“We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” John 1.14
by Gideon Khoo, Malaysia
Our meditation on the opening fourteen verses of John’s Gospel will be considered under the following seven headings:
THE STUDY OF HIS GLORY
The words ‘‘we beheld His glory’’ 1.14, provide a fitting title to this fourth Gospel. When the apostle John speaks of the Lord’s glory, he is not referring to one specific event. The Lord’s words, miracles, deeds, death and resurrection are all included in His glory. If one desires to behold this glory, he or she has only to read this Gospel of the only begotten Son.
The study of the glory of the Lord Jesus is the prerequisite to understanding John’s Gospel. In this Prologue section, the apostle demonstrates that the glory of the Son is inseparably linked to His Deity. Therefore, that glory is never removed or reduced in the Person of the Lord Jesus and is never dependent on the circumstances that He went through on earth. For John, though the glory of the Lord Jesus could be manifested through the miracles which He performed, such as turning water into wine in Cana, 2.11, or raising Lazarus from the dead, 11.4, it is not limited to these. Nor is it limited to the visible manifestation of the Lord’s outshining on the Mount of Transfiguration (only recorded in the ‘Synoptics’, but not in John). Neither is it referring to what the Old Testament saints knew as the “Shekinah” glory, that is, the dwelling glory which resided in the innermost sanctuary of the Tabernacle and the Temple. In John’s Gospel, the glory of the Son is His essential and eternal glory that does not diminish, and did not diminish, even when He was on the cross. In fact, in this Gospel, paradoxically John presents the crucifixion as a grand display of the glory of the Lord Jesus, when one expects the cross to be the epitome of shame. This is key to understanding John’s Gospel, and John’s presentation of the glory of the Son.
Contrary to natural reasoning, John presents the death of the Lord Jesus as a display of glory by using words such as “lift up” (hypsoō). This word appears twenty times in the New Testament, five of which are in John’s Gospel. Outside of John, whenever this word is used, it means ‘to be exalted’ Matt.11.23; 23.12; Lk.1.52; 10.15; 14.11; 18.14; Acts 2.33; 5.31; 13.17; 2Cor.11.7; Jms.4.10; 1Pet.5.6. But when John employs this word in his Gospel, he uses it to mean ‘to be lifted up’, on the cross, 3.14 (twice); 8.28; 12.32,34. Why did John use a word that conventionally means ‘to be exalted to glory’ to describe the crucifixion of Christ? Because, for John, the crucifixion of Christ, though understood by many as the culmination of shame and humiliation, has a spiritual dimension of glory not understood by the natural mind. Just as His Deity was intact even when He was on the cross, so was His glory. The cross did nothing to diminish that glory, and actually, the cross magnified the glory of the Son of God. The One Who possesses undiminished glory can only glorify God, which He did when He finished the work on the cross.
The reluctance of John to use the word “lift up” to present the idea of exaltation of the Lord Jesus is apparent in his reference to Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6 of his Prophecy. When citing the Lord as fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah, specifically those in chapters 6 and 53, John notes: “These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him” Jn.12.41. The apostle is obviously referring to Isaiah’s view of the Lord, “high and lifted up” in Isa.6.1. He would have known that the word “lifted up” (hypsēlos) in the Septuagint1 of Isa.6.1 is the adjective form of the verb hypsoō he uses in his Gospel. Yet he seems to deliberately avoid the use of that word to describe what Isaiah saw. All that the apostle says is “when he saw His glory”, when he could have said ‘when he saw Him high and lifted up on the throne’. This is because John is conscious not to lead his readers to think that he is employing the word “lifted up” to describe something visibly spectacular in meaning.
- 1 The Greek translation of the Old Testament, often denoted as LXX.
THE SUPERIORITY OF HIS GLORY
His Deity
John begins his Gospel by telling us that the unparalleled superiority of His glory is due to His Deity. These first words of John’s Gospel are some of the most profound in the Bible, and dispel any doubts about the Deity of Christ, despite erroneous interpretations by those attempting to explain it otherwise. The source of His glory is His Person, and the unsurpassed superiority of His glory is derived from His Deity. It is not inherited glory or created glory. To emphasise the quality of His glory, John begins with the Deity of the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” Jn.1.1,2. This is reminiscent of Gen.1.1, especially when it is connected to the Word’s creatorial activities in Jn.1.3. Since it is clear in Genesis chapter 1 that God was the One Who made all things, John now tells us that the God Who made all things is the same Word under consideration now. John immediately establishes the Deity of the Word right at the beginning of his Gospel, and with that, the superior quality of His glory.
His Eternality
To develop the truth that His glory never diminishes, John begins here to prove the eternality of the Word. Because there is no beginning with Him, there is no beginning of that glory; and because there is no ending in Him, there is also no ending or diminishing of His glory. He directs our minds now to a point before the beginning of creation, when time was not yet. It is outside of time that “the Word was”. This little word “was” is an important word in this first chapter, though easily passed over by the reader of the English Bible. In the original Greek text, it is the word ēn, which is the imperfect tense of the verb “to be”. This little verb is explicitly linked with the Lord Jesus in the first fifteen verses (as the Word in vv.1,2,4,9,10, and with “He was before me” in v.15). But in the first four occurrences of this word ēn, in vv.1,2, John uses it to indicate that He was outside of time. In the beginning, before the creatorial activity of God began, the Word was already there. Furthermore, the Word was there with God, and the Word was Himself God. From vv.4-15, John continues to use this verb ēn to indicate the Word’s eternality, but in association with His Divine activity within time. The use of this verb after v.2 is John’s way of indicating to us that the eternal Word is the true Light that entered into time and came into the world, v.9. This verb is used as a Divine marker by John all the way through until we reach v.17, to prove that the eternal Word is the same “Jesus Christ” in v.17. Seeing He is eternal, His glory is also eternal.
His Authority
Why is He called the Word? He is the Word because He is the perfect expression and exegesis of all that God is, being God Himself. When a man speaks, his words can only be an approximate reflection of who he really is. He can sometimes exaggerate beyond his own ability, or his words might be an under-representation of who he is. Only God can be what He says, and His words a perfect reflection of Who He is. Therefore, when the Son is called the Word, John is also attributing to Him Divine authority. But more specifically in these first verses of John’s Gospel, His authoritative word is linked with creation because all things were brought to existence ex nihilo (‘out of nothing’) through His spoken word. He spoke the universe into material existence. Before anything existed, and before weight and mass were formed, there was absolutely nothing, except God. And then, there were His utterances, which are His thoughts expressed. The first words of God that we hear in the Bible are those of the Son, because Creation is attributed to Him. Therefore, the Word is a title befitting One Who is outside of creation, outside of time and material, but Who by His power and authority brought substance into existence.
The Divine authority of His spoken words is linked inextricably to His glory. This will also become more apparent throughout the Gospel. The seven “I am” statements of the Lord Jesus Christ in John’s Gospel: 6.35; 8.12; 10.7; 10.11; 11.25; 14.6; 15.1 (some might say there are nine, if we include 8.58 and 18.5), are examples of His glory linked to the authority of His word. Then there are the words of authority linked to His death and resurrection: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” 2.19; “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” 10.18; “Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above” 19.11; “It is finished” 19.30. In these authoritative sayings of the Word, we behold the superiority of His glory, for “never man spake like this Man” 7.46.
His Coequality
The superiority of His glory is also the result of His coequality with God. When we read 1.1,2, we arrive at the conclusion that the Word is coequal with God, and is therefore God. So-called ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ tell us that the Word is ‘a’ God and not ‘the’ God, and therefore, the Word is lower than God. Their erroneous conclusion comes from their deceitful reading of 1.1,2, and is a deliberate misreading of the Greek text. A mechanical translation of Jn.1.1,2 would look like this: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with the God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with the God.” This does not sound like good English, but it does give us a view of where the definite articles are (and are not). In the three occurrences of the word “God” in vv.1,2, why did John place the definite article before the first instance, but omit the article in the second instance, then insert the article back again at the end of v.2? It is because John is using the definite article to point out that “the God” is the Father. But when he wants us to know that the Word is coequal with God, he says, “and the Word was God”. Had John said ‘and the Word was the God’, it would have meant that the Word is the same Person as the Father, and they are not distinct Persons, which would have resulted in the error of Sabellianism. The absence of the article means that He was God Himself, yet not the same Person as the Father in the Godhead. Hence, if we are to paraphrase Jn.1.1,2 based on what we have discussed, it might look like this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God [the Father], and the Word was God [Himself]. The same was in the beginning with the God [the Father].” The presence and the absence of the definite article are a grammatical method used by John to distinguish the Persons of the Godhead, and also to state the Deity of the Word without confusing the Persons in the Godhead. Verse 2 might appear like a repetition of what was already said in v.1, but I suggest that John is closing up any potential gaps that could be caused by the weakness of human language. After all that is said in v.1, there might still be the possibility that one might say that before the Word was given the power to create all things, the Word was the first created being of God. But v.2 removes that doubt and tells us that the Word was not only there in the beginning, but was with God the Father in the beginning. When the Father was there, the Word was there with Him. Therefore, the Word is not a created being, and v.2 is no mere repetition but another point of emphasis on the coequality of the Word with God the Father.
Conclusion
With technical precision and genius, John establishes, right at the beginning of his Gospel, the Deity and eternality of the Word, and the coequality of the Word with the Father. It is of absolute importance for John to state at the beginning of his Gospel the unparalleled glory of Christ, and to establish that the source of His glory is His Deity. If He is eternal (which He is), and if He is God Himself (and He is), then His glory is eternal and did not diminish even when He condescended to become man on earth. Man’s glory is inferior because it can fade away. The glory of the Son is unsurpassed because it is eternal, as He is eternal.
THE SCENE OF HIS GLORY
The glory of the Word was His inherent glory from eternity, outside of time. John will now devote the rest of his Gospel to the display of His glory within the scene of time on earth. In these first verses of chapter 1, John utilises another word to indicate the Divine activities of the Word in the scene of time: he uses the word ‘become’, which is the Greek word ginomai. This word is sometimes translated as ‘made’ vv.3,6,10,14. The eternal Word has caused all things to ‘become’ v.3, and eventually He ‘became’ part of His own creation, therefore, manifesting His glory to the eyes of mortal beings: ‘we beheld His glory’ v.14!
These are the occurrences of the word ginomai in the first fourteen verses:
- “All things were made [ginomai] by Him; and without Him was not any thing made [ginomai] that was made [ginomai]” v.3.
- “There was [ginomai] a man sent from God, whose name was John” v.6.
- “He was in the world, and the world was made [ginomai] by Him, and the world knew Him not” v.10.
- “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become [ginomai] the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” v.12.
- “And the Word was made [ginomai] flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” v.14.
It can be observed that ginomai is used here to show Divine participation in human history: the world became through Him, v.3; a prophet became a man sent from God, v.6; those who received Him became the children of God, v.12; the Word became flesh, v.14. The verb ēn is linked with His identity as the eternal Word and God, and the verb ginomai, or ‘become’, indicates to us that the One outside of time is now in the scene of time and has intervened in the affairs of time2. The scene of His glory is now in the world.
- 2 The verbs ēn and ginomai are deliberately used by John to show us the contrast between the Word Who is outside of time, and the Divine activity of the Word inside time. The verb ēn is the imperfect tense of the verb “to be”, and has the sense of an ongoing existence. It is, therefore, used by John to indicate His eternal presence; but the verb ginomai is punctiliar (relating to a point of time) and often aorist in the passage of our consideration, and is, therefore, an action that took place in time.
John tells us that the definitive moment when the glory of the Word began to be manifested on earth was when “the Word was made [‘became’] flesh … and we beheld His glory” 1.14. From this point onwards, John ceases to refer to the Lord as the Word; but He is now “Jesus Christ” 1.17. Subsequently, a flurry of activities ensues on earth where men attempt to identify the Christ, wondering if John the Baptist is the Christ, 1.19-28; he tells them, “I am not the Christ” 1.20. The next time we notice the Lord’s activity, we see Him walking: “John seeth Jesus coming unto him …” v.29. Here again, He is no longer known as the Word, but this time as “Jesus”. The eternal Word, the Creator of the universe, Who became flesh and dwelled among men, is now the Jesus seen with His feet touching the dust of the earth, walking! From eternity, vv.1,2, to creation, v.3, to His condescension, v.14, to His walking, v.29, there is a sense that John is painting for us a picture of the glory that was drawing nearer and nearer to men. As John the Baptist sees Him walking, and drawing near, he declares, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”! This is John the Baptist testifying to the apostle’s statement: “We beheld His glory …”
THE SHINING OF HIS GLORY
The Reminiscence of the Shekinah and Creation
Although John does not explicitly tell us this, it is implied that part of the manifestation of the glory of the Word is that He is the true Light Who shines, v.9. In presenting the Word as the true Light that gives light to men and penetrates darkness, one cannot help but be reminded of the Shekinah glory that shone between the Cherubims and above the Mercy Seat. The fact that John uses the word “tabernacled” (in the Authorised Version “dwelt”) in v.14 confirms that he is thinking of the parallel between the Shekinah glory of the Tabernacle and the Word, the true Light, that tabernacled among men. The Shekinah was a representative glory of God on earth, but the true Light was Himself the glory of God manifested to men.
The apostle John also uses darkness reminiscent of Gen.1.2-4 in contrast to light, but here it is spiritual light that has conquered spiritual darkness, an illustration that is also used by Paul in 2Cor.4.6 to convey similar truth. He is the true Light that still shines (present tense, Jn.1.5) in the darkness, and the darkness is not able to resist. This darkness is not just an absence of light, but the presence of evil. The coming of Christ as the Light of the world has rendered this darkness incapacitated.
He is the true Light not so much in contrast to the false. When the Lord Jesus declared that He was “the true Bread” 6.32, and “the true Vine” 15.1, it was not in contrast to the false, but that He was the fulfilment of what were only types in the old economy. Likewise, His Divine claim of being the true Light was indicative of Him being the Antitype of the Shekinah light, as well as the created light of Genesis chapter 1.
The Regeneration of the Sons
The shining of His glory is also seen in the regenerated sons. The one who believes in the true Light receives life that emanates Divine light, vv.4,7. The Shekinah glory was a threat to one’s life, but the true Light gives life everlasting, which illuminates the believer’s path with light, 8.12. Why does John bring in the subject of spiritual life immediately after the mention of creation? If he had brought in the subject of creatorial and physical life, we would have understood the relevance. However, he is obviously not referring to physical life, but to spiritual life that results in Divine light. John wants us to understand that creation in itself was not the main story of God’s history of the world; it was only a starting point. The propagation of human life on earth through human procreation was not God’s main storyline, but spiritual procreation, through regeneration of men who willingly believe in His Son and receive spiritual life and light. God desires “sons of God”, or more literally “children of God”, rather than just flesh and blood, vv.12,13. Moving from v.3 to v.4, John quickly shifts from the creation of the material world to regeneration in the spiritual realm. Life, the abundance of spiritual life, and not just physical life, is God’s desired end result. This becomes even more evident when John tells us the story of Nicodemus, and how the Lord Jesus said to him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” 3.3. Being born again (literally being “born from above”) is, therefore, synonymous with spiritual regeneration. The light emanating from a person is a proof of regenerated life because the light in the person bears resemblance to the One Who gives life and is the true Light. Grand as creation in the material realm was, God’s creation in the spiritual realm is greater. Paul recognises this when he says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” 2Cor.5.17. The shining of His glory is no longer in the Shekinah glory of the Old Covenant; the outshining of that glory is now seen in the Lord Jesus, and also in God’s regenerated children.
THE SIGNPOST OF HIS GLORY
“I am not the Christ” v.20! This is the statement that has symbolically marked the identity, or the non-identity, of John the Baptist. He was the messenger, and he was the “lamp” (lychnos, Jn.5.35), instead of the Light (phōs). More than once, the apostle John and John the Baptist himself remind their audiences that he (John the Baptist) was not the Messiah, 1.8,20; 3.28, but was the signpost pointing them and us to the true Light, the Messiah, the Lamb of God.
“There was a man sent from God …” v.6; the word “was” is the word ‘become’, ginomai. The coming in of John the Baptist was a significant Divine activity, and his commission is indicated by the word ginomai. Not only did creation ‘become’ through the power of the Word, but John the Baptist ‘became’ by the sending from God. Therefore, the sending of John the Baptist was on a par in importance with the creation! Why? Because John the Baptist was the witness and the signpost to point men to Christ. And since he was the prophet spoken of in the Scriptures, Isa.40.3; Mal.3.1, his witness of the true Light was also an attestation to the identity of the Word as the prophesied Messiah. Throughout chapter 1, the author presents John the Baptist as the signpost pointing us step by step, nearer and nearer to the identification of the Word as the Lamb. We are told by the apostle, as a statement of fact, that John the Baptist was the witness but not the Light, v.8. Then we hear the statement of John the Baptist himself, telling us that the Word is the prophesied Messiah, v.15. Next, we hear him refuting the rumours that he is the Christ, and also denying that he is Elias, or the Prophet, but affirming that he is the messenger prophesied in the Scriptures, v.23. He declares that he is the forerunner of the Messiah, but incomparable to the Messiah Himself, v.27. Then, in dramatic fashion, the Divinely-appointed signpost, John the Baptist, cries: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” v.29! Step by step, John the apostle leads us, through the eyes of John the Baptist, as the signpost to His glory, until our own eyes finally behold the Lamb!
THE SONS OF HIS GLORY
Under the heading of “The Shining of His Glory – The Regeneration of the Sons”, we looked at how those who believed in Him, the true Light, would also bear His resemblance of light. The presence of light in the believer was the evidence of spiritual regeneration. Now John the apostle tells us that those who believe in Him not only have the light of life, but also possess the authority to “become the sons [‘children’] of God” v.12. With Divine authority the Word spoke the universe into existence; now that same authority is exercised in the making of the children of God. But notice that there are those who would not receive Him, vv.10,11. And this division between those who believe and those who reject Him will become more apparent in the Gospel. Citing Harris: “1.10-12 summarises the ‘division’ (schisma) over the Lord Jesus that arose because of His Person, 7.43, His miraculous signs, 9.16, and His words, 10.19, the division between those who believed, 2.11; 4.39,41; 8.30, and those who did not believe, 6.64; 7.5; 10.25; 12.37.”3
- 3 Harris, Murray J. “John (Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament).” Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2015.
“That was the true Light” v.9
We are told that there are those who would reject Him, and those who would receive Him. Nevertheless, He “was remember the word ēn? the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” v.9. Another possible reading of v.9 is: “He was the light coming into the world and shines upon all man” and this is my preferred translation.4 This rendering flows well as a contrast to v.6: John the Baptist was sent by God (or, as we saw, became a man sent by God), but He (the Lord Jesus Christ) was (ēn) the true Light Who came by His own volition and will (though it will be seen too throughout John’s Gospel that He was also sent by God). The true Light was already there before He came into the world, for He was (ēn) the true Light, and He entered into the sphere of mankind by coming into the world. His arrival casts an outshining of Divine glory upon mankind because His presence on earth was the presence of God on earth, and mankind was privileged and honoured that God had come so near. However, this expression “shines upon all man” could also mean that His light came upon all kinds of men that received Him. This is made more evident later when it is said that “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God” v.12. It is those who receive Him who become the sons of God; it is those who believe in Him who will experience the shining of His light.
- 4 The participle “cometh” can either be masculine (therefore referring to man), or neuter (therefore referring to the Light).
“The world knew Him not” v.10
Despite the coming of the true Light into the world, it is regrettable that there were those who rejected Him, as we are told in vv.10,11. John tells us that “He was ēn in the world” v.10, meaning that He abode for a prolonged period on earth, instead of a short stint. The verb “was” used in vv.1,2 by John to indicate His preexistence outside of time is here indicative of His presence on earth, inside of time. With the use of the verb “was” here, we are, therefore, left with no doubt that the One Who was outside of time was also the same One Who came into the world. This is the world of mankind in which He made His abode for about thirty-three years, and is the world “made”, or which ‘became’ (ginomai) through Him.5 But this world that became through Him knew Him not. The word “knew” indicates a finite action that took place in the past, and is not merely referring to their cognitive defect; hence, John likely had in mind the most horrid action carried out by mankind: the crucifixion of the Christ.
- 5 John uses the verbs ēn and ginomai side by side in v.10 (“He was in the world, and the world was made by Him”), as if to summarise the contents of vv.1-3: “In the beginning was the Word… All things were made [‘became’] by [‘through’] Him …”
“His own received Him not” v.11
We are further told that He received a double rejection. He was not only rejected generally by His own created beings (mankind), but He was also rejected by “His own” v.11. The first instance of “His own” is in the neuter and could mean that He came unto His own realm, or nation. It is most likely referring to the nation of Israel: He came unto His own nation. Israel was the nation chosen by God, and God came to His own chosen nation in the Person of the incarnate Jesus Christ. The second occurrence of “His own” is in the masculine, and likely refers to the Jewish people. John is then telling us that He chose to be part of the nation of Israel in His incarnation, yet His own people, to whom He belonged nationally, rejected Him. The compound verb “received” (paralambanō) appears only three times in John’s Gospel, 1.11; 14.3; 19.16. It is ironic that in 19.16 they “took” (paralambanō) Him, not because they wanted to give Him honour, but to lead Him away to be crucified. Hence, they did not receive Him as they ought, and when they did finally ‘receive’ Him, it was to put Him to death!
“As many as received Him” v.12
In vv.12,13 John tells us positively about those who received Him: these are the sons of His glory. The expression “as many as received Him”, in contrast to “the world knew Him not” and “His own received Him not”, seems to indicate that those who will reject Him would be more in number than those who receive Him. We are told the reason later: that “light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” 3.19. Those who receive Him are those who believe on His name; these have life, and the light of life. Furthermore, to those who received Him, He gave them authority to become (ginomai) the sons (literally ‘children’) of God. This word ‘give’ appears now for the first time in this Gospel, and will appear again over sixty times throughout the Book. It is an important word often associated with God’s gracious giving to men. The Lord Jesus gives them the privilege of becoming the children of God. We cannot, therefore, miss John’s use of the word ‘become’. He is again reminding us that God’s desire and aim is spiritual regeneration, and not just biological procreation.
These did not become the children of God through natural means. In a successive use of the words ‘not out of ’, John tells us what did not contribute to this spiritual regeneration. They were not ‘out of blood’, nor ‘out of the will of flesh’, neither ‘out of the will of man’, but they were begotten of God. It was not through some kind of human lineage: not ‘out of blood’; nor was it out of human ingenuity, or works of the law, or human determination: hence not ‘out of the will of flesh’; neither was it through human marriage and procreation: not ‘out of the will of man’. The expression “will of man” can also be translated “will of a male” or “will of a husband”. The fact that the word “begotten” (“born” A.V.) is used in the same verse indicates to us that the “will of a husband” is a highly possible translation. If that is the case, John is saying that those who receive the Lord Jesus become the children of God, not by being begotten by human fathers, but by being begotten of God.
We will later read that the Word is the Only Begotten. But now we are told that those who receive Him are also begotten children of God. The Divinely-begotten children are therefore identified with the only begotten Son: they are the sons of His glory; they shine His light, the light of life.
THE SIGHT OF HIS GLORY
What a sight: “we beheld His glory” v.14! Lest we be mistaken about what this glory is, John precedes the beholding of His glory with these words: “And the Word was made [‘became’] flesh”! In the Introduction, we hastened to define what this glory is, and we saw that it is His essential and undiminished glory, the glory in Him that never will vanish, but the glory only visible to men when He became flesh. In John, His visible presence, His power displayed, and eventually His death, resurrection, and ascension, are the expressions of His glory.
Naturally speaking one would not usually associate the word “glory” in the Bible with the words ‘became flesh’. But John is deliberately putting forth this paradox to arouse the attention of the reader: “… and the Word was made [‘became’] flesh … and we beheld His glory …” Contradictory as it seems, after having understood John’s theology of glory, we no longer find this surprising. The Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ did not result in His Divine glory being stripped off or reduced. Instead, it allowed His glory to be witnessed by men. Therefore, the event of the Word being made flesh was an opportunity for men to behold the glory that was essentially in Him. For the first time in the history of mankind, man laid eyes on God and His glory, the glory in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The apostle’s use of the word ‘become’ to describe the Incarnation of the Word at this point in v.14 is indicative that all the previous uses of the word ‘become’ in this chapter are only crescendos to this revelation. The Creator has, through His own volition, now become part of His own creation! The chapter began with “All things were made [‘became’] by Him”, and now the use of this word ginomai has reached its climax: the Word became flesh, and became part of “all things”. But prior to v.14, this verb ‘become’ had been applied passively, and God was the active force in implementing this ‘becoming’ in His creatorial realm: the world was made by Him; John the Baptist was sent by God; He gave power to become the sons of God. Now, with regards to the Word, His Incarnation is not the result of an outside power, but out of His own will and power, He became flesh.
The word “dwelt” is literally ‘tabernacled’; hence ‘tabernacled among us’ is a more literal translation. It is obvious that the apostle is thinking of the wilderness structure, of which it is said that “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” Ex.40.34. But in the present context, John is not speaking of a literal, physical tent structure erected in the middle of the desert. The Tabernacle of old was the abode of Jehovah’s glory, but the body of Jesus was the abode of the glory of God the Son. The ‘tabernacle’ here is therefore a metonym for the bodily presence of God in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.6 In the Mosaic economy, God made His residence on earth in a wilderness Tabernacle; in the Davidic era, God made His residence on earth in a temple built by Solomon; now, in John’s Gospel, God made His residence on earth in the Person of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh. But the Tabernacle, which is a tent, also has the connotation of a temporary structure, and some suggest that it denotes the temporary visit of the Lord in the world. However, it is more likely that a tabernacle is used here with the Exodus theme in mind, as we shall see, and the mention of Moses in v.17 also makes this quite clear.
- 6 We see a similar thought when the Lord said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” 2.19.
In John chapter 1 alone, the apostle uses several different words to describe the sight of man, the word “beheld” (theaomai) in v.14 being one of them, and indicating a more intense look at the object. The disciples’ observation made them conclude that this glory was the glory ‘as of an only begotten of a father’ (a more literal reading). The word “only begotten” (monogenes) appears nine times in the New Testament, four of which are in John’s Gospel: 1.14,18; 3.16,18. Only John applies this word to the Lord Jesus as the only begotten Son. His title as Only Begotten in John’s Gospel is descriptive of His uniqueness. In 1.14, the title of the Only Begotten gives emphasis to the excellence of His glory, for it is the glory ‘as of an only begotten of a father’. By bringing in the thought of the Only Begotten, we are reminded that a few verses before we are the children of God. But the difference is also now apparent: we were given the authority to “become” the children of God, but now His position as the Only Begotten is not something that ‘became’, it was essentially Who He is, and ever has been, eternally, as will be clear in v.18. The contrast is, therefore, implied between who we have become (children of God), and Who He is from eternity (the Only Begotten).
We are told in v.18 that no man had seen God at any time. The only begotten Son7 is the unfolding and the exegesis of God Himself. Therefore, the only begotten Son is the exegesis of Deity, because of His unparalleled nearness and unbroken fellowship with the Father, for He ‘is being’ in the bosom of the Father, 1.18. In the ‘Golden Text’ of the Bible, 3.16, we are told that His position as the only begotten Son conveys the thought of His preciousness to God: “For God so loved the world that He gave” the One Who was most precious to Him to demonstrate His love. Therefore, here the only begotten Son is the endearment of God. We are also further told in 3.18 that as the only begotten Son, He is God’s exclusive Saviour and there is none other. All who believe not in the name of the only begotten Son of God bring upon themselves condemnation.
- 7 Some manuscripts read “only begotten God”.
We have stated that in the allusion to the Tabernacle, the apostle had images from the Book of Exodus in his mind. The expression “full of grace and truth” is another case in point. Moses made a request to God: “… shew me Thy glory” Ex.33.18, but God replied to Moses: “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy” Ex.33.19. Furthermore, God said, “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live” Ex.33.20. When God passed by Moses in the next chapter, these were the words proclaimed by God Himself: “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth …” Ex.34.6. It is clear from Ex.33.18,20 that Moses’ request to behold Jehovah’s glory was a request to behold God’s face. Therefore, when John says, “We beheld His glory” Jn.1.14, he is thinking of the fact that Moses was denied the sight of God’s glory (which he also implies in v.18 after stating Moses’ name in v.17), but the apostle and his associates beheld that glory in the Word Who became flesh. In Ex.34.6 we learn that God was merciful and gracious, and abundant in goodness and truth. This was likely in John’s mind when speaking of the Only Begotten, “full of grace and truth”. Moses could not behold God’s face, but when God passed by, He proclaimed His Divine attributes to Moses; Moses’ eyes could not see God, but Moses’ ears heard Who God was. But now the apostle John says that they not only saw God in the Person of Jesus Christ, they also observed His attributes of glory by hearing His spoken words and seeing His dealings with men, and He was truly full of grace and truth. To say that the Only Begotten was full of grace and truth was also to equate Him with the Jehovah of Exodus. Hence John is again reiterating the Deity of the Son.
SUMMARY
When John says, “We beheld His glory …” 1.14, he is thinking of the Creator Who is eternal, the One Who has now entered into time by coming in visible flesh, nevertheless seen by men in His undiminished glory through the words He spoke and the works which he performed, but ultimately the One Who finished the work when He was lifted up on the cross, and was then raised to celestial glory.
When one expects the glory of God to be manifested in some kind of spectacular sight or outshining, like that of a Shekinah, John uses words to give us a paradoxical dimension of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that John’s presentation of the glory of the Son climaxes at the cross. Perhaps it is for this reason that only John tells us of the Lord’s victorious cry on the cross: “It is finished” 19.30. For it is when He had finished the work and had fulfilled the Scriptures in His sacrificial act that His glory was at its brightest. The Lord Himself said, “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do” 17.4.
So great was this glory that John thought that he had not done enough justice to it in his Gospel. He closes his Gospel with these words: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” 21.25. He begins his Gospel with the grandeur of the Word and of the only begotten Son. He ends his Gospel with a consciousness of his own smallness and inadequacy. He concludes that this world is too small for the glory of the One Who tabernacled among men.
After reading this Gospel, we will arrive at a further conclusion: not only is the world too small for Him, but our hearts will never be big enough for His glory. That is why a reread of John’s Gospel always yields something fresh, new and rewarding. If there were a terminus point in eternity and if we had reached that point, we would still not have fully grasped the splendour of this glorious One. The world is too small for Him; the expanse of eternity is only as vast as He allows it to be; and surely His glory is too great for our hearts.