The Revelation of God Over Time

One common question people ask is why God seems different in the Old Testament compared to Jesus Christ.
It's as though they are two distinct figures, despite knowing that God is one according to scripture and church teaching.

How can we reconcile the Old Testament depiction of God, who established laws calling for harsh punishments like stoning adulterers, with Jesus, who simply forgives that same offense with grace?

The Old Testament God  
In the Old Testament, there were laws instructing people to separate from lepers and the unclean, while Jesus healed them with a touch. Additionally, we see instances in the Old Testament of God destroying entire cities, and smiting individuals while Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek.

Indeed, the God of the Old Testament seems indifferent and even impersonal while Jesus seems gregarious, kind and merciful to the point that it flustered religious leaders enough that they killed him.

In the Old Testament, God is depicted as dependable, engaging with humanity through covenantal relationships (You do this and I will do that). God was very stable. In a world fraught with upheaval this would be very unique and comforting to them. This portrayal, though seemingly impersonal at times, provided a framework for understanding God in ancient societies.

God in the Old Testament is very interested in humanity. He is a rock of dependability. The Semitic peoples related to this covenant God in covenant terms. In this early stage of our understanding, God revealed himself in ways they could easily grasp. God had a face but it was deadpan with a touch of benignity like Marshall Matt Dillion (TV show Gunsmoke for those of you over 60). And Israel was the average looking Nell, the flame of Marshall Matt Dillon. Unrelenting dependability was God. He was personal, yes, but He'd say, "Be careful because I'm Almighty God". I recall saying something similar to an unruly son. "Be careful how you proceed. I'm your father." 

The Prophets
As time passed, God sent His Prophets, individuals through whom He communicated His will. Through them, God revealed His depth of emotion and intense love, often portraying Himself as a forgiving lover eager to reconcile, yet always within the framework of covenantal language. God spoke of writing His laws upon human hearts, indicating His desire to reveal a deeper revelation of Himself to his children.

However, humanity seemed unprepared, akin to many fathers whose children are not yet ready for a similar revelation about their own fathers.
Like many dads I was protector, provider, and disciplinarian—while occasionally revealing a tender side. But mostly I was a father being a father. I had a job to do.  As time passed, I gradually began to share aspects of of my own life to my children when they were ready to receive it. Similarly, my understanding of the God of the Old Testament reflects a complex figure that reveals himself over millennia to his children.

The New Testament God
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ emerges as the fullest expression of God, embodying traits that confound us. Reconciling the apparent disparities with God in the Old and New Testaments remains a thought-provoking puzzle.

It's understandable why people in Jesus' time struggled to accept him. His actions were drastically different from their understanding of God. He, claiming to be God, touched lepers, associated with sinners, and showed kindness to marginalized groups like women and children. This contrasted with their understanding of a covenant God who once told Moses to dispense “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” justice system upon the nation and to stone the sinner.

To relate it to my own life, I see parallels in how I've revealed myself to my family over my lifetime. While my core values remain the same, my approach and expression have adapted over time. Now as a Grandfather I appear to be nothing like the dad I used to be, yet that person is still there. As my children have grown and become more receptive, I've gradually revealed different aspects of myself to them. Similarly, God revealed different aspects of Himself through Jesus Christ when humanity was ready to comprehend and accept it. God is still that covenantal God and remains righteous and just, but He also exhibits profound tenderness and compassion, as demonstrated by Jesus.

I believe the person of Jesus Christ is who God, at heart, really is. But be careful, He is also that Old Testament Father as well.
 
I can only grasp this as I think about my own life.
In the fullness of time I became the fullest expression of who I am and have always wanted to be and have revealed that to my children. As a dad I was not their friend I was their father, but in the fullness of time I became both Father and friend and a tenderer version of myself. In the fullness of time I revealed an expression of myself that I truly am, but could not reveal until now.

Likewise, in the fullness of time, when we were ready to accept it God revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human.  Is God still that righteous, holy, and just individual. Yes of course, but He is also tender, calm, patient and longsuffering as we see mostly in the person of Jesus Christ.

God deserves our utmost respect and we owe that to Him. Don’t trifle with the almighty, but know equally as well, that He loves you more than you could imagine.

The cross is proof enough.