Dwelt Among Us
READ
The deepest longing of the human heart is to know God face-to-face. Throughout history, people have built temples, performed rituals, and sought visions—all attempts to bridge the gap between humanity and divinity. In the incarnation, spoken about in today’s passage, God answers this universal yearning in the most extraordinary way imaginable.
Let’s take a moment to read John 1:14:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
REFLECT
John's statement is deceptively simple but cosmically revolutionary. "The Word became flesh" tells us that the eternal, creative power that spoke the universe into existence willingly confined itself to human form. The infinite entered the finite. The timeless stepped into time. The Creator became creation.
But John doesn't stop there. He says this Word "made his dwelling among us." The Greek term here (eskēnōsen) literally means "to pitch a tent" or "to tabernacle." For Jewish readers, this instantly evoked the Old Testament tabernacle—that sacred tent where God's presence dwelled among Israel in the wilderness. Just as God once lived in a tent in Israel's midst, now God was living in human flesh, walking dusty roads, experiencing hunger, feeling weariness, and sharing meals.
This isn't a distant deity issuing commands from a safe remove. This is Emmanuel—God with us—entering our broken world, experiencing our limitations, and feeling our pain. The incarnation reveals a God who doesn't just know about human suffering theoretically but has personally experienced it.
John and his companions had witnessed something unprecedented—they had "seen his glory." Not the overwhelming, consuming glory that made Moses' face shine or that would have destroyed anyone who looked directly at God, but glory veiled in humanity, "full of grace and truth." In Jesus, they encountered the perfect balance of compassion and honesty, of mercy and integrity.
The incarnation addresses our deepest fears about God. Is He distant? No—He came near. Is He uncaring? No—He lived among us. Is He unaware of our struggles? No—He experienced them firsthand. Is He harsh? No—He came full of grace. Is He deceptive? No—He embodied truth.
Think about what this means for your prayers, your struggles, your doubts. The One to whom you pray isn't coldly observing humanity as a science experiment. He's walked in human shoes. When you experience rejection, remember—so did He. When you face temptation, remember—so did He. When grief overwhelms you, remember—Jesus wept too.
The incarnation isn't just a theological concept; it's an invitation to intimacy with a God who loved us enough to become one of us. In Jesus, we don't just learn about God; we meet Him. And in meeting Him, we discover He is better than we ever dared hope—a God of such immense love that He would lay aside glory to pitch His tent in our neighborhood.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
John describes Jesus as "full of grace and truth." Where in your life might you need to experience more of His grace? Where might you need to embrace more of His truth?
If God was willing to come this close to humanity, what might be holding you back from drawing closer to Him?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Lord Jesus, I stand amazed that You would exchange heaven's glory for earth's dust to reach me. Thank You for not remaining distant but coming close enough to know my struggles firsthand. Help me to recognize Your presence with me today and to find courage in knowing You understand everything I face. Amen.