John 1:14a
14a And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
The Word, which was divine and eternal (v. 1), “was made flesh”. This is an amazing summation of Christianity’s grandest doctrine, namely the Second Person of the Trinity, i.e. the Son of God, became a man in order to be mankind’s Redeemer. Jesus Christ was the Word who, being both with God and being God Himself, revealed Himself to us as a man.
The term “flesh” (sárx in Greek) has various meanings in the New Testament. Here it denotes human nature. The Greek word translated “made” literally means “became”. So the message it conveys is that God became a man! In English theological terminology, the truth that God became a man is expressed by the word “incarnation”. Christ was God incarnate or “manifest in the flesh”.
It must be stressed that the term “flesh” here carries no idea of sinful nature. He donned humanity, but without sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that He “knew no sin”. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The apostle Peter presented Christ as the One “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
It must also be emphasised that the Second Person of the Trinity assumed the human nature without laying aside His divine side. When He became a man, He did not cease from being God. Christ is now a man, in addition to being God. Christ is fully God and fully man. To combat the heresies that were infiltrating the early church, the church fathers met together at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. They studied the Scriptures and defined what has been known as “the hypostatic union” – the union of the two natures of Christ. The council then declared Jesus Christ to be one Person with two natures, without any confusion, change, division or separation.
John also said that He, who became flesh, “dwelt among us”. The Greek word for “dwelt” literally means “pitch a tent”. It carries the idea of temporary dwelling (since tents are not pitched for a permanent purpose). Though Jesus took on a permanent human nature, He dwelt among men only for a short time. He came for a definite time and purpose. He was here on earth for approximately 33½ years before He ascended to heaven, having accomplished our redemption by suffering in His body and shedding His blood in His death on the cross.