Incarnate

Incarnate

Last Sunday in Adult Discussion we had a brief discussion of the meaning of the concept incarnate, as in:

“There is another understanding of God – the view that God is incarnate – that God has descended into human form on earth. This view can not be proven; it can only be tested against everyday realities for its adequacy as a guide to living in the world.”

A that time I had difficulty grasping the concept of incarnate – I could read the words, but I did not understand what they meant. Here is what I now think “incarnate” means to us.

“Incarnate” means that God is with us in the sense that he is not off somewhere else (Heaven?) controlling things. God will work with us – humanity – in alleviating our pain and suffering, but he will not do the job for us. He has endowed us with the capability to solve our own problems, and he wants us to grow up and to use that capability.

Those who ask: “If God is both good and all-powerful, why is there so much pain and suffering here?” are still waiting for the “real” Messiah to show up, not that Jesus fellow who was claimed to be The Messiah two-thousand years ago. The “real” Messiah they are waiting for would not have been born in a stable, would not have been an itinerant preacher, would not have suffered and died an ignomious death. No, the “real” Messiah would have been one the Israelites were expecting – a successor to King David who would have arrived at the head of an invincible army and defeated all foes. The “real” Messiah would be that “Son of Man” who that Jesus fellow said was coming. When the “real” Messiah arrives, we – humanity – will not have to exert any effort, for all our pain and suffering will miraculously dissappear, and everything we desire will be given to us.

Could be. But what if God has a different plan for humanity? What if God wants us to grow to be more self-reliant? To work in partnership with God? What if God considers our existence on Earth to be “basic training” for his ultimate plan for us? What if God decided to set a leadership example for us, and Jesus is that “follow me” guy? If we want to eliminate the suffering of cancer, then we – humanity – must find the cure, not depend on God to miraculously cure all cancer victims. If we want to eliminate the suffering of starvation, we can not depend on God to miraculously provide food for all, but humanity must share some of the bounty we enjoy. If we want to eliminate the suffering of war, then humanity must learn to love our neighbors, rather than to pray to God to smite the oppressors.

And yes, the suffering is not equally distributed among all. The rain falls on both the just and the unjust. And “goodness” is no guarantee that an individual (or his loved ones) will not suffer. For the lesson God is trying to teach us is not “Do good and thou shalt be rewarded,” but rather “Love thy neighbor as thyself!” This is what incarnate means – God is with us, leading us, cajoling us, but not performing miracles while we sit idly by.