Monday, March 12, 2012

But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well. 

John 2:25

     There is no doubt that Jesus was a human being.  He felt what we felt - joy, sorrow, fear, anger, peace, anxiety, confidence, love.  He had them all.  Jesus had a family and all that entails.  He was a baby, learning to walk and talk.  He was a child, learning to play and do chores and behave in church.  He was a teenager that gave his parents attitude (his response to them when they scolded him for wandering away and going to the temple without telling them).  He was a young man, learning a trade, figuring out what God wanted for his life.  He was a man, living out his life's purpose, not always sure of what that was and not always liking it when he figured it out.  Yes, Jesus was definitely human.

     But, Jesus was also the Son of God.  He was one with God.  It is that connectedness that gave Jesus the ability to have complete and utter trust in God.  Jesus felt what we felt, but was able to respond as God would respond because his trust was with God and God's ways, not in humans and human ways.  Isn't this a tremendous gift? Isn't it awesome that we have a Creator who loves us so intensely as to come to us, as we are, and become a living example of how to be in relationship with our God and one another?

     Jesus knew that humans would fail him.  Jesus knew that no matter how much love they had for him and how much they believed in him, some of them would deny him.  No matter how much they told him they believed he was the Messiah, some of them would be in the crowd that screamed for his crucifixion.  Jesus knew this because he intimately knew their hearts.  Jesus also knew that God would never fail him.  That is why he put ALL of his trust in God.

     Humans fail one another.  We do.  God will never fail us.  God will always love us, forgive us, and desire a relationship with us.   But, if we put our complete trust in God, it is then that we will be given what we need to love each other, forgive each other, be in relationship with each other.

Prayer:  God, we come to you with our whole selves - the perfect and imperfect.  We give you thanks that you gave us Jesus - the One who can relatedto us completely.  Grant us today the grace to give you our complete trust so that we may be examples of your love and forgiveness in our daily lives.