The Bible

 

John 1:6-18 : The Word Was Made Flesh

Study

6 εγενετο G1096 G5633 V-2ADI-3S ανθρωπος G444 N-NSM απεσταλμενος G649 G5772 V- PP-NSM παρα G3844 P EP θεου G2316 N-GSM ονομα G3686 N-NSN αυτω G846 P-DSM ιωαννης G2491 N-NSM

7 ουτος G3778 D-NSM ηλθεν G2064 G5627 V-2AAI-3S εις G1519 P EP μαρτυριαν G3141 N-ASF ινα G2443 CONJ μαρτυρηση G3140 G5661 V-AAS-3S περι G4012 P EP του G3588 T-GSN φωτος G5457 N-GSN ινα G2443 CONJ παντες G3956 A-NPM πιστευσωσιν G4100 G5661 V-AAS-3P δι G1223 P EP αυτου G846 P-GSM

8 ουκ G3756 P T-N ην G2258 G5713 V-IXI-3S εκεινος G1565 D-NSM το G3588 T-NSN φως G5457 N-NSN αλλ G235 CONJ ινα G2443 CONJ μαρτυρηση G3140 G5661 V-AAS-3S περι G4012 P EP του G3588 T-GSN φωτος G5457 N-GSN

9 ην G2258 G5713 V-IXI-3S το G3588 T-NSN φως G5457 N-NSN το G3588 T-NSN αληθινον G228 A-NSN ο G3739 -NSN φωτιζει G5461 G5719 V-PAI-3S παντα G3956 A-ASM ανθρωπον G444 N-ASM ερχομενον G2064 G5740 V-PNP-ASM εις G1519 P EP τον G3588 T-ASM κοσμον G2889 N-ASM

10 εν G1722 P EP τω G3588 T-DSM κοσμω G2889 N-DSM ην G2258 G5713 V-IXI-3S και G2532 CONJ ο G3588 T-NSM κοσμος G2889 N-NSM δι G1223 P EP αυτου G846 P-GSM εγενετο G1096 G5633 V-2ADI-3S και G2532 CONJ ο G3588 T-NSM κοσμος G2889 N-NSM αυτον G846 P-ASM ουκ G3756 P T-N εγνω G1097 G5627 V-2AAI-3S

11 εις G1519 P EP τα G3588 T-APN ιδια G2398 A-APN ηλθεν G2064 G5627 V-2AAI-3S και G2532 CONJ οι G3588 T-NPM ιδιοι G2398 A-NPM αυτον G846 P-ASM ου G3756 P T-N παρελαβον G3880 G5627 V-2AAI-3P

12 οσοι G3745 K-NPM δε G1161 CONJ ελαβον G2983 G5627 V-2AAI-3P αυτον G846 P-ASM εδωκεν G1325 G5656 V-AAI-3S αυτοις G846 P-DPM εξουσιαν G1849 N-ASF τεκνα G5043 N-NPN θεου G2316 N-GSM γενεσθαι G1096 G5635 V-2ADN τοις G3588 T-DPM πιστευουσιν G4100 G5723 V-PAP-DPM εις G1519 P EP το G3588 T-ASN ονομα G3686 N-ASN αυτου G846 P-GSM

13 οι G3739 -NPM ουκ G3756 P T-N εξ G1537 P EP αιματων G129 N-GPN ουδε G3761 ADV εκ G1537 P EP θεληματος G2307 N-GSN σαρκος G4561 N-GSF ουδε G3761 ADV εκ G1537 P EP θεληματος G2307 N-GSN ανδρος G435 N-GSM αλλ G235 CONJ εκ G1537 P EP θεου G2316 N-GSM εγεννηθησαν G1080 G5681 V-API-3P

14 και G2532 CONJ ο G3588 T-NSM λογος G3056 N-NSM σαρξ G4561 N-NSF εγενετο G1096 G5633 V-2ADI-3S και G2532 CONJ εσκηνωσεν G4637 G5656 V-AAI-3S εν G1722 P EP ημιν G2254 P-1DP και G2532 CONJ εθεασαμεθα G2300 G5662 V-ADI-1P την G3588 T-ASF δοξαν G1391 N-ASF αυτου G846 P-GSM δοξαν G1391 N-ASF ως G5613 ADV μονογενους G3439 A-GSM παρα G3844 P EP πατρος G3962 N-GSM πληρης G4134 A-NSF χαριτος G5485 N-GSF και G2532 CONJ αληθειας G225 N-GSF

15 ιωαννης G2491 N-NSM μαρτυρει G3140 G5719 V-PAI-3S περι G4012 P EP αυτου G846 P-GSM και G2532 CONJ κεκραγεν G2896 G5754 V-2 AI-3S λεγων G3004 G5723 V-PAP-NSM ουτος G3778 D-NSM ην G2258 G5713 V-IXI-3S ον G3739 -ASM ειπον G2036 G5627 V-2AAI-1S ο G3588 T-NSM οπισω G3694 ADV μου G3450 P-1GS ερχομενος G2064 G5740 V-PNP-NSM εμπροσθεν G1715 P EP μου G3450 P-1GS γεγονεν G1096 G5754 V-2 AI-3S οτι G3754 CONJ πρωτος G4413 A-NSM μου G3450 P-1GS ην G2258 G5713 V-IXI-3S

16 και G2532 CONJ εκ G1537 P EP του G3588 T-GSN πληρωματος G4138 N-GSN αυτου G846 P-GSM ημεις G2249 P-1NP παντες G3956 A-NPM ελαβομεν G2983 G5627 V-2AAI-1P και G2532 CONJ χαριν G5485 N-ASF αντι G473 P EP χαριτος G5485 N-GSF

17 οτι G3754 CONJ ο G3588 T-NSM νομος G3551 N-NSM δια G1223 P EP μωσεως G3475 N-GSM εδοθη G1325 G5681 V-API-3S η G3588 T-NSF χαρις G5485 N-NSF και G2532 CONJ η G3588 T-NSF αληθεια G225 N-NSF δια G1223 P EP ιησου G2424 N-GSM χριστου G5547 N-GSM εγενετο G1096 G5633 V-2ADI-3S

18 θεον G2316 N-ASM ουδεις G3762 A-NSM εωρακεν G3708 G5758 V- AI-3S-ATT πωποτε G4455 ADV ο G3588 T-NSM μονογενης G3439 A-NSM υιος G5207 N-NSM ο G3588 T-NSM ων G5607 G5752 V-PXP-NSM εις G1519 P EP τον G3588 T-ASM κολπον G2859 N-ASM του G3588 T-GSM πατρος G3962 N-GSM εκεινος G1565 D-NSM εξηγησατο G1834 G5662 V-ADI-3S

Commentary

 

The Word Was Made Flesh

By Brian David

This painting by Richard Cook  of the newborn baby Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, evokes the spiritual power of this long-awaited advent.

We could say the Lord’s love “has always been and will always be,” but even that really doesn’t cover it – the Lord is beyond time, and in fact time came from Him. We could say that Lord’s love is expressed “everywhere and in everything,” but even that really doesn’t cover it – the Lord is beyond both space and the stuff that fills space, and in fact space and stuff both came from Him.

So the Lord’s love never changes: It simply is. And the expression of that love – what the Writings call “divine truth” – never changes: It simply is.

People, on the other hand, change all the time, both as individuals and as societies. We turn toward the Lord and toward each other; we turn away from the Lord and away from each other. We look to spiritual things; we look to bodily things. That means our reception of the Lord’s love changes all the time, and the Lord’s love, in its complete desire to be joined to us, adapts its external forms constantly to try to reach us.

That’s what’s described here, in John 1:6-18. Humankind had always received the divine truth, but the forms had become more external as people got more external. Among the earliest, most innocent people The Lord could flow in directly; later he reached people through the minds, using symbolic stories and nature as a container. As people became entirely external, however, His love flowed out in the stony form of the laws of Moses. Understood spiritually, these laws and the other stories and prophecies of the Old Testament contain infinite ideas about the Lord and connections to His love – they contain all of the divine truth. But the Children of Israel themselves couldn’t understand that; the best they could do was obey.

That historic process is described in verses 9-13, which show the creative and sustaining power of divine truth (represented by both “the Light” and “the Word”), as well as the fact that those who received it became “sons of God,” or angels in heaven. As time went on, though, most people “received him not” and “knew him not.” In fact, as the Jewish leaders twisted the externals of Scripture to their own selfish ends, the world grew so evil that according to the Writings humanity was in danger of losing its connection to the Lord altogether.

So “the Word” – divine truth, the expression of the Lord’s love – was “made flesh” in the form of Jesus. In a way, this was the most external form the divine truth could take, extending from spiritual reality to give itself a physical form. But the purpose was to turn the process around: Jesus would reveal the deeper meanings of Scripture and teach the divine truth more directly, through commandments of love and caring. He would start humanity on a spiritual journey back toward a more internal life, one more receptive of the Lord’s love.

So what’s the role of John the Baptist here? John represents the external, literal meaning of the Old Testament, and to “witness” means to confirm what is good by using the things we know to be true. So John here witnesses first to “the light,” reminding the people of the time that Scripture is holy and urging them to return to its forms; and later to Jesus, confirming through the letter of Scripture that he was the promised Messiah, come to offer us truth and grace – which represents the delight we feel in things that are true – and ultimately to “declare” the Father to us, or to bring us into connection with the love that is the Lord’s essence.

(References: The Apocalypse Explained 151:4, 294 [16])