What does it mean to be a human being? The world as I understand it began to unravel on Wednesday, the Feast of the Epiphany, and as I was trying to figure out how to speak into that situation, this question is where my mind turned. Not initially. Initially I was just sad. Sad that currently we live in a state of turmoil. Then I started trying to figure out the lessons for today. “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples…”[1]
Man do I feel that one right now. The sun goes down at 5:30. By 4:30, it is cold enough that the kids have to come in from playing. So there are two things that aren’t fun—dark and cold—and I really hate the cold. Throw into that political unrest, and I really am just looking for a beach somewhere for sunshine and respite. But that is where we are right now—thick darkness all around—nobody likes anybody, we aren’t supposed to even hang out with people due to the pandemic, it’s dark, and it’s cold. All of these things are supposed to be prime real estate into which to speak the Gospel, but they also are soul crushing, which makes it difficult.
Much easier is it to match the lament of the psalmist. “Why do the nations so furiously rage together? And why do the people devise a vain thing? The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed: ‘Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us.’”[2] (That is the beauty of the book of Psalms, it is always there to give words to what you are feeling.)
Into this mentality I take a run on Friday—still lost as to how I can do anything but rant and rave and vent my frustration (which isn’t exactly helpful for a sermon). So I turn to a podcast of a professor of mine Fr. John Behr[3]—a little something to take my mind off so I can focus. And there I find it—what does it mean to be a human being? This is a question that the early church fathers were wrestling with—namely St. Irenaeus of Lyons. He has a famous quote: “The glory of God is the living human being.”[4]
This is not meant in the way that we would normally understand this statement—that we are the pinnacle of creation and the very fact that we are here speaks to the glory of God—or something along those lines. However, this is not what he means by this. And in order to understand this, we must go back to Genesis. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.”[5] Into this darkness God created the world and everything in it—first giving it form since it was formless, and then filling it since it was void. And God said, and there was. And God said and there was, and God called it good. Over and over this same pattern occurs.
Then when we get to the creation of humanity, it changes. “Let us make man in our image, after our own likeness.”[6] All of the sudden the pattern changes. It is no longer, God said, it was so, he called it good. Now God has undertaken a project. Then he finishes up everything, and it was so, and behold he saw it was very good. This is the creation of man.
But actually the word translated “man” there in the Greek Old Testament is “anthropon”—a more generic term, that we would typically translate as “human being.” So, the project here, as Irenaeus understands it, is not the creation of man—but the creation of a human being—of which Adam is but a sketch, something that reminds us of the true human being—which his of course Jesus Christ.
John picks up on this in his Gospel, which was written from a different perspective than the other three gospels. John is purposely drawing us back to the beginning and this creation of a human being. He starts off his gospel the same way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All Things were made through him and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”[7] In the Greek both books start out the exact same way. “En Arche…” “In the beginning…” and they do this because John is purposely connecting the two. And he is connecting the two among other reasons, to link back up to this project that was begun in the creation of Adam—to create a human being.
Skipping ahead, when Jesus was delivered to Pilate who would ultimately give permission for him to be crucified, Pilate tromps Jesus out before everyone, and says to the crowd, “Behold the man”[8]—but in the Greek, “Behold the Anthropos”—“Behold the human being.” And as the human being, the project begun at creation, we finally see the image and likeness of God to which Adam only pointed, and as this human being he then becomes fully alive by…being crucified. “In him was the light and the light was the life of men.”[9]
What it means to be human is to be willing to be sacrificed that others may have life—this is the glory of God—the living human being. And when we take up his cross and follow him, this is where our life leads, to the cross and to our sacrifice that we may have life given to us in him—the life in the fully realized human being. This is where all of Scripture leads us, to life in Christ laid down for the sake of others that they may be able through him to pick it back up again and to be in the very life of God.
This is the light that rose in the darkness of my despair—the light of Christ, which is the life of humanity. “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For [though] darkness covered the earth, and thick darkness the peoples…the Lord rises upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.”[10] Then I saw and was radiant, my heart was indeed thrilled and rejoiced because the true nature of humanity was set against the picture of humanity that I was so disgusted by on Wednesday. What I beheld was the image in its negative. What I saw on Wednesday was the true nature of the world in which we live—a world that continually falls short and tends toward its own self interest and will destroy anything that gets in its way—no matter how dear—all in the name of self-preservation.
Yet that is the exact opposite of what Christ did to show us what it means to be human. Rather than following this route and cleaning up shop, kicking the Romans out of Jerusalem, and reestablishing the rule of God’s people Israel—Jesus gave up his life and allowed those same Romans to allow him to accomplish his goal at the very hands of the people he came to save. “He who dwells in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall hold them in derision…I myself have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will proclaim the decree to the Lord…”You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.” Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.”[11]
This is the way to fix the world in which we live—not by taking it back forcefully through riot, but by looking at ourselves and saying along with G. K. Chesterton when he was asked “What is wrong with the world today?” “Dear sir, I am.”[12] When we take a deep look at ourselves and say: “What I am trying to do is recreate the world in my image” and then reject that desire in order to give it up by following Christ to his cross and allowing him to give us life by making us human beings. This is the fix: admitting that we are the problem, and then repenting and returning to the foot of the Cross and allowing him to give us life. Then the problem fixes itself. Because then it is not trying to recreate a thing from our past that was lost, but creating the thing anew in the light of Christ. This is the way that the darkness around us makes evident—the light of Christ shining in the midst, guiding us to the perfect future—one where we are all fully alive—we are the glory of God.
[1] Isa 60:2
[2] Ps 2:1-3 – New Coverdale Psalter
[3] “Becoming Human in Light of the Gospel of John” by Fr. John Behr – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrhfQcEFR7I
[4] Irenaeus, Against Heresies, IV.34.7
[5] Gen 1:1
[6] Gen 1:26
[7] John 1:1-5
[8] John 19:5
[9] John 1:4
[10] Isa 60:1-2
[11] Ps 2:4-8 New coverdale
Saint Pauls Gainesville, Texas 