Our church has had the wonderful opportunity to partner with a missionary couple who has been working for years among a nomadic tribe. This endeavor has been challenging for our friends and their children. During their frequent travels, they must set up their tent, cook, eat, sleep, then pack up their tent and travel some more.

When Jesus, the Word from eternity past, became a human being, He made His dwelling among us (v. 14). The term for dwelling means to “spread or pitch a tent.” It refers to a temporary dwelling place. Jesus chose to pitch His tent, for a time, with us.

In the Old Testament, Moses was directed by God to instruct the Israelites to build Him a tabernacle. God said, “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). God gave Moses specific instructions regarding the materials, measurements, design, and colors of the tabernacle and all that went into it. It was to be constructed according to God’s exact specifications. After it was completed, “the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Ex. 40:34).

In the New Testament, Jesus replaced the Old Testament tabernacle. He is the One Who “tabernacled” among us. As John 1:14 states, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God, the Word, became human and displayed His glory for all to see.

>> Today’s reading is a great reminder that Jesus is more than the baby in a manger. He is the living Word of God Who chose to pitch His tent among us so that we may see God’s glory. He traveled, slept, cooked, and ate with us so that we could know God in an intensely personal way (v. 18). Whom can you invite to study with you and get to know the Jesus of Christmas?

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