The physical body is animalistic and its defence also follows the pattern of the animal kingdom. The behaviour of any creature, observed in this world, is governed through the process of birth, growth and death. That pattern is similar to human beings. However, Jesus came to redeem humanity from that animalistic condition. Humanity is inherent with eternal life.
A human being, conditioned according to the process of birth, growth and death, cannot appreciate anything outside that cycle. This is what caused the Jews to disown Jesus. Everything Jesus said could not make sense to them. Their understanding was limited to what conditioned them according to birth, growth and death. However, as created in God’s image, humans are eternal, just as God is also eternal.
Jesus was also born of a woman, but only for the purpose of leading humanity out of the condition of birth, growth and death. This is why Jesus declared Himself as the way, the truth and the life. Through Jesus, any person can come out of the condition of birth, growth and death. The physical life serves only as a means to discover one’s identity as God’s child.
The key Scripture to understand the nature of humanity is in the Book of Genesis. Lacking faith, as alluded to, by Jesus, even as affects His disciples, lies in not appreciating the significance of man’s creation. Otherwise, there is nothing hidden about the creation of man, except disbelief or lack of faith.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26-27 NIV).
Scriptures do not reveal what happened after humanity’s creation. The above Scripture also shows that God is pluralistic in nature. Jesus also declared Himself as being God, making it safe to prescribe God, as a system.
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Jesus answered them, “is it not written in you Law, ‘I have said you are gods?” If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
“Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp (John 10:31-39 NIV).
Their main contention was that Jesus declared Himself as one in the position of God. But, Jesus also intimated humanity being gods, referring to Psalms 82:6. That Scripture prophetically projected the referred people, using the God term. Yet, they accused Jesus of calling Himself God’s Son.
They were right in contextualizing the significance of, the term, “Son of God” as implying being God. Jesus categorically confirmed the same statement to His disciples, after Philip had asked Him to reveal the Father, to them.
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe in the evidence of the miracles themselves. (John 14:8-11 NIV).
As human as Jesus was, to those who knew Him, the Father was in Him and Him in the Father. In other words, Jesus and His Father were inseparable. If I, Andrew Masuku, declared similar words as declared by Jesus, would I not be accused of blaspheming? If God dwelt in Jesus, entitling Him to call Himself God, how different would that be from any other?
“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:19-21 NIV).
The disciples had not yet received the Holy Spirit, to fully comprehend the mystery. God would be in them, just as Jesus would also be in them. Therefore, anyone seeing them would have seen both God and Christ. This does not mean those disciples would then be honoured by humanity, just as those claiming to love Jesus do not even know how He looks like.
However, if God dwells in Andrew Masuku, performing many miracles through Andrew, why would they fail to see God? That would not be surprising at all. Hence, the custodians of the Law picked up stones to attack Him. They did not consider themselves as attacking God. As far as they were concerned, Jesus was an ordinary man, undeserving of God’s Honor.
“Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father” (John 15:20-24 NIV).
If anyone sent by God, whether Andrew Masuku, or anyone for that matter; performs miracles, but they remain stiffnecked, what happens? It is not Andrew that they would hate, according to Jesus. They would have hated both Jesus and the Father. God cannot be separated from His Children. The separation is only by those claiming to know God but being ignorant of God.
Such people are not different from those who killed Him. The first human to testify knowing God was Jesus. As the way, the truth and the life, everything He said is true. Those claiming to know better would be charlatans. Where else does one go, if unbelieving what Jesus said—except belonging to those who killed Him?
Having grasped that Jesus came to reveal the Father, those sincerely believing Him cannot have any problem. God is not necessarily located somewhere in Heaven but lives among those known by Him and by Jesus. Interestingly, it is not difficult for God’s children to know those used by God.
God’s identity cannot be likened to anything of this world (Exodus 20:3). This is where our beloved Theologians miss it. They liken God to whatever their imagination. The portrait claimed to be of Jesus is as fake as it is idolatrous. Most people claim to love Jesus and God whom they have not seen but hate to the core, anyone else, in whom God dwells.
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he is in God.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (John 4:12-21 NIV).
The only test of knowing those sent by God and those not sent by God is whether what is said agrees with Jesus or not. John is consistent with what Jesus said in John 14. One cannot separate God from those created in God’s image. The physical stature of Jesus was not God’s image. That happens to be the only reason why most people could not identify Jesus. That is also the only reason why those in this world cannot identify God’s children.
If Jesus came to save the physical body, He would not have allowed His own body to be lacerated by those sinful characters. The physical body is characterized by birth, growth and death. That is not what Jesus came to save, but redeeming humanity from that condition to Godliness.
There is no blaspheming if anyone declared: “Anyone who has seen me has seen God.” That would be perfectly in order, as long as God dwells in that person. If apprehensive of saying those words, chances are that God would not be dwelling in that person. There is only one condition, enabling one to receive God’s Spirit, to become God’s child.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NIV).
Merely claiming to love Jesus, but refusing to believe what He said, does not cut it. Even those Jews who claimed to believe Him could not keep up with Him, especially on the aspect of declaring being God’s Son. Rather than believe Jesus, they sought to kill Him. Nothing has changed. Jesus is the same, Yesterday, today and forever. He is not different from the recipients of God’s Spirit.
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him, we cry ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:11-17 NIV).
The state of being co-heirs with Christ is as truthful as the certainty of the rising sun tomorrow. While many anticipate the second coming of Jesus, they are not aware of the other Lords, as Jesus is identified as KING OF KINGS AND LORDS OF LORDS. There would be many of His brothers who would not be different from Him when He comes.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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