Meditations on the Gospel of John 1:14

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John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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John has been describing, supporting, and demonstrating what he summarizes and crystallizes in this verse—God became a human being. The creator entered into and willfully became part of His own creation. From the very beginning, God desired to dwell among His people. Under the Old Covenant and through the rituals of the Old Testament sacrificial system, God dwelt among His people but He had to veil Himself because of their unrighteousness. In this action of becoming part of His own creation, He will forever remove the veil between Him and His people by imputing His own righteousness onto His people through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ.

The Greek word (doxa) translated to glory, literally means opinion. The glory that Jesus shone—that John describes here—is literally the Father’s opinion of Jesus (Matthew 3:17 “…and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.") Jesus was absolutely perfect in every respect; in a way no other human being could ever be.

His grace and His truth is what we were able to see in the person of Jesus Christ. In Genesis when the Lord gave Moses and (by extension) Israel the second set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments, He did so out of covenant-keeping gracious love. It is this abundant love and grace that is now revealed in Jesus. Jesus goes on to do what the Law, and the Old Covenant sacrificial system, could never do; provide for His people a way of salvation from their own sin.

John links grace and glory; emphasizing Jesus’ deity (ultimate and sovereign power and authority) and His grace upon His creation. God Himself was the only being qualified to atone for the sin of mankind (i.e., glory), and He chose to do it because of His great love for us (i.e., grace).

Meditations on the Gospel of John 1:11-13

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John 1:11-13

(11) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
(12) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
(13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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John is referring to all of the world and to all of Israel when he says “his own”. He is speaking from a particular perspective when he says this. Jesus came to live and die for the sins of those specific people the Father draws to Jesus; those whose hearts of stone are removed and replaced with a heart of flesh; those whose names were written in the Book of Life from before creation; the elect. Jesus also came to be a light to the entire world and to all of Israel; this is the perspective from which John speaks. Jesus came first to Israel, but all of Israel did not accept Him; the leaders especially. They were expecting and anticipating and wanting a different type of Messiah. They wanted a Messiah bigger than life. A king clothed in battle clothes ready to fight, conquer, and destroy. One who would come with force and deliver them from the oppression of Rome. Instead, Jesus came as a humble man by humble means; the son of a carpenter; a nobody. He was not received by most. But to those who did recognize Him; those who did receive Him; those whom the Father drew to Him; those are the ones for whom Jesus came and lived and died and rose again.

The entire world belongs to Jesus’ just as all that a man possesses belongs to him to use and posses; his car, his house, his money, etc. Believers belong to Jesus in the same way a man’s wife and children belong to him; to love, care for, and enjoy.

The reference to Jesus “coming” to Israel as “His own” and Israel not receiving Him implies that there was an expectation for Israel to receive Him. Israel had the oracles of God, His written Word. They were told beforehand when to expect Him, where to expect Him, through what tribe and family to expect Him, and even through what circumstances to expect Him. Israel should have recognized and received Him before He ever spoke a word, but they did not. Even after His teaching, clear explanation, and even signs and wonders, they did not receive Him. Only those whom the Father specifically called and drew to the Lord; those born not of man’s will but those (born again) of God’s will received Him. It is those to whom He granted the gift of becoming children of God.