Monday, 16 May 2016

Wonderfully human - Sunday 15th May 2016

Christians generally assume that Jesus was able to do miraculous things because he was divine. But that is not how Jesus understood it. Jesus understood that he was able to do wonderful things because he was a human - a human who lived in excellent relationship with God.
This distinction is important. If Jesus only did what he did because he was the 'Son of God', then the moment of opportunity has passed and we are only left with a memory. But if Jesus did what he did because he was the ‘Son of Humanity’ (the term that he consistently used to describe himself), then the moment of opportunity remains open for as long as humanity remains - yourself included.
Jesus told his followers that they would do the same things he had done, and - indeed - they would do more wonderful things (John 14:12). All that was required was that they be human beings in good relationship with their heavenly father, just as he had been.
On Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, a miracle of communication - a moment when a bunch of Galilean fishermen were enabled to speak numerous unfamiliar languages in order to share the message of Jesus with visitors from foreign cities. It was a new miracle - not one they had seen in Jesus. It was just what was needed on that particular day.
If we live in good relationship with God, God will do amazing things through us - not because we are special, but because we are human, and because God loves to move and work amongst humanity.

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