Sometimes when we realize Jesus was the Son of God, we start thinking of Him as a sort of superman, who could never really know what it was like to be a human. But the Bible tells us quite the opposite. Jesus was very human!
For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have One Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —
yet was without sin.
Hebrews 4:15
Jesus was created, just as we are, brought through the body of a woman into the world, as a baby.
He was a child, Who learned to walk, talk and accomplish all the other learning tasks of childhood.
He grew into a youth, who began to express thoughts other than the ones Mary and Joseph had taught Him.
He further grew into a man, Who lived a very human life.
He got hungry.
He got thirsty.
He slept.
He sweated, not only perspiration, but real drops of blood, under real stress.
He experienced real physical wounds and pain.
He bled real blood.
His Body showed real physical signs of having been beaten.
He got frustrated.
He got plainly angry and expressed that anger, both in words and actions.
He cried.
He grieved. He shared that grief with His Friends.
He was tempted. Some of His temptations are recorded. It is likely others were not, but were real all the same. Read the Hebrews passage again … it says He was tempted in every way, just as we are.
He and His Ideas were rejected by some. He knew what it was like not to be liked or understood.
There were those who not only rejected Him, but vehemently sought to get rid of Him. He had death threats long before His Death actually occurred.
He had a real human family, Who did not always understand Him.
He had friends, who loved Him and supported Him. But some of these same friends let Him down. They slept during one of His major crises. One betrayed Him. One denied Him. One doubted His Resurrection. In spite of His Best Teachings and Best Examples, even His closest friends did not always understand His Mission.
He questioned His Father God about the Plan for His Life. When it seemed worse than awful, He asked the Father if He could change the Plan. When His Father did not change the plan, He surrendered to the Will of His Father.
However, when things got really bad, He wondered out loud if His Father had deserted Him.
Satan took full advantage of Jesus’ very human features. But, in spite of all that would seem to tempt Jesus to surrender to satan, He did not. Instead, He surrendered to His Father God … and that is what made Him more than human!
He was in close communication with His Father at all times. He questioned, He listened closely, and He did what His Father said to do, even when it was hard. He trusted the Wisdom of His Father. He believed that God had a Plan and it was a good Plan, no matter how it looked on the surface.
He understood that He had been sent to earth for a reason. He had a Mission and a Purpose and He did not turn aside from it. He followed His Father. He did not put His Hand to the plow and turn and back.
He was able to be touched with the pain of others because He was human. His feelings went beyond pity. He felt real compassion for others. And that compassion moved Him to take action on their behalf. He moved with the Authority He had been given from His Father to carry out His Father’s Will.
He forgave others, even those some would have called His Enemies. He forgave His Friends, who did not act as true friends sometimes. He carried them all in His arms to His Father, interceding for them by understanding they did not know what they were doing. (Isn’t it a wonderful thought to know that in the worst moments of your life, Jesus was interceding with the Father, saying, “Father, forgive him/her. He/she doesn’t know what he/she is doing.”)
Was Jesus human? The answer is a resounding YES! Jesus became like us, so we could become like Him. Whatever has happened to you in your life, Jesus understands. He understands because He’s been there. Go back and read through this post again and see how many of Jesus’ experiences parallel your own.
Just as Jesus shares in our temptations and sorrows, so He also shares His Victory with us. We will be looking in a future post at what He has left us in His Will. A Full Life, Peace and Joy are just a few of the Gifts He has left us to enjoy in our time as humans on earth.
I have come that they [you] might have Life and have it to the full!
John 10:10
I have told you this so that My Joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete!
John 15:11
Peace, I leave with you; My Peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid!
John 14:27
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world!
John 16:33
