An Image of God to See What He’s Like
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
To say that Jesus is the “image of the invisible God” acknowledges a couple of things. There is one that tells me more than anything else.
When my kids draw a picture, they like it if I appreciate the picture.
“Oh man! Is that a cool car?!”
And them saying “No Daddy, that’s you and mommy sitting on the porch.”
[fail]
Instead, I like to say “Oooh, talk about it!” And then they tell me all about how this obvious picture of a car is me and my wife sitting on the porch.
More than fine artwork, my boy is trying to show me a scene he loves. He has made an image so that we can go into that scene in our heads and mentally relax on the front porch. He is trying to make an image that expresses an invisible thing so we can all see it and enjoy it while we sit inside in the cold.
God desires for us to know Him. He doesn’t desire it like an insecure timid kid, but like your fun uncle that makes his own BBQ sauce. He is watching, waiting, excited, anticipating.
Out of that desire for us to see God and know God, Jesus came to live among people. The apostle John also talked about it like this
‘No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. ’
God loves us so much and is so awesome that He wants to make Himself known to us in the simplest way. He Himself lived a life just like ours. At the same time, everything Jesus did pointed out what God the Father is like. When you read the Bible, it’s a great method to ask “What did Jesus do here and what does that tell us about God the Father?”
I think, according to John 1:18, that is exactly what Jesus would want us to ask as we read about His life. He is the image of the invisible God.
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