Tuesday, December 1

Today’s Readings: Psalm 33; Amos 3:1-11; Matthew 21:12-22; 2 Peter 1:12-21

There are lots of folks these days who struggle constructing their Christology. By Christology, I mean articulating one’s understanding of who Jesus was/is. Was he human? Was he divine? Was he both? And if so, to what measure?

Folks who have a high Christology articulate their understanding of Jesus by primarily talking about the ways he represented the Divine; folks who have a low Christology articulate their understanding of Jesus by emphasizing his humanity.

Like many progressive pastors, I would be described as having a low Christology. The way that I got there, however, differed markedly from some of my peers. You see many of my peers arrive at a low Christology because of their head. They look at historical and cultural data of Jesus’ day and use that information to explain why divine attributes were foisted upon Jesus.

My head isn’t what I led with when it came time for me to formulate my Christology. No, it was my heart that led me to this place. Let me tell you why I say that. You see it’s stories like those contained in today’s Gospel reading that help me feel especially connected to Jesus via his humanity. When Jesus encounters the money changers in the Temple who were using religion/spirituality for personal gain – Jesus reacted much like I would: he lost it. And when Jesus encountered the barren fig tree, his decision to curse it is one that I can relate to entirely. To extend this line of thinking a bit further into his life, it was Jesus’ humanity that made his decision to pay the ultimate price in order to follow his call all the more powerful. These are just some of the heart-felt things that draw me to relate to Jesus via his humanity.

In this season when we celebrate the Incarnation, I would ask you to consider what role Jesus’ humanity plays for you. Til next time…