We finished up our series on John’s 7 statements of Jesus’ I ams with

arguably the most clear scene of Immanuel - God with us- in the whole of

the bible. It shows Jesus operating in extreme truth, power, and messianic

fulfilment but also reveals his profoundly loving humanity. It’s quite a

scene to grasp, when we get to grips with how badly our english

translations have depicted Jesus’ depth about his grieving friends at

Lazarus’ tomb. It’s a bonkers concept to hold in tension: the God of the

universe, on the throne, who was victorious in conquering all outworkings

of death and destruction in our lives. And a God who became human, to show

us how deeply he cares about our pain, grief and loss, and draw near to us

in them; We can’t pick one Jesus or the other, the fact that he is both

these things is life's work for all of us, as his followers, to hold

together.

By Hannah Flint