Relationships Part Three

Jesus - God with us, Christ in us: The New Covenant
 
God has always been with us, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” [1]
 
Psalm 139 extols:
“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,
even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”[2]
 
If God has always been with us, within an existential and relational paradigm, then what, if any, is the difference that is to be found in the “God with us”, the new covenant, the new relationship? What is new?
 
This depends on who Jesus of Nazareth is, and our answer to the latter of the two questions that Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”[3], “Who do you say that I am?”[4]
 
Peter’s answer as recorded in Matthew[5] was: “ You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[6]
 
Martha’s answer in John’s Gospel was “I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming to the world.”[7]
 
Other statements made of Jesus in the Gospels include: Emmanuel-God with us,[8]Jesus Christ, Son of God,[9] Son of Man[10] Word ..with God.. was God…became flesh,”[11] “John the Baptist, ..Elijah, …Jeremiah, …one of the prophets”[12].
 
The answers are varied and unending. They evolve and change, even as perceptions, understandings, relationships and experiences, grow and change, for each of us, respectively.
 
Many in the early church struggled as they grappled with this.
 
Giving an answer is one thing. But what does our answer really mean?  The extent of our ability to express with clarity what our answer really means is one measure of our understanding of our answer and consequent significance, ramifications, impact and consequences. Clarity will also enable us to better communicate, reveal and share with greater simplicity our thoughts and actions with others.
 
Many views and perceptions, as to Who Jesus, are also found in the historical records of creeds and writings in the early church. Though, the overwhelming answers were that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” and ‘Word. Who was God, became flesh”, the meanings that were attached to these answers were not the same.
 


[1] Acts 17:28

[2] Psalm 139:

[3] Mark 8:27

[4] Mark 8:29

[5] Matthew 16:16

[6] Mark 8:29 only records the answer as “You are the Christ”.

[7] John 11:27

[8] Matthew 1:23

[9] Mark 1:1

[10] Luke 5:24

[11] John1:1,14

[12] Matthew 16:14

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