There was a story Billy Graham told about walking with his son and him stepping on an ant hill, hurting the ants. His son wanted to help the ants, but he told his son that they were too big; there was nothing they could do for them. It caused him to think of how it must be with how God looked at us. He wanted to save us. So, God became a man.
Scripture builds to this miraculous event. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible leads us in knowing that Jesus is that man and that Jesus was God.
Many times in Jesus’ ministry, He is challenged to his identity. In each instance, his reply is enough to hurl insults, warrant authorities to want to throw him off a cliff, or to stone him for blasphemy… in their eyes.
“Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”” – John 8:57-58
“Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” – Luke 4:20-21
On this side of the cross, we know Jesus is God. It still becomes difficult to translate that to others and help them to believe. It is amazing, Jesus just spoke and it caused people to fall in amazement.
“As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!” – John 18:6
The Bible finally teaches in John 3:16, the most well-known scripture, “For God so loved the world, that He gave us his only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The biggest thing about the fact that Jesus is God is our belief in Him. That requires faith. We have all the answers. The Bible is filled with them. It requires faith to trust in its infallibility. We can be told that a bridge is safe to cross, shown the schematics, and witness others crossing that bridge, but until we take that first step, only then will we experience for ourselves the truth that the bridge is structurally sound. Our first step begins with faith in the builder.
Just as we may not understand what our life holds, God sent his son to guide us to Himself. He became human so he can help us in ways that humans can understand, like Billy Graham’s son wanted to do. He came, He guided, He died; Then He rose again. Everyone who looks to Him will be saved. Everyone who trusts the bridge builder will make it safely across. Everyone. But our little ant eyes must be opened. But that is why He came.
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slaveand was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
– Philippians 2:6-11
Photo by Gopinath Mohanta on Unsplash
Moments for the Heart 