John 1 The Word Became Flesh
John opens his Gospel not in a manger but in eternity. Echoing the first words of Genesis, he introduces Jesus as the eternal Word through whom all things were made โ and then makes the astonishing claim that this Word became flesh and lived among us.
In the Beginning Was the Word
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:1-5 ยท KJV
"In the beginning was the Word" deliberately echoes Genesis 1:1. The Word (Greek: Logos) was with God and was God โ distinct yet fully divine. Through Him all things were made, and in Him was life and light. John introduces the central tension of his Gospel in verse 5: "the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." The light has come, and it cannot be overcome.
The Word Became Flesh
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ยท KJV
This is one of the most staggering sentences ever written: "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." The verb translated "dwelt" carries the sense of pitching a tent โ God tabernacling among His people as He once did in the wilderness. The infinite took on finitude; the Creator entered His creation. And in Him they beheld "glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
Behold the Lamb of God
29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29 ยท KJV
John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus with words rich in sacrificial meaning: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Every Passover lamb, every sacrifice on the altar, had been pointing forward to this moment. The whole sacrificial system finds its fulfillment in a single person.
Study notes original to Bible Navigator, offered freely for personal study. Scripture quotations are from the public-domain King James Version.