The Word Became Flesh (John 1:19-34)

[Sung Psalm: 106]

Why does John say "and the Word became flesh"? He says this because flesh is about as low a term as he could think of!

If he had said "became man" that would be a nobler way of saying it.

But became flesh highlights the humility – the weakness – of the incarnation. Both in John's gospel and in John's epistles, flesh is a term used of weakness.

To say that God came in the flesh is to put it almost crassly: God became a piece of meat.

In that respect, when we say that the Word became flesh we are saying that God humbled himself.

But notice the point of this humiliation: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..."

Or, probably better, "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us..." It means "lived in a tent among us" – using the same word that the Greek OT used of the tabernacle in the wilderness.

It's a remarkable thing that God has done. God's purpose in history was to join humanity to himself. But humanity was in rebellion against God and the fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. If the holiness of God came into contact with the sin and misery of man, the result would be the destruction of mankind!

This is why the Word had to become flesh. Flesh is weak. Flesh is impotent.

But...and this is the whole point of John's Gospel....the WORD became FLESH. The Word has become weak. The Word has become impotent. And yet, when John says, "the Word became flesh" — suddenly, something happens to flesh! Because John doesn't say, "the Word became flesh, and we saw his weakness and his impotence"

NO!!!! "the Word became flesh...and we beheld his glory!