Eclectic Christian

by Joshua Hearne

“So he is called man, not only that through his body he may be apprehended by embodied creatures, whereas otherwise this would be impossible because of his incomprehensible nature; but also that by himself he may sanctify humanity, and be as it were a leaven to the whole lump; and by uniting to himself that which was condemned may release it from all condemnation, becoming for all men all things that we are, except sin—body, soul, mind, and all through which death reaches—and thus he became man, who is the combination of all these…”
~Gregory of Nazianzus

I love this idea of Jesus as the leaven for the whole lump of humanity.

So, God became man not just because it gives us a means to understand God and commune with him. Rather, it is so that God can join us in our suffering and sanctify us as if by proximity. He intermingles divinity with humanity.

It reminds me of Psalm 22.

My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won’t you listen to my groans and come to my rescue?
I cry out day and night, but you don’t answer, and I can never rest.
Yet you are the holy God, ruling from your throne and praised by Israel.

But I am merely a worm, far less than human, and I am hated and rejected by people everywhere.
Everyone who sees me makes fun and sneers. They shake their heads,
and say, “Trust the LORD! If you are his favorite, let him protect you and keep you safe.”
You, LORD, brought me safely through birth, and you protected me when I was a baby at my mother’s breast.
From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from the time of my birth, you have been my God.
Don’t stay far off when I am in trouble with no one to help me.
Enemies are all around like a herd of wild bulls. Powerful bulls from Bashan are everywhere.
My enemies are like lions roaring and attacking with jaws open wide.
I have no more strength than a few drops of water. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax.
My strength has dried up like a broken clay pot, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You, God, have left me to die in the dirt.
Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me.
They took my clothes and gambled for them.

~Portions of Psalm 22

This is the one that Jesus quoted on the cross. It’s significant to me because it was written by the psalmist many years prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. It’s a lament to God from the Psalmist. You can hear the notes of complaint and suffering in the voice of the psalmist. Interestingly enough, Jesus calls upon this suffering psalm to represent himself. He questions himself and all the suffering.

This is a beautiful picture. Not of a God who remains aloof and distant. It is a dramatic picture of a God who joins with us in our suffering and understands the pain and expresses our anguish to himself as we have expressed it to him in the past. God joins humanity in our suffering.

To once again quote Gregory of Nazianzus:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? …But, as I said, he was in his own person representing us. For we were the forsaken and despised before, but now, by the sufferings of Him who could not suffer, we were taken up and saved.” ~Gregory of Nazianzus

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