Section 2: The Life and Teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ

In the most fundamental sense, the life of Jesus in time is the perfect living out of the external life of God, as the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God is the perfect revelation of the truth that was inaccessible to the creature from dust. This body of truth encompassed the greatest mystery, the Triune God, which is discussed in the previous section, the secondary mystery which is us, the creature with divine pedigree, the created worlds both visible and invisible and the divine laws that emanates from God, which govern all created realities without exemption. God who dwells in an unapproachable light, where no mortal is privileged to enter, had been given a form and a voice by this mystery where divinity took human form, which gave men the most profound knowledge of who He is and at the same, challenging the being created in his image and likeness to live in accord with the truth that gave him life. This first-hand encounter similar to a front-row-seat is beyond the deepest yearning of the human heart; as this spectacle that only God could have thought of, had not even occurred in the mind of man; as his God coming in the flesh dwarfed any supernatural event that man’s senses had experienced. Without the Incarnation, man will still be groping in the dark in the land of shadows, for all the prophets sent by God through the ages, despite the grace given to them, were incapable of knowing and revealing the fullness of the mystery, as man though divinely incorporated is created lower than the angels, as this inherent weakness prevails on his three levels of being—body, mind, and soul. The Word of God becoming man, “stepping out” so to speak from the internal life of the Trinity, is the dazzling zenith of creation that endowed the race of men the knowledge of the beginning and end of life in the temporal sphere, as the revealer of this truth is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all created life. But before delving into our Lord’s life and teaching, the fullness of time that the wisdom of the Father had designated for this miracle must be addressed first. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Galatians: “but when the designated time had come, God sent forth his Son born of a woman, born under the law, to deliver from the law those who were subjected to it, so that we might receive our status as adopted sons.” (Galatians: 4: 4- 5) The time was the reign of Caesar Augustus. The place was Bethlehem in Judea. The mother was Mary, the wife of Joseph, who was a descendant of David. It is written: “In those days Caesar Augustus published a decree ordering a census of the whole world. This first census took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone went to register, each in his own town. So Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to David’s town of Bethlehem—because he was of the house and lineage of David—to register with Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child.” (Luke 2: 1-5) Why was this point the intersection of time, place, and divine will, which was foretold by the prophets of old? Why was this the opportune moment for the Son of God to be born on planet earth? What was so critically important about this epoch in human history that God would choose this over the others as the setting for his plan to save man? What was about this backdrop that was essential for the unfolding of greatest story of divine love for man? There are several reasons that underlined the perfect Wisdom of God. First and foremost is that the Jewish society at Jesus’ time was representative of all societies that would come later including our own twenty-first century and those yet to come. It had reached a level of complexity and sophistication and, in the truest sense, can be considered as the blueprint of any modern, vibrant, and cosmopolitan society. All the elements of modern life were present, including a cast of characters that were intertwined in an intricate social fabric that uniquely defined this point in history and yet, pervasively common, so accessible to the modern consciousness. In fact, these characters were eerily similar to those we have today, minus the exotic, unfashionable garb-- the haves and the have-nots; the ruling class and the poverty-stricken populace whose main source of livelihood was farming and fishing; the educated elite and the common folks mired in ignorance and superstitions; the wealthy landlords and their poor tenant farmers; the social outcasts like the local agents of the occupying power for revenue collection; the sex workers, and those with incurable diseases or congenital defects, those in the fringes of society without civil rights like the slaves, aliens and migrant workers and finally, the all-encompassing great divide, the conqueror and the conquered. These social hierarchy with crisscrossing interests, either local, national, international (or imperial), cultural, political, socio-economic, religious and secular, either conflicting or synergistic or both were like a boiling cauldron ready to topple over. Ironically, tragically might be a better word, all these were on the shoulders of the “anawim”, the poor, the down-trodden, the marginalized, and the socially oppressed. These people were supporting the status quo through taxation, and they were taxed to the max. It was a system where social injustice and the absence of civil rights were the usual form of currency, acceptable and endured by all except the elite and the powerful. In this ready-to-explode tinder box setting, God chose his only begotten Son to be born, the promised Messiah, the Immanuel as prophesied by Isaiah, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Wonder Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the shoot from the stump of Jesse [Isaiah 11: 1]; the Dayspring referred by Zechariah in his canticle: “All this is the work of the kindness of our God; he, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy. To shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” [Luke 1: 78- 79] What a time to be born for the sinless Son of God! And yet this was precisely the designated time decreed by the Almighty, ages ago and announced by his messengers, the prophets of old. The prevailing unjust social structure of Jesus’ time was ordinary and familiar, the common thread of which runs in all societies, ancient, medieval, and contemporary. Thus, this made sure that the Gospel of Jesus Christ stays relevant and can be understood by all peoples of all races, nationalities and ethnicities; of every age and civilization, of the different social classes and political affiliations, of the educated and those with simple understanding and all the anawim at any given time, till the consummation of time-- the homeless and the stateless, the refugees from conflict zones, the victims of human trafficking, the daily wage earners without social benefits in sweat factories, the hordes of humanity in harms-way because of climate change, and those afflicted with incurable illnesses like AIDS, most forms of cancer and chronic, degenerative diseases of the major organs like the brain. I can almost hear Jesus saying these words to them:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” [Matthew 11: 28- 30]

This prevents the Gospel from sliding into the realm of the esoteric and dismissed as a document difficult to comprehend for regular people and that the mysteries can only be unraveled, and the hidden meanings deciphered, by a select few with background in ancient studies and only after a sustained intellectual probing. Having said this, it must be stressed that the Gospel is a spiritual document, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and can only be accessed through, with and in the power of the Spirit, all according to the will of God. Regarding this point, it is important to recall what Jesus said:

“Do not give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls to swine. They will trample them underfoot, at best, and perhaps even tear you to shred.” [Matthew 7: 6] 

The Word of God contained in the Bible is for the people of God, those he has chosen to be his sheep in his sheepfold, not for people whose main preoccupation is the gratification of their physical needs, symbolized by pigs and dogs. To his unlearned disciples Jesus said: “To you has been given a knowledge of the mysteries of the reign of God, but it has not been given to the others. To the man who has, more will be given until he grows rich; the man who has not, will lose what little he has.” (Matthew 13: 11- 12) The familiar setting and the readily accessible stories and characters prevent the Gospel from becoming an archeological artifact, best enshrined in a museum somewhere in the Middle East. The tales and parables that Jesus used to teach spiritual truth, were rooted in nature, particularly the soil, the everyday lives of common people, the social norms, practices and taboos of the Jewish society and the rich history of the Jewish nation. Jesus said: “I use parables when I speak to them because they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand.” (Matthew 13: 13) The spiritual truth the Gospel revealed by way of parables, common sounding as they were, cannot be understood in all their richness, much less put into practice, without the grace of God, as this point was clearly shown by the repentant thief. At the last moment of life, he was given the grace to know that Jesus is the true and eternal king. He accepted the grace in his heart, professed it with his lips and thus was saved. He said: “Jesus, remember me we you enter upon your reign.” (Luke 23: 42) Isaiah saw from afar and rejoiced of the coming liberation of God’s people. ( 11: 1- 5)

But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:

a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength,

a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.

Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide,

But he shall judge the poor with justice,

and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.

He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.

Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Second reason is that this was a critical moment in the junction of human history because evil reigned and reigned supremely, to the point that it reached its maximum capacity for wickedness. In other words, it was evil in the most superlative degree and prevailing in the two interrelated components of human life, namely the vertical which is man’s relationship with God and the horizontal which is man’s relationship with one another. Jesus, the God-Man, merged these two realities in his person, saying: “I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25: 40) And by the same measure, he said: “I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do it to me.” (Matthew 25: 45) These two relationships are short-circuited by the evil designs from the mind as Jesus said: “From the mind stems evil designs—murder, adulterous conduct, fornication, stealing, false witness, blasphemy.” (Matthew 15: 19) These seven deadly sins inhibit man from having a loving relationship with God and his neighbor, which Jesus acknowledged when he said: “This people pays me lip service but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15: 8) Let us hear Jesus’ condemnation of the society he was born into, as he is the fulfillment of the law on which the Jewish people derived their sense of nationhood. Jesus, being the appointed judge of men, said: “I cannot do anything of myself. I judge as I hear, and my judgment is honest because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.” [John 5: 30] His judgment reverberated through the ages from the time he handed them down, as it was based on the unchanging truth. Though sin morphs proper to the consciousness of the age and yet, the core-evil remains the same, which is a way saying that though acts may vary depending on the prevailing darkness of the time but the lies that give it impetus remain the same. Jesus’ act of passing judgment on the people of his time is the dry run of the all-time summary judgment of the whole human race before the tribunal of truth and justice where the Son of Man is the presiding judge, appointed by the Almighty Father:

1) The religious leaders, the lawbreakers of the first three commandments, whose ritualistic observances were mere coverup for the lack of internal conversion to the God they were supposed to serve: “Woe to you scribes and frauds! You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful to look at on the outside but inside full of filth and dead men’s bones. Thus you present to view a holy exterior while hypocrisy and evil fill you within? Vipers’ nest! Brood of serpents! How can you escape condemnation to Gehenna? (Matthew 23: 27- 28, 33) “You travel over sea and land to make a single convert, but once he is converted you make a devil of him twice as wicked as yourselves.” (Matthew 23: 15) “You shut the doors of the kingdom of God in men’s faces, neither entering yourselves nor admitting those who are trying to enter.” (Matthew 23: 13) “They bind up heavy loads, hard to carry, to lay on other men’s shoulders, while they themselves will not lift a finger to budge them.” (Matthew 23: 4) “They do me empty reverence, making dogmas out of human precepts.” (Matthew 15: 9) “You disregard God’s commandments and cling to what is human tradition.” (Mark 7: 8) 6.) “Beware of the scribes, who like to parade around in their robes, and love marks of respect in public, front seats in synagogues, and places of honor in banquets. These men are going through the savings of widows while they recite long prayers to keep up appearances.” (Luke 20: 46- 47) This group of sinners were especially harmful to the community because of the religious power vested in them, as they were held in high esteem by the people. Their words carried much weight which reached the height of perversion when they condemned our Lord.

2.) Those who practiced materialism in the name of religion, cunningly using the many religious practices to enrich their coffers: “You declare, ‘If a man swears by the temple it means nothing, but if he swears by the gold of the temple he is obligated.’ Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the temple which makes it sacred? Again you declare, ‘If a man swears by the altar it means nothing, but if he swears by the gift on the altar he is obligated.’ How blind you are! Which is more important, the offering or the altar which makes the offering sacred?” (Matthew 23: 18- 19) Their true north was not the glory of God but the appeasement of the heart that had been corrupted by the desire for money. This was especially grievous because they had perfected the art of thieving without committing felonies, robbing people of their resources by turning human precepts into dogmas.

3.) To the businesspeople of his time, exemplified by the money changers in the temple, Jesus said: “Scripture has it, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21: 13) The intersection of the sacred and the mundane caused a violent reaction from Jesus, not surprisingly as this blasphemy happened in temple. Worldly concerns can so easily soil any sacred acts, making them unworthy or worse, repulsive to God. The facility by which the conscience is assuaged, or in a word, to look the other way around in the name of profit, is a telling symptom of a serious spiritual malady, which Jesus unmasked by driving them away with a whip.  

4.) To the children who were lawbreakers of the fourth commandment: “God has said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death. Yet you declare, ‘Whoever says to his father or his mother, any support you might have from me is dedicated to God, need not honor his father or his mother.’ This means for the sake of your tradition you have nullified God’s word.” (Matthew 15: 4- 6) This state of affair was an injustice imposed on the parents though sanction by religion. The parents at the prime of their lives used their resources to care and support their children and to be denied the needed help later in their lives when they were in a vulnerable state is a great offense against the law of justice and charity.

5.) To the adulterers, the lawbreakers of the sixth commandment who negated the sanctity of marriage: “Because of your stubbornness, Moses let you divorce your wives but at the beginning it was not that way. Have you not read that in the beginning, the Creator made them male and female and declared, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become as one? Thus they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined. I now say to you, whoever divorces his wife (lewd conduct is a separate case) and marries another commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19: 4- 9) The one exemption that Jesus gave underlined the importance of fidelity to the vow, as acts of unfaithfulness to the sanctity of the marriage bed seriously hinders the miracle of the two becoming one. In such cases, forgiveness is the only remedy unless trust, which is the basis of any relationship, is seriously broken in which case, divorce or annulment is the only answer.

6.) To the murderers, the lawbreakers of the fifth commandment: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you frauds! You erect tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the saints. You say, ‘Had we lived in our forefathers’ time we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ Thus you show that you are the sons of the prophets’ murderers. Now it is your turn: fill up the vessel measured out by your forefathers. For this reason I shall send you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some you will kill and crucify, others you will flog in your synagogues and hunt down from city to city; until retribution overtakes you for all the blood of the just ones shed on earth, from the blood of holy Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple building and the altar. All this, I assure you, will be the fate of the present generation.” (Matthew 23: 29- 36) Filling up the vessel measured by their murderous forefathers was something they did exceptionally well. Jesus said, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be following Abraham’s example. The fact is, you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did nothing like that. Indeed you are doing your father’s work!” [John 8: 39- 41] “The father you spring from is the devil, and willingly you carry out his wishes.” [John 8: 44] In the trial before the Sanhedrin, “The high priest then said to him (Jesus): ‘I order to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus answered: ‘It is you who say it. But I tell you this: Soon you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ At this the high priest tore his robes: ‘He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? Remember, you heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict? They answered, ‘He deserves death!” (Matthew 26: 63- 66) No wonder Jesus reserved the worst invectives for them. One evil deed after another, culminating in the murder of Jesus who was perceived as a threat to the establishment and the status quo.

The chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “‘What are we to do,’ they said, ‘with this man performing all sorts of signs? If we let him go on like this, the whole world will believe in him. Then the Romans will come in and sweep away our sanctuary and our nation.’ One of their number named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, addressed them at this point: ‘You have no understanding whatever! Can you not see that it is better for you to have one man die than to have the nation destroyed?’ From that day onward there was a plan afoot to kill him.” (John 11: 47- 50, 53) With this one final act, the vessel was full to overflowing. Jesus said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murderess of prophets and stoner of those who were sent to you! How often have I yearned to gather your children, as a mother bird gathers her young under her wings, but you refused me. Recall the saying, ‘You will find your temple deserted.’ I tell you, you will not see me from this time on until you declare, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ “(Matthew 23: 37- 39) One historical footnote though: What the ruling class feared most happened in 70 A.D., when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple; fulfilling Jesus’ prophesy: “Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, not one stone will be left on another—it will all be torn down.” (Matthew 24: 2) In the Book of Isaiah it is written: (9: 1- 6)

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.

You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.

As they rejoiced before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils

For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder,

And the rod of their taskmaster

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

For every boot that trampled in battle, every cloak rolled in blood,

will be burned as fuel for flames

For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,

From David’s throne, and over his kingdom,

which he confirms and sustains By judgement and justice,

both now and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!

Third reason, is that as sin abounds so grace abounds all the more. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans: “but despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it, so that, as sin reigned through death, grace may reign by way of justice leading to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5: 20- 21) The Incarnation of the Word was God’s final and ultimate response to the reign of sin and death, from the first man who ever lived to the last living soul right before the consummation of time.

God had tried all kinds of natural remedies in ages past but to no avail. There was the flood at the time of Noah, the cataclysmic fire at the time of Abraham, and at the time of Moses, the earth split opened and swallowed the rebellious men. [Numbers 16: 31-33] And yet, sin continued to increase exponentially, like a plaque of death ravishing the whole of creation and laying it to waste. The birth of the Messiah is the divinely ordained supernatural remedy from the spirit world, far superior to all the created realities like earth, fire and water that God initially used to control the spread of sin and death. 

Infinitely superior to all the others because its healing effect is retroactive and with one hundred percent guaranteed survival rate, even when applied at the moment before death, again like the case of the repentant thief.

Paul wrote: “The gift is entirely different from the sin committed by one man. In the first case, sentence fallowed upon one offence and brought condemnation, but in the second, the gift came after many offences and brought acquittal. If death began its reign through one man because of his offense, much more shall those who receive the overflowing grace and gift of justice live and reign through one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5: 16- 17) But why the Incarnation? 

Why must the Son of God come in the flesh and make his dwelling among sinful men? Is there no other way to save man? Must God be like his beloved creature except sin to restore him back to life? The answer lies in what happened in the two crucial places in man’s epic journey, namely, the Garden of Eden and the Garden of Gethsemani. The former was the garden of disobedience where Adam heeded Satan and turned his back on God. Lured by the sensual pleasures of the flesh—"good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom,” (Genesis 3: 6) Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. But the hard-to-resist temptation was the underlining lie proposed by the devil—"No, God knows well that the moment you ate of it you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” (Genesis 3: 5) Even as early as in the dawn of time, man exhibited a propensity for power-- a natural desire to grab it and to enjoy its fruit at any cost. One might be inclined to think that our first parents’ gift of innocence was enough to immunize them from such temptation; and yet, despite this gift, they both wanted to be greater, to be something more than what they had, as appraised by their limited consciousness. Man’s heart even before his fall seems to be afflicted with the same prevailing desire for greatness! Adam paid dearly for wanting to be like a god and so did all his seeds. By accepting the deadly lie of the devil, he inadvertently gave Satan a hold on creation which was passed on to all succeeding generations, as his sin is the mark on the flesh of all his offspring, predisposing them to sin. Man, through his fault alone, was in a tight embrace with sin and death and powerless to free himself. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans wrote:

“Just as through one man, sin entered the world and with sin death, death thus coming to all men inasmuch as all sinned.” (5: 12) and “whereas I am weak flesh sold into slavery of sin.” (7: 14) Ironically, man created as a free being with a free will had opted to take the yoke of the devil. Jesus said, “I give you my assurance, everyone who lives in sin is the slave of sin.” (John 8: 34) This is called the original sin, the mark of the fallen man. The entry point of all the devil’s machinations and temptations, without exception, is the weak rebellious flesh. Paul wrote: “The flesh in its tendencies is at enmity with God; it is not subject to God’s law.” (Romans 8: 7) “The flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh; the two are directly opposed. This is why you do not do what your will intends.” (Galatians 5: 17) Fast forward to Gethsemani, the garden of olives, the garden of obedience. Here, the Incarnate Word, the Son of God, the Son of Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, wrestled with two choices—to save or lose his life, choices that were the direct consequence of his first act of obedience to the Father, and that was to be born in the flesh. This first act of obedience was God’s judgment on the first lie ever told by the devil, as this happened in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Adam, at the prompting of the devil, disobeyed God to be like a god. The Son of God obeyed God and became a man. This irony should not be missed, as the Incarnation was the answer to the primal temptation, the very first edition of the many lies that the devil would tell over time. 

Paul wrote: “Then God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, thereby condemning sin in the flesh.” (Romans: 8: 3) The garden of Olives was the setting for the second act of obedience, as manifested by Jesus’s prayer in the garden on the eve of his passion: “Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22: 42) The flesh holding desperately to dear life, put up a struggle, knowing very well that a “yes” to God’s will, means death to itself. “In his anguish he prayed with all the greater intensity and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22: 44) Paul wrote: “Just as through one man’s disobedience all became sinners, so through one man’s obedience all shall become just.” (Romans 5: 19)

Fourth reason is the manner of sacrifice by which the salvation of man would be gained, again as prophesied in Scripture. How would the Incarnate Word redeem the fallen humanity? What was God’s plan for his Son that his Spirit announced through the mouths of the prophets of long ago? Why is the Messiah, called the Lamb of God? Does this salvation plan have any bearing on the timeline of Jesus’ birth? The prophet Isaiah foretold this: (52: 14, 53: 3- 7)

Even as many were amazed at him

so marred was his look, beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals— He was spurned and avoided by men,

a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned and we held him in no esteem,

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured,

While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins;

Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way;

But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;

Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,

he was silent and opened not his mouth.

The prophet Isaiah gave a gruesome account of the fate of Jesus. The words “stripes” and “pierced” foretold what the Roman soldiers did to him. “So Pilate, who wished to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and after he had had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.” (Mark 15: 15) “Stripes” referred to the scourging and “pierced” referred to the five glorious wounds of Jesus. One on each hand and one on each foot were from the nails used to crucify him. “It was about nine in the morning when they crucified him.” (Mark 15: 25) The fifth wound, the one on the side was from a soldier’s lance. “One of the soldiers thrust a lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” (John 19: 34) 

This fulfilled Zechariah’s prophesy “and they shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a first born.” (Zechariah 12: 10) This was God’s plan for his Only Beloved Son, “that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” (Luke 24: 7) This plan could only be realized at the hands of the occupying force of that time, the Romans. The Jewish penal code for major crimes prescribed the stoning to death.

This was also the opportune moment because in about 70 years later, Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed by the Romans, as prophesied by Jesus and thus, 

Our Lord had to be born before this catastrophe wiped out the nation, as the city of Jerusalem was central to God’s plan. Jesus said, “I must proceed on course today, tomorrow, and the day after, since no prophet can be allowed to die anywhere except in Jerusalem.” [Luke 13: 33] Even the sign that Pilate posted on top of the cross, “The King of the Jews,” in multiple languages, would be incongruous if nation of Israel had already been decimated. But why did the Father Almighty choose the cross as the instrument of salvation? Why must the Incarnate Word of God, the only begotten and beloved Son, go through such unbelievable cruelty at the hands of evil men, to save man? No wonder, 

Jesus sweated blood in the garden of agony on the eve of his passion! 

It was a horrible, gruesome death-- suspended between heaven and earth by three iron nails! It was beyond suffering, for the whole body was scourged and chunks of flesh missing because of the specially designed Roman instrument for flagging slaves and criminals. The bone-chilling crown of thorns, embedded on his head, was an unimaginable punishment for any man, even those convicted of the worst crime, let alone for the King of kings. His face was unrecognizable, swollen and discolored by the countless blows inflicted by the soldiers. There are only two reasons for this one-time event in the history of creation, which will never be repeated, namely, the nature of sin as a creation of man and the nature of love as the essence of God. Evil versus Love, disobedience versus obedience, and the cross was their appointed meeting place. Here, on the very wood our Savior hung between heaven and earth, and love triumphed and evil defeated, not just once but for all time; as Jesus, suffering the worst fate as a condemned criminal, in turn condemned Satan. The prince of lies wished to destroy his one adversary whom he could not defeat despite his many efforts but instead destroyed his hold on man. This was mankind’s Independence Day from the shackle of sin and death. Freedom at last from Satan’s yoke and liberation from his reign of darkness. The sinful flesh, with its passions and desires, is the portal used by the devil to subdue man and separate him from God. On the cross, the flesh was crucified, marred, and disfigured, as sin marred and disfigured man. The flesh cannot be converted to God because it operates under a separate set of laws, the laws of the animal kingdom. These laws are primordial, as in DNA-coded, into all animals including man, the highest form of animal life. The first is the instinct for self-preservation which translates to sustenance and all things needed for life; the second is the preservation of the specie which translates to multiplication through the sexual act and the third is the race to survive in the savage jungle which translates to the survival of the fittest, which in turn translates to the need to dominate and subjugate. The last one found resonance in the devil’s lie to Adam—"the moment you eat of it you will be like gods” (Genesis 3: 5) Adam found this difficult to resist especially because it empowers him to be an alpha in a male-dominated social hierarchy, as the woman was only taken from his rib. Since the flesh cannot be saved then, it must be “neutralized”. Paul wrote: “Then God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, thereby condemning sin in the flesh.” (Romans: 8: 3) So likewise, 

“Those who belonged to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5: 24)

On Calvary, God displayed for the world to see, his great love for man, in all its dazzling radiance like the radiance that Jesus allowed a couple of men to witness in Mount Tabor. At his arrest, Jesus said, “When I was with you day after day in the temple you never raised a hand against me. But this is your hour—the triumph of darkness.” [Luke 22: 53] On the cross, darkness and light wrestled and for a fleeting second darkness seems to have won, as symbolized by the eclipse of the sun, as written in Scripture: “From noon onward, there was darkness over the whole land until midafternoon.” (Matthew 27: 45) Jesus, referring to this hour, said: “I tell you truly, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve for a time, but your grief will be turned into joy.” (John 16; 20) Paul wrote: “At the appointed time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for us godless men. It is rare that anyone should lay down his life for a just man, though it is barely possible that for a good man someone may have the courage to die. It is precisely in this that God proves his love for us; that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5: 6- 8) The first bite of the forbidden fruit sealed the course of human history, as the creature created in God’s image was demoted from a freeman to a slave.

The Incarnation of the Son became an imperative move on the part of the Father, for man cannot dig himself out of the hole he had created for himself. In his desire for power, man became powerless. Paul wrote: “I know that no good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; the desire to do right is there but not the power. What happens is that I do, not the good I will to do, but the evil I do not intend. But if I do what is against my will, it is not I who do it, but sin which dwells in me. What a wretched man I am! Who can free me from this body under the power of death?” (Romans 7: 18- 20, 24) Thus, it was inevitable for the Son of God to come powerless like a slave, but bearing the truth that would liberate man, the truth that the world could not accept, and thus the imperative need to put the bearer of the Good News to death, with the thought of silencing the mouthpiece of God and stop man’s exodus back to life, away from sin and death. Paul wrote in Philippians 2: 6- 11:

Though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.

Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave,

being born in the likeness of men.

He was known to be of human estate and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death,

death on a cross. Because of this,

God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name

above every other name, So that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend

in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth,

and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father;

JESUS CHRIST Is LORD!

Jesus said to Paul, “For in weakness power reaches perfection.” [2 Corinthians 12: 9] The cross is the paradox for all time-- the valley of weakness and the summit of power, all at the same time. Here on the cross, God executed judgment on the one lie that ensnared man from the beginning, the temptation of power, but power as defined by Satan-- the power to dominate, subjugate by enslaving others, and the more it enslaves the more it grows; the power to acquire vast amount of wealth and resources, for money is the petrol of power; the power to control by shutting out the light of truth through lies and falsehoods, expounded in the fake news of today’s world, widely proclaimed through the internet; the power to subdue by force, violence and intimidations in order to maintain the status quo of blindness and helplessness; and lastly, the power to destroy whoever threatens this perverse sense of power. Jesus said: “I shall not go on speaking to you longer; the Prince of this world is at hand. He has no hold on me, but the world must know that I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded me.” (John 14: 30- 31) God, silent for a long time, finally and eloquently defined the true meaning of power, as only He could do, as the Supreme Being who holds all power. The specter on Calvary brought man to his knees in utter confusion, mouth agape in a wordless shame. “When the crowd which had assembled for this spectacle saw what had happened, they went home beating their breasts.” (Luke 23: 48) Nailed on the cross and powerless, Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, brought power to the summit of perfection and taught the world the true meaning of power-- the power that comes from doing God’s will. This kind of power is the absolute antithesis of worldly power as Jesus defined its perverse nature: “I give you my assurance, everyone who lives in sin is the slave of sin.” (John 8: 34) On the contrary, Jesus offered the true power that liberates, empowers, and transforms. Power from above liberates from the bondage of sin and the curse of death, as Jesus said:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in him.” (John 3: 14- 15)

It empowers to do God’s will, as Jesus said:

“None of those who cry out, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7: 21) It transforms ordinary lives and brings them to the summit of perfection, as Jesus said, “In a word, you must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5: 48) This was the story, a long time ago of a true anawim, Our Blessed Lady, an obscure teenager from an inconsequential town (according to Nathaniel’s response in John: 1: 46) in “heathen Galilee” (Matthew 4: 15) but raised to heights unknown which she gave voiced in her canticle: (Luke 1: 46- 55) 

“My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord

my spirit finds joy in God my savior,

For he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed.

God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is his name;

His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm;

he has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places.

The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent away empty.

He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of his mercy;

Even as he promised our fathers,

promised Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Finally, the humiliation of the cross, where weakness triumphed power, brought judgment on the world’s insatiable appetite for power at any cost. Jesus said, “Now has judgement come upon this world, now will this world’s prince be driven out.” (John 12: 31) Michael, the Archangel, ages ago drove the father of lies, Lucifer, aka Satan, from heaven by the flaming sword of truth and thus, reclaimed heaven as the absolute domain of truth where no single lie could gain a foothold.

The Cross of Jesus has driven Satan from the hearts of all men who believe in its power, freeing them to live godly lives as true witnesses of the Cross. God’s people, sealed by the sign of the cross, celebrate it as the divine symbol of God’s love for man, unfading, never changing, never failing, forever reminding of the price God paid to save man, unlike those who stroke their breasts in shame in Calvary. It is an everlasting symbol written on the sacred body of Our Savior, now and for all eternity. Jesus said to Thomas after the resurrection,

“Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not persist in your unbelief but believe!” (John 22: 27) Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, will forever carry the five wounds as the mark of the uneven, unmerited exchange brought about by the Incarnation, which was sealed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus took our nature so that man could take his, as this is the truest meaning of likeness to the Triune God, as God’s intent at man’s creation was fully realized by the Incarnation. In the Book of Revelation, it is written: “As my vision continued, I heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number, thousands and tens of thousands and they all cried out: ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard the voices of every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea; everything in the universe cried out: ‘To the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!’ (Revelation 5: 11-13)

Fifth and last reason why this was the fullness of time decreed by God for the Incarnation, is that this moment was at the crossroad of time.

Change was in the air as undercurrent tensions boiled up to the surface of the national life of the Jewish people. Dangerous, pervasive, and destructive, these forces both political and socio-economic carried the nation to its end with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans in 70 AD. With national pride and glory in rubble and identity in tatters, the Jewish people marched in waves to an unknown future “or so it seems”. But God who sees what no man sees and whose thoughts are beyond man, had a plan. The Diaspora facilitated the dispersal of the seeds of the new faith, carrying them to the different corners of the Roman Empire, even to its very heart, Rome. Leading the charge was Paul of Tarsus in Cilicia, a Christian convert. Paul as a person was the encapsulation of all the requisites for an effective ambassador of the faith -- a pharisaical Jew, a Christian, a Turk, a Roman. He was at the right place, at right time and with the right qualifications, a linguist with a brilliant mind and a zealous heart for Jesus. The man thought to be a troublemaker and the “ringleader of the sect of Nazoreans” (Acts 24: 5) was the right man for the right job, as the propagator of the New Covenant and the Apostle to the Gentiles. Jesus said to Paul in a trance: “You must make haste. Leave Jerusalem at once because they will not accept your testimony about me. Be on your way, I mean to send you far from here, among the Gentiles.” (Acts 22: 17- 21) His journey ultimately ended in Rome where he spent two years before sanctifying its soil with his blood and claiming it as the new fertile ground in the Western world for the growth of the Christian faith. In a little over three short centuries, Christianity was the religion of the empire. Jesus said,

“The reign of God is like a mustard seed which someone took and sowed in the field. It is the smallest seed of all, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes so big a shrub that the birds of the sky come and build their nests in its branches. [Matthew 13: 31- 32]