John 1:14-18 | Glorious Condescension

Advent draws us into the breathtaking claim that the eternal Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us. John’s language isn’t accidental; it deliberately hyperlinks the Exodus story. The God whose presence once localized in a movable tent—cloud by day, fire by night—has stepped into our neighborhood in the person of Jesus. I walked us through the Old Testament backdrop: Sinai’s consuming glory, the tabernacle’s ordered zones, and the sober reality that nearness to holiness was both comfort and danger. That same vocabulary—dwelt, glory—reappears in John 1 to tell us that God’s portable sanctuary now has skin and bone. Jesus is the living, walking temple, full of grace and truth, revealing the Father’s heart without veil or distance.

This matters because every one of us is wired for glory. We chase awe in sunsets and stories, or we chase approval and applause. That wiring gets distorted: glory-seekers become glory-thieves. The solution isn’t to kill desire but to re-center it. “We have seen his glory” means the deepest human hunger is answered, not by created splendor or human praise, but by the Son who makes the Father known. From his fullness we receive grace upon grace—an inexhaustible provision that doesn’t just forgive us; it reorders us. The law was a real gift, but Jesus, the embodiment of grace and truth, is the superior gift—God’s presence not only near us but available to us, not only available but indwelling by faith.

So as we journey forward, the call is to keep the presence and glory of Jesus at the center. Not at the margins. Not when we feel worthy. Especially not only on the rare “good” days. He tabernacles in the ordinary and the fractured—conflict, fatigue, shame, apathy—and doesn’t run out of mercy there. The holy nearness that once required layers of cloth and careful steps now comes close in compassion and truth, reshaping our loves, healing our fractures, and redirecting our need for glory toward the One who can actually bear it. Receive him again—today—with empty hands. There is more grace, and then more.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s Condescension Reframes True Glory Condescension offends us in people, but in God it is the wonder of Advent: the High and Holy One comes down without ceasing to be high and holy. The Exodus cloud and fire become a face we can behold in Jesus. Glory is not God’s distance but God’s nearness without dilution. His coming redefines greatness as presence offered for our good. [34:08]
• 2. Jesus Tabernacles Among Us Now “Dwelt among us” literally means “pitched his tent,” invoking the tabernacle where heaven and earth overlapped. In Christ, God localizes his presence not behind curtains but in a person, accessible yet still holy. The old layers of fabric become flesh, so that grace and truth can be seen, touched, and followed. He is God’s mobile sanctuary moving toward sinners. [40:11]
• 3. Holiness Makes Nearness Dangerous Israel discovered that nearness to God is not casual; access had gradations for a reason. Holiness is not hostility; it is the goodness that will not be trivialized. To live with God-in-our-camp required reverence, honesty, and atonement. Jesus doesn’t lessen God’s holiness; he bears it for us and brings us in. [54:35]
• 4. Our Glory-Seeking Hearts Reordered We are wired for glory, but the wiring frays when we seek it in human applause or created things. That hunger becomes theft—we demand from people what only God can give. Christ’s revealed glory re-educates our desires, training us to enjoy created wonder rightly while resting our weight on the Creator. Worship heals our hunger by giving it a worthy object. [65:07]
• 5. Grace Upon Grace Sustains Pilgrims We don’t keep Jesus central by white-knuckled resolve but by receiving from his fullness again and again. Grace is not a starter kit; it is the oxygen of the Christian life—poured out in failure and followed by more. This inexhaustible supply restores, recenters, and readies us to reflect his glory in the ordinary. Keep receiving what he never runs out of. [68:06]

Youtube Chapters

1. In John 1:14, the phrase “dwelt among us” literally means “pitched his tent/tabernacled.” What Old Testament scene is being echoed by that choice of words? “Pitched his tent” [40:11]
2. What were the “three zones” of the tabernacle that were described, and who could enter each? “Three zones” [47:20]
3. According to verse 16, what, specifically, do believers receive “from his fullness,” and how is that different from the law in verse 17?
4. Where did God place his “tent” among Israel’s tribes, and what did that placement communicate about his role in their life together? “Pitch His tent in the center” [52:01]

1. Why is God’s “condescension” (his coming down) good news and not insulting? How does that reframe true glory as nearness for our good rather than distance and intimidation? “Condescending God” [34:08]
2. If holiness made nearness dangerous in Israel’s camp, how does Jesus preserve God’s holiness while granting real access? What changes and what stays the same in approaching God? “Gradations…VIP access…danger” [54:35]
3. “From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (v. 16). What does “grace upon grace” suggest about how people actually change—more by receiving than achieving? “Grace upon grace” [01:08:06]
4. If Jesus is God’s living, walking tabernacle, how should that reshape expectations of where and when God meets people today—ordinary places, hard places, or only “sacred” places? “Covered…with flesh and bones…walking, living, moving, breathing tabernacle” [57:56]

1. Centering: Where is Jesus’ presence practically at the center of your week right now, and where has he drifted to the margins? Name one concrete change (calendar, habit, conversation) you will make to re-center on his presence. “Our lives must be centered around the presence and glory of Jesus.” [01:01:03]
2. Glory hunger: In what specific areas are you tempted to be a “glory thief”—living for likes, applause, achievement, or control? What would it look like to redirect that desire toward beholding Christ’s glory this week? “Glory seekers…become glory thieves.” [01:06:04]
3. Ordinary and fractured: Pick one “ordinary and fractured” area—conflict, temper, shame, apathy, fatigue. What is one step you can take to invite Jesus to tabernacle there (a prayer, an apology, a boundary, a conversation)? “Times when we lose our temper…emotional outburst…curse…lose control of our tongue.” [01:11:59]
4. Reverent nearness: If God’s holiness is not hostility but goodness that won’t be trivialized, what practices help you approach with reverence and joy—confession, silence, Scripture before phone, weekly worship, the Lord’s Table? Choose one to practice daily this week. “There’s gradations…serious consequences…God’s holiness.” [54:35]
5. Receiving rhythms: Where do you need “grace upon grace” right now? Name it. How will you tangibly receive today (simple prayer of need, asking a friend to pray, coming to the Table, resting instead of striving)? “Grace…poured out in your failure…and what comes after it? More grace and more grace.” [01:13:34]
6. Overflow: Who is one person you can pour grace into this week (a note of encouragement, forgiveness offered, a listening ear, a meal)? Make a plan and share it with the group. “That the grace we’ve received…would be poured out to one another.” [01:17:52]
7. Worship that heals hunger: Where do you most feel awe—nature, music, a good story, meaningful work? This week, plan one intentional moment to worship the Creator in that place so the joy doesn’t stop at the gift but moves to the Giver. “Amazing sunset…nature’s glory evokes awe.” [01:02:18]