阅读经文 

作为造物主的伟大的神和作为神的受造物的杰出的人，二者之间有一个明确而巨大的区别：神是永恒的，受造物是短暂的。神是完美的，而受造物在最好的时候，也仅仅是甚好。受造物里有生命，而造物主神就是生命。

当造物的神披上受造的肉身，这个巨大的区别就因道成肉身而变得不那么清晰了。 在九个月的时间里，神在马利亚的腹中使胎儿成形。随着后来时间的推移，这位道成肉身的神从婴孩长成男人。

请思考这意味着什么。神以人类的双腿站立，以人类的眼睛观看。神用人的大脑思考，用人的嗓音说话，用人的心去爱。最后，神又在肉身中遭受鞭打和刺伤，以人类的心灵承受了羞耻和侮辱。

鞭子抽打耶稣的背，荆棘刺入祂的眉心，祂的脸被打得发烫，一件紫色的袍子连同荆棘冠冕一起成了对耶稣的全然嘲弄，祂成了一个可怜的、令人同情的无名小卒。

“看这个人” 彼拉多用轻蔑的声音说。（参约 19:5）是的，看看祂吧！“道成肉身”的耶稣即将被剪除。祂看起来丝毫不像一位神，也不像一个王。而这正是故事的奇妙之处——因为这个破碎的耶稣，正是神和王的本体。

There is a clear and great distinction between God, who is the Creator, and the creation, which is God's handiwork. God is forever; creation is for a while. God is perfect; creation, at its best, is very good. Creation contains life; God is life.

That great distinction gets blurred by the incarnation, when the Creator God takes on created flesh. For nine months, God takes shape in Mary's womb. Then, over time, God the baby becomes God the man.

Think about what this means. God stands on human legs and sees with human eyes. God thinks with a human brain, speaks with a human voice, and loves with a human heart. And at the end, God suffers blows and barbs in his human flesh, and he bears humiliation and shame in his human soul.

A whip tears up Jesus' back. Thorns pierce his brow. Slaps burn his face. Along with the thorny crown, a robe of royal purple completes the mocking picture of Jesus as a pathetic nobody, worthy only of pity.

"Look at this guy!" Pilate says with scorn in his voice (John 19:4-5). Yes, look at him. Jesus is just a blur, about to be smudged out. He looks nothing like God and nothing like a king. And that's the wonder of it. Because Jesus, the broken man, is God and King.