The utterly strange claim that God has become one of us!!
The very familiar religious version of creation separates the creator from the created and gives sole authorship and authority to a non-created God. So, according to John's Gospel, the Word commands things into existence and is the source of all creation (John 1:1-13).
However, get to verse 14 in John, and he hits us with a bomb-shell and overturns, or completely reshapes this standard account. Here he claims that the Word has become flesh, in the person of Jesus. Now, it is one thing to say that a creator reflects himself in what he creates; this is relatively easy to comprehend. So, an artist reflects her personality in her paintings, or a mother reflects her love for her child in the birthday cake she makes for him. However, John’s claim is much more radical and difficult to understand. Analogously, the artist literally becomes the painting while remaining the artist; or, the mother literally becomes the cake while remaining the parent of the child. “Surely”, we can hear the mockers say: “if you are to believe in a loving God at all, you should commit to a much more sensible and manageable faith. Have faith in your leader, Jesus, who may reflect God for sure and even reflect God’s love, as you see it, in a unique way, but you should steer well clear of claiming that he is God. That’s just crazy!”
However, what if, despite the odds, Christians are right? What are the implications of the utterly strange character of this claim? First, in considering the character of friendship, God, in becoming one of us, has in one important way assumed an equal relationship with us by sharing our humanity. He has become our brother or sister, as stated, for example, in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 2:10-18; or, using Jesus’ own preferred title of himself, he has become the Son of Man (Mark, 13:26; 14:62). Second, by implication, this allows us to enter a place of profound blessing, well-being and enrichment, born out of the intimacy and connection promised in his loving character as a human being and, subsequently, as his friend.
However, get to verse 14 in John, and he hits us with a bomb-shell and overturns, or completely reshapes this standard account. Here he claims that the Word has become flesh, in the person of Jesus. Now, it is one thing to say that a creator reflects himself in what he creates; this is relatively easy to comprehend. So, an artist reflects her personality in her paintings, or a mother reflects her love for her child in the birthday cake she makes for him. However, John’s claim is much more radical and difficult to understand. Analogously, the artist literally becomes the painting while remaining the artist; or, the mother literally becomes the cake while remaining the parent of the child. “Surely”, we can hear the mockers say: “if you are to believe in a loving God at all, you should commit to a much more sensible and manageable faith. Have faith in your leader, Jesus, who may reflect God for sure and even reflect God’s love, as you see it, in a unique way, but you should steer well clear of claiming that he is God. That’s just crazy!”
However, what if, despite the odds, Christians are right? What are the implications of the utterly strange character of this claim? First, in considering the character of friendship, God, in becoming one of us, has in one important way assumed an equal relationship with us by sharing our humanity. He has become our brother or sister, as stated, for example, in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 2:10-18; or, using Jesus’ own preferred title of himself, he has become the Son of Man (Mark, 13:26; 14:62). Second, by implication, this allows us to enter a place of profound blessing, well-being and enrichment, born out of the intimacy and connection promised in his loving character as a human being and, subsequently, as his friend.
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