That’s how the Gospel of John begins.   Aside from the verse that populates placards at sporting events it might be the most familiar of His writings.  It’s usually read around Christmas time as a reminder that Jesus is truly in the flesh.

Interesting though that the basic significance of this is too often overlooked by well-meaning Christians who get caught up in the “sinful flesh” trap.    The focus is on trying to be “good” people by avoiding “sinning”.  And sinning means doing things that people normally tend to do—like drinking booze, having sex, or eating  the wrong things at the wrong time and in the wrong way.  In general one might think from observing Christians who have been raised on a steady diet of what to avoid in life, that somehow being human itself is sinful.

That way of believing isn’t new.  Not long after the first Christians started to assemble there was a group, commonly called Gnostics, who bought into the idea that the flesh is either evil, in which case one needed to punish it by treating it harshly; or didn’t really matter in which case one simply had to find a way to escape from it.  For them all that mattered was the “spirit”—not the flesh.  Though Gnosticism was officially condemned as a heresy, it seems that it lives on not on the fringes of Christianity, but in the bloodstream itself. Christians seem to have adopted a similar perspective of the flesh.  I could write more about this, but the topic is adequately addressed in the book, “Against the Protestant Gnostics”.  Well worth the read.

If being human is so bad, then why in the world did God choose to become one of us?  Keep in mind that the Christ did not cloak himself with the self-righteous robes that Christians frequently wear, but rather in the regular old rags of daily life.  He was born to an unwed mother in a stable.  His first miracle was turning water into wine—let the party begin!  He ate with “sinners” of all shapes and sizes.  He was accused of being a glutton, and probably much worse!  He was a rabbi who had women for disciples, no doubt giving ample space for accusations that He was a womanizer and much, much worse!  This God guy Jesus was fully human!

What’s my point?  If it was good enough for Him it’s good enough for me!  My goal is not to piously pretend to be someone that I’m not, but to live comfortably in and with my own flesh.  If others see that as sinful or scandalous, I’m OK with it.  I stand in good company.