A long time ago, when I would struggle with my faith, I'd talk to God. "If I could only see you," I'd say, "then I'd know for sure." But what was it that I hoped to see? If God actually showed up, right before my very eyes--what would He look like?
The stupefying claim of the gospels is that God did, indeed, appear on our earthly doorstep. He took the form of a man. And much to everyone's surprise, God did not appear as a King or an Emperor or any sort of VIP at all. He "made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant" (Philippians 2:7).
And in case Jesus' disciples had somehow missed the point, in case they failed to recognize the absolutely humble and yielded self-giving of their Master, he was careful to burn the image into their minds. Knowing he was about to die, Jesus left the apostles with a sort of acted-out last-will-and-testament. He revealed the heart and character of God in a way that, yes, they could see with their very eyes. And it wasn't at all what they expected...
