Creator
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: More than a man, people who meet Jesus face-to-face are looking into the eyes of the being who made everything we know and experience possible.
In Part I, we looked at Jesus’ divine nature and the fact that he is God. Yet, somehow, Jesus is more. Other religions lay claim to stories about how the world was made, but only one man was ever said to have created the world. Jesus’ disciple, John, describes Jesus this way:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1: 1-3)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 14)
I have to confess that I cannot even begin to wrap my head around this. The idea that God created man and then became a man is mind-boggling. That would be like a man creating a cartoon and then becoming a character in his own cartoon! (Yes, I know that I sometimes act ‘cartoonish’ but that is not the same thing.)
Yet, here we are, believing that Jesus is who he says he is. What does that mean?
If Jesus was the genius behind our existence, then at least there is a reason we were made the way we are. The design of our bodies, let alone the design of all of nature, is so exquisite that only a genius of the highest order could have created us. Physically, we are an incredible blend of form and function. But wait, there’s more!
We are also partly invisible.
A portion of our existence is constrained by what we call “thinking” and “feeling.” These two invisible aspects of our lives are doorways to an entire realm of existence that some say exists only in the mind. But does it? Are the thoughts in your head and the feelings in your heart only tiny sparks of electricity that follow the laws of physics? Are your hopes and dreams nothing more than the “effect” of some “cause”?
I, for one, cannot accept that my inner being is a physical anomaly. We are physical beings with a spiritual component. That means we exist both visibly and invisibly. Like a hand in a glove, the hand cannot be seen, but when the gloves come off, the hands (in their world) become visible.
When my mother passed, her body stopped working. The invisible part of her did not. That part is now with Jesus. When my body stops working, I expect to meet Jesus personally, too. It will not be a meeting where I am standing on a street corner and see some dude named Jesus walking by. No, no, no, no. It will be a meeting where I am embraced by the Creator of the Universe and all that is in it. It will be a meeting where I feel tiny compared to the infinite power and majesty of God’s Son.
Jesus knows why the inner ear is designed the way it is and why our eyes see what they see. He created our minds and our hearts. He designed our DNA and engineered the physical world around us. Jesus is the genius behind it all. When we listen to his teachings, it is good to keep that in mind.
Application: As you learn more about how the world works, keep in mind that all of this was created by one person.
Food for Thought: If Jesus had not been involved in the creation of the world or us, how would that have affected his mission here on earth?
I think if Jesus hadn’t been personally involved in creation, then His sacrifice could have been seen as an “tasking.”
I think sometimes people talk about the creation as if God pressed us all out from some sort of cosmic machine. I believe God created us all individually, specifically. When Jesus hung on the cross He thought about you and me, specifically.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jesus embodies the greatest commandments:
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus was not “tasked.” He came willingly to reunite us with the Father. He loves and obeys the Father and does not place Himself above our lives. The Creator of all things, who gave us free will, died to save His creation.
Chris,
Thank you! I like your word, “tasked.” That captures the difference between “want to” and “have to” well.
Good thoughts Chris.
I agree and also think that by Jesus Creating us in His image that this is very personal to Him. We are very personal to Him. He cares about us as He impressed His image upon us. This is indeed no impersonal task, but one in which He is deeply invested. In fact, He desires to be so close to us that we are one with Him. John 17: 20 – 26.
It also means that we were created to be with Him. Our souls long for home like a sailor out at sea for months waits to get to his home port.
Rich,
I like your poetic reference to “souls” and “sailors.” We are like souls on a sea of discontent waiting for the wind of God’s salvation to blow us safely to shore.
🙂
10-06-2022, Matthew 5: 2 — Who is Jesus? Part II
If Jesus had not been involved in the creation of the world or us, how would that have affected his mission here on earth?
My first thought is there would not have been one.
But we all know He is our creator and is totally involved in every event on this earth with foreknowledge of all events to come. He is Omnipresence meaning His power and knowledge extend to all parts of His creation, He Himself is always present everywhere.
John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17, Proverbs 15:3, 1 Kings 8:27
As our creator, He chose to confine Himself to flesh for a time so He could live among us as our example in word and deed of a sinless life dedicated to serving the will of God over our own. God experienced every hardship, every temptation, every abuse of men as He ministered to each of us even as He gave His life on the cross to pay the price for our sins.
We are His creation. Only He could demonstrate His great love for all mankind and pay the price for our sins. Only His sacrifice would ever have the massive impact it has.
Ron,
I’m inclined to agree with your “first thought.” Why would Jesus bother? Certainly, it would have been an exercise in the abstract for him. The thing that sets our God and our Lord apart is their capacity, need, and insistence on love.
Well said Brother!