Jonathan Edwards: “The infinitely high became infinitely low “

(The following is adapted from a sermon by Jonathan Edwards)

These two concepts are met in Jesus Christ: infinite highness and infinite condescension.

Christ, as God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth for He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven.

So great is He that all men, kings, and princes are as worms of the dust before Him. All nations are as the drop of the bucket, and the light dust of the balance. Yes, even the angels themselves are as nothing before Him.

He is so high that He is infinitely above any need of us. He is so above our heads, that we cannot be profitable to Him. He is so above our conceptions, that we cannot comprehend Him. Prov.30:4,

“What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?”

Our understandings, however far we stretch them, cannot reach up to His divine glory. Job 11:8 declares that the limits of God are “higher than heaven— what can you do?” Christ is the Creator and great Possessor of heaven and earth.

He is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe, and does whatsoever pleases Him. His knowledge is without bound. His wisdom is perfect, and what none can circumvent. His power is infinite, and none can resist Him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awful.

And yet…

He is one of infinite condescension. None are so low or inferior, but Christ’s condescension is sufficient to take a gracious notice of them.

He condescends not only to the angels, humbling Himself to behold the things that are done in heaven, but He also condescends to such poor creatures as men. And He stoops down as such not only to take notice of princes and great men, but of those that are of the lowest rank and degree, “the poor of the world” (James 2:5).

Those who are ignored and despised by their fellow men, Christ does not ignore. “The base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen” (1 Cor. 1:28). Christ condescends to take notice of beggars (Luke 16:22) and people of the most marginalized nations. In Christ Jesus is neither “Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Col 3:11).

He that is so high, condescends to take a gracious notice of little children. “Let the little children come to Me,” He says in Matt. 19:14.

His condescension is sufficient to take a gracious notice of the most unworthy, sinful creatures, those that have no good deservings, and those that have infinite ill-deservings.

Indeed, so great is His condescension, that it is not only sufficient to take some gracious notice of these, but is sufficient for every thing that is an act of condescension. His condescension is great enough to become our friend, to become our companion, to unite our souls to Him in spiritual union.

It is enough to take our nature upon Him, to become one of us, that He may be one with us. Indeed, it is great enough to abase Himself yet lower for us, even to expose Himself to shame and spitting. And even to yield Himself to a shameful and humiliating death for them.

And what act of condescension is greater than this?! Yet this act of condescension is exactly what He yielded to, for those that are so low and mean, despicable and unworthy!

Such a conjunction of infinite highness and low condescension, in the same person, is admirable. We see, by manifold instances, what a tendency a high station has in men, to make them men of contrary disposition. If one worm be a little exalted above another, by having more dust, or a bigger dunghill, how much does he make of himself! What a distance does he keep from those that are below him! And a little condescension is what he expects should be made much of, and greatly acknowledged.

Christ on High condescends to wash our feet. But how would great men (or rather the bigger worms) account themselves debased by acts of far less condescension!

–Jonathan Edwards, “The Excellency of Christ,” The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 1. Ed. Edward Hickman (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1834/1998), 1:688. The sermon may be read here in its entirety.