Introduction
For something that is so fundamental, change can be almost paradoxically elusive to define. Each person experiences change differently. Every morning, the sun rises and a new day begins. Beyond anyone’s ability to affect, the new day will eventually give way to the setting sun and a new night. One person may experience this cycle and think, how quickly the day changed into night! The days change so fast and so often! However, a person close to them may experience the exact same rising of the sun at the exact same moment, and the exact same setting of sun at the exact same moment, and reflect on how little things change. Each day the sun rises and day dawns, and each evening the sun sets and night covers the earth. It happened yesterday; it happened today; and it will happen tomorrow. The experience of change depends greatly on the perspective of the observer.
Through God’s grace, we can look across the history of mankind and see the sweeping changes that have occurred during various phases of God’s plan. Yet, we are assured that God knew the end before He even began to execute His plan (Isaiah 46:10). We are also assured that what God will have done, will be done (Isaiah 55:10-11). There is no possibility of deviation or change from what God has planned.
Jesus, our Lord, understood this concept very well, as evidenced by his acceptance of his Father’s will throughout his existence. In order to fulfill his Father’s plan, Jesus underwent several fundamental changes, some of which affected the very nature of his existence. Yet through each change, Jesus’s trust in God remained firm. His trust in God’s steadfastness and wisdom (Malachi 3:6, Luke 22:42) serves as a beautiful and inspiring example to all those who seek to follow in his footsteps.
The Word
The first chapter of the book of John provides a remarkably clear description of Jesus’s pre-human existence. John 1:1 introduces an entity described as “the Word.” Word, as used in this scripture is Greek word 3056 in Strong’s Concordance, which is “logos.” This sometimes leads to the Word also being referred to as “the Logos.” The verse describes the Logos as being in existence “in the beginning,” that the Logos was “with God” and, according to the King James translation, that the Logos was God. Some have taken this last phrase as a basis for believing that the Logos and God were somehow part of the same being. However, other translations, such as the Diaglott and the RVIC provide a better translation, which translate the final phrase as “the Word was a god,” meaning the Logos was a mighty being.
John 1:3 gives an indication as to just how mighty the Logos was. According to the verse, all things were made by him, and to further emphasize this point, the verse concludes with the statement that without him (the Logos) not a thing that was made, was made. This statement can be confusing until harmonized with other scriptures. In Matthew 3:17, God Himself declared Jesus to be His beloved son. The well-known scripture of John 3:16 adds the thought that Jesus is God’s only begotten son. These thoughts, combined with the thoughts in John 1:3, lead to a more complete picture. The Logos was the only creation directly created by God (God’s “only begotten son”). The Logos was then involved with every subsequent creation.
Genesis chapter one and two clearly and repeatedly attribute the creative acts to God. At first, this appears in contrast to the words of John 1:3, or at least the interpretation laid out above. Consider, however, the construction of a great physical structure. The credit of the structure often goes to the designer or architect, not the workers who actually built the structure, or even to the head or lead of that construction effort. Applying this same thought to the words of Genesis chapters one and two brings harmony to the thought that while God was the architect, the Logos, perhaps with the assistance of others of the heavenly host, was the implementer of that plan.
In his position as the Word of God, the Logos was the catalyst for many changes. By implementing his Father’s plan of creation, he was instrumental in bringing forth all the various wonders of existence from nothing. Further, as the creative process continued forward, the Logos would have been an agent of further change, as one phase of creation rolled into the next. Yet, in another sense, the Logos stayed the same, in that he, without fail, executed nothing except for his Father’s will. His faith in God never wavered, never caused the Logos, despite all the power entrusted to him, to doubt God’s wisdom and to question the execution of God’s plan.
Without change, God would not have created the Logos. Without change, the Logos would not have been able to execute God’s planned creative acts. Without change, the spiritual plane would not exist. Yet, without the unchanging faith in God demonstrated by the Logos, creation could not have been fulfilled according to God’s will and plan. This unchanging faith was demonstrated when, in the fullness of God’s plan, the Logos voluntarily allowed himself to undergo an almost unfathomable change.
Jesus, the Man
John 1:14 describes how the Logos was made flesh and dwelt among mankind. Luke 1:27-35 describes how Gabriel the angel visited a woman named Mary and informed her that God’s power, or Holy Spirit, would cause her to conceive a child. That child would be named Jesus. Through God’s power, the Logos left the spiritual plane of being and became human; starting out, as all humans do, as a baby.
In addition to the well-known account of his birth in Luke 2:20, the scriptures offer some insight into the events surrounding the baby Jesus. Some of God’s followers at the time recognized Jesus as the long-foretold Messiah of prophecy. For example, Luke 2:25-35 describes how a man named Simeon recognized the baby Jesus as the Messiah. Having thus been given such a blessing, Simeon spoke to God and declared that he felt his life complete because his “eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people.” Simeon goes on to proclaim that Jesus would be a “light to lighten the Gentiles” and “the glory of thy people Israel.” These powerful words regarding the baby Jesus serve as one of the earliest accounts of someone recognizing Jesus’s importance to all of mankind. Similarly, Luke 2:36-38 recounts how a woman named Anna rejoiced that, upon seeing the young Jesus, she had seen “the looked for redemption of Jerusalem.” Thus, even as a baby, people recognized Jesus’s importance and, through God’s grace and guidance, felt the magnitude of the changes that he would cause.
Receiving the Holy Spirit
Jesus’s baptism is recorded in Matthew 3:13-17. As a result of Jesus’s baptism, God blessed Jesus with a portion of His power, referred to in verse sixteen as “the Spirit of God.” The verse also records that “the heavens were opened up to him,” indicating that, through God’s power, a fundamental change came over Jesus. Although the wording of the verse is not precise regarding the change, Jesus’s subsequent actions imply that he received a greater understanding of his role in his Father’s plan.
After receiving his Father’s Holy Spirit, Matthew chapter four records that Jesus journeyed into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:1-2). During this time, Satan attempted to tempt Jesus into disobeying what Jesus knew to be his Father’s will. Despite being physically weakened by his extended fast, Jesus successfully resisted Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:11).
After returning from the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry to the people, calling on them to leave their previous lives of personal and selfish pursuits behind and follow him in serving God (Matthew 4:17). Among the first people recorded as having done so were some of Jesus’s apostles (Matthew 4:18-22). Their promptness in obeying Jesus’s commands is recorded with words like “straightway” (Matthew 4:20) and “immediately” (Matthew 4:22).
Matthew 4:24 records how Jesus subsequently healed many people from both physical and mental disorders, which helped to proclaim him as the Messiah, and also provided a vision of the greater healing that would one day be extended to all mankind. The news of Jesus’s teachings and miraculous actions spread quickly, and Matthew 4:25 declares that “great multitudes” of people from many different areas came to follow him.
Receiving the Holy Spirit marked a clear beginning of a new phase in Jesus’s life. Being guided through the Spirit (Matthew 4:1), Jesus’s earthly life changed from the more passive obedience of his youth into one of powerful and determined obedience to the execution of his Father’s will. In a rapid succession of events, he was called on to prove his obedience by resisting strong temptation, begin the gathering of his followers, and initiate the works of preaching to the people and healing the sick. The excitement and energy that Jesus inspired in the people is breathtaking. Through that energy, the people felt the exhilaration of coming change to the way things had been over the past centuries. The amount that Jesus accomplished in just these early days of his ministry beautifully illustrates the powerful change that the Holy Spirit wrought in his heart, and through his heart and his actions, to the world around him. Yet, his central purpose in life remained the same. As he would express in the closing hours of his life, Jesus sought to fulfill his Father’s will in every aspect of his life (Luke 22:42).
Jesus, Resurrected
In order to progress his Father’s plan, Jesus willingly sacrificed his human life (Matthew 27, Luke 23). Before his crucifixion, Jesus informed his disciples that even though he would be killed, he would rise again on the third day after his death (Luke 9:22). This prediction became known to the wider population, including the Pharisees, who made special arrangements to have Jesus’s sepulchre sealed and watched to prevent tampering (Matthew 27:62-66). Nevertheless, just as he had predicted, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day (Matthew 28:1-6, Luke 24:1-7).
Having sacrificed his human existence, Jesus could not rise again as a human being. Instead, he underwent yet another change of nature, this time from a human to spirit being. The Scriptures do not indicate exactly what type of spiritual existence this was; however, we are told some of its characteristics. When he willed it, Jesus was able to allow himself to be both recognized (Matthew 28:9) and not recognized (Matthew 28:17, Luke 24:15-16, John 21:4). By stating that some worshiped and some doubted, the words of Matthew 28:17 imply that some measure of faith was necessary to discern Jesus’s identify after his resurrection. This thought is further suggested in John 21:7, which describes how John recognized Jesus, but Peter needed to be helped into realizing the identify of their Lord.
In this form, Jesus had the ability to enter and leave sealed rooms (John 20:26). Like other spirit beings (Genesis 19:1-3 and Genesis 32:24, as examples), Jesus also had the ability to appear, temporarily, as a human being. Jesus used this ability to taken on a human form with wounds that reflected the ones he received on the cross, to further enable the faith of some of his disciples (John 20:27-28).
Jesus’s words also declared another fundamental change that had occurred as a result of his sacrifice. In Matthew 28:18, he announced that “all power is given unto me [Jesus] in heaven and in earth.” Through his obedience, even unto death (Philippians 2:8), Jesus had been granted full authority and rulership over mankind. Although he prophesied that he would not begin to fully exercise that authority until some time in the future (Matthew 24:1-51), the great change of authority had nonetheless taken place.
Although Jesus’s form and very state of existence changed after his resurrection, the most important aspect of his very being remained the same. Jesus was still determined to serve and glorify his Heavenly Father (John 21:19). Even so, Jesus had one more fundamental change of existence to undergo.
Jesus, the Glorified Divine Being
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers as a powerful spirit being for forty days to provide a firm foundation for faith in his resurrection (Acts 1:3). He also needed to provide his followers with instructions and guidance regarding what would soon happen. Many of his followers still expected that Jesus would restore the physical kingdom of Israel at that time (Acts 1:6). Jesus, however, was preparing his followers for a longer and greater work.
Before his death and resurrection, Jesus informed his followers that the time would come when none would be able to physically see him any longer. Interactions with him would change to be faith oriented, and enabled by the power of God, referred to in the Scriptures as the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-21).
For forty days after his resurrection, Jesus’s followers were able to physically interact with him. Acts 1:9-10 record the final transformation of Jesus at the conclusion of these forty days, as Jesus “went up to heaven.” Through this description, we see the final elevation of Jesus from the resurrected spirit form he wore for the forty days following his death, to the state of divine existence “seated” at the right hand of God (I Peter 3:21-22). This description harmoniously encapsulates the perfect balance between change and constancy that defines our Lord Jesus’s existence. The state or very essence of his being went through many changes, from spirit being, to human, to spirit being, and finally to divine being. Only one who shared the same divine nature as God could be seated at God's “right hand.” Yet, being at his Beloved Father’s “right hand” also beautifully displays the faithfulness, obedience and love that remains Jesus’s constant core regardless of his state of existence.
In Summary
Jesus’s faith in God allowed him to trust God through changes that took him from an exalted spiritual existence to a lesser, physical existence. While in this physical existence, he was subject to temptation and tests of obedience. His failure, in any sense, of these tests would result a permanent loss of life not only for himself, but for all mankind. Through the constancy of his faith, Jesus proved his loyalty to God, and by so doing, was resurrected from death. Even though his heart must have ached to return to his Heavenly Father after his experiences with an earthly life and death, his love for his followers allowed him to delay his elevation to the divine nature to provide support and foundation for generations of his followers. Although now elevated to the divine nature, Jesus continues to illustrate a perfect example of adapting to change while remaining constant in the desire to love and serve God.
