Monday, December 10, 2007
Jesus: Man with us?!?
The birth of Jesus may be one of the most significant moments in human history. The unbelievable, the impossible, the unthinkable had occurred: God became a Man! :-o Most of us are familiar with the popular handle for Jesus during the Christmas season: Immanuel; which most people know comes from the Hebrew language meaning God with us. And truly such a title is both puzzling and awe inspiring. For how could Creator become creation? It’s like making a gingerbread house and then later transforming yourself into a gingerbread man just to live inside; and yet far more absurd than that even! I could go on and on about the mystery of the incarnation and many of us would do good to reflect much on this during the season. However I would like to inspect a different aspect of the incarnation that is usually overlooked. You see we always see Jesus as God with us, but what does it mean that Jesus was a human?
I submit that the fact that Jesus being human may be just as important, and eve more applicable than the fact that Jesus is God. What do I mean? Many of us lose sight of Jesus’ humanity and it may be to our disadvantage.
Stating the fact that Jesus is Man with us underlines the fact that Jesus was pure humanity. Jesus was the way in which humans were supposed to be. The way in which we live and experience humanity is merely a fallen and twisted form. Yet Jesus, taking on the form of human, and not just the form but the actually essence of humanity demonstrated the greatness of mankind.
Let me borrow an idea taken from a popular Xian artist: Humans, as we are now, see things upside down. We seek after riches, self fulfillment, comfortability and success. None of these things were valued by Jesus. He valued suffering, invested into others and saw the poor and afflicted as those who are blessed.
I sometimes wonder if we weren’t fallen humans that we might gravitate towards these similar themes. In our fallen state we have such a twisted perspective on reality. Though deep down we may understand that serving others, working through trials and taking on poverty are admirable and commendable actions. But naturally we are repulsed by these and too often we seek for our own personal gain and comfort.
Jesus, being the firstborn, the new Adam, transcends the standards for humanity in such a way that it shakes our very core purpose, goal and desires. Jesus as a human is calling us and challenging us into an existence that was always meant to be and is now able to be grasped.
