Not of This World

John 8:23



"Be yourself "is the rallying cry of this country. And selling products that are supposed to make you unique has become a cash cow for advertising. (Case in point- check out the latest commercial that celebrates the breaking of conformity and rules put out by, none other than that icon of rebellion- Miracle Whip! Ha!)



But the more I encounter people, the more I realize how alike we are, especially in the areas of sin and temptation (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). Is there any one of us who have yet to struggle with greed or selfishness or pride? As different as we look or talk or dress , despite our various backgrounds or personalities, we really are not that different from the next guy or girl. That is why we need to be careful to judge others, lest we ourselves be judged. (Lk. 6:37)



But even more than humbling us, the common weaknesses that we humans have showcase the only real Original Man this world has ever known: Jesus Christ. He is the only New Thing under the sun. He is the Eternal One in a dying world. According to this verse, He alone is not of this world but rather from above. Oswald Chambers sums it up much better than I can:

"Jesus Christ was born into this world, not form it. He did not evolve out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being; He is a being who cannot be accounted for by the human race at all. He is not man becoming God, but God incarnate, God coming into human flesh, coming into it form the outside. His life is the highest and holiest entering in at the lowliest door."

Today as you think about the story when Jesus rescued a helpless woman as only He could, remember just how utterly unique He is among any other human to ever exist. There is no comparison!