He Dwelt Among Us

The book of John gives us quite a different take on Jesus’ coming to earth. Instead of angels and shepherds and mangers and all the grittiness and earthiness that we know and love we see a cosmic and eternal perspective on what it means for Jesus to join us on earth.

John uses basically one verse to cover that first Christmas scene in chapter 1 verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. When you look at it closer, you realize that it only takes John 1/3 of this verse to say that Jesus came down to be with us: “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

That is a pretty terse treatment of one of the most important moments in all of scripture.

Yet, if you know Greek, which I don’t even after three semesters of it in seminary, you can find hidden in that quick phrase an important thought about the incarnation.

The phrase is “dwelt among us” which more literally means that he ‘made tabernacle’ with us. This idea of tabernacle brings us back to the Old Testament and the tent of meeting that traveled with Israel for years before Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem.

The tabernacle was the meeting place with God, a sort of heavenly outpost wherein God’s presence, mercy, forgiveness, justice was experienced. It was where God most intimately connected with humans.

On the human side of things, there were a plethora of rituals of cleansing and sacrifice that were necessary for purifying oneself before entering the tabernacle, and ultimately the “holy of holies.” The staggering incompatibility of our sin and God’s holiness had to be atoned for somehow so sacrifice was used to symbolize that it would take life to cover for our sins.

When John says that Jesus “dwelt among us” he is saying that Jesus established a new meeting place with God found in himself. As the gospel goes along we see Jesus creating little outposts of heaven as he “tabernacles” with people all over Israel, healing, teaching, serving, and loving “amongst” his people.

We further see, upon the cross, that the “dwelling among us” is made possible, made right in the eyes of God, by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Previously priests had slaughtered lambs and ‘cleansed’ themselves to go before God. Now we see Jesus in his perfect cleanliness being slaughtered on our behalf. Suddenly the divide between our sin and God’s holiness is brought crashing together on the cross as sins are punished.

Even more amazing is that we see Paul and others in the New Testament showing how now Jesus has taken up residence in those who follow him. His is no longer dwelling “among” us but quite literally within us. To meet God, to experience his presence, mercy, justice, peace, and love, we are no longer required to make a trip to a tabernacle. We are that tabernacle.

As living tabernacles we can be and bring with us little outposts of heaven. As we love others, fight for justice, and proclaim His love as living temples, God is creating in us a place for others to meet Himself.

Praise God for the first lowly Christmas tabernacle of a stable where Jesus dwelt among us. Praise God that we get to be meeting places with God for those we interact with this Christmas.

May we be a foretaste of Revelation 21:3 where from the throne of God we hear declared: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and the will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”