Jesus Moved Into the Neighborhood

We are in the midst of the Advent season.  This time the dictionary definition is almost prophetic:

• Advent - The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important 

Yes, indeed.  This is a season of preparation, of eager anticipation.  This is the beginning of the Christian Year.  Advent prepares us for the greatest event in human history -- the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, God "in the flesh."

There will be Christmas pageants.  A heavenly host of angels and shepherds and wise men.  There will be Marys and Josephs.  There will be babies whose parents will delight in their son (or daughter) portraying Baby Jesus, lying in a manger.  

There will be sheep and cows and donkeys and straw.  There will be children's choirs, adult choirs, hand bell choirs, orchestras and bands, all helping us prepare for this most important coming of all.

The Gospel of John declares this incredible miracle unlike any of the other Gospels (in my opinion).  In John 1:14, he says:

• And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (KJV)
• And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time (Darby Bible)
• The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. (The Message)

"The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."  I think that's my favorite version of this text.  Because it conveys the settledness of God's decision.  This was not merely a "visitation." It was a "habitation."  Jesus moved into our world. 

I am thankful that we have four accounts of the life of our Savior -- four different perspectives -- each unique (acknowledging the similarities of the Synoptics and the singular nature of John).  They give us significant details of His birth, various accounts of His life with the disciples, many of His teachings and descriptions of His miracles, and details of His arrest, trial, and crucifixion.  I just wish we had more.  

I wish the Gospel writers had deemed it important to tell us more about Jesus' life from birth to the time He gathered the twelve and started His"official" ministry.  Other than a snapshot of Jesus at twelve years old in the Gospel of Luke, there really is a gap of about thirty years.  And I suppose at the time, none of them thought the details of Jesus' life growing up important enough to record. They wanted to make sure the world understood this Man was from God -- this Man named Jesus was the Messiah, the Promised One, the Savior. 

I understand their eagerness, their passion to proclaim this greatest miracle of all time, and to stick to the most important parts of the story.  God loved us so much He came in human form, as a baby, and demonstrated His divinity through His ministry, eventually suffering and dying for our sins, and then rising from the dead to conquer sin and death.  What an incredible God we have -- what great love!

But I think we can sometimes miss a significant part of this miracle -- a significant part of the Divine Incarnation.  The part where Jesus comes and LIVES with us.  The part where God "moves into the neighborhood."  The part where God doesn't just become a human being, but also experiences all of what it means to be a human being.  God actually entered into our time and space and became a human son, with an earthly mother and father, sisters and brothers.  Jesus wasn't just born to die.  He was born to LIVE.  

Why do I think this is so important to the story?  Because I think we have a hard time talking about Jesus as a human being.  It's so much easier to talk about Him as the Son of God.  It's so much easier to talk about Jesus as being perfect, without sin, fully Divine.  We have a much more difficult time talking about the fact that He was fully human as well.  

When we fail to see Jesus as a human being, I think we miss a major point of the Incarnation.  God was -- and IS -- literally WITH US.  God came to us and stayed, took up residence, had a real, human life among us. The Gospel of John says that He "tabernacled," or "dwelt" with us, which means He was with us as a friend, as a brother, as one of the family.  

John repeats this important truth in his first letter  when he declares, "That which was from the beginning (Jesus), which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched..."  John wants to make sure we get the message that Jesus LIVED.  He lived a life out in the open, among people, among friends, among family.

And because of this,  He knows what it feels like to be a human being.  And not just all the physical aspects of being a living, breathing person -- eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, walking, talking, working, playing -- but all of the emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects that come with humanness. 

Jesus had to GROW.  In fact, Scripture gives evidence of that fact, "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him," (Luke 2:40).

He had close friendships.  Parents who loved Him.  He experienced joy in this world, but also devastating heartache.  He loved, certainly with the love of the Father, but also with human love. His heart was broken by betrayal and rejection.  And yet He continued to love.  Because love really isn't love without sacrifice -- without risk -- without truly giving yourself to another and allowing them the ability to cherish or reject this gift.

We have a Creator, a God, who loves us so much He came down to OUR level.  The God of the universe, Creator of all, came here to learn what it means to be a created one.  To learn what it means to be US.  God entered our world in the only way He could to truly understand us -- by becoming ONE of us.  

Jesus moved into the neighborhood and now God is able to understand us and love us in a way He couldn't before.  Is that possible?  I really think so.  I think that one of the most profound miracles of the Incarnation is that God is now REALLY with us.  

Through Jesus, God's Only Son, fully divine AND fully  human, we now have an Advocate with the Father -- One who speaks on our behalf because He KNOWS.  And the Holy Spirit is evidence of God's Presence among us always.  Jesus didn't physically stay in the neighborhood forever, but His Spirit lives and moves and takes up residence in all who believe in Him.  God is still in the neighborhood.

Emmanual -- God is TRULY with us.