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Jesus is not a god that we can manipulate and mold. Christ is the true God, the one who is.
In mathematics, there is a symbol that shows up all the time: ∃. This symbol means “there exists” and it is used constantly in proofs. It might be the final goal of the exercise, or it might be a claim made along the way, but in any case, whenever a mathematician sees it, it makes them sit up straight. A very specific and powerful statement is being wielded.
In Exodus, God reveals himself to Moses through a burning bush. Then, Moses asks for God's name. “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Ex. 3:14). When asked who he is, God simply responds, “I am.” He is the God who is. He is the God who exists - the very ground of existence itself. All other gods are the gods who are not; they do not exist. This is even stronger in the Septuagint, where God says, “ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν.” This is perhaps translated most literally, “I am, the existing one.” Our God is the existing one. A powerful declaration indeed!
There is only one God - only one I Am. As Isaiah points out, every other attempt at finding a god comes from ourselves. “He cuts down cedars…Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it” (Is. 44:14-15). We make idols and then turn around and worship them. While half of it is in the fire, the other half is being prayed to. And, of course, the idols we have today are much more subtle. They are most likely not physical creations of ours but emotional and psychological ones. Our idolatry may come in the form of our achievements at work or school. It may come from our social status or our income. Perhaps it could even be our very own sense of goodness. Your idolatry is how you see your value in the world. Whatever form they take, we think that these idols will make us significant; we ask them to give us our worth and to deliver us from feelings of inadequacy and fear. But they remain silent. They are not the true God, nor will they ever be. Our idols will never amount to more than our own creations, and yet the existing God is not created, but revealed.
This title of "I am" does not simply stay in the Old Testament:
So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18: 3-6)
Jesus is asked who he is. He responds very simply, “I am” - “Ἐγώ εἰμι.” And as soon as he made this incredible proclamation, the guards “drew back and fell to the ground.” This is, of course, what one is to do when they enter into the presence of the immortal and almighty God. Jesus declares his own divinity, and the guards, just like Abraham and many of the Old Testament figures who encountered the living God, fell to the ground.
But before we get too deep into what this declaration means, it might be helpful to back up a bit. Jesus, who is truly God and man, proclaims his own divinity at what seems like an incredibly awkward time, perhaps the time when he seems least godlike. He makes this statement as he is being arrested! As he is being indicted, he tells everyone that he is God. Surely Jesus could have and should have timed this exchange for a more glorious moment than that of his betrayal.
A mere invention of ours can’t save us. We need the uninvented to step in.
But Jesus is very different from the god we expect. We expect our gods to be sparkling, shiny, and smooth. We expect them to look glorious to our worldly eyes, and being arrested seems anything but. Yet that is actually and exactly the point! Jesus is not a god that we can manipulate and mold. Christ is the true God, the one who is. He is not our creation, and as such, he reveals himself to us. More than that, he reveals himself most brilliantly in his suffering and death. He refuses to reveal himself as an abstract god, but rather as the God who came down to give you forgiveness and eternal life.
This is the concept that some theologians call the theology of the cross. Jesus isn't interested in glory; he's interested in forgiveness, which means he isn’t interested in being the glorious god everyone admires, but the true God, abandoned, hanging on a tree. The glory of God is revealed in weakness, suffering, and death. And being a God who does not remain hidden in the abstract means he does all this for you. A theology of the cross is also a theology through the cross: in his death and resurrection, Jesus pulls you from death to new life. Through your baptism, you have been united with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our living and existing God reveals himself to you, claiming you as his own through the water and the word.
God doesn’t change his MO. He reveals himself in the same way that he enacts the salvation of his people. God doesn’t come from heaven down to earth only to turn around and ask you to finish the work. He didn’t reveal himself just to ask you to meet him halfway. No, rather, he goes all the way - all the way to Calvary - to give you himself. He came to introduce himself to you. “I am, and I am the one who loves you to death.” Nothing else will do. A mere invention of ours can’t save us. We need the uninvented to step in. Thanks be to God, ∃ Jesus.
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