The Word Made Flesh that was Jesus may be summed up in a few words:
The Law was made for People, not People for the Law.
God in Human Form certainly qualifies as a breaking of natural law. The man who came to bring that message could not but respond to human need when he saw it. His healings were described in terms of the understandings people had of medicine at the time. When that failed they became signs and miracles. When word of a great healer in their midst spread people flocked from near and far to be healed by this shaman, this miracle worker. Jesus the man was often overwhelmed by the level of human need and lacking a cadre of soldiers to maintain crowd control he kept moving about the countryside and often retreated to wild places to get away from the crowds. The hysteria surrounding these large gatherings obviously alarmed civil authorities. On the other hand signs and wonders are seen as proof that a great prophet had arrived.
The man whose message was that God was a God of Love and Forgiveness, not the Retributive Legalist of the Old Covenant could not see dis-ease in any form and not respond to it. Be it mental and physical illness, poverty, or hunger.
His miracles broke natural law. God made man broke natural law. God intervened in the affairs of man in this dramatic manner to make his message known. To quote Marshall McLuhan the medium is the message. The word made flesh was the message. That God cares enough about the affairs of man to appear in human form. This is the Epiphany.
The Law was made for People, not People for the Law.
God in Human Form certainly qualifies as a breaking of natural law. The man who came to bring that message could not but respond to human need when he saw it. His healings were described in terms of the understandings people had of medicine at the time. When that failed they became signs and miracles. When word of a great healer in their midst spread people flocked from near and far to be healed by this shaman, this miracle worker. Jesus the man was often overwhelmed by the level of human need and lacking a cadre of soldiers to maintain crowd control he kept moving about the countryside and often retreated to wild places to get away from the crowds. The hysteria surrounding these large gatherings obviously alarmed civil authorities. On the other hand signs and wonders are seen as proof that a great prophet had arrived.
The man whose message was that God was a God of Love and Forgiveness, not the Retributive Legalist of the Old Covenant could not see dis-ease in any form and not respond to it. Be it mental and physical illness, poverty, or hunger.
His miracles broke natural law. God made man broke natural law. God intervened in the affairs of man in this dramatic manner to make his message known. To quote Marshall McLuhan the medium is the message. The word made flesh was the message. That God cares enough about the affairs of man to appear in human form. This is the Epiphany.
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