What is Docetism?
Docetism is a false teaching which can be summed up as follows: “Jesus only appeared to be human.” It comes from the Greek word dokeo meaning “to seem” or “to appear.” This view wrongly claims that Jesus only seemed human, a god encased in a human body.
This false idea grew out of Greek and Roman religion. The Greek and Roman gods would often take on human form, like a disguise, and come to earth pretending to be human. Ovid, a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Caesar Augustus, retold many of the ancient Greek myths in poetic form. In his book Metamorphosis, Ovid tells the story of how the god’s Zeus and Hermes disguised themselves as humans, deceiving Baucis and Philemon.
Long ago, great Zeus, whose temple is the sky, and Hermes, the messenger of the gods, heard whispers that there was a town at the bottom of a steepsided valley in the hilly land of Phrygia where the sacred laws of hospitality were flouted, where strangers were not welcomed. They decided to see if these stories were true. They changed their shapes as the gods can, so that to all the world they looked like a pair of travellers. They flashed down from the sky into the town on the night of a terrible storm. From house to house they ran in the rain begging for food, begging for shelter. Every request was greeted with kicks and curses and insults. A hundred homes they visited. At last, tired, foot-sore, hungry, wet through, they trudged up the side of the valley leaving the town behind. As they did so, they approached a little hut. Standing in front of it was an old woman. This was Baucis. She and her husband Philemon had met in this place, had married in this place, had grown grey together. They were very poor but they had accepted their plight. The only thing in the world they had that they valued was a goose, who guarded their home. Now Baucis saw these bedraggled strangers approaching and she hobbled over eagerly. “You! Mighty Zeus, whose temple is the sky, has decreed anyone who approaches our home in need of food, in need of shelter, ought to be welcomed. What we have, we’ll share with you. Come inside now, come inside.” Zeus and Hermes, disguised as men, had to stoop to enter the hut. They were welcomed warmly by the old man Philemon. He shook them each by the hand; he gave them each a stool to sit on. They sat. The old woman blew into the ashes at the bottom of the grate so that the grey glowed red again. The old man put on his cloak. He hobbled out into the storm to pick some vegetables from his garden. The old woman threw a hunk of pork into a pot. The old man threw in the vegetables. They poured on water, sprinkled herbs, threw in garlic, and then talked about whatever they could, in the hope they could keep their guests’ minds off the long delay before it was time to eat. The old man gave them a wooden bowl, full of warm water, to wash off the dust and grime of their journey. The old woman dragged a table from the shadows into the centre of the room so that they could sit around it to eat. She gave them things to nibble while they waited: olives, wild cherries, lumps of cheese. One jug full of wine was all they had. She poured it out carefully between the four of them. They sipped it, making it last as long as they could. Then came the stew, and, after the stew, they had nuts and figs and dates and a slice of honeycomb. All through the meal there was talk, there was laughter, and, outside, the rain came down in black sheets. The woman Baucis looked at the wine jug. She was sure it had been empty and yet now it was full. She poured it out between the four of them and still it was filled to the brim. She turned to her husband and whispered, ‘These are gods, here in our home. What kind of meal was this to give to the gods? We have no choice. Husband, go outside and kill the goose! We will pluck it and roast it in their honour.’ The husband stood. He smiled at the strangers and shuffled out of the cottage. Inside the old woman raised her voice, hoping she could drown out the squawking and the honking of the dying goose. But the old man was old. Age had made him slow, and the goose could tell something was wrong. He chased the goose back and forth, then back and forth. Inside the cottage, the old woman had to shout to drown out the noise. Suddenly, in burst the goose. It took shelter behind the strangers. The two travellers stood. “There is no need for you to kill this creature whom you love so much. We are gods but already you’ve given us far more than we expected. Old man, old woman, follow us now.” Puffing and grunting, Baucis and Philemon followed the travellers to the top of the valley. When they reached the ridge, they turned and they sank to their knees in awe. For the town at the bottom of the valley had gone. Where it had been, there was a dark lake. They turned towards the travellers. They shielded their eyes, for now no strangers stood there; rather Zeus and Hermes, awful in their bright glory. “We have punished this town. Only you were spared. We were touched by the warmth of your welcome. We will give you both a wish. Speak now! Anything will be granted you. Speak now!” The old woman spoke: ”Mighty Zeus, transform our hut into a golden temple, that we might worship there for however many years of life we have left.” Zeus bowed his head and it was so. The temple is long gone, but the lake can still be found even now.[1]
This story highlights some of the issues with Docetism. A Docetist believes that all matter is evil, but spirit is good. Like Zeus and Hermes, Jesus is seen as a spirit God. As spirit he is perfect and pure and holy. Docetists wrongly say that it’s impossible for Jesus to take on despicable human flesh and dwell in a physical body. Jesus is wrongly believed to be 100% divine and 0% human. So he masquerades as a man. He changes his appearance so that he looks like a human being. He deceives simple humans into thinking he is like them.
What is the gospel?
So what’s the big deal with Docetism? We heard last week that it’s vital for the gospel that Jesus is 100% God, for only God can forgive sins. But it’s also vital for the gospel that Jesus is 100% human. Docetism puts the gospel at risk two ways.
Firstly, it’s vital for Jesus to be 100% human because this shows you God’s character. God doesn’t just put on a human disguise like a wig and fake moustache. He doesn’t masquerade as a human so that he can spy if we’re naughty or nice. He’s not a deceiving God. Instead God shows you that he is all in. God doesn’t do things in half measures. As we heard in Colossians, ‘in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form’ (Colossians 2:9). It was a risky, gutsy move for God to become human. It cost him, it hurt him. As St Paul writes in Philippians, ‘Christ made himself nothing, humbling himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:6–8). Your God is not some 100% divine spirit, untouched by pain and suffering. Rather, your God is 100% human. He’s suffered. He knows pain. He knows your pain, fully. God in the flesh suffers for and with you.
Secondly, it’s vital for Jesus to be 100% human because it gives you hope for the future. Through Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, God has saved human flesh. When sin entered the world, everything material — all creation, earth, human beings — was doomed to decay, destruction, and ultimately death. But when the fullness of God came to live in Jesus Christ, God made a way for the material world to be saved. God became 100% human to save all creation, including you and your body. Jesus’ human body died, and yet was raised to new life. So you also have sure hope of being raised from the dead.
We heard this hope in our reading from Luke. The resurrected Jesus, appearing to his disciples, proclaims the gospel in a short sentence: ‘The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations’ (Luke 24:46–47). The forgiveness of sins includes the resurrection of the body. Sin means that life is just suffering that leads to death. ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23). Jesus came as a human so he likewise suffered and died, but that’s not the end of the story. The gospel is that he rose from the dead on the third day. His resurrected body appeared and was present with his disciples. They touched his body and ate with him. He’s not a ghost or spirit, but flesh and bones. He has a new body. God has saved and redeemed Jesus’ human body. And the promise of the gospel is that your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. This means, just as Jesus’ body lives, so too your body will live. Your flesh and bones, which at the moment are decaying and on the way to death, will one day be raised to new life. Your new body will be like Jesus’ new body. It will be glorified, shining with the reflected glory of God (Matthew 13:43; Philippians 3:21). Your new body will be free from sin and all its consequences such as decay and death. Like Jesus, your body will be immortal.
What does Docetism sound like today?
Anytime there’s a separation or elevation of the spiritual above the material, this is Docetism. The gospel is that this material creation — this earth, these bodies — are good, have been corrupted, but will be saved. The gospel is concerned with the material creation because the life-everlasting is a bodily life. This means God calls us to care for his creation. God calls us to care for our own bodies. The body you are in now is the body you will have for eternity, though it will be made new and perfected and glorified. The bodies of our neighbours are their eternal bodies. The gospel then implies that we are called to reduce pollution, recycle, use sustainable farming practices. The gospel implies feeding hungry bodies, freeing bodies from torment and torture, healing sick bodies with medicine and healthy food and activities. The gospel implies treating deceased bodies with care and respect through proper burial or cremation practices. We’re going to hear more about this spiritual/material dualism in two weeks.
Docetists also struggle with the human/divine paradox of Jesus. They tend to ask questions like: was Jesus sometimes divine (for instance, when he performed miracles) and sometimes human (for instance, when he cried or slept)? The strange truth is that Jesus is both 100% divine and 100% human. We can’t understand it, and yet this is what God’s Word says, it’s vital for the gospel, so it’s what we believe.
Jesus did not simply appear to be human. God didn’t put on a disguise to come down to earth to spy on us. Rather, God became fully and truly human. In the God-man of Jesus Christ, he humbled himself and became flesh like you. He was born like you. He suffered like you. He died, just as one day you will die. Yet on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He did this so that you too may be raised from the dead. Like Jesus, your flesh and bones will be raised on the last day, so that you can serve him innocent and happy forever. This is the gospel.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father: thank you for raising Jesus’ body from death. Give us sure hope of our own resurrection. Amen.
[1] http://classictales.educ.cam.ac.uk/stories/metamorphoses/baucisphilemon/explore/Baucis%20&%20Philemon%20transcript.pdf
