The Word became flesh

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The wonder of Christmas is revealed for us in four simple words.

We hear the words every Christmas Day: The Word became flesh. I think that often they go in one ear and out the other, for two reasons. 

The first is precisely because we hear them so often. Our sinful flesh dismisses them as ordinary. 

The second is that those words are so profound. They are anything but ordinary, for their depth overwhelms our comprehension.

But for Christmas to have meaning, we must try to comprehend exactly what those four simple words — The Word became flesh —tell us: about our God, about the Scriptures, and about ourselves.

What do these words tell us about God?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1,2).

Saint John takes us back to the first words of the Bible: “In the beginning.” He reminds us that the creation was a collaborative effort. God the Father was there. But so was the one John calls “the Word.” He is equal to the Father, for John tells us the Word was both “with God” and “was God.” John tells us clearly who this mysterious “Word” is: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

And so Jesus Christ is the Word, the one “through [whom] all things were made” (John 1:3). He is the one who carved out the depths of the oceans. He is the one who set the stars ablaze. What could possibly hurt Him? Nothing. Well . . . nothing until the Word became flesh. 

And what type of flesh? Human flesh, with the full use of His power and glory set aside. Infant flesh! And so the One who was so powerful that He started the universe spinning on its axis became so weak He needed Mary to feed Him. The One who was untouchable became entirely exposed. 

Isn’t that what love requires? When you love someone, you open yourself up to the chance of being badly hurt. You take the risk of having your heart broken.

That is exactly what God did for you. In love, the Almighty became vulnerable. And He had more than His heart broken. He had His flesh scourged, His brow pierced, and His limbs nailed. But the hardest part of His vulnerability was when, while carrying our sins in His flesh, He felt the separation from His Father. 

And so the One who was invincible became entirely vulnerable because love required it. The Word became flesh. Those words speak volumes about how genuinely God loves you.

What these words tell us about the Scriptures?

What a unique title — the Word. What does it mean? Well, words are how we communicate. The Word is the way God communicates to us. Whether it was God speaking to Moses from a burning bush or to Elijah in a quiet whisper or to Daniel with writing on the wall, God speaks to His people through His words. His words carry forth God’s will and purposes.

The Word became flesh. John is saying that God’s will and His purposes are all wrapped up in the flesh of the babe of Bethlehem. Jesus is the way God communicates to us. 

Jesus fulfilled the hundreds of prophecies contained in the Word, proving to us that God is not a liar and that everything He tells us in Scripture is trustworthy and true.

The child in the manger was “born under law” (Galatians 4:4) so that He could fulfill every demand of God’s law, not to show you how to obey. Jesus fulfilled the commands contained in the Word so that you might claim His obedience as your own through faith. 

The Son of God made flesh is the beating heart of the gospel — the good news of salvation. And so at Christ’s birth, an angel appeared to shepherds and said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

The Word became flesh. This tells us that to have a relationship with God, you must have a relationship with Jesus. And the way you do that is through the Scriptures. Do you want to draw closer to God in 2014? Would you like to have Jesus' love and power touching you day by day? Those four words — the Word became flesh — tell you how.

What do these words tell us about ourselves?

False religions teach that the physical is inferior to the spiritual. Both Islam and Judaism teach that God would never exist within human flesh. That would be stooping too low for God to exist in a body.

But God tells us the very opposite about Himself! The Word became flesh. It is astounding that on that first Christmas, the Son of God took on human flesh. Master became servant. Creator became man. What is just as astounding is that at His Ascension, Jesus kept that human flesh. He is God and man for all eternity.

Adam’s sin caused sin to riddle our flesh and blood with the curse of death. Adam’s greatest Son, Jesus Christ, took on human flesh and blood to undue the damage sin has done to our flesh. In the resurrection on the Last Day, He will give us a new body by perfecting our body of flesh and blood. The Word became flesh, that our flesh might become divine. His death became our life. He became a slave so we would be His heir. He endured sorrow and scourge so we would pleasure in joy and jubilation. He came to us as Immanuel – God with us in the flesh – so we might go to be with Him in the flesh … for all eternity.

The Word became flesh. May those four simple words sink deeply into your hearts and minds so that you may have a truly merry Christmas. Amen.