Read John 1:14-18
Years ago, as a widow with a small boy, I joined a Christian single moms group. Sadly, I had some misconceptions about divorcees (though I really hadn’t known any). At first, I sat with another widow and kept the divorced moms at arm’s length. But soon the sharing of stories broke down barriers. Several divorced moms became my close friends.
For me, spending time with people is a crucial part of understanding them and the world. I can read about poverty, discrimination, or the challenges of navigating another culture—but meeting individuals and hearing their experiences has a much deeper impact.
God’s people had a human desire to know Him through physically seeing Him and spending time with Him. Though He’d revealed Himself in creation, words, and actions, they longed for more. Seeking assurance of God’s presence, Moses asked to be shown His glory in person (Exodus 33:18). David wrote, “My heart says of You, ‘Seek His face!’” (Psalm 27:8).
God, in His mercy, answered these prayers fully in Jesus. John notes, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son . . . has made Him known” (v. 18).What sort of God is made known? According to John, one full of grace! Grace in teaching us through the Law of Moses, and further grace in Christ’s offer of a place in God’s family (John 1:12).
In Jesus, the people saw the God who “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (v. 14).During Jesus’ years on earth, they learned about God’s nature as He taught and performed miracles—but also as He walked, talked, ate, got tired, slept, laughed, and wept with His companions. John deliberately chose the word “flesh” to counter heresies that viewed all physical matter as inferior or evil. Jesus experienced the goodness of the created world as well as the temptations and challenges that people faced.
However, this face-to-face incarnation mercy from God was costly. Jesus not only set aside His godly advantages to take on human likeness, but He humbled Himself further to suffer death on the Cross (Philippians 2:6-8). What an astonishing gift God gave us in the Incarnation, choosing to reveal Himself by living among us! What a precious gift He gave us, choosing to die for us!
For Reflection:
- Imagine you’re one of the disciples, walking with Jesus. What might you want to see or experience?
By Sue Gilliland
