Became Flesh

Day Seven                    Became Flesh                        Philippians 2:5-11

What does it mean for us to say that the Word “became” flesh? Does it mean that Jesus stopped being something in order for Him to become something else? Did He lay aside the majesty and glory of heaven in order to become a human being? If so, then we have a problem. Can we really say that Jesus stopped being divine when He became human?

Often, when we say that a person “became” something we do mean that they stopped being what they had been previously. When a corporal is promoted he or she becomes a sergeant. The former rank no longer applies. When a student completes college he or she becomes a graduate. The former designation or status no longer holds. So, when Christ, God’s eternal Word became Jesus the son of Mary, did He cease to be the Son of God?

Throughout Christian history there have been two opposite yet equally dangerous heresies. One has emphasized Jesus’ divine nature to such a degree that His humanity has been denied. To follow this line of thinking is to devalue our human experience. The body becomes a dirty rag, an inconvenient and temporary home for the eternal soul. This is a heresy because it fails to recognize that Jesus was a man. He lived like us; He knew heat and cold, joy and pain. He shared our world in every respect, yet without sin. The suffering He endured upon the Cross was not diminished by supernatural powers. He really did take human flesh for us.

On the other hand, some people have emphasized Jesus’ human nature to the exclusion of His divinity. To follow this line of thinking is to devalue the supernatural in Jesus’ life and ours. Everything is reduced to the human level. Miracles are “explained.” Doctrine is dominated by the immediate, it has no eternal dimension. Jesus becomes a good example whose teaching inspires us to live better lives and to help others. He is no longer our Savior. This is a heresy because it fails to recognize that Jesus was, and is, so much more than a man. Though He shared our world, He was not of our world. He was the very image of the invisible God. If He had wanted to do so, He could have called down legions of angels; He could have made the rocks shout out for joy. He really was God contracted to a span, for us.

When a corporal becomes a sergeant, he or she does not stop being a soldier. When an undergraduate receives a degree, he or she does not stop being a student of life. And when the Word became flesh, He did not stop being God.

Mighty God, I am in awe of what You became. In the person of Your Son You left the heights of glory, which is Your home, and You reached down to the clay of our existence to lift us up. My heart rejoices in the gift of Christ my Lord. Amen.