the Word") and means "the Word took on the quality of flesh."

b)  "So the Word became human" (NTLP).

4)  This rules out the Docetic Gnostics' teaching that Jesus Christ only appeared to be human.  John says elsewhere, "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God" (1 John 4:2).

5)  This is the ultimate expression of Christ's humility.

a)  Paul wrote to the Philippians about Jesus Christ:

⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8).

 

b)  The Gk. word translated "form" (morphē) "signifies a form which truly and fully expresses the being which underlies it."[3]  Therefore, "in the form of God" means "being in very nature God" (NIV).

c)  "Did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" can be better translated:

i)  "Did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage" (HCSB).

ii)  "He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to" (NLT).

iii)  "Did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited" (NRSV).

iv)  "Although he was in the form of God and equal with God, he did not take advantage of this equality" (GWN).

d)  The Gk. word translated "emptied Himself" means "divestiture of position or prestige."[4]  Jesus Christ could not cease to be God, but He did give up His privileges as God.

e)  The Gk. word translated "form" is the same as in the previous verse.

i)  Therefore, Christ's underlying nature is to be a bond-servant.  God has a servant heart!

ii)  "Slave" (HCSB).

f)  The Gk. word translated "likeness" means a "state of having common experiences."[5]

g)  Christ humbled Himself to death!

6)  Christ had to become flesh to die for us.

a)  Heb. kinsman redeemer idea (Lev 25:25-26).

b)  The author of Hebrews argues that

¹⁴ since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,  ¹⁵ and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.... ¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted (Heb 2:14-15; 17-18).

 

b.  "And dwelt among us"

1)  The Gk. word translated "dwelt" means "literally live or camp in a tent."[6] 

2)  Therefore, it came to mean "dwell (temporarily)."[7]

3)  Jesus Christ only lived among us thirty-three years.

4)  The visible glory of God, the Shekinah, stayed with the tabernacle ("tent") during Israel's wilderness wanderings (Exod 33:7-10).[8]

5)  Now, the Shekinah is seen in Jesus Christ.[9]

c.  "We saw His glory"

1)  The Gk. word translated "saw" (theaomai) means "to have an intent look at something, to take something in with one’s eyes, with implication that one is especially impressed."[10]

2)  Moses wanted to see God's glory (Exod 33-34):

            ¹⁸ Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!"  ¹⁹ And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."  ²⁰ But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!"  ²¹ Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; ²² and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.  ²³ "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:18-23).

 

3)  Exod 33:20 reveals the reason that God does not openly reveal Himself.  It would mean the death of all sinners with unatoned for sins.

4)  The transfiguration:

            ²⁸ Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  ²⁹ And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.  ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  ³² Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.  ³³ And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah "--not realizing what he was saying.  ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.  ³⁵ Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"  ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.  And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen (Luke 9:28-36).

 

5)  Peter mentioned this later:

For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased "-- ¹⁸ and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain" (2 Pet 1:17-18).

 

d.  "Glory as of the only begotten from the Father"

1)  Concerning the Gk. word translated "the only begotten," "the word emphasizes the unique relationship that the Father has to the Son."[11]

2)  Harris notes that "the term was also used to describe something unique (the only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix bird (1 Clement 25:2)."[12]

3)  This has been translated "the One and Only" (NET, NIV).

e.  "Full of grace and truth"

1)  Jesus is truth (John 14:6).

a)  Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:32).  Since Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth, knowing Him sets us free.

b)  It was ironic that Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38).

2)  Jesus is the Source of grace, God's unmerited favor.

a)  Paul wrote that "grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 5:21).

b)  John will elaborate on this a little later in verse 17.

f.  The divine Word, who is the Creator, became a human being.

2.  The Word was preexistent (John 1:15).

¹⁵ John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me'" (John 1:15).

 

a.  Only in verse 15 is John the Baptist speaking since we read, "This is the testimony of John" in verse 19.

b.  When the prophet Micah predicted Messiah's birth in Bethlehem, he said, "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.  His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity" (Mic 5:2).

c.  H. A. Ironside put it well, "John began to be when he was born on earth, but Christ Jesus did not begin to be when He was born on earth."[13]

d.  "He follows me in time, but he ranks ahead of me, for he existed before I was born" (John 1:15 BARCLAY).

e.  Jesus was born six months after John (Luke 1:26) and began His ministry later than John, but, because of His preexistence, Jesus was before John the Baptist.

f.  The divine Word stepped out of eternity into time.

3.  The Word is the source of grace (John 1:16-17).

¹⁶ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.  ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ (John 1:16-17).

 

a.  "For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."

1)  The Gk. word translated "fullness" is also used in:

a)  "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" (Col 1:19 NIV).

b)  "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Col 2:9).

c)  Phillips translates this as, "Indeed, every one of us has shared in his riches--there is a grace in our lives because of his grace" (NTME).

b.  "For the Law was given through Moses"

1)  The Mosaic covenant is a suzerainty (king/vassal) covenant.

a)  Blessings for obedience

b)  Cursings for disobedience

c)  The problem is not with the Law.  Paul wrote, "So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Rom 7:12).

2)  The Law is only a shadow, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near" (Heb 10:1).

c.  "Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ."

1)  The new covenant is a grant covenant.

a)  Blessings freely given

b)  Curse on those who try to take away the blessings

c)  Good behaviour based on gratitude

2)   New covenant predicted by Jeremiah:

"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.  ³³ "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  ³⁴ They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more" (Jer 31:31-34; see Heb 8:8-12).

 

3)  New covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ:

a)  Jesus "took the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood'" (Luke 22:20).

b)  Jesus is "the mediator of a new covenant" (Heb 12:24).

d.  The divine Word brought the reality of grace into the world.

4.  The Word reveals God, the Father (John 1:18).

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John 1:18).

 

a.  "No one has seen God at any time"

1)  This means that all of the OT appearances of God are actually Jesus before His incarnation.

2)  In the Gk., "God" does not have an article.  Grammatically this "emphasizes his nature, not just his person."[14]

3)  Wuest translates, "Absolute deity in its essence no one has ever yet seen.  God uniquely-begotten, He who is in the bosom of the Father, that One fully explained deity" (NTET).

b.  "The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father"

1)  The Gk. word translated "only begotten" is the same as in verse 14.

a)  "The only one" (NET).

b)  "The One and Only" (NIV).

2)  Some translations (ASV, GWN, HCSB, KJV, NKJV, NLT, RSV) have "Son," but the oldest texts read "God" (ESV, NASB, NET, NIV).  Some try to have it both ways, "It is God the only Son" (NRSV, see also CJB).

3)  "In the bosom of the Father" is place of closest fellowship.

a)  "Who is at the Father's side" (CJB, ESV, HCSB, NIV).

b)  "The one who is closest to the Father's heart" (GWN, see also NJB, NLT, NRSV).

c)  "Who is in closest fellowship with the Father" (NET).

c.  "He has explained Him"

1)  The Gk. word translated "explained" (exēgeomai) means " to set forth in great detail, expound."  Our English word "exegesis" ("to explain or interpret a text") comes from it.[15]

2)  It is a technical term for the exposition of the Law by the rabbis and divine mysteries by priests.[16]

d.  Jesus reveals God to us.

1)  Jesus taught, "He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me" (John 12:45).

2)  At the Last Supper, "Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.'  ⁹ Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, "Show us the Father"'?" (John 14:8-9).

3)  Jesus "is the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15) and "the exact representation of His nature" (Heb 1:3).

4)  If we want to know what God is like, look at Jesus Christ.

III.  Applications

A.  Jesus Christ

1.  The divine Word, who is the Creator, became a human being.

2.  The divine Word stepped out of eternity into time.

3.  The divine Word brought the reality of grace into the world.

4.  The divine Word reveals God to us.

B.  Examples for us

1.  Humility

2.  Servant's heart

3.  Realize Who is:

a.  Lying in that manger.

b.  Striding into our world.

c.  Dying on that cross for you!