Trading Places

In the 1983 movie Trading Places, the owners of the Duke and Duke Brokerage Company, to settle a wager, connive to get Louis Winthrope and Billy Ray Valentine to change lives. Winthrope, a very successful commodities broker, is fired and thrown out of his house. Meanwhile, Valentine, a street hustler, is hired to replace Winthrope.

The wager, whether genetics or the environment makes the man, is settled. Valentine by sure luck, learns of the plot. He realizes his good fortune is not of his own doing.

He finds Winthrope in the street and the two of them take their revenge on the brokerage firm. Valentine and Winthrope simultaneously bankrupt the Duke brothers and become very rich. The movie ends with Valentine and Winthrope on a beautiful tropical beach.

Today’s reading is John 1:9-17.

These verses announce the incarnation of our Lord. The word became flesh.

Jesus was living in Heaven with his father. He must have had an awesome life. No worries, no troubles. Angels, cherubs and seraphs tending to his every need.

Yet, because his father told him to, Jesus came to earth.

He had no attendants. Jesus had to work for his food. He had to tolerate physical and emotional pain. He had to deal with friends who turned their backs on him. He had to deal with enemies that wanted him dead. And he even had to deal with a “mole” who infiltrated his close social network.

In short, Jesus had to "slum it".

In a sense, Jesus was a lot like Winthrope, except that Jesus willingly traded places!

We are a lot like Valentine. We live in a sin-stained world and our spiritual lives are poor indeed.

Because of Jesus’ sojourn, where he placed our sin on him, we will eventually be like Jesus. We will be resurrected and glorified; We will live forever.

Trading Places ended with Winthrope and Valentine on a tropical beach. Our eternity will be even better than that.

We will spend it in Heaven together with Jesus. Like Valentine our (future) fortune is not of our own doing.

 All because Jesus traded places with us.

So What's the Big Deal?

“The word became flesh”, is a rather catchy phrase in John 1:9-17. So what's the big deal?

We know the phrase to mean that Jesus, 100% God and 100% man, came to earth. While here, Jesus did many wondrous things, but let’s focus on three.

All are sinners, have rejected God, and deserve eternal death. Yet God loves us so much that he sent Jesus who became a sin offering for our sin. Even more, Jesus was a scapegoat, taking our sins upon himself, so that we will be without sin. Jesus’ death justifies us, that is, makes us “right before God.”

That is good for this life, but what happens after our death? Jesus was resurrected from the dead. He appeared in his bodily form on earth for 40 days before going to heaven. We, in the form of our souls, also go to heaven after death. Eventually we will get a resurrection body.

This is hard to believe, isn’t it? Jesus was a man, and his body was resurrected. Witnesses attested to this fact. Therefore, if God can resurrect the body of Jesus then, he can also resurrect the bodies of all men, even forgiven sinners.

Finally, Jesus came to establish a kingdom, and it includes all believers, past, present and future. The kingdom is heavenly, yet through the Holy Spirit it is with us today.

Many at the time of Jesus believed that Jesus would be setting up an earthly kingdom. How wrong they were. Some theologians, even today, insist Christ will set up an earthly kingdom. But Jesus clearly stated, “My kingdom is not of this earth.” Our hope is in the next world, not this one.

When God’s plans are complete, we will get our resurrection bodies. The current creation will cease, a new creation will be formed and we will live there. It will be total bliss, with neither sin nor pain.

We are justified, will have eternal life and will be part of a perfect, sinless kingdom.

And that's the big deal about “The word became flesh”!