Sojourner's Song

“I have become a pilgrim to cure myself of being an exile.” -G. K. Chesterton


Aaron Telian

I'm a clumsy Christian on a journey of discipline and discovery with Jesus. As a recovering Pharisee, I'm learning to trust God's grace over my goodness. I love the world, and I'm excited about learning what it means to be salt and light in a Post-Christian culture. This is where I write about living the sojourn.


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Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Unqualified Jesus

Jesus is very hard to describe in a word. He is loving. He is also austere. He is down-to-earth. He is also holy. He is understanding. He is also unpredictable.

We know that Jesus is God, and that God is complete. The immediate difficulty is this: How do we present Jesus to people without leaving something out? There's simply too many adjectives and qualifiers to keep track of.

Truth may be a tightrope, but it isn't a tightrope that we walk alone. Jesus isn't watching from the ground and critiquing our performance; he's right there with us, holding our hand and helping us get it right. He's not somewhere way out past the moon, busy with cosmic accounting; he desires incarnation and participation in our lives. That is why I'm starting to believe that if there's one word to describe Jesus, it's this one:

Emmanuel.

God. With. Us.

Have you ever stopped to think about the joy of simply being with someone you love? There's sympathy, connection, a million interwoven strands of non-verbal communication. This is God's invitation. Walk with me, give me your cares, put your fingers into the holes in my wrists and your hand into my side.

Emmanuel.

Don't try to box him in or explain him. We should know God as an obsession, not an object. He is not defined by his attributes: he IS. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life.

Jesus is the theology of the Father, revealed to us.
-Thomas Merton1

Emmanuel.

To understand the with-ness of God is to understand the unqualified Jesus and breathe the free air of spiritual simplicity. He straightens the crooked road and smooths the rough places. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.

We don't need to constantly be balancing our presentation of God's nature to make sure we cover all the bases. He is with us.

We can speak his unique word to each unique situation, without qualification and without apology, relying on him to reveal himself more comprehensively to people in his time, as he chooses. He is with us.

We can be confident in the continuing work of sanctification, believing Philippians 1:6 for ourselves and for others. He is with us.

We don't need to be anxious about the future and we don't need to be afraid of man. He is with us.

We don't need to memorize what he looks like. He is with us.

Emmanuel. Think about it.


(1) Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island, (Barns & Noble Books, 2003), 23
Image courtesy of wendyusuallywanders.files.wordpress.com
Posted by Aaron at 4:00 PM
Labels: Jesus

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's odd that you should mention this now, Aaron, because I've been thinking about this a fair bit lately. I'd actually planned on writing a post about it, but I'm glad you beat me to it, since you did a much better job :)

6:27 PM
Anonymous said...

Thanks, Aaron. I like this notion of spiritual simplicity. A good way to look at things... it feels a little Quaker too.

Peace to you today.

6:04 AM
Jessica said...

Have you ever stopped to think about the joy of simply being with someone you love?

Actually, yes...I have thought about that...a lot, especially recently...and I'm sure you have no idea why! *BIG smile* I love you!

3:11 PM

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Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2 Cor. 13:11