Ever tried to figure out who God really is?
There are a few places we can find descriptions of him. One of my favourites is in nature. While it has been degraded to some extent over the years by the disease we brought into it, like any great artwork, it is full of expressions of the artist himself. And it is vast, so I never cease to find something new.
Then there is the Bible - writings of people who knew him. It too, requires understanding that these people were a product of their own culture and time, and wrote from their own perceptions of him. While full of wisdom and instruction, their view of God was still so poor, that God needed to choose another avenue, to show himself more clearly.
So into the picture came Jesus. God, himself, walking with man. The most vivid portrayal of who God really is! In his own words "whoever has seen me, has seen the Father" John 14:9. So what does the life Jesus lived, teach us about God?
From the very beginning, he used utmost wisdom and tact, and was "in favour with God and man" Luke 2:52 - that means everyone approved of him! He was very likeable! (until he started sharing controversial ideas of course) He was someone you wanted to hang out with!
He was respectful and kind - even to women, who for the most part were viewed as possessions of the males in their families. He did not ignore them as unworthy of his attention! Even those who were labelled "sinners" - whose wrongdoings had become starkly obvious to all around them. No-one else would give them the time of day! But the woman thrown at his feet and publicly humiliated by a crowd of self-righteous men, he quietly defended, leaving the crowd ashamed at the wrong in their own hearts. And then he lifted her from the dust, free to walk away from that shame and condemnation.
His heart ached for the mother, whose only son had died, leaving her with no-one to love, and no-one to care for her in a society where only men could be providers. In deep compassion, he gave her back her son.
He knew the stigma that society stamped on the cripples and desperately ill - believing this to be a curse from God in payment for a life of wrong-doing. He reached out to heal their drowning hearts by telling them their past, with all its stains was gone! That God wanted to free them from shame, not condemn them! And then, when their souls began to soar, he healed their physical ailments too - so they would no longer be held captive by the disapproval of their community.
He taught of principles, deeper than the law - all bound together by a common thread - love for God and love for man! He opened people's eyes, not only to the realities around them, but to the concept of a kingdom, built on this love, which could turn the whole world around!
And his final act of payment, for wages he did not earn, showed the incredible depth of love he offered. The lengths he was prepared to go to to teach us our worth!!!
This is God!! Not the ugly, distorted view many of us have of him!!! This is God!!! The one who was willing to walk here, to show himself!! Because we could not see him without it.
This is the God I am deeply in love with!! See for yourself!! Read the stories of Jesus's life written down for eternity, so we could know him too! Read them. Understand his heart - piece by piece. Until you fall in love with him too...
Photo from "The Chosen" TV series
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