An Undercover God
There is a new show that is on TV called Undercover Boss. The idea of the show is to give senior level personnel (CEOs, Presidents, etc.) of various companies to learn about the daily grind of what the “real workers” do day in and day out. At first, I did not know what to think. I thought it to be a great concept, but was not sure of its “watch-ability”.
I have truly enjoyed seeing what happens on the show. It gives the owner a sincere appreciation for the employees and what they are doing and the employees see that the boss wants to honestly know what happens with them.
The boss goes undercover, hides his identity, and brings cameras as if it were a documentary for people beginning the entry-level job market. This allows the boss’ identity to remain hidden because we all know that everyone acts different around the boss. At the end of the show, the boss goes back to the board members and shares his experience and what needs to change in order to bring about the best quality of life for the employees and the customers. I have not yet seen a show where the boss goes back to headquarters and says, “This is what we need to do to make more money.” It always relates to something along the lines of bringing more benefits to the workers and better service to the customers.
As I pondered these things about the show, it hit me that this show is a rerun of what God has done for us already. Jesus, our God, went undercover in the sense He gave up His throne and entered the world as a man like the rest of us. The Bible says in multiple places like Matthew 1, Mark 4, Luke 4 that Jesus was tempted. In His own prayer, He prays to not be tempted. Hebrews says Jesus understands suffering because He was tempted in everyway, faced the struggles that all men wrestle with even still today.
By doing this, Jesus was getting a firsthand look and experience of the battles men and women face just like the CEOs on the show understanding the lowest ranking employees' struggles. God did this because He wanted to show His compassion for us and His love for us to bear the weight that we bear, but He could not have done without becoming a man of flesh and walking as it were in “our shoes”.
To go further into the context of the scriptures and how it relates to the tv show, Jesus did not start His ministry by declaring He was boss right away. He allowed people to just think what they wanted about Him. The scriptures record Jesus as saying to His disciples to not tell people it was Jesus that did certain miracles or declare Him as King, just yet.
Eventually, Jesus would let it be known that He was (and is) God. I could imagine the looks on faces were the same as they are on the show when it is revealed that the employees were scrubbing floors, taking out trash, and restocking shelves with the CEO of their company.
Wait, I thought you were a prophet, a messenger, but God? Wow. Can you imagine the disciples reflecting after Jesus ascended into Heaven and began the church? What would their thinking be? Would they remember a specific time when they felt depressed or missed their family or didn’t know what they were suppose to do with their life? And then Jesus, knowing and understanding their mind and heart, would be able to offer an encouraging word to them, reminding them of the important things to consider and what life was all about.
And Jesus would only be able to do this because He wanted a relationship with us so bad that He gave up the corner office with a view. He was willing to drive the economy car. He understood how selfishness contributed to the destruction of humanity. And with all the experiences He had on earth, because of these, He was able to draw us even closer to Him.
The bosses on the show suffered to understand what is needed to make the company a great place to work. Every CEO I have seen only desires the company to be a place where people want to work and have a career, even if it emptying trash or making coffee and pastries all day. Jesus suffered to understand what is needed for believers to make this world a great place to live, reflecting His values, His cherished desires of love and peace and joy.
