“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (v. 14)

Sometimes people ask, “Where should I start, if I am reading the Bible for the first time?” And, while no part of the Word of God is expendable, not everyone recommends starting with Genesis. Many—and I stand among them—look to John.

John’s gospel record helps us see Christ—Jesus, God’s Son, given for us—in His cosmic context. It is thoroughly and magnificently Christological. John connects the dots between Creation and expectation and revelation—all of it unfolding the heart of the Gospel.

Verse 14 is an efficient distillation of the idea:

Jesus has come to us, for us. He is God in the flesh. He is holy glory that we can glimpse. He is full of truth, upholding and affirming everything God has spoken across Scripture’s generations, for it is He who spoke it by the Spirit. And He is full of grace, the Lamb of God who takes away our sin by His sacrifice, so that we might be God’s children by faith.

This is the big picture in short form. Commit it to memory, because it is your light and your life, no matter the darkness of these days.

Enjoy your journey through John.

— Tyler