The Godhead

The idea of the Trinity is a difficult concept to grasp, and therefore explain. As Christians we have a monotheistic faith in that there is one God. However, when we break it down into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it seems like a polytheistic belief. How does one express how they are one yet separate entities? Jesus tries to tell us in John 14. “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” (10 & 11) “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.” (16 & 17)

My daughters and I have been blessed with many years shared in proximity because of homeschooling. There is a phenomenon that I observed during our time together where we experienced a shared collective. We would be silent in a room doing our own things, I would think of something, I could feel the energy in the room change, and my daughters would start talking about what I was just thinking. It would also make me wonder when I would hear one of them call for me, “Mom, I need you.” I’d go to them and see they were about to start an exam in their computer program. I’d say, “You know I can’t help you with a test.” They’d reply, “I just need you in the room. I can think clearer when you’re here.” My oldest came to call it my Athenic aura. Whether it comes from familiarity or it is a product of us being part spiritual beings, there is an energy that can be shared.

Just go with me on this one. There is a movie that my children enjoy called “Pacific Rim.” In this movie there are huge robots called jaegers that are used to battle massive creatures, which appear out of rifts in the ocean. These robots are piloted by individuals, but it is determined that one mind is not able to control all the functions of so large a creation. Often two (in rare occasions three) compatible people can align their minds in what the movie terms the drift so that they can think as one to share the burden of control. Sometimes my girls and I will be together and we will think things or say and do things at the same time and with the exact same mannerisms. Sometimes my oldest will look defeated and say, “I am my own person! I am not a clone of my mother!” Other times we will catch ourselves at it and chime in unison “drift compatible,” with a sing-song tone.

It’s funny to say it this way, but I can see the Trinity in the idea of piloting a jaeger. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit come together to form the Godhead to carry out the functions necessary for God to fulfill his will on Earth. The three are as one to battle that ancient serpent who rises up to destroy mankind. I think of the imagery John uses in Revelation. Starting in Chapter 12 verse 9 he states, “the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world.” He goes on to describe the voice from Heaven declaring that through the authority of Christ the Kingdom of God has now come. “Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.” (verse 12) The devil was angry to be thrown out of heaven, and vowed to get his revenge by waging war against “those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.” (verse 17) Revelation 12:18 through 13:2 create an interesting scene. “The dragon [Satan] stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.” Seriously! If you think of that as a scene from “Pacific Rim” how crazy is that! Granted the writer uses imagery that unfolds layers of meaning, but using imagery from our era in terms of this movie you know The Godhead would control one wicked jaeger to take that beast down!

Bringing it back to our life journey, the crazy thing is that if we look more at John 14 from what I cited starting in verse 10 and continue through verse 26 we find that we can join Him in the drift. This is highlighted in verse 20. “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” In prayer and meditation on scripture we align our mind with His so that we become compatible in spirit and thought, able to do more together than without.

And that’s our cinema inspiration of the month. I suggest you dive deeper into John 14 and the subsequent chapters as they are the last speeches Jesus tells his disciples before he is handed over for crucifixion. This entry being made during the week of Easter, it is a good way to turn your attention to him and what he fulfills for mankind.