Week 16: Navigating the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ

 

Martha wasn’t pleased.

The sisters had sent word to Jesus well in time about their brother Lazarus’s serious illness. However, Jesus didn’t seem to accord the matter the warranted priority; He continued to go about His routine.

I am sure this has happened to us several times, much to our chagrin. We prayed but answer was not in sight. Heavens seemed like brass (Deu. 28:23).

There could be two possible reasons:

1. Our disobedience in a specific matter.

Fresh from the success at Jericho, Joshua decides to take on Ai (pronounced “eye”; mind you, intelligence was all natural then!)). But while the battle of Jericho was scripted by God to the last “t”, there is no mention of a similar act this time. Call it presumption, call it over- confidence, call it hubris, or whatever, the fact was that the battalion of about 3000 men of war that Joshua sent up – buoyed up by a rather airy-fairy report by the spies – bit the dust. 

Yes, there was a specific reason (you might want to check it out in “Day 27*: Ai, again! – Judah’s Jottings (judahsjottings.com)

2. It is not God’s time yet.

In several instances in the Bible, we read the phrase “in the fullness of time”. Jesus didn’t act immediately in the story of the wedding at Cana (again, if you’d like to read my take on the subject, please click “First: Hi Mary! So glad your son’s come too! – Judah’s Jottings (judahsjottings.com)“.  But His timing was perfect and resulted in the highest glory to God.

In the story we began, Lazarus died.

It is then that Jesus marshals His disciples for a trip to Bethany, with a disarming statement saying Lazarus sleeps. Sometime afterwards, we are presented with a most remarkable scene where Jesus’s humanity intersects His divinity.

Jesus wept.

He wasn’t playacting. This was no drama. He tears are not onion generated. Okay, okay, He wanted to teach everybody a lesson about God’s glory but at this point of time He does get emotional when He sees Mary and the Jews standing around crying.  This, in spite of the fact that He well knew that in a short while He would raise Lazarus to life.

A melding of His two natures – human and divine.

In the Gospel according to St. Mark chapter 4, we read an account of Jesus sleeping. The Shaftesbury Sq. RPC portrays this as evidence of Jesus’s humanity. Quote: Jesus slept because he needs sleep.  He experienced the same kind of human needs as any of us, including tiredness (John 4:6) and thirst (John 19:28).  The range of human experience is shared by Jesus.  What we read here provides clear evidence of Jesus’ humanity.  As we defend the deity of Christ, we must equally vigorously defend his humanity.  Early heretics such as the Docetists were influenced by Greek thought and could not conceive of deity in union with humanity.  Hebrews 2:17 tells us that ‘he had to be made like his brothers in every way’ in order to provide salvation – human sin must be dealt with by a human Saviour, who is also fully God. Unquote

We must not forget that even as Jesus slept in the boat according to his human nature, He also reigned over the entire universe according to his divine nature – as stated over several verses in Hebrews 1.   

Going back to our story, yes, there was some misunderstanding, and it did take a while for Martha (and Mary) to be enlightened with the fact of the divinity of Jesus. He had to make it quite plain that “I am the resurrection and the life” John 11:25 before He raised Lazarus to life again.

And what about the anguished cry of the disciples in the vessel that was in danger of sinking any moment? They thought a watery grave awaited them in the Sea of Galilee.  Indeed ‘the boat was being swamped’ (Luke 8:23).  They are at the end of their tether, but thankfully – and wisely – they do turn to Jesus, a very human Jesus just awoken from a restful sleep.  We hear their panic in Mark 4:38 ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’

Turn to Jesus. He is always in control.