Father, thank you for Jesus.
If you asked me a week ago I would have felt I hardly needed to write this one, that Jesus Christ is the son of God and son of man (through Mary) is one of the most important aspects of Christianity, yet it is amazing to find that some people even have problems understanding this simple concept. In only this last week I've two different discussions, one person said Jesus was God and the other that he was an angel reborn through Mary.
The first issue we need to look at is that of the virgin birth. We all know from the Christmas story Mary's question "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" and the angels response "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Now, you can't get any more straight forward than that! Jesus was conceived via the Holy Spirit, but was human in every other respect.
This was the union between God and mankind, and just like any relationship this brought about characteristics from both parents. From God, Jesus had the power of the Holy Spirit (given after his baptism) and from man he inherited human frailties and weakness, the knowledge of good and evil, the ability to sin and be tempted and ultimately, death.
Jesus was tempted like we are, but he didn't sin. He wanted to do what his Father had instructed him to, even if this meant his death.
Yet these simple facts are often not believed. Even during the first century, there were those who refused to believe that Jesus had human descent. Their thoughts and understanding was so attuned to Greek and Roman mythology that they thought anyone who had such humble beginings, being born in a stable, growing up as a carpenter living day by day in the dusty streets of Judea, could not be divine, so to counter act this they then said that Jesus had no human origins, that he was totally divine and even went so far as to say that he was not flesh and blood at all. Whether this was because they wanted Jesus to be better and more grand than the supposed gods on Mt. Olympus we don't know. But whatever the reason they tried to persuade people away from a humble, hard working Christ to someone who was too aloof and unapproachable. John condemns these people for this. (I John 4:2,3)
It may have been for the above reasons that the idea of the trinity was formed. To elevate Christ to compete with the materialistic ideals of Greek godhood, and so boast about things which are of no consequence. Jesus Christ never asked for huge marble temples like those of Zeus or Apollo. He never asked for statues and priests in expensive clothing, or processions through the streets, and you can just see the pagan worshippers saying that their god was better because they had all these things.
What Jesus wanted was that we come to God, that we love Him, that we love our neighbour, that we are willing to help others. Materialism is not what Jesus wants. He said "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." Yes, God has been good to us, but we have to remember everything belongs to Him and not to us.
Jesus came to show us the way. He worked, he served others and we should do the same.
Why did Jesus wash the disciple's feet?
Could Jesus have raised himself on the third day? - more next week