“What if God was one of us?” (Joan Osborne)
It’s the central question in the song One of Us, which asks several questions about God. But this one forms the common thread throughout the song.
If God had a face, what would it look like? If God had a name, what would it be? Moses asked that question, by the way, and got an answer. What if God showed up in the middle of ordinary life—on a bus, in a crowd, walking down a familiar street?
The questions in the song are meant to stretch the imagination. But for Christians, the questions sound familiar. And, we have answers.
Because the heart of the Gospel is not that God stayed distant or abstract, but that God drew near. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14). God did become one of us, at least for a while. And, as we near the end of Lent, we know how it turned out.
God’s coming to be one of us isn’t a metaphor. Not an abstract idea. God became one of us in Jesus.
If there had been buses in the first century, Jesus would’ve ridden them. He walked the streets. Shared meals with friends and strangers. Felt hunger, joy, sorrow, and fatigue. Laughed. Loved. Lost. Died.
Which means the questions asked in the song aren’t hypothetical. They’re historical. And personal.
Because the story doesn’t end with God becoming like us. The invitation of the Gospel is that, over time, we might become more like God.
That’s where the question turns. What if God was one of us? He was. But the real question should be, What if we were more like God?
What might it look like for us to reflect him? To be patient with others when we’d rather rush. To show mercy when we’d rather judge. To choose love that stays present, even when it would be easier to walk away.
Sometimes a simple song asks a question that opens the door for the Gospel to step through it and answer. What if God was one of us? He was. Just a stranger on a bus? He just might be. And, through God’s grace and by the power of the Spirit, God is being formed in us.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for becoming one of us and sharing in our lives. Help me to reflect your character in the way I live today—
in kindness, patience, and love. Shape me to become more like you,
so that others may see glimpses of your grace. Amen.
