November 14, 2017

FULLY GOD, FULLY HUMAN

John 5:30

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

Personal Challenge

So, how is it that Jesus, who is one of the Trinity, say that He can do nothing by Himself? We must always remember that Jesus is two natures in one person. He had two natures. He is fully God, a member of the God-head, begotten by the Father and fully eternal. It is through Him that creation was done and in His image that all of mankind was made. He is also fully man, just like the handiwork of His creation, incarnate, and living a human existence like every one of us has done since Adam. He had to deal with human temptations, human emotions, and a human will. This is what He is referring to when He says, "I can of Myself do nothing." As a human being, He had to submit His human will completely to God's divine will in order to do that which God had called Him to do. How does this fully human, fully God thing work? No one knows, for it is truly a mystery that only God knows the answer to. What is so special in all of this is that Jesus, the incarnate human being, made it possible for us to follow in His footsteps and to be able to submit our will to God as He did. This is our journey to theosis. This is our true work in this life. This is my desire even though I continue to exercise my own personal will all too often. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!