More About Jesus – His Humanity
In the first lesson we looked at how the Bible teaches that Jesus is God. This time we are going to look at how the Bible teaches that Jesus is man. This is something that we cannot fully comprehend. Jesus was all God and all man at the same time.
Daniel Webster was dining with a company of literary men in Boston. During the dinner the conversation turned upon the subject of Christianity. Mr. Webster frankly stated his belief in the divinity of Christ and his dependence upon the atonement of the Saviour. One said to him, “Mr. Webster, can you comprehend how Christ could be both God and man?” Mr. Webster promptly replied, “No, sir, I cannot comprehend it. If I could comprehend him, he would be no greater than myself. I feel that I need a super human Saviour.”
I His birth.
a. He was born like we are.
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Mat 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
He was conceived in the womb, grew in the womb the same as any other man and was born in the same way as any other man. There were absolutely no shortcuts taken. Jesus became fully man.
b. He partook of flesh and blood.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Jesus had a real physical body made just like our bodies.
c. Since He had a real human body He was circumcised.
Luk 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus fulfilled all the law, which included being circumcised on the 8th day.
d. Since He was born as a baby with a body like ours He had to grow.
Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Jesus took no shortcuts. He did not skip being born, or getting circumcised, or growing. He would have went thru growing pains and loosing His baby teeth and all the rest of it.
II Proof of His humanity.
a. He cried.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Joh 11:35 Jesus wept.
b. He hungered and thirsted.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mat 21:18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
Joh 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
c. He had need of sleep
Mat 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Mar 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Joh 4:6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour.
III Witnesses to His humanity.
a. Attested to by Himself.
Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
b. Acknowledged by men.
Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
John 7:27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
John 19:5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold the man!
Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
These witnesses walked with Jesus, they observed Him, talked to Him, and many people handled Him. He was human. They saw no difference.
IV He lived a human life. No special privileges.
a. He knew what it was to be poor.
Luk 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.
2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
b. He partook of our infirmities.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
c. He knew sorrow.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Luk 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Joh 11:33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
Joh 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
d. He was buffeted.
Mat 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote [him] with the palms of their hands,
Luk 22:64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
e. Endured indignities.
Luk 23:11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked [him], and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
Mat 27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified.
f. Endured pain.
Psa 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Luk 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
V Was like us in all things except sin.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
We all have problems in life. We all get hurt. Mistreated, bullied, stabbed in the back, or abandoned. It is easy for us to get down and it is easy to get into the mental state of believing that no one understands. That no one cares.
And while it might be true that most people do not understand. It is absolutely NOT true that no one understands. Jesus does. He knows poverty, He knows hunger, He knows pain, He has suffered.
Had his face spit upon. Been betrayed. Been abandoned even by those who were closest to Him. He was even killed by those whom He came to save. There is no pain or suffering that Jesus does not understand.
He is a loving merciful God who understands. Take your cares and your troubles to Him. Cling to Him and He will give you the grace you need to get thru it.
A proper application of the truth of His humanity will have a profound affect upon how we think about and how we handle emotional and physical pain.
A question some might ask is why did He have to become human?
It was necessary for Him to be mediator. He had to become human so that He could be a substitute for us on the cross.
1 Tim 2:5
Heb 2:17
Gal 4:4-5
1 Cor 15:21
Another question some might ask is didn’t Jesus already know about pain before He became man?
He is God and nothing is lacking in His knowledge. Of course He knew. What His coming does is let us see in a real visible, tangible, practical way that He knows. We can see that He knows by simply looking at His life.
Another application is that Christians should imitate Him.
Phi 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Phi 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Phi 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Phi 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Christ took all His suffering with humility. He handled it all correctly. If you want to know how God wants you to handle betrayal, then look at how He handled it. He is to be our example.