The Staggering Miracle of ‘Word Became Flesh’
A devotional by Jessica Brodie
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (NIV)
Has a phrase ever settled upon your heart because it expressed the most beautiful, poignant, tender, and inexplicable concept in just a few poetic words?
For me, that phrase is “Word became flesh.”
We find it in the Gospel of John 1:14. In the start of this chapter, John (the writer) is summarizing the entirety of the Trinity and all God did for this world and for His people. Sometimes it just makes me want to cry when I really, truly think about it.
Take a look if you will at the start of this beautiful book in the Bible. As John explains, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was God, everything! And one day, God decided His people needed something far more personal in order to understand His message. So a part of Him—His Son, Jesus Christ, part of the Word, the Trinity, part of everything that is creation and eternity—was somehow miraculously born to human flesh (John 1:1-14).
Flesh. Think about that word! Skin! Blood, muscles, saliva, hormones, and angst and joy and struggle. All the things about us as we are, walking around in these bodies, that’s what God did.
Somehow His Holy Spirit impregnated a blessed young woman named Mary. The child Jesus, part God and part human, was born into humble circumstances. He spent part of his childhood as an immigrant in Egypt because the king in Israel wanted to kill all young boys his age because they were perceived as a threat to the throne. His family tried to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and they raised him well, steeped in all the traditions of holy, righteous Jewish culture.
And when Jesus was a man, upon his baptism, we’re told the Holy Spirit settled upon him “as a dove” (John 1:32).
We don’t know exactly what this means. It likely doesn’t mean a literal, actual dove flew down from Heaven and sat upon Jesus’s shoulders. The phrase used is “as a” dove, meaning “much like” or “similar to.” In Matthew 3:16 (NIV), the phrase is, “He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” A dove had great biblical significance, both a symbol and a tool signifying peace, comfort, and the fulfillment of promises. The word choice here clearly meant something special.
Then, filled with the Spirit, Jesus spent the rest of his life teaching the Gospel, caring for others, healing and driving out demons, raising some from the dead, and ultimately went it was revealed he claimed to be the son of God, the religious leaders decided that was too much—blasphemy—and they orchestrated his execution. Of course the end of the story is the best part, for as songs proclaim, death could not hold him and the grave could not keep him, and he resurrected from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father. And he will come again one day to judge the living and the dead and bring about God’s glory, forever and ever.
Just thinking about that concept, “Word became flesh,” is incredibly personal to me. Right now I’m looking down at my own body as I write this. I’m just a person, one soul in a sea of infinite others. I’ve felt God’s hand upon my heart my whole life. I was raised to know and to love God, and while I am tremendously imperfect in so many ways, as we all are, I strive to model my Lord in my life. I read His Word (The Holy Bible) and pray. I do what I can to keep the Holy Spirit burning fiercely in my core. I try to represent the love of God in the world. That’s what we all do, we who believe and follow Jesus.
But looking down at my body now—the bones in my hand, the skin on my calf, the freckle on my arm, the steady thrum of heartbeat I feel and see pulsing at my wrist—it’s staggering to think that God, our Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, walked around the Earth, just like me. Became flesh, flesh like me.
And He died, but death was not the end.
Sometimes all the stories of God and all we read in the Bible and sing about on the radio and in church, and pray about and walk through life knowing … sometimes it can seem impersonal, like these are all mere facts. We proclaim them, and they are wonderful and magnificent facts, and they apply to us all.
But then we wake up in the morning, maybe a little sore or tired from all we’re doing in life, and the intimate and personal nature of what God did seems far away. Sometimes God himself seems far away. And while we’re told He’s never far away, that God is bigger than our feelings, still as a human being it’s difficult, because we often confuse our feelings with the truth.
But here’s the truth: God became flesh, just like you and me. He did this because He loves us and because He wanted to make a path to Heaven for those who chose Him. He knew we couldn’t do it on our own and we needed help, and so He did what He needed to do.
It’s personal, my friends. We have a personal, living Jesus, and a personal, living Holy Spirit alive in us right this moment. We are all connected, powerfully and mightily. This is God at work in the world.
Think on this a minute. Let this sink in. Marvel at this.
Consider the words of Psalm 46:10 where God says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Be still with me now in the knowledge and the gift of what God did, and what He’s still doing now. Praise Him, praise Him, for He is so good. And we are so blessed.
Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for all You do and for how fiercely You love us. Thank You for the precious gift of Your Son. The fact that Jesus understands intimately what it means to have flesh and blood and all the things of humanity makes His sacrifice and His Way so much more personal. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection: “Forever” by Kari Jobe. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.
She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.
Jessica has released an Advent devotional for those seeking true closeness with God. Find it at https://www.jessicabrodie.com/advent.
