And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word became flesh. Not the Word sent a message, not the Word inspired some people to write things down — the Word became something you could stand next to, watch eat, hear laugh. Whatever ultimate truth or reason or meaning behind everything is, this verse claims it didn't stay abstract. It put on a body and moved into the neighborhood.
That's a strange thing to claim if you're used to thinking of God, if you think about God at all, as distant and untouchable. This isn't a religion built around ideas you have to reach up toward. It's a claim that the reaching happened from the other direction first.
You don't need settled theology to notice how unusual that is. Most gods people imagine stay comfortably far away. This verse describes one who apparently didn't want to.
If the God you've pictured has always felt distant, it might be worth looking at the version this verse actually describes.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.