Scripture: 2 John 7 – “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist!” (NRSVue)
There are few things more boring to lay people than the Christological debates of the first few centuries after the birth of Christ concerning how exactly Jesus was both human and divine. Actually, there are few things more boring to clergy! These theologies are something that we learn in seminary in church history or Theology 101, but they are quickly filed away, rarely to be thought of again. However, given the fact that people were arguing about for 350 years should tell you how important it all is.
In our time, Jesus’ divinity is the problem. Many people, even those who call themselves Christians, believe that Jesus was just a great teacher. They deny many of the miracles like the virgin birth or the resurrection that point to his divinity.
However, in the time of Jesus, the thing that people struggled with was Jesus’ humanity. There were plenty of gods and spirits everywhere, so they thought, and one that appeared human would not be beyond the realm of possibility. What made no sense was that a god would come to Earth only to suffer and die on a cross. Gods did not suffer, they conquered. So many people, even those who call themselves Christians, believed that Jesus was just a spirit or that he did not really suffer on the cross.
But to the early church, Jesus’ humanity was the most important thing. The Second Letter of John is the shortest book in the entire bible, and it has a very simple message about being deceived. Specifically, it rejects those who believe that Jesus was never human. But why was this so important? If God could teach and perform miracles, just as God did in ancient times, why did it matter that Jesus was human?
Well, think about your relationship with Jesus. Does the fact that Jesus was a human matter to you? Does it matter that we went through all the joys and sorrows, all the pains and humiliations that all of us do? Does it matter that he died and rose to show us that death is not the end? We talk about Jesus as our friend, not just our Lord, because we heard the stories of how he walked with his disciples, healed the sick, forgave sinners, and stood up to those who brought injustice to their communities. We can do these things, even if we cannot walk on water or feed 5000 people with a few loaves and fishes. Loving Jesus like this helps us to love others better.
There are theologies of atonement that say that Jesus had to suffer as a human to propitiate God’s anger at humanity, or that Jesus had to become human and rise so that all other humans could rise with him. But to us, what matters is that Jesus is our friend, that Jesus speaks to us with love and not just power. This fact brings us to believe in the God that so many people have forgotten and to love the people that so many have ignored. Do not forget to pray to Jesus today and to do something kind in his name.
Prayer: Jesus, you my friend and you live in me. Guide me to be your servant to all who know me. Amen.
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