Day 6 - Week 3 - John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Ready to get it all together...we've broken this verse down into three segments, and while there is merit in that for both memorization and contemplation purposes, the segments belong together as a complete truth.

John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus came - and He came as one of us, living among us.  But to a few, He revealed His heavenly glory, and John was one of the few who had witnessed the glory of the One and Only.  John knew what he had seen, and he was convinced that Jesus could be none other than the One and Only Son of God.  John had witnessed all of Christ's ministry here on earth, and what he had seen he summarized in his description of Jesus as being "full of grace and truth." 

I think John, in reviewing Christ's mission on earth, felt these two attributes were the ones that expressed most completely why Jesus had taken on flesh and made His dwelling among us.

Jesus ministry and His mission were centered on grace --- God's grace for sinful mankind had driven Jesus to taking on flesh and dwelling among us.  Jesus understood grace.  He knew that the cause of grace would ultimately drive Him to the cross.  John could probably identify closely with Paul's words, "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst."  I think we all feel that at one point or another in our lives, we are the worst.  John had probably felt that way too, even thought it's hard for us to imagine either John or Paul among the worst of sinners.  But John understood the fullness of grace, and that it is what had saved him and what continues to save all those who believe.

Twenty-seven times in John's gospel he quotes Jesus as saying, "I tell you the truth"...Jesus had shared more truth of God than man had ever had access to.  Never before had God's truths been shared so intimately with mankind. Paul refers to, "the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  Here was Jesus, the One and Only, conversing with regular men (not the famous, not the honored, not the rich), sharing eternal truths and calling them His friends.  John 15: 15 records Jesus as saying, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." And there again is the grace..

How could John have not felt the absolute grace of God to allow him this special honor...to have walked with Jesus, to have spent time with Him, and to have been called His friend.  John, who had been nothing but a fisherman, but had some how become "the one Jesus loved."

Have we experienced His grace, do we know His truth?

Romans 3:24 says, " The free gift of God's grace makes all of us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free."  That's grace.

John 14:6 says, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"  That's truth.

I pray that you know His grace in your life; I pray that you know His truth.  It is why He came.