Being Human

Jesus said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

— Mark 10:43-45 (NRSV)

During Lent, a season of examination and anticipation, we look to Jesus as our most holy and humble guide. Jesus is our example of what it means to be fully human in light of God’s restorative grace.

In the verses above Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man,” honoring what it means to be human and revealing the new hope made possible through him. Jesus chose to take on “the form of a slave” and to become “like human beings” (Phil. 2:7, CEB). He came to restore humanity to our former glory and to raise us from a state of death to new life. Jesus also gave clarity to the passage recorded in Daniel 7:13-14 where “one like a human being (son of man)” is seen on the throne of God. Jesus is the only one who could raise humanity to new life for the purpose of bringing new hope to the world through his body, the church; for, as the apostle Paul wrote, “we have this treasure (the gospel) in clay jars (human bodies), so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us . . . always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:7, 10).

As we journey through this season, may we begin to understand that “being human” is exactly who God needs us to be. When we allow our humanity to be reinvigorated by God’s Spirit, we can become conduits of light and life to those around us.