What does it mean to be made in God's image? Those of us in the Judeo-Christian tradition affirm that humankind is made in God's image. But what does that mean? This sermon offers some suggestions to that question. If you choose to read it, I'd be curious to know if you agree with me -- or if you have any suggestions of your own.
In the Ancient Near East it
would have been almost unbelievable. That’s because, at the time when the book
of Genesis was written, human beings weren’t considered to be anything special.
In the opinion of most ancient religions, humans were created only for the
benefit of the gods. For example, in the ancient Babylonian text Enuma Elish, human beings were created
from the blood of an executed monster as servants to the gods. The gods didn’t
want to work (after all, they were gods),
so human beings were created to do their work for them. As far as the ancient Babylonians were concerned, we
humans were only useful as long as we were building temples to the gods, feeding
them through sacrifice, and honoring them through worship.
That’s an amazing contrast to
what we read in the biblical text. According to Genesis, human beings were
created with honor – in God’s image – and placed on earth to rule with God’s authority!
We’re not slaves! On the contrary, we’re kings and queens, princesses and
princes! We don’t wear the rags of a slave; we wear the robes of a monarch! Psalm 8 (verses 4-6) says in
amazement,
“What are human beings that
you are mindful of them,and mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands,
and you have put all things under their feet.”
We might ask the same
question if we really stop to think about what Genesis says. “What are human
beings that you are mindful of them?” Why did you honor us, God, by making us
in your image?
That, of course, is a
question that (in this life, at
least) will remain hidden by the mystery of God’s will and Gods’ ways. But it
begs another question, one that we might come closer to answering.
“What does it mean to be made
in God’s image?”Ponder that for just a moment.
“What does it mean that we are made in God’s image?”
It clearly does not mean that God has two arms and two
legs, eyes and ears and a nose, a head and a bottom. Even though Michelangelo
painted God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel as a dignified old man, most
people know by mid-childhood that God the creator is spirit. So, since we can rule
out a physical body for God, we’re back to the question that we asked a few
minutes ago.
“What does it mean to be made
in God’s image?”In the end, the book of Genesis doesn’t really tell us; but I do have a few suggestions to offer.
The first suggestion comes
from the wording of verse 26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our
image, according to our likeness…’” Did
you notice that verse refers to God in the plural?
“Let us make humankind in our
image…” “Us?” Who’s the “us” in that statement?
There are a variety of
opinions; but many Christians read this ancient text and catch a glimpse of the
Holy Trinity when God’s refers to “us.” In their understanding, the “us” is God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, existing in an eternal mutual
relationship of love.
That’s the first aspect of
being made “in God’s image” that I want to suggest. If we are created in God’s
image, then we are created to be in relationship. In Genesis 2, God states “It isn’t
good for a human being to be alone.” I think it’s not only “not good” for us to
be alone; it’s not in our nature to
be alone. God’s nature is to be in relationship – with the other persons of the
Trinity, with us, with creation, and with the universe itself. Since we are
created in God’s image, it’s our nature, too. God’s intends for each one of us
to be in a network of relationships that nurture and sustain us: relationships with
other people and with creation, all founded on a healthy relationship with God.
We were made in God’s image not to be “you” and “me,” but to be “us.”
As well as being relational,
God is creative. We explored that aspect of God in our worship last week. God
seeks continually to construct new situations, to create new opportunities, to
increase the variety of our lives. And God doesn’t create out of need. God
doesn’t need a single thing – not a star, not a mountain, not even you and me!
God creates out of the sheer joy of creating – for the same reason that Leonardo
da Vinci created the painting “The Last Supper.” Da Vinci didn’t need that painting loto cover a crack in
the plaster in his dining room wall. He painted it because he loved creating – and
so that he could share beauty with others. God is just like that. God’s
creativity is always for the benefit of others. God uses creativity to help us
realize our potential, so that we can be as fulfilled as we can possibly be. When
we create for the benefit of others, we are reflecting God’s image. Maybe that
means inventing a new strain of corn that yields more bushels per acre; or
creating a new outreach program to help those who are unemployed; or just figuring
out how to make more time in our own busy lives to visit a friend in a nursing
home. However we are creative, if we use it for the benefit of someone else, we
are reflecting the image of God.
And that brings us to the
third way that we are made in God’s image. We are made to love. The relationships that we are part of and the creativity that
we use for the benefit of others – all of these things spring from the love
that God has put at the very center of our soul.
Love is the reason that we
were created in the first place! Love is the reason that God chose Abraham and
Sarah to be the parents of a people. Love is the reason that God liberated the
Hebrew slaves from Egypt and led them across the desert to a land flowing with
milk and honey. Love is the reason that God journeyed into exile in Babylon
with the Israelites; and love is the reason that he led them home again. Love
is the reason that God came to us as Jesus Christ.
If you don’t believe that God
is love, just look into Jesus’ face. Jesus lived among us in human flesh
because of love. He healed the sick, forgave sinners, cast out demons, and
taught the people because of love. He endured prejudice, ignorance, rejection,
and hate because of love. He suffered and died on a cross because of love. And
that amazing love is the reason that he rose from the dead on Easter morning.
Love is who God is – and who
we are. As we try to follow Jesus Christ and to be more like him, what we’re really
doing is trying to polish up the image of God in us that has become so clouded
by sin – to make it all bright and shiny again, so that we can reflect God’s
love to everyone that we meet.
Yes, we are made in God’s
image. We are made to be in loving relationship with others and to use our
creativity for their benefit. How gracious God is that he created us this way. And
how gracious God is that he helps us keep his image bright in our lives as we
follow Jesus Christ!
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