Undercover Boss

Have you seen this new show? I watched it last night. I didn't really plan to, but once I saw it I was hooked. This may become a regular show that I watch. The basic idea is that CEO of the corporation goes undercover to take entry level positions within the company. Here is the official description.

Why? To find out what life is "really like" within the corporation, with a view of improving the corporation's success. For a slightly cynical, skeptical view of the show you can read this. And they do make some good points, but still...

The whole thing really reminds me of the incarnation of Jesus. You know what John 1 says? About the Word being God, etc., and then in verse 14 it says, "the Word became flesh and lived among us." The Greek literally talks about him "pitching his tent" with us. Eugene Peterson paraphrases it by saying, "God moved into the neighborhood." God descends in human form to live among us - that's what Jesus is about. Why? In some ways to understand what life as a human is like. Isn't that the point that the writer of Hebrews makes at the end of chapter 2 and 4?

But there's more of course. Another aspect is to show us what God wants us as humans to be like. In Matthew 5 Jesus talks about how he came to fulfill all Scripture. In other words, he is going to show us what God's desire/intention is like when lived out in a human body in a human context. Our goal as individuals and as a church should be the same.

Another aspect is the sacrificial death of Jesus. Since he lives out the human existence perfectly, he is able to become a sacrifice for those who can't, which is all of us. Since he satisfies the "requirements" of God's holiness, we, through a relationship with Jesus, can be brought into relationship with God that will last forever, untouched by physical death.

It all starts with God going "undercover" here on earth.