阅读经文 

每年12月我们都会庆祝耶稣的降生。所以这个月我们一直在默想 “道成肉身”的主题——耶稣是完全的人，和我们一样是人。

但耶稣不仅仅是人，祂也是神。正如教会的一个古老信条所说，祂是“出自真神的真神”（true God from true God）。

这是否限制了耶稣的人性？祂的名字旁边是否加了备注的星号？耶稣和我们一样是人，但又是不一样的人?

腓立比书第二章告诉我们，耶稣放下了作为神的超越性，反倒虚己，谦卑地成为人的样式，羞辱地死在十字架上。听起来，耶稣完全接受了祂人性的局限。

做人就是有局限性。诚然，我们是按着神的形像被造的；（参创 1:27）诚然，神赐给我们荣耀尊贵为冠冕；（参诗 8:5）但我们毕竟是有限的生命。归根结底，我们是被死亡所限制。无论我们具有怎样的力量和才干，激情与梦想，死终究会带走我们。

死亡也夺走了耶稣的性命。耶稣——永恒的神，作为人，祂死了。如果祂经历了人类的终极局限，那么也许就意味着祂经历了人类的所有局限。这很值得我们思想。

Every December we celebrate the birth of Jesus. So this month we've been wondering about the incarnation—how Jesus is human, as human as any of us.

But Jesus is not just human. He is also God. As one of the church's ancient creeds puts it, he is "true God from true God."

Does that put limitations on Jesus' humanness? Does it put an asterisk next to his name? Is Jesus as human as any of us but not the same as any of us?

Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus left behind the advantages of being God, that he made himself nothing, that he humbled himself by becoming human, and that he suffered a shameful death. It sounds like Jesus embraced his humanness completely.

To be human is to be limited. Yes, we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). And yes, we are crowned with glory and honor from God (Psalm 8:5). But we are limited beings. Ultimately, we are limited by death. Whatever our strength and skills, whatever our passions and dreams, death will claim us.

Death claimed Jesus too. Jesus, who is eternal God, died. If he shared that ultimate human limitation with all of us, then maybe he shared the whole array of limitations that are part of being human. That's worth wondering about.