John 1:14

Context

The prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18) introduces in verse 1 the Word who was God, states that this Word came into the world but the world did not know him (vv. 10-11), and then declares in verse 14 that the Word actually became a man. This is followed by the testimony of John the Baptist in verse 15 and by verse 17: "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

Interpretation

• "Was made flesh": "Flesh" (sarx) refers not only to the body but to the whole of human existence, weak and subject to death. The phrase is read as a confession that the Word did not merely borrow a human appearance for a time but became a true man. This is the heart of the doctrine of the Incarnation.
• "Dwelt": The Greek skēnoō means "to pitch a tent." Many commentators see the expression as evoking the tabernacle, where Israel encountered the presence of God in the wilderness. Some interpreters also connect the following phrase, "we beheld his glory," with the glory of God that filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).
• "Grace and truth": A widely accepted interpretation holds that this phrase corresponds to Exodus 34:6, where God reveals himself as "abundant in goodness and truth."

Controversies and Issues

In the early church, this verse served as grounds for refuting Docetism, which held that Jesus only appeared to be human and had no real body (1 John 4:2-3). Conversely, when read together with verse 1, it served as grounds for refuting claims that Jesus was not truly God. In 451 the Council of Chalcedon defined that Christ possesses, in one person, the two natures of true God and true man, without confusion and without division.

The statement that the Word "was made" (became) flesh has also long raised the question of whether it means that God changed. Orthodox doctrine explains that the Word did not lay aside his divinity but took on humanity in addition to it. Beginning in the nineteenth century, some theologians proposed "kenotic Christology," which, on the basis of the phrase "made himself of no reputation" (literally "emptied himself") in Philippians 2:7, holds that the Word laid aside some of his divine attributes; conservative denominations, however, do not accept this view.

In the Korean Church

It is a principal text for Christmas services and frequently appears on Christmas cards and in Advent devotionals.

Related Passages

• John 1:1-5
• Philippians 2:6-8
• 1 John 4:2-3
• Hebrews 2:14-17
• Exodus 40:34-35