What If We've Overlooked Something About Why Jesus Came?

What If We've Overlooked Something About Why Jesus Came?

I'm currently reading the book of Jeremiah, and seeing how the people of Jerusalem turned away from God to worship false gods has really had me thinking deeply. I don't know if this is simply something I'm processing or something the Holy Spirit is revealing to me, but I wanted to put my thoughts into words.

Throughout history, people have worshiped physical idols, whether statues, images, or other representations of gods.

And when I think about how people began worshiping these different gods, I wonder how it all started. Maybe some people experienced supernatural encounters they didn't understand and created their own interpretations of what they witnessed. But I also realize that throughout history, people developed gods through cultural traditions, their attempts to explain nature, political influences, and beliefs passed down through generations. Some worshiped gods they believed controlled rain, fertility, prosperity, and protection. And I can't help but think about how spiritual deception could have influenced some of these beliefs. But regardless of how those beliefs developed, here's what really stood out to me: people were giving credit to other gods for things that ultimately came from the one true Creator. They were worshiping what they believed controlled creation instead of recognizing the God who created it all.

But here's where my thoughts went even deeper.

What if one of the many purposes of Jesus coming in the flesh was also to reveal the identity and nature of the one true God to humanity?

Of course, I understand that Jesus came to save us from our sins, reconcile us to the Father, and fulfill God's plan of redemption. I'm not questioning that. But I started thinking about how humanity had created so many different images and understandings of gods, while the true God, the Creator of everything, was being rejected in favor of His own creation.

And then Jesus came.

God made Himself known to humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ. Not through a statue created by human hands, not through an idol, but through a living person who revealed the Father's character, love, authority, and truth.

John 14:9 says, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."

That scripture hits differently when I think about it this way.

And honestly, reading Jeremiah has also given me a deeper sense of empathy for the Father. I know I could never fully understand God's thoughts or feelings, but I find myself trying to imagine what it must have been like.

God created the heavens, the earth, humanity, and everything we depend on. He is the source of life, provision, and every good thing. Yet people were giving credit, worship, and devotion to false gods, believing those gods were responsible for what the true God had created and provided.

Imagine creating something beautiful, pouring so much into it, and then watching someone else receive the credit for your work.

Or even watching people become so obsessed with something you created that they begin worshiping the creation instead of acknowledging you as the Creator.

That thought genuinely makes my heart ache.

And I know God is far beyond human emotions and understanding, but reading these passages has helped me see His jealousy for His people from another perspective. Not as insecurity, but as a holy and righteous desire for the people He created and loves to recognize Him as their God.

Then another thought came to me.

Jesus didn't just come to show us what God is like. He also made it clear who the true God is and how we can come to Him.

There are so many gods throughout history. Baal, Zeus, and countless others. Even today, people use the word "God," but that doesn't automatically mean everyone is referring to the same understanding of God.

Someone can stand in a church and talk about God, blessings, power, and spirituality, but how do we discern whether what they're teaching truly reflects the God revealed in Scripture?

That's why John 14:6 stands out to me:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Jesus identifies the way to the Father.

He doesn't leave us to create our own image of God or decide for ourselves who God must be. He reveals the Father to us.

And that makes me think about how important it is to know Jesus, not just believe in the general idea of a god.

Because through Jesus, we come to know the Father.

I also started thinking about how Jesus' coming confronted the false ideas humanity had developed about God. While people were worshiping images made by human hands, the true God was revealing Himself through Christ.

I don't believe this is the entire reason Jesus came, and I don't want to add something to Scripture that isn't there. But I do wonder whether this is another beautiful part of the bigger picture of redemption.

God wasn't simply rescuing humanity from sin. He was also revealing Himself to a world that had lost sight of its Creator.

And the more I read Jeremiah, the more I understand how heartbreaking idolatry is, how patient God has been with humanity, and how extraordinary His love truly is.

It's making me see Jesus, the Father, and the importance of worshiping God in spirit and truth on a much deeper level.

 

Supporting Scriptures: 

Romans 1:21–25: Humanity exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped created things rather than the Creator. This strongly connects with your thought about people giving God's creation the credit that belongs to Him.

Jeremiah 2:11–13: God confronts His people for exchanging their glory for worthless idols and forsaking Him, the fountain of living waters.

Colossians 1:15–17: Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and all things were created through Him and for Him.

Hebrews 1:1–3: God spoke through prophets in the past, but has now revealed Himself through His Son, who is the exact representation of His nature.

John 1:18: Jesus makes the unseen Father known.

John 14:6–9: Jesus identifies Himself as the way to the Father and teaches that seeing Him is seeing the Father.

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