I'm Terrible With Names - Week 2
Often, during the Christmas Season, we are surrounded by those we love the most. And there’s something beautiful about that. But. If love is the highest Christian ethic, and loving everyone is the way that CHrist loved, then that’s a good deal more difficult. Jay Kim speaks about two ends of the spectrum of people who are challenging to love: one because it’s easy to forget about them (namely, the global poor and those in need) and the other because we don’t WANT to love them (our enemies).
In the ancient world, it was incredibly common for powerful rulers to attempt to seize divinity to cement their authority and assert their power. As such, calling yourself a “god” or a “son of God” was fairly common. Even Octavian Augustus Caesar was called the “son of God.” It would make sense, therefore, that Jesus would call Himself that title, too. After all, if anyone has the right to use that title, it’s the *actual* son of God. Right? But He doesn’t. Instead by far the most common title that Jesus uses to refer to Himself is the phrase “the son of man” - using it more than 80 times in the Gospels. And in examining this phrase we learn something about Jesus - and hear an invitation from the Son of God Himself.
