08/13/2026
This week’s word of the week comes from the first half of John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
You see, this verse means more than just that Jesus came to earth to live. In the Greek, the Bible uses the word ἐσκήνωσεν for what is traditionally translated as “made his dwelling.” ἐσκήνωσεν, however, was meant to mean much more than that. While to dwell is one translation of the word, it also meant to pitch a tent or to tabernacle.
Did you notice something interesting about that definition? The parallel between how John describes Jesus’ coming to earth and the purpose of the Tabernacle would not have been lost on the original audience of his Gospel. Jesus did not just come to earth, he became a living Tabernacle everywhere he went. He became the place where one could step into the presence of God, and he did so among us.
He didn’t come to earth and keep himself away from humanity. He didn’t limit access to himself to only the most righteous and Godly men, like the previous Tabernacle. He invited everyone to him. He stepped into the presence of sinners, into the presence of the people who would have never been allowed even into the very outer portion of the Temple, so that they would not be denied the ability to feel the presence of God.
And He still dwells among us because He dwells in us. That is one of the most amazing things about being a follower of Christ. Knowing and remembering that you don’t have to be in a specific place, you don’t need to do a specific thing, in order to be in the presence of the Lord. God has done all of the work, you just have to look to him.
