My Thoughts about the Incarnation

Convincingly Human

Let’s take Christ’s earthly nature first. The New Testament tells us clearly that Jesus is divine. and as Christians, we’re used to thinking of Him as the Messiah, the God-man. But during His time on earth, Christ’s humanity cloaked Him so perfectly, that people had trouble thinking of Jesus in any other way.

Mary and Joseph knew the truth. But I believe Christ’s divine origin was submerged during her normal pregnancy and the messy, painful birth. The shepherds came, excitedly talked about seeing angels, rejoiced at  the Savior’s birth and then disappeared into the night again. The Magi showed up several months later. In between, Joseph and Mary experienced life as new parents. Divinely conceived? Yes. But this baby boy God had entrusted to them was so…ordinary.

1. As a newborn, Jesus needed feeding every 2-3 hours.
2. Shivered in the cold.
3. Grew cranky when He was teething.
4. Often spit up on His mother’s dress.
5. FREQUENTLY needed His poopy diaper changed.
6. Squirmed and became fussy when He got gas..
7. Probably didn’t sleep through the night for the first three months.

Of course, his exhausted parents didn’t sleep much either. Jesus seemed from all outward appearances like an ordinary baby boy.

But he wasn’t.

Mysteriously Divine

Here’s two interesting Scriptures about the pre-incarnate Christ. First, the Apostle John writes:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.² He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14 NIV)

Later, Paul restates the same truths in a new and different way.

Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, ¹⁶ Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory. ¹⁷ He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together.

(1 Colossians 1:15-17 TLB)

The Scriptures clearly state Jesus Is the Person in the Godhead who is our Creator. This truth is fun to think about.

Jesus as our Creator

• Do you realize that the pre-Incarnate Christ, along with the rest of the Trinity, chose His own parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters (Matthew 13:55-57)?
• Mary had no Y chromosome, so our Creator miraculously supplied it.
• Jesus 100% has the right to judge every human on earth; after all, He gave each of us life.
• The Pharisees and Roman soldiers who crucified Him? He created them.
• All the angels and demons? Our Lord and Savior made them too.

Central to the idea of the incarnation is the Philippians 2.

 ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:5-7 RSV)

What did Jesus empty Himself of?