Source: Focus on the Kingdom, November, 2022
John 1:14 provides one of the most solemn statements in the whole of Scripture. That verse announces that “the word became flesh [a human being] and tabernacled among us.” The word “became” tells us with complete clarity and certainty that the word became something it was not before. The word (not a person) became a human person, Jesus.
We have no difficulty grasping that “the water became wine” (John 2:9), or “command these stones to become bread” (Matt. 4:3), or Paul “became a minister” (Col. 1:25). The water was not wine until it became wine! The same change came to the “word”: It became what it was not before. It became a human person, the Messiah Jesus.
It is therefore most confusing to evacuate the word “became” of its easy meaning by suggesting that “the word” in John 1:1 means the human Jesus. Such a misreading of John 1:1 cancels the easy meaning of John 1:14 where the word became what it (not he) was not before. The word (not Word) became the human Jesus in John 1:14. On no account should such a stupendous and central truth be lost to our understanding.
Wherever the word “became” has a complement, i.e. “flesh” in 1:14, the sense is more than clear. I think that no lexicon would disagree here. “The word became flesh” gives us “flesh” as the subject complement. It is not the same as or parallel to “there came a man called John” (John 1:6). My concern is that we will put people off by saying that “the word became flesh” means the word was flesh.
Bauer’s Lexicon makes the same point under ginomai (to become). It would be very false to say that the “word was flesh.” No, the word became flesh. There are just lots of parallels to this which are unambiguous.
By contrast, John uses the word “was” (een) in 1:1. The word “was with God” — not “became God.”
Note too, I suggest, that when a person is with a person, then the preposition “with” in the Gospel of John is para and not pros. In the Gospel of John, pros means a thing with a person as also in Paul: “the Gospel is with (pros) you” (Gal. 2:5). Since the word became what it was not before, i.e. it, the word, became the human Jesus (John 1:14), then Jesus cannot possibly be the word in 1:1. The word “became” in 1:14 prevents any misunderstanding.
John 1:14 provides one of the most solemn statements in the whole of Scripture. That verse announces that “the word became flesh [a human being] and tabernacled among us.” The word “became” tells us with complete clarity and certainty that the word became something it was not before. The word (not a person) became a human person, Jesus.
We have no difficulty grasping that “the water became wine” (John 2:9), or “command these stones to become bread” (Matt. 4:3), or Paul “became a minister” (Col. 1:25). The water was not wine until it became wine! The same change came to the “word”: It became what it was not before. It became a human person, the Messiah Jesus.
It is therefore most confusing to evacuate the word “became” of its easy meaning by suggesting that “the word” in John 1:1 means the human Jesus. Such a misreading of John 1:1 cancels the easy meaning of John 1:14 where the word became what it (not he) was not before. The word (not Word) became the human Jesus in John 1:14. On no account should such a stupendous and central truth be lost to our understanding.
Wherever the word “became” has a complement, i.e. “flesh” in 1:14, the sense is more than clear. I think that no lexicon would disagree here. “The word became flesh” gives us “flesh” as the subject complement. It is not the same as or parallel to “there came a man called John” (John 1:6). My concern is that we will put people off by saying that “the word became flesh” means the word was flesh.
Bauer’s Lexicon makes the same point under ginomai (to become). It would be very false to say that the “word was flesh.” No, the word became flesh. There are just lots of parallels to this which are unambiguous.
By contrast, John uses the word “was” (een) in 1:1. The word “was with God” — not “became God.”
Note too, I suggest, that when a person is with a person, then the preposition “with” in the Gospel of John is para and not pros. In the Gospel of John, pros means a thing with a person as also in Paul: “the Gospel is with (pros) you” (Gal. 2:5). Since the word became what it was not before, i.e. it, the word, became the human Jesus (John 1:14), then Jesus cannot possibly be the word in 1:1. The word “became” in 1:14 prevents any misunderstanding.