God Came to Visit Us!
I came across the title phrase recently in a book I am reading. Think about that: God came to visit us! The implications are immense. It’s almost beyond comprehension.
Of course, we have little hints that God has done this kind of thing before.
Take a look at Genesis 3:8: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God….”
Now we can’t say for sure, but can we infer from this that God habitually, or at least occasionally came to walk with them in the cool of the day? It certainly implied that God intended to have some type of fellowship with them there in the garden, a fellowship which was quelled because of their sinfulness.
Then go to Genesis 5:24 where we read, “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Does this imply God physically, in some sense walked with Enoch? It could, but that might be a bit of a stretch. One Christian theologian suggests that one day as God and Enoch were walking together, God said to Enoch, “Why don’t you just come on home with me so we can continue this conversation?” Can you imagine!?
We next turn to Abraham. In Genesis 17:1, among other places, we are told that “the Lord appeared to him.” Could have been angels, but there are several times the Hebrew seems to imply that it was a manifestation of God Himself who appeared and spoke with Abraham.
On to Daniel 3 where the three friends are joined in the fire by a fourth man who appeared “like a son of the gods” (verse 25). Not a big stretch to imply that this was at the very least a representative sent from God to be with them in that fiery trial.
In some sense each of these and many other instances imply that God at least occasionally enjoys a visit with His people here on earth. (See Matthew 18:20!)
But then we have that incredible promise in Isaiah 7:14 where we are told that “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” And Immanuel, according to Matthew 1:23 means “God with us.”
So, God coming to “visit us” is not necessarily a difficult concept to grasp. But Jesus didn’t just come to visit. Jesus actually came to dwell among us for a brief time. John 1:14 explains, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” He became one of “us” in a very real sense. David Mathis explains,
“The New Testament is clear enough that Jesus has a human body. John 1:14 means at least this, and more: ‘The Word became flesh.’ His humanity became one of the first tests of orthodoxy (1 John 4:2; 2 John 7). He was born (Luke 2:7). He grew (Luke 2:40, 52). He grew tired (John 4:6) and got thirsty (John 19:28) and hungry (Matthew 4:2). He became physically weak (Matthew 4:11; Luke 23:26). He died (Luke 23:46). And he had a real human body after his resurrection (Luke 24:39; John 20:20, 27).”[1]
Ah, but why did Jesus come to dwell among us? Why did He take on human flesh? First, so that he could redeem us. Only as a human being could Jesus do that:
Galatians 4:4-5 – But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
God had declared unequivocally that the shedding of blood was necessary to take care of our sin problem,[2] and the blood of animals would simply not satisfy God’s requirement:
Leviticus 17:11 – …it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Hebrews 9:22 – In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 10:4 – It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Jesus alone could serve as that sacrifice. Jesus’ blood alone was sufficient to atone for our sin, because Jesus alone was sinless:
Hebrews 4:15 – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Bottom line? Jesus came; Jesus “visited us;” for a time He was “God with us” in person. But then, having accomplished the work He came to do, He returned to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us.
So, as you celebrate the Incarnation, remember also that we are encouraged to “[fix] our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
And one day we are promised that He will “come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3), for a time in heaven, then for eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth, where “we shall ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)!
Go Deeper
- Exploring the Hope of Jesus in the Book of Revelation Collection
- Inspiring Faith in Your Children and Grandchildren – Package Offer
- Women of Faith Book Collection
- Desiring God, “Jesus is Fully Human,” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-is-fully-human. ↑
- A lot of folks are offended that God requires a blood sacrifice. All I can say is take it up with Him. But bear in mind that He sent His own Son into the world to die, to shed His own blood, on our behalf. As Dr. Erwin Lutzer says, many religions demand a sacrifice, but only in Christianity does God become the sacrifice! (See John 3:14-17.) ↑
