Enigma! For me, that is most probably the closest description of incarnation. The concept defies human intellect, wisdom and thought. “How can you say that a man be God?” That is the most common question asked by the people in our Islam-dominated country. And then we have to explain that it is not man becoming God but a God who in His own sovereign will chose to become man and live among His people. Emmanuel.

We have to tell them the whole of the Bible story, that it was always God’s holy intention to live among His people. It started right in the Garden of Eden where God would come down to meet His prized creation. Through ways that are not certain, He communicated with patriarchs, seers and prophets, sometimes in human vesture.

At Mount Sinai, it was taken to yet another level. It was a warm and sunny day, and Moses was grazing Jethro’s sheep around that place. He saw a bush on fire, which might easily have been mistaken for brushfire. Surprisingly, the bush was not burning up, which was enough to arouse Moses’ curiosity. That led him near the bush and, eventually, to an amazing encounter with God. Not only did God reveal His personal name, YHWH, to him, but He also said something that must have surprised Moses. “The LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey …’” (Exodus 3:7–8).
I, YHWH, have come down!

Many years later, when the Israelites were traversing the wilderness and would encamp in a place shown by God, the first tent that would be pitched would be the tent of meeting housing the holy of holies and the mercy seat of God. Once the Levites had done their job, the Israelite leadership would camp around the Tent of Meeting. On the circumference, the Israelites would pitch their tents, three tribes in each direction, so that God’s dwelling would be right in the dead centre of His people. Emmanuel! God pitched His tent among His people.

Let us fast forward to the New Testament! John, in his gospel account, introduces us to logos, the Word of God, who was eternal as God, co-existent with God and self-existent as God. The same Word became flesh and dwelt (pitched His tent) among His people, exhibiting the divine attributes and glory. John goes on to tell us that the main reason for the incarnation was to reveal God to people. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18).

So, in actual fact, incarnation boils down to revelation. The God of the Bible always wanted to be known by His creation. God’s revelation to mankind has been progressive. God made Himself known to mankind through various ways and means, culminating in His revelation through His son. Scolding Philip, who asked Jesus to show them the Father, He said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:8–11).

Thus, Jesus is the full, the final and the absolute revelation of God to mankind. Beyond Him, we need nothing. So, if you have Jesus, you have the Father. What a privilege and what a blessing!