The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14           2005 Christmas

                                 Lesson 3

This passage is loaded up with the meanings of Christmas, that is, Jesus born in a manger. Inasmuch as John 1:14 can be seen as the key verse for John's gospel, we can study this passage to consider the main point of Jesus coming to this world. Among other points, the following points can be made: First, he came to reveal who God is;  Second, he came to teach us the kind of love God has for us; and Third, Jesus set an example of how we should help each person love the Lord and share His love with all people on earth.

1. John 1:14 can be viewed as the key verse for the gospel of John. Read verse 14 and think about the meaning of the Word (with a capital "W"). Compare the point of this verse with what John says in verses 1-4, especially the statement, "the Word was God". What does this comparison indicate about Jesus?

** Jesus is God (who is the Creator).  

2. Compare John 1:14 with John 1:18. What does this comparison tell us about Jesus born in a manger? (Hebrews 1:3) Why is this knowledge of Jesus important? (John 1:12; 6:44-45)

** Jesus is the only God; He is the only way for all to fully know God; He is the only way for all to reach God the Father. 

3. Of all the points Jesus came to teach, the Apostle John emphasizes (in his gospel and epistles) the importance of knowing and relying on the kind of "love" God has for all people on earth. [Read for example the following Bible verses: John 3:16; 14:23; 15:9,13; 21:15-17.] [You also may wish to read 1Jo 3:16-4:21.] Compare this point with what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." What does the word "demonstrate" mean? Why should God "demonstrate" his own love for us? What does this analysis suggest about the reason why the Word became flesh?

** Demonstrate = to show clearly; to prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence; to illustrate and explain with an example; to show or prove the value or efficiency of to a prospective buyer

** He became flesh to show us the kind of love God has for us.

4. The Apostle John describes in his gospel how Jesus served (or loved) many. Yet, John 21 (the last chapter) indicates that Jesus focused on helping one person Simon Peter to the end. What can we learn from Jesus who helped Simon Peter even after rising from the dead? 

** It has been said that Jesus accomplished two things: first, he opened the way of salvation; and second, he set an example of how we should love one another, that is, to love just as Jesus loved Peter, so that like Peter we too would make a confession of love to Jesus, and share this love with others by feeding them with God's word. This we call 'shepherding'.  

** Write a Bible testimony on one thing you learned from John 1:14, especially what the birth of Jesus (the Word who became flesh) means to you.

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