God Became Man and Dwelt Among Us

In St. John’s Gospel we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) and miraculously, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). At the very heart of Christianity is the truth that God became man. Jesus Christ, God the Son and Second Person of the Holy Trinity, took on human nature for the sake of our salvation. Jesus is not only a prophet, a good man, a teacher, or healer.  Jesus is God who became man to save us and bring us into a personal relationship with Him. How remarkable is that! Jesus Christ is 100% God and 100% Man and this has been the orthodox Christian teaching since the time of Christ. In His humanity, Jesus is like us in every way except sin. We cannot fully understand this great mystery on the one hand, yet, this truth is profoundly comforting on the other. Our God relates to us and knows exactly what we are going through.  So, when we approach Him in prayer, we know He fully understands us and can relate to everything we are experiencing: our joys, our sadness, our pain, our hurt, our loss, our hunger, our loneliness, our temptations. He experienced them for our sake. This gives us boundless confidence in going to Him with our prayers and concerns. It gives us courage to go to Him because He understands. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” Ponder that!

 Your Faith Journey

Just like in the first century, Jesus asks a question that each and every one of us must answer today:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). Jesus doesn’t let us avoid His question. CS Lewis once said that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Some people would add another option: a myth.

Who would die for a complete lie?  Who would voluntarily be sacrificed and killed over a useless myth? Who would suffer unimaginable pain over a known liar or a crazed lunatic? Conversely, the personal lives of the disciples and eyewitnesses to Jesus’s life, death, and miraculous resurrection were forever changed when they experienced Jesus after He arose from the dead. They felt the nail scars in His hand that had tried to keep Him in the grave. They were forever changed, so much so that when they were challenged to renounce their faith in Jesus they chose to die horrible deaths.

Stephen – First martyr who was stoned to a bloody death.

Peter – He was crucified upside down at his own request.

Paul – He was brutally beheaded.

Bartholomew – He endured the horror of being skinned alive.

Thomas – Pierced to death with spears.

The Question…

They made their choice who Jesus is, and proved it by their life.

But, who do you say Jesus is? Is Jesus truly the Lord of your life?