Deeper Reflection
THOUGH WE MAY NOT ADMIT IT, WE CHRISTIANS MAY BE tempted to think that the Christmas message is somewhat boring. Baby in a manger? Shepherds and angels? Yeah, we’ve heard the story a million times.But when we pause to meditate on verse 14, we will find that the “over-familiar” Christmas story is full of mystery and wonder. For John tells us that “the Word became flesh”. This is the mystery of the incarnation (this word literally means the “in-fleshing”). The God who is infinitely wise and powerful humbled Himself and He clothed Himself in our frail and finite flesh. The eternal God subjected Himself to the limitations of time. How that happened is beyond us!John also talks about the mystery of Immanuel (“God with us”), for he writes that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. The Greek verb skēnoō literally means that the Word lived in his tent amongst us.⁶ This evokes the image of God dwelling with the Israelites, through the Tabernacle, as they wandered in the desert. Wow! Why should the high and holy God of Heaven choose to live among us and enter our dirt? Being close to God is a privilege we can neither earn nor fully comprehend.The mysteries of the incarnation and Immanuel are not abstract theological concepts, but have immense implications for us today. We can live incarnationally by identifying with others, blessing them in Christ and simply being with them, just as Christ came to be with us.

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⁶ Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 127). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.