Part of the mystery of the incarnation is that God incorporates humanity into his being. This important truth has been utterly mangled in the contemporary mindset, since the value of an individual is equal to what he or she can do for me. Is she in the way of my achieving a goal? Is he antagonistic or helpful towards me? Is her productivity high enough? Can he put me in touch with the right people? Did she follow the right rules of etiquette? Is he fun to be around? These questions make everyone else conditionally valuable based on what the ego needs at this moment.
Of course one's value in relation to me is quite different than one's standing before the cross. Enthroned on the cross, Jesus looks out at the multitude of humans who were and will be and sees so many folk who may or may not have any value to him at all. But inasmuch as he is properly human, while we are all deficiently human, his actions focus on what he is able to do for them, for the many, for all people. Human value comes to reside in what he does for others, giving value to each and every one of his sisters and brothers.
If the folks on wall street and in the occupy protests, and frankly all of us, could see that human value resides in the action and nature of God, we'd move a long ways from valuing each individual based on how how valuable their labour is.
