The Servant KingSample

The prologue to the Gospel of John recasts the creation narrative from the point of view of the incarnation:“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”— John 1:14 (ESV).

The Greek verb used here for dwelling isskēnoō, which literally means 'to pitch a tent' or 'to tabernacle.' By choosing this word, John identifies Jesus as the new and living tabernacle. What previously had to happen through temple and ritual is now embodied personally through Jesus — our Emmanuel, God with us.

John’s language also echoes the Aramaic word memra ('Word of Yahweh'), used in ancient translations and interpretations of the Hebrew Bible to denote God’s personal self-expression. By combining two well-known concepts from Greek philosophy and Hebrew theology, John demonstrates that Jesus is the everlasting divine Word who connects God’s greatness with His nearness. Through Christ, God’s message becomes a shared life with Him, perfectly in step with His purpose.

Jesus Christ becoming human shows what whole missions look like. His ministry combined speaking God’s Word, showing God’s love and power, and living among the people He came to save. God’s presence moved from the temple to everyday life. This is now the pattern for the Church to follow as it joins God’s work.

The incarnation transforms missions from something we do to something that we are. To be sent means copying Christ’s self-giving love. Missions flows from this: word and deed, speaking and living the message go together in Jesus, and the Church is called to follow His example.

John’s word ‘glory’ (John 1:14) echoes Exodus 40:34–35, where God’s presence filled the Tabernacle. In Jesus, that glory now lives in a human body (Colossians 2:9). But this glory is not revealed in power and triumph, but in sacrificial love — "full of grace and truth." The Word who lives among us brings a new kind of glory: power expressed through service and compassion, and presence that gives dignity and invites us to participate.

How does understanding Jesus as the “tabernacling” presence of God challenge or reshape the way you think about where God is at work in your everyday life?

In what practical ways can we imitate Christ’s pattern of being present among people — combining word, deed, and genuine nearness — in our own communities?

-----------------------------------------

Bill Drake lives in Atlanta, USA. He leads OM's Catalytic Ministries, through which he engages with Jesus followers all over the world to help them express their faith and worship through their God-given gifts, talents, and expertise.