[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God
I love this. I love this because I sometimes struggle with the immensity of God. Just when I think I understand something of God, I’m blown away because I definitely don’t. I can’t imagine the unimaginable.
But Jesus was a human. A human who put his pants on one leg at a time, presuming he ever wore pants. He was fully human, and I can imagine what it’s like to be fully human.
I don’t understand the notion of three persons in one, and like all heretics, when I try to explain it, I’m wrong. But I do understand humanity, at least a little bit. And as a result, the person of God the Son is something I can begin to imagine.
There are some who think of the resurrected Jesus as a friend, or someone who carries them in the sand. This may help them in their understanding of God. It does not help me, as I can’t really fathom a fully human mortal, raised from the dead. That’s not to say I don’t believe it; I do. But it’s a belief rooted in holy mystery. I believe it happened, I believe God made it happen, and I believe God can do it again. I get glimpses of worshipping the resurrected Jesus occasionally, although not so frequently. I feel connoted to the resurrected Jesus occasionally, although not so frequently. Perhaps this is heresy too, but it’s honest.
For me, Paul’s summary is where I find the most connection with Jesus. Jesus is the image of an invisible God. Yes! All the things I don’t ‘get’ about God, can’t fathom about God, all of these things I can more readily see and understand in Jesus. I can see what God is Love looks like, because I can see Jesus love the Samaritan and Judas, and everyone else. I can see what God’s mercy is because of the mercy Jesus showed those around him. I can imagine God’s power, because I can see it in Jesus. After reading my way through the Bible this far, I can say that I understand much of the Hebrew Scriptures because Jesus translates what God says, does and commands, into something I can more easily absorb. And where there are inconsistencies between what I read about God and what I read about Jesus, I will side with Jesus; his commands are clear. Love God. Love your neighbor. I am grateful that Paul named this one aspect of Jesus, as it helps me understand me.
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