In our daily devotionals over the last few days, we have been focusing our thoughts about God becoming a Man. Could Jesus really be God in the flesh? I think there is much evidence to this thought in what He said about Himself for much of His teaching was centered on Himself. Don’t get me wrong, Christ was not self-centered. What I am saying is that His teaching was often about what He can do for us. Jesus said to people, in effect, “If you want to have a relationship with God, you need to come to me” (John 14:6). It’s through a relationship with Christ that we encounter God. In my younger years, I was conscious of a missing piece to my life; like an inner void that was longing to be filled. Perhaps you yourself are aware of an inner dissatisfaction that you try to fill with things. This inner void is acknowledged by some of the leading psychologists of the twentieth century. They have all recognized that there is in the heart of every one of us, a deep void, a missing piece, a deep hunger.
Prince Charles of England once spoke of his belief that, for all the advances of science, “There remains deep in the soul, if I dare use that word, a persistent and unconscious anxiety that something is missing, some ingredient that makes life worth living.” Bernard Levin, perhaps the greatest English columnist of this generation, once wrote about the void in his life, he said:
“Countries like ours are full of people who have all the material comforts they desire, together with such non-material blessings as a happy family, and yet lead lives of quiet, and at times noisy, desperation, understanding nothing but the fact that there is a hole inside them and that however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motor cars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it…it aches.”[1]
Freud said, “People are hungry for love.”
Jung said, “People are hungry for security.”
Adler said, “People are hungry for significance.”
Jesus said, “I Am the Bread of Life” (John 6:48).
Jesus was saying, in effect, that if you want your hunger satisfied, come to Him. If He had been talking to an Asian person, He might have said, I am the rice of Life. Bread was the staple of life in Israel at the time. The Lord was saying that just as bread sustains the physical body, in the same way, your spiritual life will be sustained in Christ.
If you are walking in darkness, He said, “I Am the Light of the World.” If you don’t know where to put your next step, trust the Lord Jesus, He will give light to your path.
That is one of the reasons I began my search for what life holds for us when we die. If you are fearful of death, Jesus said, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). This is what I mean by Jesus’ teaching being centered on Himself. He pointed to Himself as the answer to the missing piece in life.
Some are addicted to different things, drugs, alcohol, sex—Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). You can be totally set free from that which you are addicted to. Many are burdened with worries, anxieties, fears, and guilt. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Have you ever found true rest of soul? Are you searching today for inner peace? Peace is the deliberate adjustment of our lives to the will of God. Only in Christ can there be a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). In another place, Christ said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He said to receive Him was to receive God (Matthew 10:40), to welcome Him was to welcome God (Mark 9:37) and to have seen Him was to have seen God (John 14:9).
Yes, Jesus really is God in the flesh. He is the answer to whatever inner need you have. Keith Thomas
[1] As quoted by Nicky Gumbel, Questions of Life, Published by Cook Ministry Publications. Page 13.