Perichoresis

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” – Luke 10:21-22

A lot of people think of God in ways that may not be very helpful, for example, God ias a philosophical truth or a cosmic force or ‘the man upstairs,’ etc. Jesus sees God differently.

In the above passage, Jesus takes a break from his storytelling and healing in order to pull back the curtain on the relationship he has with the Holy Spirit and with his Father (this is very unusual for Luke, who is typically more practical in his gospel than the others). And what we get to see is that within God’s own self, God is remarkably relational and encouraging.

The word the ancient church used to describe what’s going on here is perichoresis, which could be translated “dancing around together.” Look back at the passage today and note the joy, delight, sharing, knowing, and giving demonstrated by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  towards each other.  

Would you allow God to use this passage to reframe how you understand who God is? Start asking God how this new understanding might shift other key ways you approach the world.