One of the things that makes Jesus utterly unique is His concrete embodiment. Jesus did not just have a dream or an idea; He is not just an ideal. He is God become man; God in flesh, living and loving for all to see. 

God is not aloof in an ivory tower. Jesus is down on earth in the muck and grime, being spit upon and crying. Jesus’ life and teachings reveal God’s character and compassion. Creation has always revealed God’s utter glory (Ps. 19:1), but Jesus reveals the abundance of God’s grace (Jn. 1:14-18). 

Jesus reveals God to us. Jesus makes God known. People may have questions and confusion about God, but when they see Jesus, those questions are answered. “The distracted and doubting mind turns toward Jesus with relief and says, ‘If God is like that, He is all right.’”[1]

If the best and brightest humans on earth sat down to the task of thinking about the best possible God they would like to see run the universe, they would gradually form a description of Jesus of Nazareth. Who better could humans contrive? And yet the Bible says He really is the God running the universe. “The greatest news that has ever been broken to the human race is the news that God is like Christ.”[2]

Jesus is unique because He is God incarnate, revealing God’s character and compassion through His life and teachings. He answers questions about God and embodies the best possible God that humans could imagine.

Notes

[1] E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road, 35. 

[2] Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road, 36.

*Photo by Jon Tyson