The Uncommon Denominator

Posted by Karen on Nov 25, 2012 | 2 comments

A fraction (from Latin: fractus, “broken”) represents a part of a whole. Mathematically, a common fraction, such as ½, consists of a numerator and a non-zero denominator—the numerator representing a number of equal parts and the denominator indicating how many of those parts make up a whole.

When we’re talking about Jesus — (and we’re always talking about Jesus!) — He is definitely the “Non-Zero Denominator.” As a matter of fact, there’s nothing “zero” or fractal about Him: He is, and can only be, whole. In Romans 5:17 the Apostle Paul calls Him, “the One Man”:

“For if, by the trespass of the one man [Adam], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One Man, Jesus Christ.”

As a denominator, He brings everything and everyone together:

Colossians 1:17 (NIV): “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:20 (MSG) — “…all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of [Christ’s] death, His blood that poured down from the Cross.”

We are the fractured, the fragmented, the shattered and broken. But Christ is our Common Denominator—He came to earth as one of us. And He is our Uncommon Denominator—His perfect life was sacrificed for our sins. Only in Christ are we made whole.