I have been spending time in John Chapter 1 and have been so blessed. The following is from John MacArthur’s Commentary on John 1:14. Reading through all the cross-reference verses was illuminating and very much worth the time spent.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.—John 1:14
the Word became flesh.
While Christ as God was uncreated and eternal (see notes on v. 1 ), the word became emphasizes Christ’s taking on humanity (cf. Heb. 1:1–3; 2:14–18). This reality is surely the most profound ever because it indicates that the Infinite became finite; the Eternal was conformed to time; the Invisible became visible; the supernatural One reduced Himself to the natural. In the Incarnation, however, the Word did not cease to be God but became God in human flesh, i.e., undiminished deity in human form as a man (1 Tim. 3:16).
dwelt.
Meaning “to pitch a tabernacle,” or “live in a tent,” the term recalls to mind the OT tabernacle where God met with Israel before the temple was constructed (Ex. 25:8). It was called the “tabernacle of meeting” (Ex. 33:7; “tabernacle of witness” LXX) where “the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11). In the NT, God chose to dwell among His people in a far more personal way through becoming a man. In the OT, when the tabernacle was completed, God’s Shekinah presence filled the entire structure (Ex. 40:34; cf. 1 Kin. 8:10). When the Word became flesh, the glorious presence of deity was embodied in Him (cf. Col. 2:9).
we beheld His glory.
Although His deity may have been veiled in human flesh, glimpses exist in the Gospels of His divine majesty. The disciples saw glimpses of His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–8). The reference to Christ’s glory, however, was not only visible but also spiritual. They saw Him display the attributes or characteristics of God (grace, goodness, mercy, wisdom, truth, etc.; cf. Ex. 33:18–23).
the glory as of . . . Father.
Jesus as God displayed the same essential glory as the Father. They are one in essential nature (cf. 5:17–30; 8:19; 10:30). only begotten. The term “only begotten” is a mistranslation of the Greek word. The word does not come from the term meaning “beget” but instead has the idea of “the only beloved one.” It, therefore, has the idea of singular uniqueness, of being beloved like no other. By this word, John emphasized the exclusive character of the relationship between the Father and the Son in the Godhead (cf. 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). It does not connote origin but rather unique prominence; e.g., it was used of Isaac (Heb. 11:17) who was Abraham’s second son (Ishmael being the first; cf. Gen. 16:15 with Gen. 21:2, 3).
full of grace and truth.
John probably had Exodus 33; 34 in mind. On that occasion, Moses requested that God display His glory to him. The Lord replied to Moses that He would make all His “goodness” pass before him, and then as He passed by, God declared “The LORD . . . merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Ex. 33:18, 19; 34:5–7). These attributes of God’s glory emphasize the goodness of God’s character, especially in relationship to salvation. Jesus, as Yahweh of the OT (8:58; “I AM”), displayed the same divine attributes when He tabernacled among men in the NT era (Col. 2:9).
As a bonus 😃 below is Spurgeon’s take on John 1:15-16
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.—John 1:15-16
“I wish that we could all say that. Even out of this company, many can say it and, linking our hands with those who have gone before us, and those who are still with us in the faith, we say unitedly, "Of His fullness have we all received," and we hope to receive from it, again, tonight, for it is still His fullness! There is never a trace of declining in Him. It was fullness when the first sinner came to Him and it is still fullness — it will be fullness to the very end. "And Grace for Grace." We get Grace to reach out to another Grace, each Grace becoming a steppingstone to something higher! I do not believe in our rising on the "step-pingstones of our dead selves." They are poor stones — they all lead downwards. The steppingstones of the living Christ lead upwards! Grace for Grace, Grace upon Grace, till Grace is crowned with Glory!”
