The Savior's Stoop
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:10-14, NIV
“The humble Christ of history is always humanity’s great stumbling-block, not only to His own generation but to ours also. God is revealed in Christ, but only to the eye of faith: to others, God is hidden in Christ, they cannot see Him.” – R. Alan Cole
“O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” – Mark 9:19b, NIV
Jesus’ questions and characterization of those around Him should trouble us. There is a bit of debate about who exactly Jesus was referring to in uttering the words of Mark 9:19b. It seems likely that it is not to the desperate dad whose faith (and doubt) bring him to Jesus for help. It is probable that Jesus is speaking to the teachers of the law (see also Mark 8:11-15). It is also possible that Jesus is speaking to His disciples (see also Mark 8:17-21). It is also possible that Jesus is speaking to the crowd in general. I think we do best not to choose one of these but to accept all 3 probable groups as in Jesus’ ‘target audience’ when He characterizes and questions the lack of belief he sees. The reason most people did not believe in Jesus at this juncture is because, Jesus, while amazing to His peers is not understood for who He is; God. This was the point of the “theological field trip” to the mountaintop. To give Peter, James and John a momentary glimpse at the glory of Jesus as revealed in His heavenly splendor. And the point must have come home eventually because, Peter writes, “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18) What we notice is that when Jesus is glowing with glory, it is easy to see Jesus’ identity. But, when Jesus comes to the valley where the darkness grows and the demons harass, it is harder to recognize Him. But He has not changed from mountaintop to valley. Our vision of Him has simply faded. We naturally are drawn to the shining Jesus and we naturally discount Incarnate Deity. This is a grave error. For it is in the humbling of the Son, in His becoming human but even more, in His dying for humanity that we can at last see Jesus clearly. To our minds, the ‘kingdom of God come with power’ is the mountaintop glowing Jesus. But, for Jesus, the kingdom of God come with power is the humble Jesus destroying the work of darkness (1 John 3:8) and raising sons and daughters to life. To quote our Puritan friend- “to bear the cross is to wear the crown.” It is with the humble Christ that we must begin. For in His humility He makes a way for a new beginning. In His dying, He makes a way for us to be set free and to come alive. Jesus will keep returning to the reality of His suffering, rejection and death even as the disciples’ confusion grows. Why? Because, the ‘faithless generation’ cannot be saved unless He stoops to serve. In our followership of Jesus, let us endeavor to learn the ways of the humble Savior. Let us put to death in us all that cries for glowing revelation apart from the cross. Let us be reminded that in the everyday stuff of life, Jesus is no less present than in the mountaintop moments. The humble Christ still serves us in the valley and if we find Him there and confess our dependence on Him then we too will see the Kingdom of God come with power.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. – Mark 10:45, NIV