J. C. Penny’s has been struggling for the past several years. Executive leadership has addressed several issues, one of which caught my eye. The CEO noticed the executives, who visited the stores, were disconnected from mainstream employees. A new directive went out that all executives, when visiting a store, must be dressed in J. C. Penny apparel and not with designer suits. They must wear name tags like the store employees. If they were going to save the corporation they must be part of it.
I could not miss the parallel with our salvation. Earth was very disconnected from God’s government. Angels came back and forth to earth but were not like us. To save us Jesus came not dressed in heaven’s garb. Paul tells us in Philippians 2, Jesus “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
Jesus truly became one of us. He was totally human. Surely He had the usual childhood illnesses of measles, mumps and chicken pox. In Hebrews we read that He was tempted in all points just like we are. J. C. Penny’s executives might be pretending to be like the sales force, but with Jesus it was no charade. It was the real thing. Our salvation depended upon the CEO Himself becoming one of us. With great joy we can proclaim the plan worked. On Sunday morning Jesus came forth the victor and He shares it with all of us. Happy Easter.
Spring Of Life