… and he began to teach them.
Summary: Jesus is more than a man. People who meet him face-to-face are looking into the eyes of the being who made everything.
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!
Yet, here we are, believing that Jesus is who he says he is: a Creator who became part of his creation. What does this 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.
We are also partly invisible.
A portion of our existence is what the Bible refers to as “mind,” “soul,” and “heart.” These invisible qualities are all related to our “spirit,” although the way they are related is somewhat of a mystery.
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: How does the fact that Jesus is both Creator and created impact what he taught?
How does the fact that Jesus is both Creator and created impact what he taught?
He was able to relate. He was tempted by the devil. He understood our struggles.
Thanks Tim!
It is very different to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, isn’t it?
How does the fact that Jesus is both Creator and created impact what he taught?
I was asked by our church to speak about the biblical teachings regarding multicultural marriage. It was a fascinating study which I thoroughly enjoyed.
One point I learned is how in some societies people will express their love for one another with words, and in other societies, people will express their love through actions. And as we study the life of Jesus we find He did both.
He is our Creator who speaks of, tells us of His love for all mankind in His written word, which is given to mankind and preserved for all eternity. He completed this by experiencing birth and self confinement in human flesh, as He walked among us, physically demonstrating His love for all mankind, and ultimately giving His life so we might receive life.
Our Creator has chosen to demonstrate His love for us in both the written words as our creator God, and actions as He took on and cloaked in the form of man and walking among us, demonstrating the truths revealed in His written words for 33 years.
Ron,
I am sure your talk at church was very interesting!
Word and deed. Such an important combination!
Thank you!
I don’t know how many times in my life I thought I had “insight” in something and provided “wise advice” only to discover later that my advice was not complete, or completely thought-out and it sent someone down the wrong path. It is because in many ways, I can only “pass on” what I have been taught in my life. One truly amazing thing about asking the Holy Spirit for guidance is knowing that He does know everything, and when He asks me to speak His word, even if to me the message sounds simple and I may not completely understand all aspects of it, it is the right message at the right time for the right person.
Jesus taught in that manner. He spoke with all authority, all knowledge of everything, having created everything, having everything created through Him, and spoke the right message at the right time for the right person. The physical voice of a man speaking the Word of God with full understanding, because they were the Words of the Creator, planting seeds of knowledge and understanding, that led people to hope and life through Him.
Matthew 7:28-29 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
When I read this passage, and more particularly the teaching that preceded it (Matthew 7:1-27), I can understand why the crowds were astonished. Jesus, the man, was teaching not as a man, repeating what had been passed down to Him, but He was teaching with the authority of the Creator.
Thank you, Chris!
Sending someone “down the wrong path” is my worst nightmare! Fortunately, we have a God who knows us, who is known by us (Jesus), and who is IN us (the Holy Spirit).
Good devotion and comments again today. Thank you all.
My admittedly simplistic take on this question is that it shows He is both powerful and good. He created everything and has the capacity to become a man. That is a lot of power. But He also cared about His creation and especially those created in His image. He cared enough to go through the pain and struggle of life and die on a cross in our place for our sin. That makes Him very, very good and worthy of worship.
Thank you, Rich!
Well said! Jesus is very good and very worthy of our worship.
Amen!