Transformation: New isn’t always pretty, but it is Beautiful
“Then he who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And he said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” (1)
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. Also for this reason, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (2)
Transformation: a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance. (3)
Transformation: New isn’t always pretty, but it is Beautiful
Karen Connell
Often when I think of transformation, I envision the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. The caterpillar to butterfly process depicts beauty and wonder. It speaks to new beginnings and hope. The transformation of something lowly to something esteemed.
My husband and I were driving through an area we once remembered as sketchy, commercial, and undesirable. We were shocked at the changes. Total transformation. The only evidence we were in the same location we once knew was the street signs and our GPS coordinates. All else had changed. It was completely transformed: thriving, beautiful, and inviting.
With the definition above for transformation (a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance), have we ever considered the reverse? For example, when Majesty takes on the common. Glory becomes ordinary. Beauty turns to ugly. What butterfly would ever choose to shed its beauty and wings to become an ugly larva and a creepy worm? Who would choose that kind of process? You might be surprised; many do in fact.
He was the bright and shining One. He had a place above all others. The most glorious and majestic. He chose to lay it all aside. He chose to transform into fallen humanity. He endured all of humanity’s indignities. He didn’t choose the human skin of a handsome or popular person. He chose the lowly, unattractive skin of an outcast and rejection. His transformation was so utterly shocking he was unrecognizable. This is how Isaiah 53:1-3 describes the transformation of God himself into human form. These verses specifically speak to the “skin” Jesus wore as a baby, boy, and man. It is not until verse 4 do we see the prophecy of the brutal passion and crucifixion unfold. Yes, it can be said that these verses would also be accurate descriptions of that gruesome week, but in their context, they very accurately portray the everyday life and body of Jesus for 33 years, from birth until death.
So what are some of the words used to describe the transformative Jesus? How do we describe the skin of Jesus—the body Jesus lived in on earth? Tender plant; root out of the dry ground; (frail) no royal form, no comeliness to want to look at (desirability); no beauty that we would desire him; despised, rejected, and forsaken by peers; familiar with sickness and grief (he suffered a lot in his life); so despised his peers (mankind) turned away in disdain when they saw him (ugly); unappreciated; and no esteem towards him (had no value). Wow, who would choose a form like that? He did. Jesus chose that form. It wasn’t just one week Jesus suffered for you and me; it was his entire earthly life, as a boy, a teen, and a man. He couldn’t escape—it was the skin he bore. It was the skin he wore. The thing about skin is, we cannot escape it. It goes everywhere we go.