Does Jesus jump from being an infant to twelve years old to a man of 30 years before he starts being a person to you? If you meet someone as a child or young adult or when we are in the latter portion of our life are they any less a person to us? Oftentimes, we say, if only we had more information of the missing years we could better relate to him. We could better believe he was for real. God gave up His Diety to become man. To experience life as man, to have the same emotions. The fact we don't have information on several years of his makes him no less real.
All too many times, Jesus goes from the cradle to picking his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. We rarely picture Jesus having his diapers changed, falling as he learned to walk, having tummy aches, getting his first tooth, having his mother teaching him life lessons through her eyes, learning life lessons at Joeeph's knee, learning a trade from his father. What other things did he learn from Mary and Joseph?
Paul tells the Philippians that Jesus, "being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." And, to the Corinthians he says about Jesus, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He (God, I added) became poor, so that you through his (Jesus, I added) poverty might become rich." For you, for me, God came to this earth as man; experienced everything we experience, suffered a death worse than we can ever think of experiencing, rose from the dead, and sits at the right hand of God so we might have life, and have it abundantly.
Sarah Young in JESUS CALLING helps us to see Christmas from Jesus's viewpoint, "I accepted the limitations of infancy under the most appalling conditions--a filthy stable. That was a dark night for Me, even though angels lit up the sky proclaiming 'Glory!', I became poor so that you might become rich."
God came to this earth as a baby, Jesus, and walked this earth for 30 years doing the very same things you and I do every day. Then, for three years Jesus taught and healed and showed us how we can fulfill the purpose God created us to fulfill. Never before or since in the history of man has a god become man! God became man so we are able to have a relationship with Him. Allow this to soak deep into your soul. Ostwald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest asks the question to consider for this Christmas lesson, "Have I allowed my personal human life to become a 'Bethlehem' for the Son of God?"
I'm a little late doing the reading, Susan, but this was a
ReplyDeletebeautiful article to reflect on. So I am asking myself am I
open to hear God's word through however He chooses to do that
in my life. Thank you. Liz