“Being found in appearance as a man, [Christ] humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him a name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Galatians 2:8)
In reading certain theologians, you find them consistently referring to Jesus Christ as the God-Man. They do it to stress the actions of our Lord God and Savior to be that of the Father and the Holy Spirit in consort with Him. Nothing He does, says or intends is accidental, arbitrary or impulsive. All is part of the mystical plan for the salvation of humanity. It may help to have in the mind’s eye the awesome icon by St. Andres Rublev, Hospitality of Abraham, called also The Holy Trinity.
He teaches us humility and obedience. Some say it’s not natural for a human to be humble. Our culture especially encourages and rewards assertiveness, even to the point of aggression. “Better feared than pitied” would serve as an American motto, at least in most places. But the God-Man’s commandments as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount bless and reward the meek, the peacemakers, the poor in heart, and the like. How do you do that and retain some semblance of self-respect? It’s not a proper question that helps in the process of our salvation. The God-Man would say—indeed, did say—that if we want to find our selves, we must first lose self, for the one who loses his or her self will ultimately save it. How can that be possible?
The God-Man demonstrated how it’s done. He who was God, the Son of God, “humbled Himself and became obedient to death.” St. Paul grasped the key to salvation and shared it with his readers. Humility [kenosis] is the beginning of all monastic rules. But it’s not just for monks and nuns. The God-Man whom we honor and magnify the week of Passion ending with the cross, grave, burial and resurrection, demonstrated what many have always felt to be impossible; that is, the complete surrender of one’s selfhood or will, in order to offer it as a gift to the Creator. “Even to death on a cross!”
The plan of the Holy Trinity in the icon is about salvation, but not only that, if we may say so. The plan is for union with what was created, the human being. Salvation is a negative word. It means being saved from something—namely, sin. But once saved, then what? Union with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, adopted as siblings of the God-Man so that we may not “only” live forever, but live in communion with what is possible, for a creature to unite with the uncreated, or as St. Gregory Palamas put it, with the energies of God. It does demand an unconditional, total surrender of human will.
To grasp what the God-Man is about in the gospels, especially the Johannine writings, it is important to bear that in mind. When even as a lad, He tells His mother after she and Joseph turn back from the journey to Galilee and find Him rapt in discussion with the elders in the temple: “Didn’t you know I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) Even then He understood that He had a mission more relevant than any task ever carried out by a human being, because He was more than a mere human being. Everything is consumed by that commitment. His is a life of total obedience. God is Father, God is Son, and God is Holy Spirit. There is no room for what we mere humans consider freedom, if by it we mean arbitrariness, indecision, choosing what and whom to obey or disobey. All that is for those limited by the vagaries of self-affirmation, suffering by self-pity or individuality. Here is a profound mystery, and the events of that awesome Holy Week are an excellent time to meditate on it.