Since completing college, I have returned on a few occasions to learn more. The second of which was to learn how to use New Testament Greek to help me study the Bible. At the end of the first class, our professor assigned the task of learning the Greek alphabet. At this point, my textbook had not arrived. So, I borrowed a book from Bob who had taken a similar Greek course many years before. I had one week to learn the alphabet.

            At home, I immediately made flash cards of the Greek alphabet. I began to study.

            One week passed, and I was ready for class. Sitting in my chosen seat, the front row, I was the first to volunteer to recite the alphabet. Sixteen letters into the recital, I stopped. Eager to hear well done, I looked at the professor. “Continue,” he said. I hesitated, because I had recited what I thought was the alphabet. I quickly opened my borrowed text book. Asking for my book, the professor looked at the page I had marked, and handed the book back to me. He said, “Turn the page.” 

Oh wow. I was embarrassed. There were eight more letters on the next page!

            Because I had used a different text book, I had the wrong point of reference. I had come to believe the Greek alphabet had only 16 letters. In my assumption, I had ended up with the wrong understanding. With my wrong understanding, I ended up somewhere I did not want to be, wrong and in the front row looking foolish before my professor and classmates. 

It is a curious thing how the wrong point of reference can lead us to assumptions and places we don’t want to be.

The Right point of Reference

Seldom does any one of us start a relationship from the right point of reference. As a teenager, I had been told God would be my friend. I gladly accepted that to be true, and it is. I soon came to reason that friends want me to be happy, to enjoy life. That is also true of God. But, for my relationship with God to be based upon what I like is not big enough to explain Him, or His purpose for my life. Likely you’ve made wrong assumptions about God, too, such as – He isn’t fun, or He is only useful to children and old people near death. People throughout human history have believed things like that, because they had the wrong point of reference.

Therein is the reason for the Incarnation, the reason God clothed Himself with flesh (1). Emmanuel, God with us (2), He, Jesus, came that He would be the point of reference for all people to find and continue on the Way to God (3).

The Incarnation is the image of the invisible God (4). Not so with man. Adam, the first man, was made in the image of God (5). Mankind resembles God in our spirit, but may no one ever confuse us as being God.

The Incarnation perfectly reflected visibly the invisible God (6). Not so with man. Mankind is made in the likeness of God; likeness (Greek, homoiosis) meaning we morally resemble God (which was not completely destroyed by the fall) (7). Yet, Jesus was much more than a moral man. 

The Incarnation is the exact counterpart of the invisible God. The visible representation of God to the created beings. This representation is not confined to the physical senses, but includes the spiritual eye (8).

The Reason you are Here

The Incarnation is for you to get this right… the reason you’re here in the first place; to have a deep relationship with God as you experience His life. God’s highest concern is not all the things you may do in your life. Who and what you are in this life falls into place as Father God leads you to love God, care for yourself and love others.

It is not that God is first, and the rest of life is to get in line behind Him. God’s too big to be put in a priority box. His desire is for you to take initiative, by responding to His initiative in all things (9). That means whether you are trying to sort out life, or to take care of yourself or help others, God remains at the center.

The Spiritual Eye

The two things that most impact our lives are the people we spend our time with, and the things we read. I challenge you to read to spend time with the Person of God, rather than reading to know the information about God. Start with a Bible and find the Gospel of John. Believe in, and invite, God’s involvement in your life. He is near to you, whether you perceive Him or not. As you read, ask Father to get your attention about things you need to be curious about from the story. Write these things down. Read John’s gospel again, and repeat the process. Do this as many times as it takes to begin to recognize patterns about God, yourself and others from the text. Then move on to Luke, Mark and Matthew’s biography of the Incarnation. Repeat the process. Think to hear what Father is saying to you as you read (10). You will begin to lose your wrong assumptions about God. Your spiritual eye will grow. You will have entered into the Way of Jesus.

The Incarnation did many things, the meaning of which even His closest friends did not understand at the moment. For example, in a clear response to Peter’s objection to Jesus washing his feet, Jesus told Peter You don’t understand now, but you will (11). It wasn’t until after the Incarnation left the earth, that the belief of the Apostles turned into understanding (12). In humble reflection upon the life of Jesus, the Spirit of God did that for them (13, 14).

The Incarnation

The Incarnation is a baby born in poverty, and a man who continued in poverty while believing his life to be well worth-while. The Incarnation is both a king, and a servant. The Incarnation accomplished a specific task with His life (15). The Incarnation was often quick to act, and deeply moved with feeling towards others. The Incarnation is the leader and highest example of human faith in the Lord God (16). The Incarnation leads us to the heart of the matter, intimacy for you with the living God (17).

I have become proud of the Incarnation. The Incarnation has become my hero, my friend, my life. The Incarnation is our opportunity to find the Way to God; to live now while thinking, believing and making decisions as He did.

Come one, come all! See the amazing Incarnation!

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 2:7-8
2. Matthew 1:23
3. John 14:6
4. Colossians 1:15
5. Genesis 1:27
6. 1 Timothy 1:17
7. James 3:9
8. John 12:45; 14:9, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Hebrews 1:1-3
9. John 5:30, 8:28, 8:42, 10:18, 12:49, 14:10
10. Habakkuk 2:1
11. John 13:5-7
12. John 20:8-9
13. John 14:15-21; 16:7-15, Acts 2:14-36
14. Job 42:1-6; Proverbs 11:2, 15:33, 18:12, 29:23
15. John 17:4 
16. Hebrews 12:2
17. John 10:14-15