More Human Than Human

Jesus is, to me, "more human than human," to quote Rob Zombie. Although I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about Jesus.

Our lesson this morning was on who Jesus is, using Mark 8.27-31 as the text. That's where Jesus asks his disciples who people say that he is - and then turns the question on them. So, today, we discussed who Jesus is to us. I have a fairly unorthodox view of Jesus, so get ready. (I'm warning you ahead of time, so it's not my fault if you get offended.)

I've mentioned before that I don't find a sinless, divine Christ very satisfying. I think Jesus is human, which is to say just like me and you. But it is pretty obvious that, actually, Jesus is not really like us. I think that's why we are so quick to assign divinity to him. Since I don't find that helpful, I have to figure out another way to explain why Jesus is so different from us.

And that's where Rob Zombie comes in. If we are human, Jesus is more human than human. But what I really mean is that Jesus is the most human person who has ever lived, whereas we are actually less than human. Let me state that another way: Jesus seems divine because he is human, which is more than we can say for ourselves.

So, now, let's flesh that out a little. What does it mean for Jesus to be the most human person to ever live? Well, to answer that, we first must address the question of what it means to be human. If you want to get all fancy, we have to do some theological anthropology. And that's where things get interesting to me.

I look to Genesis 1.27 to find out what it means to be human. "God created humankind in God's image," it reads. So, what does it mean to be human? It means to be the image of God. Now, when someone says that my son looks like the spit and image of me, what they mean is that he looks just like me. I think that's what it means to be human - to look just like God, to be so at one with God that God shines through you. That's what I think it means to be human, and that describes Jesus perfectly. And it also explains the tendency to ascribe divinity to Jesus.

But what about us? Aren't we human? Well, let's look back to the definition of human. Are we the image of God? At times, I would argue, yes. On the whole, however, absolutely not. Today, the tenth anniversary of 9/11, is the perfect day to reflect on that. Just look at the violence and death that cause us to remember this day - and look at the violence and death that is still ongoing ten years later in response.

So, are we human? No, we aren't worthy of the name. The image of God does not kill, does not accept such social stratification, does not turn a blind eye to exploitation, does not allow millions of children to die of starvation and curable diseases.

God is Love. And so the image of God must reflect the Love that is God. We don't do that.

And yet that image of God is still within us. You see it in every act of love. You see it in every act of hospitality. You see it when the Other is welcomed, when the stranger is invited in. You see it when forgiveness occurs. You see it when dialogue is chosen over violence, when the other cheek is turned rather than the fist raised. You see it when we raise up our voices instead of lounging around in apathy and complacency. You see it in the streets, when the people rise up in protest and demand to be treated as humans. You can see humanity, probably most of all, in children, which is why Jesus was so eager to welcome them.

Are we human? Yes and no. Already and not yet. Jesus shows us what is possible. In fact, Jesus said that we could not only do what he did, but that we could do even greater things. We should take that as a challenge. That's the way I operate - and that's the way I try to get my students to operate. If someone says that I can't do something, I want to prove them wrong. And if I can't do something right now, I will not rest until I figure out how.

That's is our goal, our purpose, our reason for being - to figure out a way to be human, to be the image of God, to be so transparent that the divine shines right through us.

Dr. King proclaimed, "I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land." Jesus allows us to look over, to see what is possible, to see what is promised

"I may not get there with you," Dr. King continued. And we may not reach the status of human, of image of God, in our lifetime.

"But I want you to know," Dr. King concluded, "that we as a people will get to the promised land." Yes, Lord, we will become human one day. We shall overcome, one day, the inhumanity, the less-than-human in us. We will grow into the humanity that is in us.

And here is where my French buddy, Jacques Derrida, may he rest in peace, starts getting antsy, excited, exclaiming, "Veins, Oui, Oui!"

Amen.