Jesus Christ was “God with us” (Matthew 1:23; John 1:14). Although He worked many miracles, very few people recognized God in Him. The religious scribes and Pharisees hated Him. They saw Him as a cult leader and wanted to kill Him. Others had various opinions. Some thought He was a great teacher; some even thought He might be a prophet. But, even so, they still didn’t see Him as God in flesh. And even though His disciples believed that He was the Messiah, they were also limited in their revelation of Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He that has seen Me has seen the Father; and how can you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works. John 14:8-10.
Isn’t it sad that God was in the midst of Israel and they weren’t aware of it? He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. John 1:11. You would think that Jesus would have done something to make them realize who He was. Why didn’t He tell them plainly that He was “Emmanuel, God with us”?
Instead of being one of the members of “the Pharisaic ministry team,” He traveled with a little band of smelly fishermen and misfits. He kept company with the harlots, publicans, and lepers - those who were rejected by society. He would heal a leper and then tell him, See that you tell no man (Matthew 8:1-4). He even charged His disciples to tell no man that He was the Christ (Matthew 16:20). Jesus knew that telling people who He was would only be superficial knowledge. A real knowledge of Him would have to come by revelation from the Father as it did with Peter. After the disciples told Him that the people had various opinions about Him, He asked them, Whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but My Father which is in heaven. Matthew 16:15-17.
The same is true for us today. We must have a revelation of Christ as “God with us.” We must not only know Him according to the flesh. Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. II Corinthians 5:16. Many Christians only see Christ after the flesh. They only think of Him in terms of a historical Christ, as He was in the days of the Gospels. They talk about what He did and call Him Savior and Lord, yet in their thinking He is separated from them. He is not “God with us” in that sense.
Christ is now a many-membered Christ. Even so, Christ is still “God with us.” This is a revelation to those who are members of the Body of Christ. For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. I Corinthians 12:12. (God) has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23. Christ is God with us!
Copyright © 2001 by Henry DuBose