Who, O God, is like You? No one, no, not one.
All other gods are self-serving.
Today, I read in Gospel John 17, the prayer of Jesus for us—those who were born long after the first century. I guess we are about as far away from it as one can get. It seems history is so far removed from us, but—is it?
As I read, it surprised me (why should that be?) to think that before Jesus came, no one really knew God at all. They suffered through the foibles, jealousies, whims of many gods. Even the Hebrews didn’t really know God. No one had ever heard of the Son of God before, or the Holy Trinity. If the true God was recognized at all, it was as Creator. But no one really thought that God or gods had anything do with their everyday life. (Sort of like now, huh?)
Actions have always had consequences, but were never really tied to a moral law. Except for the Hebrews, who mostly ignored the laws. The rest simply had no clue. Life was as it was and no one really had any answers. If they were even looking.
Until Jesus came. He introduced us to the true nature of the One, True, Triune God. No wonder He was so radical. They must have speculated where He got His ideas. But, He moved with Light from above, to explain the nature of God as best as His human creatures could understand. His very presence announced the new idea of the Son of God.
I imagine that for the first time, as Christianity spread across the world, that consequences got tied to actions as the teachings of Jesus (Love God, Love Others) were shared. Maybe it was the first time that humans understood ourselves. Life isn’t random, it has a pattern. We just need to pay attention to the moral laws that govern those patterns. If this…then that.
I wonder if people in earlier centuries even considered that there might be an eternity to win? What must it have been like to think this life is all there is and if it was miserable, how hopeless. Jesus gave hope to the miserable. He still does.
Jesus is always with us. He is always encouraging us. He is always lifting us up.
Who, O God is like You? No one, no, not one.
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