The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
“This quality of restraint in Jesus — one could almost call it a divine shyness — took me by surprise. I realized, as I absorbed the story of Jesus in the Gospels, that I had expected from Him the same qualities I had met in the fundamentalist church of my childhood. There, I often felt the victim of emotional pressures. Doctrine was dished out in a “Believe and don’t ask questions!” style. Wielding the power of miracle, mystery, and authority, the church left no place for doubt. I also learned manipulative techniques for “soul-winning,” some of which involved misrepresenting myself to the person I was talking to. Yet now I am unable to find any of these qualities in the life of Jesus.”
Philip Yancey (b. 1949) in The Jesus I Never Knew: Revealing What 2,000 Years of History Have Covered Up (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 80.
Amazing how our church traditions shape our view of Jesus. This relates to generosity because if we present Him as full of grace and truth, people can experience the generosity of God incarnate.
If we present Him as full of truth without the grace, we get the harsh heritage Yancey spoke about. If we present Him as full of grace without the truth, we undermine who He is and what He came to accomplish.
Neither of those option appear generous. But if people get the whole picture, they get divine shyness. A God who wants to know them and love them and yet will not force them to take hold of the life that is truly life.
Father in heaven, help us present Jesus as full of grace and truth so people can see and decide to follow. We will do our part to represent you as full of grace and truth. By your Spirit open their eyes to see. Amen.