Being Human
The advantage of having a God who knows what it is like to be human is that He knows what it's like to be human.
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. - John 12:27-36a
The Trinity is an unnecessarily complicated concept for us to grasp as Christians. It is even more difficult for non-Christians to grasp.
In today's Gospel reading, John lets us see how Jesus tackles it.
Because Jesus is one with God, the Father, he doesn't need to say anything aloud for God to hear him, but he does for us.
He wants us to know that the human Jesus feels what we feel, while the divine Jesus is fully integrated into the Godhead.
Complicated? Yeah, somewhat. But he also wants them to know he will leave them, yet be with them always.
And this is where the third presence of God comes into play, The Holy Spirit, who Jesus will describe as an advocate for us.
So, God creates us, walks with us, and stays with us forever.
Easy peasy, right?
If God didn't choose to become human, to touch us and allow us to touch him, would we get it?
No.
It is better for us to experience God and have doubts than to not experience God at all.
More to come...