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In God’s plan to redeem mankind, Jesus Christ is the central figure. God placed Him in charge of everything and He will ultimately rule over everything – “… you crowned Him with glory and honour and put everything under His feet” (Heb. 2:7- 8). In the coming world, God intends that the original order should finally be realized – the world is to be ruled, wisely and creatively, by human beings who themselves live in trusting obedience to God Himself. This role was corrupted in many ways through the “fall” in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3). Why God treat humans this way when we are so obviously small and insignificant in comparison to the wider creation is a profound mystery. Jesus’ first coming was also as “the son of man”. The phrase “a son of man” to a typical Jew at that time could simply mean “a typical human being”. The Messiah is now to be seen as a normal, typical, authentic and representative human being.
With the coming of Jesus as the Saviour of the world, hope bursts into the world with forgiveness for sin for all mankind. By His love and grace, God sent His only Son to die for us, so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. Jesus who is “King of Kings” did not come for status or political gain – He came as “Servant” – to serve. It is difficult for some Christians today to identify with Jesus’ motive and intent of having a “servant” attitude in a world where materialism is much sought after. But faith in Him implies a trusting and obedient attitude and He, being the pioneer of our salvation, is an excellent model to follow. He is truly our representative. His exaltation as Lord after His earthly ministry, suffering and death (in which He was indeed “lower than angels”) has placed Him for the role determined from the beginning for the human race.
Likewise, Christians must be “fixing their eyes on Jesus” and strive to be like Jesus in Christian living. Examining our own motives for everything we do, are we more interested in “the power or domination over others” or are we more interested in “giving rather than getting”? Let us determine in our hearts to simply trust Jesus for our Christian living and to always rejoice in the Lord – “In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy Name” (Ps. 33:21).
