THE statement, "The Word was made flesh," which occurs in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, if taken literally and without regard to its metaphysical meaning, might appear both paradoxical and unintelligible. Especially might this be the case in view of the preceding passage, in which the evangelist shows that the sons of God are so entirely different in nature and in origin from mortals born of the flesh that the latter cannot comprehend the nature of the sons of God without the assistance of a mediator. In order, therefore, that mankind might receive this needed enlightenment, it was necessary that the Word should become flesh; that is to say, that Truth should become humanly appreciable.
For many generations the Hebrew prophets had been preparing the way in human consciousness for the advent of the Messiah. The scribes and Pharisees, however, were looking for a personal savior who should spring from the house of David, from the lineage of Abraham, and should become king of the Jews.
John, the beloved disciple, who took a more spiritual view of the Messiah, opens his Gospel with the passage concerning the eternal identity of the Logos, or Word. Then, after a brief reference to the mission of John the Baptist, he comes directly to the point, saying, "And the Word was made 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." In spite of this utterance, and the care which the writer took to distinguish between the Spirit and the flesh, Christendom did not until this day discern its full meaning. Because of this long-felt lack, the discovery of Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy fills a most important place in the history of Christianity. Through her spiritual understanding of the Bible, Mrs. Eddy interprets the statement, "The Word was made flesh," as follows (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 350): "Divine Truth must be known by its effects on the body as well as on the mind, before the Science of being can be demonstrated. Hence its embodiment in the incarnate Jesus,—that life-link forming the connection through which the real reaches the unreal, Soul rebukes sense, and Truth destroys error."
