He made his dwelling among us....

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Fourteen verses from the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, and in such few words are found the most astounding revelations of who Jesus is.  Other gospel narratives mention the ancestry of Jesus, or the events surrounding his birth, but John starts by letting us know of Jesus who was in the beginning with God, and Jesus, the Word, was God.  

Then note it was through Jesus the act of creation happened. Nothing was made except through him.  It staggers the imagination for us to learn and believe the events of Jesus' cross and his sacrificial death for each of us.  Even more staggering is in realizing the very one who died for us is also the one whose power made us.

Jesus is then referred to as the light and we are told the true light gives light to everyone.  Some people received him and some did not.  John says to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become God's children.

When Jesus came to earth, he lived in a body of flesh, subject to the same things as we humans.   He hurt, he cried, he experienced ridicule, he got tired, he knew sorrow......just like us.  He became flesh and lived among mankind.  John says, ”We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

That's the Jesus we all need to know.

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