Christophany

And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.”  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

Genesis 18:1-8 (ESV)

Jesus works through the book of Genesis.  First, we can see Him in Creation, giving man life.  Then we see Him at the Fall, and the promise of victory over Satan, sin, and death.  Now we see His first appearance in the flesh.  There is a theological term for this phenomenon is called a Christophany.  This is a theory that Jesus, Second member of the Trinity, made appearances, in person, before His physical birth as it was described in the Gospels.  But when we read the text, we find that this is more than a theory.  John 1:14 states “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  It was a Jesus who was going to walk among men and live among them; so, this acts as a precursor of what is to come; God on Earth.

I have noticed that appearances of Christ in Genesis have a linear fashion and are in no way random.  Jesus was the One who gave life.  Once man decided to ruin that life, God promises a Savior.  Now that God has chosen one man to start a chosen race, Christ comes to encourage this man when things are looking bleak.  Everything in the Bible revolves around Jesus.  The reason why God called Abraham out of Ur and God used Him to start the Israelite nation was to bring forth a Savior, this why all the nations are blessed.  It’s almost as if Jesus is saying to Abraham, “Don’t worry, you’ll have a son because I’ll be coming to Earth.”  I can’t help but to think that this is more than just a prophecy, but encouragement as well.  We see not only a God that is mighty, a ruler, the master; but we see a loving Father who truly cares for His children.  This is how we can approach Him.  We can call on Him, tell Him what we are thinking, what we are feeling.  We can seek wisdom, we can seek love, and we can seek comfort.  This image of Christ being sent to be a comforter is nothing short of amazing. It never ceases to amaze me how much God loves us.  Although we are at enmity with Him, He still seeks us, loves us, and desires community with us.  We are in community with the Creator of the universe, how awesome is that?

Let’s not miss the theological importance of this either.  Jesus visiting Abraham is a precursor what is to come.  God will come down to Earth in flesh, and dwell among us.  Hebrews 2:17-18 state “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  Jesus is telling Abraham that He is coming.  We also see that because Jesus was human, He is our advocate.  First John 2:1 says “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  What is even more amazing is why He came.  He came to die.  That’s right; an all-powerful God decided that would have the ability to die.  He does this for us.  He and the rest of the Trinity decide that Jesus is going to leave heaven, live a life of poverty and hardship, be betrayed by a friend, beaten, falsely convicted, forsaken by the Father, and die a very painful death. And why does He do all of this, for us.  He does this so that we may be right with God and that we can have a relationship with God.  By Jesus being human, He did what Adam could not do, He did what Abraham could not do; He lived a perfect life.  Jesus remained sinless when Adam could not; Jesus remained faith when Abraham could not.  This should be the center of our very existence, the Gospel.  It should change the very way we act, think, and feel.  It has the power to change lives.  It gives us hope when things look hopeless, it gives us courage when times are dark and bleak, it gives us joy when the world gives us sorrow, and it gives faith when times are at their worst.  This is why Christ became human, He became human to save us and because He loves us.

I love you all,

Justin