The Word Became Flesh

Captain's Log: Table Time ~ Tuesday, September 9th, 2025 ~ Vespers

I have always found the mentions of Jesus’ rejection in these verses tragic. This was God the Son traversing an unspeakably large distance, coming to the world He had made, to the creatures He sustains, and they did not know Him. They did not receive Him. We lingered on these verses. And then on the relief that some did receive Him. And to these was given the adoption. This is us, this is our household. Shown grace, granted the right to become children of God. 

We seized upon the beginning of verse 14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Providentially, in 1 Kings, we have just arrived at the building of Solomon’s temple. I believed it was yesterday that we read of God promising Solomon that He would dwell among His people, Israel. 

I had an idea. “What can we infer about God from the words, ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us?’ Do we know what an inference is?” Lydia said she knew what an influence was. I thought she had said “influencer.” I pondered the state of history and the cosmos at the thought that my daughter knew what an influencer was, but not an inference. But my fears were allayed, she had said, “influence.” 

So we spent some time discussing what an inference was. ‘An inference is something we can know on the basis of knowing something prior.’ We thought of some basic examples, then I asked: “What can you infer (what more can you know) about me from the fact that I read the Bible to you every day?” “That you’re a Christian!” “Good one, Lydia.” “What else?” But the fact that I read the Bible also included the children. What more can be known about me in relation to my children, given that I read the Bible to them every day? Some good suggestions. ‘The Bible is important.’ ‘I obey God, because God says I should read the Bible every day.’ We finally landed on, “You love us.” 

‘What about God dwelling among us?’ Some time thinking, but eventually we landed on God’s love for us, his desire to be with us. I finished us off. ‘We can know that God was not content to let His creatures continue to drift away from Him. He desires to be with them, despite their sin and His holiness. In fact, the Bible is one big story about God taking steps to be with His people despite the presence of sin in the world and in them. Why does He do all this? Because He loves us.’ Yes, because He loves us.

I prayed that we would really grasp the significance of God coming to dwell with us, the greatness of His grace. That we would treasure God’s drawing near to us, to dwell among us, even within us, by His Spirit. I also asked that we would be motivated by this to fight fiercely against sin. Why would we so willingly invite into our lives that which comes between us and the God who has desired to come and be with us as our God and Father? 

We finished by remembering Solomon’s temple, and that the Word becoming flesh is the greatest step God has taken to be with us. And it’s going to get even better in the new creation, when we see Him face to face.