Notes from the book:
John 1:10-11 tells is that Jesus “was in the world, and the
world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to
what was his own, and his own people did not accept him”. Unrequited love might
be the most painful of all human experiences. To love someone and not be loved
in return is a deep hurt, an excruciating ache. God experienced the pain of
unrequited love.[1]
In fact, John 12:24 tells us, “Very truly I tell you, unless
a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. Self-sacrifice is the highest act. The
grain of wheat must die in order to give life. The cosmos reflects the nature
of the God who created it. Jesus said “No one has greater love than this, to
lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).[2] We
see the paradox of self-sacrifice from Philippians 2:6-11 that by emptying and
humbling himself and becoming obedient, Jesus was “highly exalted.” When Jesus
was asked who the greatest is in the kingdom of God, he replied, “Whoever
becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”
(Matthew 18:4). The greatest are those who serve. This narrative is directly
opposed to the teachings of the kingdom of this world, where the greatest are
those who are served.[3]
So “Why did Jesus have to die?” Jesus did not have to die,
Jesus chose to die. The father, Son and Spirit worked in harmony to reach out
to a fallen and broken world in order to restore it. God did for us what we
could never do for ourselves. The cross is a symbol of God’s love and
sacrifice. Jesus assumed and healed our human condition, and in doing so he
demonstrated the depths of God’s love for all of creation. In the incarnation
God, who created millions of spinning galaxies, chose to become vulnerable, and
in so doing, heaven came down and kissed the earth. In the crucifixion God, who
could not die, subjected himself to death, and in so doing lifted the whole
world to himself: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
people to myself” (John 12:32).[4]
Reflections:
“At the heart of the universe is this one principle:
self-sacrifice is the highest act. The grain of wheat must die in order to give
life. The cosmos reflects the nature of the God who created it.”[5]
There are many examples of creation revealing this principle,
including the life cycle of a human being. We all cycle through life and death.
Humans tend to be busybodies and often times it is when we have a close
encounter with death that we reflect on life. At least that is the case with
me: when my father passed away I was forced to slow down and reflect, on life
itself, and on the quality of my relationships with my family and friends.
Without this life event, I would have continued being busy with whatever I was
doing. Too often we take life for granted. My parents are like the grain of
wheat to me: they gave me life, they made great sacrifices for me, and they
laid down some very important foundations in my life. I have learnt about life
through them, and even when my father passed away the memories and impacts live
on. It reminds me of the quote from the movie Interstellar, “Now we're just
here to be memories for our kids. Once you're a parent, you're the ghost of
your children's future.”
I consider it a characteristic of God, the source of all life,
to be self-sacrificing. We are all doomed to die due to the infiltration of sin
into this world. God chose to become vulnerable by coming down in flesh as Jesus
Christ to die for us all, so that we can receive eternal life and the world can
be restored.[6] Although
Jesus is not with us physically in flesh right now, his impact is eternal, and the
work of the Holy Spirit continues to impact strongly on our lives today.
Smith, James Bryan.The Good and Beautiful God.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010.
[1]James
Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,(London:
Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 139.
[2]Smith,
The Good and Beautiful God, 141.
[3]Smith,
The Good and Beautiful God, 144.
[4]Smith,
The Good and Beautiful God, 145.
[5]James
Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful God,
(London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2010): 141.
[6]Smith,
The Good and Beautiful God, 145.
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