All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever ~ 1 Peter 1:24-25
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ~ John 1:1
The early church father Augustine beautifully connected these passages together when he offered us this powerful and profound thought on God becoming flesh for us:
What is, “The Word was made Flesh”? The gold became grass. It became grass for to be burned; the grass was burned, but the gold remained; in the grass. It perishes not, yea, It changed the grass. How did It change it? It raised it up, quickened it, lifted it up to heaven, and placed it at the right Hand of the Father.
But that it might be said, “And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us,” let us recollect awhile what went before. “He came unto His Own, and His Own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” “To become,” for they “were” not; but He “was” Himself in the beginning. “He gave them” then “power to become the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name; who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Augustine)
The Word who endures forever, the Word who is from the beginning, became flesh, became grass. The imperishable took on the perishable to suffer for us. The gold became grass to be burned so one day, because He has made us His sons and daughters, we will be clothed with the imperishable.
Painting by Leonardo da Vinci
