Not From Around Here

2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Reviewing my life (no, my life is not passing before my eyes) there were times that I learned something new from being around other people. One Sunday at a young age I went to the house of another family in our church, other farmers. What surprised me was that they put cake in a bowl and put milk on it. I had never heard of such a thing. But it wasn't odd to them. There were certainly other different traditions people had I learned through the years which I paused to think about too. The transition from farm to one of the largest cities in the United States of America for college had it's own share of challenges. The one biggest lessons I remember was walking in downtown Chicago and feeling lonelier than ever I had on the farm. I was among thousands of people, but not a one had a bit of interest in me. It was much better to me to be walking farm fields alone than walking the big city street alone. Then after graduating I went from a college where each had to get their own apartment or living quarters to Bible college living in a dorm room. How I missed my solitude! I could only handle that for one semester. The rest of my years at Bible college I lived off campus. Getting married was also a change indeed, but then the much bigger change was moving from Wisconsin to South Carolina, a totally different region in the U. S., and a totally different climate. In all my changes over the years two things I haven't been able to adjust to in those seven decades, the Southern climate (yes, I greatly miss four very distinct separate seasons each with their own delights and challenges) and city living. Yes, there have been so many different things over the years that I have had to adjust to or at least give my very best effort to try to adjust to no matter how difficult it continues to be for me.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and word, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love towards us, even so see that ye abound in this grace also. This say I not by commandement, but because of the diligence of others: therefore prove I the naturalness of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he being rich, for your sakes became poor, that ye through his poverty might be made rich.

2 Corinthians 8:7-9 GNV

This brings to mind another difference I have experienced just little bit. The church my wife grew up in had a millionaire family in their congregation. Though I only met him a couple of times it was when we moved south that our family became friends with another millionaire family. Growing up I didn't know we were considered poor. Therefore becoming friends with millionaires was , well, different. Thankfully the millionaires we knew were very humble and were good to be around. But our millionaires basically, like we all are in our lives, were extreme paupers compared to what Jesus left in heaven. When it speaks of Him being rich and for our sake became poor that is the only comparison possible to help us begin to grasp the extent of that contrast. We read of Solomon's riches and lavishness and opulence of his kingdom and think such description comes of fairy tale quality. We actually have no ability to have a concept of what He left so for our sakes so He could become "poor" like us. The future dwelling for believers is described as "eye has not seen, nor ear heard" (1 Corinthians 2:9). And we might gasp to think that the fact that Jesus said "I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). We might ask, does that mean while "He became flesh and dwely among us" from that He better understood,(should I say it), some "improvements " that could be made? No, like the Queen of Sheba we would barely be able to say, "the half was not told me" (1 Kings 10), and that particular statement was one rich ruler to another. Most of us don't see ourselves as poor because everyone around us is roughly living the same as we are in this singil world. We have no earthly idea what riches truly are, especially His riches. Within that thought lies the crux of what Paul was saying back in 2 Corinthians 8. Verse seven has a list of character traits from the life of Jesus Christ. These are faith, word, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in love toward us, and in this grace also. In this grace also? What is "this grace"? Simply this grace is that the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. When He was rich (beyond belief or understanding) He became poor, dwelt among us, that through His poverty, again dwelling among us, so often hearing His disciples fighting among themselves let alone having to walk with a trained assassin, zealot, and a tax collecting traitor, groaning before the tomb of Lazarus because no one understood that what He said was about to happen, "I am the resurrection and the life" (definitely not on earth as it is in heaven). Moreso we see His poverty, giving up His life that we might be exceedingly rich. This just another area we must learn to see from God's perspective.

And yet again from God the Father's perspective:

For (that that was impossible to the Law, in as much as it was weak, because of the flesh) God sending his own Son, in the similitude of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, That that righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:3-4 GNV

Jesus coming in the similitude of sinful flesh (for Him extreme poverty), and for sin condemned sin in the flesh.

Poverty? In sinful flesh? Dwelling among us? You talk of culture shock!!! He's not from around here! Yet He came, he put on the similitude of sinful flesh, became poor, dwelt among us, and was yet without sin. His bond being one with the Father had to be so great as day by day living was exhausting to resist sin and temptation. And you thought you had it bad! Well, so do I. And pondering on just that thought alone we can begin to realize to just a very small extent the greatest miracle of God becoming man to die for us, dwelling here in the similitude or environs of sinful flesh. He wasn't from around here, yet He chose to be here for us. He chose to become flesh and dwell among us. And to do so He maintained the closest relationship with and full dependence on His Father to be able to live here in order to be, to remain without sin.