The Word became flesh: This means the Word became truly human. The idea that the Word became human was shocking to both Greeks and Jews.
Many Greeks believed that God was completely separate from the ordinary human world. They used the word sarx (Greek for “flesh”) to describe human life as weak or earthly. John taught something very different. He said that God himself became human in Jesus Christ (compare 1:1).
Jesus was fully human and fully divine. He was not partly God and partly human. These two truths together form the foundation of Christian teaching about Christ.
the Word … made His dwelling among us (Greek skēnoō, “pitched a tent”): The Greek verb skēnoō means “to pitch a tent” or “to live in a tent.” This word is related to skēnē, the Greek word for the tabernacle. The tabernacle was the tent where the Lord’s glory lived among Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 25:8–9). In Jesus, God’s glory now lived among his people in a new way (Exodus 40:34–38; John 2:11; 12:23–28, 41; 17:1–5).
Even though the world was dark and hostile, Jesus came to save it. He offered God’s love and faithfulness to the world (3:15–17).