Why the Incarnation Never Gets Old
Why is the incarnation important enough to celebrate each year? How would you answer that if someone asked you? Isn’t the incarnation simply an appendage to the perennial push at year’s end by storeowners and restaurateurs to move their profits into the black? Maybe we should get rid of the incarnation at Christmas and instead move the resurrection to December in its place! We might be tempted to think that the resurrection deserves more attention and hype as a doctrine and so moving the incarnation out of our yearly celebration could at least be considered, could it not? While we might not say this out loud, I wonder if functionally we live like we believe it.
When tempted by sin, rather than being encouraged that Jesus was a man tempted like us we say, “Yes, but He was God.” When faced with a tough situation where patience and compassion are necessary, rather than being encouraged that Jesus was a man with limitations like ours we say, “That was easy for Him; He was God.” Whenever we let Jesus’ divinity overshadow his humanity we need to remember that the incarnation never gets old.
The incarnation never gets old, and should never be at risk to lose its place being celebrated in the church each December because the incarnation reminds us of three important things: what was not assumed was not redeemed, our Lord experienced our limitations, and in the incarnation we see the depth of Jesus’ compassion.
First, what was not assumed was not redeemed. This is a way to negatively state the truth that Jesus is 100% human along with being 100% divine (fully God and fully man). If Jesus did not take on (assume) human flesh, then human flesh is not redeemed. If He did not take on a human mind, then my human mind is not redeemed. If He did not have human emotions, then my emotions are not redeemed. Jesus is the second Adam. He is the firstborn from the dead, the forerunner and pioneer of a reconstituted humanity. He wasn’t merely “God in a bod” as some people articulate the ancient heresy of Docetism. Every part of my humanity is redeemed because Jesus took on every part of frail humanity.
Second, the incarnation reminds us that our Lord experienced our limitations. I wake up on Monday not sure of what waits for me during the day. Remember it was Jesus who said, “Each day brings its own trouble,” to encourage His hearers not to worry. Of course, I plan ahead and use a calendar. I know when winter is coming and plan accordingly. I pray and expect God to act and to speak to me through His word. Jesus did the same. Certainly, the Father revealed more to Him as He came nearer to the cross, but Jesus relied on His communion with the Father to have things revealed to Him. A few things were even left unknown to Him, such as the day and hour of His second coming. (Read Mark 13 if you don’t know what I’m talking about.)
Third, the incarnation reveals to us the compassion of Jesus. In Luke 15 we hear the parable of the lost sheep, which Samuel Logan says should be known as the parable of the seeking shepherd. He also mentions the parable of the lost coin, and he wants to dub it the parable of the searching woman. Then he renames that timeless parable of the prodigal son to be the parable of the running father. In each case, says Logan, the hero of the story is just exactly the type of person you would want if you were the lost one. You would want someone who has such great compassion that they would leave the 99 to find you. Is there someone who won’t stop seeking you in any place? Is there someone who will come running when they see you? It is amazing that Jesus has compassion on the Pharisees to tell them these three parables! The parables are taking place as He tells them because Jesus has this depth of compassion. God left the throne of glory to become “Yahweh in sandals” because of His great compassion for us.
Yes, it is true that the incarnation never gets old because in it we recapture the wonder of worshiping the God-man, our Savior, the One who has great compassion on us. O come, let us adore Him this Christmas: Christ the Lord.
In Him,
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