Today as I began my devotional studies, I immediately got off on a rabbit trail. The sidebar on the Bible Gateway site had an offer for a book called When God Became Jesus – A Response to Bart Ehrman. The title was intriguing, and since I have such an inquisitive mind I had to take a look at this book. Then of course I needed to find out to what this book was responding. That of course meant looking up Bart Ehrman’s book, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee and finally reading about him on the NPR Books site. I should mention here that I have not read either book, only the excerpts provided on the sites.
Mr. Ehrman was an Evangelical believer at one time; now he is agnostic. He contends, through his research, that Jesus never said He was God; among the Gospels, only the book of John says anything about Jesus being God. Of course he goes on to say a lot more things as well.
At first I was taken a little aback. My hackles rose up at his statement concerning the resurrection, “Apart from the fact that I don’t think Jesus was given a decent burial – that he was probably thrown into a common grave of some kind …” I don’t need to finish the statement. Thinking of my Jesus “thrown in a common grave of some kind” feels somehow blasphemous to me. Then again, I believe that Jesus is God, Mr. Ehrman does not, or at the very least he questions it.
I went back to my devotions and read the scripture which happened to be 2 Corinthians 3:7-18. Here Paul is speaking of the difference between the ministry of the law handed down to Moses and the ministry of the Spirit, given to us by Jesus. He talks of the veil that Moses wore over his face to cover that transitory glory which rested on him as a result of being in God’s presence and which the Israelites were afraid to look upon. Paul contrasts that to the glorious and lasting ministry that comes from the Holy Spirit through whom the veil has been removed.
The Israelites could not bear to look upon Moses’ face, though the glory that shone there was fading. Paul says that the veil covered their hearts and their minds were made dull. However, for those who proclaim Christ, there is no veil, it’s taken away by Jesus. The Lord, who is also the Spirit, gives freedom and everyone who considers this glory that is offered becomes transformed, becoming ever more like Jesus.
Whether we believe Jesus is God, what we believe about God, if we believe in God – it all hinges on one thing: FAITH. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
As Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (RSV) My hope lies in the Lord Jesus. I am convinced He is alive and well, that He is who I know Him to be as God of all creation. I don’t understand the Trinity; I accept it. I can’t fathom the expanse of this Entity I call God. But this I do know, God does exists, and He will continue to exist whether or not I believe that He does.
There will always be those who have a need to prove or disprove that God exists, that Jesus was the Son of God or that the Holy Spirit is real or necessary. Like the poor, these people will always be with us. I believe they serve a purpose in the greater scheme of things. Then again I have a tendency to make meaning out of things.
When I read Mr. Ehrman’s story, I was rather taken aback. On further reflection however, I could see God at work here. It could be a conundrum for some people. It is said that Jesus spoke in parables so that only a chosen few would be able to understand His messages. Perhaps it is the same today. Only those who are earnestly seeking Him in spirit and in truth will actually find Him. He’s hidden right in plain sight. To see Him one must be grounded in FAITH.