3. John 3:16

John 1: 14  And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In the beginning of John’s Gospel we encounter a rich description of Jesus as the Word of God made flesh. In verse 14 we read that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The phrase is more accurately translated as “the Word tented among us.” The meaning of each is the same.

Jesus was a sojourner while He was here. He lived among humanity. God in human flesh. Even though He is God that doesn’t diminish His humanity in the slightest bit. Jesus arrived into this world as every human being does. He was born a baby. He grew exactly as the rest of humanity does day by day. And He died just like every human being dies when His physical life ended.

He tented among us. A long time ago I worked with a man who was trained as a Buddhist monk. And casually one evening we began to have a conversation about Jesus. He knew of Jesus but that was it. I asked about his religion and why certain things were sacred especially living things. We got onto the topic of ants and stepping on them. He wouldn’t intentionally step upon ants because in his religion those might be reincarnated people. In his religion people die and “tent” again among living creatures based upon their behavior in their prior life. I asked him how the ants could understand him as a human not stepping on them. He said they couldn’t. Ants cannot comprehend humans just like humans couldn’t comprehend God. That was when I explain that Jesus is God and He became an “ant,” a human, so that we would know God. He quickly realized what I was saying and ended the conversation.

Almighty God tented among us. He became a man and we saw His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.