Daily Devotional | Jesus Became One of Us

One popular reality TV show in the United States is Undercover Boss. In each episode, someone from the upper management of a company goes undercover as an entry level employee to discover faults or issues in the way the company is run. At the end of the show the boss is revealed to some of the employees, usually much to their surprise!

In a poor and incomplete way, this gives us a picture of what John describes in today’s reading. John opens his Gospel by describing a person called the “Word.” It becomes clear that the Word is Jesus. The Word is eternal and equal with God (v. 1). He is powerful and was intimately involved in the creation of the universe (v. 2). He is the source of life and light for all people (vv. 4, 9).

John then describes how the Word did not only enter the world which He had made (v. 9), He became human. John exclaims, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). What an extraordinary thing that the Creator of the universe humbled Himself to take on human flesh and a human nature. He did not choose to enter the world as a conquering king, but as a helpless infant. As the Gospels make clear, Jesus had all the weaknesses and limitations that humans have, while still being God. He became weary (John 4:6). He was thirsty (John 19:28). He got hungry (Matt. 4:2). And as a child He “grew in wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52).

>> Many people envision God as someone far off and distant. But Christ’s birth proved that wrong! Jesus became fully human while still maintaining His deity to show us what God is like in a unique and powerful way: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18).