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Dec 01, 2024 06:00am

Divinity to Diapers

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As a church girl, I’ve studied Jesus’ birth narrative in Luke chapter two many times. As a child, I have fond memories of my dad reading this passage to us as a family before opening gifts each year on Christmas morning.

As a child, I recall two things that stood out to me in this biblical account.

#1 Jesus was placed in a manger (aka an animal feeding trough) following His birth. Gross! Was this thing even cleaned first?

#2 The hosts of angels that filled the sky to announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. I remember picturing this in my mind and being filled with wonder and awe.

We concluded our reading each year by praying and thanking God for sending Jesus so that we could have the best gift, salvation.

Though this is a practice I plan to carry on with my children, I must admit, I’ve spent much of my life reading this account thinking only about what I get as a result of Jesus coming and not about what Jesus gave up in order to come.

Sure, it’s easy to look at the cross and think of the sacrifices Jesus made physically and spiritually so that we may be saved, but what about His life before the cross? Specifically, what about the sacrifices He made to come in the first place?

I’m restarting my favorite bible study of all time Knowing Him: A 50 Day Chronological Study in the Life of Christ. As I’ve been preparing to teach week one, I’ve been captivated by the birth narrative of Christ in a different way.

It’s important for us to remember, before we approach Luke chapter two, that this is not Jesus’ beginning.

John 1:1-5, “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The Word here, written as a name, refers to Jesus.

This verse clearly tells us:
-Jesus was in the beginning (i.e., the beginning of time.) He has always been.
-Jesus is God. (i.e., part of the trinity)
-Jesus was with God at creation in Genesis 1; in fact, all things were made through Him.

But wait… there’s more.

In Revelation chapter four Jesus is the one who the angels repeatedly cry, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”

This is Jesus. The divine.

The one who would, as Phillipians chapter 2 says, “empty himself, take on the form of a servant, be born in the likeness of men, and humble himself becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross.”

Independent creator God became dependent on His creation.

This is mind boggling!

To put it simply, the divine humbled Himself to the point of having His diaper changed by the ones He created.

Think about it.

This week the study asked a twofold question: what are some things Jesus experienced for the first time when He took on human form and what are some things He temporarily gave up while in human form?

I had not formerly read Luke two from this viewpoint.

The two things I cannot get over:
-Jesus gave up independence and experienced dependence for the first time.
-Jesus gave up heavenly position/status and experienced lowly status.

This is not like us.

Jesus came thinking about what He could give.

We think about what we can get out of life, from God, etc.

Jesus thought about fulfilling God’s will.

We think about what will fulfill us. (And if we don’t think it will, we won’t commit to doing it.)

Jesus was willing to temporarily give up His heavenly position so we could gain right standing with God.

We’re willing to do whatever it takes to gain earthly positions. Even if it distances us from God.

I pray I may become more like Him; as one who lives for God’s kingdom not my kingdom.

As one who is willing to humble herself as He humbled Himself from divinity to diapers.