Holiness with Human Hands

I think that we often forget that Jesus was a man.

Like I know, that we know, that he was perfect, and died for the sins of the world, and that he performed a bunch of miracles that challenged the status quo, but do we ever really think about the fact that that was only three years of his thirty-three? That it was not merely a few chapters of perfection that saved our souls, but a lifetime of it? And I don't know if you're like me, and your life has been in the accidental pursuit of obtaining perfection, but as one who has both been there and done that, let me tell you that it is hard. No, not just hard, it is impossible. So let me tell you, if you are sitting somewhere, reading this, remotely thinking that you are going to be able to obtain some earthly level of perfection, go ahead and let that fantasy go, because finding perfection in the love of the Lord is a whole heck of a lot better.

When the idea for this post came to me a few weeks ago, I was listening to the song Worthy of Your Name by Passion. This is not a new song, in fact, it's one I've been listening to for years, but for some reason it was this time that these lyrics truly struck a chord with me: "holiness with human hands, treasure for a traitor, no ear had heard, no eye had seen: the image of the Father, until Heaven came to live with me, a rescue like no other". Holiness with human hands. The very hands which caused the fall, that nailed Jesus to the cross, were the same type of hands that worked miracles and offered salvation to humanity. See, I think when we forget that God specifically sent Jesus as a man, we also forget that our Savior is not only perfect, but relatable in that perfection.

Jesus was tested and tried in every way that we are, and yet He did not fail: Hebrew 4:15-16 specifically says that "this High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings as we do, yet he did not sin" and it is because of this sacrifice that we can "come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most".

In school, I am taking an Art Appreciation class. The other day we were studying art as architecture and its various purposes: one of those purposes is religious worship. Through this evaluation of "places of worship" we looked at various temples from Egyptian, to Hindu, to Muslim, and the main commonality of these "places of worship" is that they are meant to separate people from God. To even come close to being near the heart of the temple that "houses this god" you must go through smaller and smaller hallways, be a certain level in their hierarchy, and provide offerings, and even then you will probably never actually make it to the center because you aren't worthy of a personal connection to their god unless you earn it. Listening to this, I was absolutely devastated, because it seems so terribly sad to me that these people will spend their entire lives trying, and failing, to be good enough to receive love from their "god" that doesn't exist. But then it hit me: there are people who spend their entire lives trying to earn the affection of a cruel and unusual god that isn't even real, when we have a personal and intimate connection to the One and Only God, who not only saved us, but comes down and meets us where we are at, and we don't pursue Him with nearly as much fervour as they do. We can not just come before the throne because of Christ's brokenness on our behalf, but do so boldly.

So, that brings us back to square one: Christ is perfect and we are not. And if that's so, why do we try? Why be good if we will inevitably fail? If grace is available to us, then what's the point of modelling Jesus?

Because we love Him. And if you love your Father, you keep His rules. Not because He will disown you, or is cruel, or because you doing good will somehow make Him love you more, but because you love Him, and if you're going to love Him, you're also going to love people.

When asked what the two most important commandments are, Jesus tells the Pharisee: "love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind" and "love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22:36-40). And in Hosea we see the Lord's anger with priests for leading people astray, because as "followers of Christ" they had a responsibility to point people towards the Lord. Here's a reminder: we have the same job today! God tells them that "my people are being destroyed because they don't know me, since you priests refuse to know me" (Hosea 4:6). For some people, you may be the only Jesus that they see; what impression are you leaving?

As someone who struggles with perfectionism, let me be the first to remind you, that the goal has never been to BE Jesus. There was only one of those, and there will only ever be one. BUT, you can love like he did. You can still talk to the woman at the well, and share your food, and tell the world how there is a wonderful God that offers them salvation.

A few weeks ago, I wrapped up a study I had been doing of Leviticus - which let me tell you was hard. It is brutal to read about the blood that had to be shed in order for the people to be forgiven, because it reminds me of the cost of our sin: life. In order to be forgiven for the death that our sin brings to this world, the only thing that can truly pacify it is blood. This, however, gave me a whole new appreciation for what Jesus did on that cross: when he took all of those brutal, bloody, sacrifices and said "it is finished". No more, do we have to go to a high priest, in an isolated temple, instead we can go directly to our High Priest, the Advocate, the One and Only God.

Holiness with human hands, treasure for a traitor.

Here's to being the hands and feet of Christ...

-Emma

"Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."