Updates from Andy RSS
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06:34:29 am on April 22, 2008 |
Driscoll quotes Madeleine L’Engle in a statement that perfectly summarizes the second chapter of Vintage Jesus:
To be a Christian is to believe in the impossible. Jesus was God. Jesus was Human.
And therein lies a fundamental difficulty for non-Christians in the acceptance of Jesus - that He was (is) fully human and fully God.
I found that Driscoll began to find a rhythm to his writing once he listed the various quotes from assorted writers and theologians as to the nature of Jesus. Being one who is not planning on the pastorate (no matter what my friend Will thinks), I found myself engaged by the differing viewpoints on the dynamic tension between Jesus’ humanity and divinity. So many traditions within the Christian faith are prone to an overemphasis between one or the other, and it is a tension that I find myself struggling with as well, particularly finding myself more prone to the overemphasis on his divinity and not understanding the importance of his humanity.
And on this point I believe Driscoll handles the balance between divinity and humanity well. Of note in page 36: “…when Jesus became a man, he did not change his identity as God but rather changed his role.” Furthermore he states that Jesus “laid aside the independent exercise of his divine attributes.”
Those two quotes really lay the foundation of Driscoll’s effective argument, as we see time and again through the Gospels how Jesus submits to the Father’s authority - that even with his divine nature, he acts only in concert with the will of God.
Driscoll brings his argument to a head on page 45 with what I believe to be the key takeaway for this chapter:
For those who are sick, abused, burned out, tired, bedridden, flat broke, tempted, weary, hated, lonely, and dying, the humanity of Jesus on his darkest days is encouraging. Without these insights into Jesus’ life, it would be difficult for us to run to him in our time of need because we would be unaware of the similar experiences he had during his life on the earth. Those experiences make him a compassionate friend. Therefore, the humanity of Jesus is as important for our love of Jesus as his divinity.
Jesus is the conduit by which God is able to relate to us, his children. We were unable to do so in Eden, unable to do so through the Law, but now we are able to connect with God because Jesus is our mediator, having lived among us, fully comprehending the breadth of the human experience.
