One thing that I have been doing lately in my sermons has
been to take a closer look at Jesus, especially when it comes to what He thinks
about you. One reason that I have been doing that is to help you to understand
Him better, and, as a result, understand yourself better. Today, I want to
continue the same theme, expanding on it a bit. And I want to do that by
exploring this thought: Jesus was, and still is, a man. I want to look at His
humanity. We make a fuss, and rightly so, about the deity of Jesus. He is the
God-man. This morning I want to stress the 'man' part of that. Jesus was, and
still is, a man, someone very human. There are things going on in that simple
sentence that are so very striking and so very helpful. That's what we're going
to look at this morning.
Let's start with this from Luke.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and
in stature and in favor with God and man.
Jesus didn't show up complete and ready to go. There were
things that He lacked, things that had to develop in Him. Luke mentions three.
First, there is wisdom. Remember that wisdom is the ability to understand God,
other people and yourself. Jesus wasn't born with perfect wisdom. As a result,
He made mistakes. He didn’t sin, but He made mistakes. He needed His
understanding to develop. As He matured He was able to understand God, other
people and Himself better. Jesus increased in wisdom.
Then, there is stature. That's just referring to the fact
that Jesus didn't stay a baby. He grew up. That seems obvious and maybe ho-hum
until I tell you that it means that Jesus went through puberty. He changed from
being a boy to being a man. His body changed. His voice deepened. And He discovered
girls. I'm guessing that there was this young lady in Nazareth whom Jesus
noticed and about whom He thought, 'You know, I think she'd make a good wife.'
Jesus never married, but that doesn't mean that He didn't want to be married or
that He didn't enjoy the company of women. He had some close female friends.
There were Mary and Martha, as well as Mary Magdalene. Jesus grew up, and it
changed Him.
Luke also mentions that Jesus grew in favor with God and
man. That other people had a growing regard for Jesus would not be surprising
to most Christians. But that God had a growing regard for Him, that would
surprise most Christians. But that's what Luke wrote. 'Jesus increased in favor
with God.'
Now, put that all together, and what do you have? All of
these bits of information point to the basic fact of Jesus humanity.
We're not done. There's more evidence. Do you remember the
time right after the transfiguration when a man came to Jesus? The man's son
was being oppressed by a demon. He brought the boy to the disciples, but they
could not get rid of the demon. So, the man explains his plight to Jesus. Do
you remember what Jesus said in response to that?
O faithless generation, how long am
I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?
What shall we call that? How about frustration? Jesus got
frustrated with people. Sounds pretty human, no? Not sinful but human.
Then, consider another of those important themes in John.
Listen to one place where Jesus expresses it.
My food is to do the will of him
who sent me and to accomplish his work.
How often does Jesus talk about doing the Father's will?
What good word should we use to label that? How about 'submission'? And the
climax to that submission is when Jesus says,
Father, if you are willing, remove
this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
Jesus submitted Himself to the Father's will. Again, how
human. It's the way that people are supposed to respond to God.
Now, let's consider a familiar triad. Here's the first:
Jesus loved. He loved God. He loved people. That's not news. But what about
this? Jesus hoped. Remember that hope is waiting for God to keep a promise.
This is how Hebrews shows Jesus hoping.
for the joy that was set before him
[Jesus] endured the cross…
Jesus endured the Cross for something that was set before
Him, something the Father set before Him, something the Father had promised Him
if He went through with the suffering of the Cross. Jesus put His hope in the
Father's promise and endured the Cross. And the Father came through. Jesus
exalted to right hand of God. Listen to the whole sentence.
Therefore, since we are surrounded
by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin
which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
According to this Scripture Jesus is to be our example. He
put His hope in God. We are to hope in God in the same way that He did. Jesus
hoped.
But it is impossible to hope in God without faith. That's
what hope actually is, trusting God to come through on His promises. So, Jesus
also had faith in God. The Scripture in Hebrews shows that. But to make sure
this is clear, there's this from the Cross.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud
voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this
he breathed his last.
As Jesus is about to be overwhelmed by death what does He
say? 'Father, I trust You to get me through this.' Jesus had faith in God.
So, you see, Jesus expressed faith, hope and love. How very
human.
Now, pull this all together and what do you have? You have
the profound truth that Jesus was a man, a regular man, who did some very human
things: growing from a boy to a man, developing wisdom, experiencing more and
more of the Father's favor, expressing faith, hope and love.
Now, as you know, He did some astounding things, powerful
things. But He didn't do these things by cheating and having His divine nature
help Him out. As you read the Gospels you are reading about a man who was
fulfilling His calling. And the astounding things that He did, He did because,
like any Christian, He had the Spirit of God. Remember that dove at His
baptism. What Jesus did He did as a man.
I need to tell you that the things that Jesus did that
impress me most aren't the miracles. It's the words. Sometimes He says some of
the most amazing, beautifully wise and completely unexpected things. And He
wasn't cheating. He did that as a man. So, I sometimes tell myself, 'That means
that I could speak like that'.
Let's take all of this and relate it to a couple of familiar
events in Jesus' life. So, consider those temptations, you know with Satan in
the desert. If Jesus was a regular guy, as I've been saying, those temptations
were real. No play acting there. So, when Satan said, 'I bet you're real hungry
about now. I mean you haven't eaten for what, a month? No, more! Well, isn't
that a loaf of bread at your feet? Oops. Sorry, my mistake. It's just a stone.
But why don't you change it into a loaf of bread, and take a bite. You can do
that, can't you? Bet You would feel better if You did’, He felt that. The
temptations were real.
Think about all the things that happened to Jesus on the
Cross. It wasn't that He and His Father were going through the motions for our
benefit. No, it was real. Jesus, the man, had nails pounded through His wrists
and ankles, and hung from those nails for hours. He felt that. He felt all the
physical pain. But more than that, He felt the emotional pain that the Cross
brought. For all His thirty-something years, the Father had been right there
next to Him. Life for Jesus was an ongoing conversation with His Father, filled
with questions and answers, seriousness and laughter. There was a closeness
there that is impossible to describe. And then, all of a sudden, it was gone.
Jesus was abandoned by the Father as He took on our sin. Abandoned, completely
abandoned. And it's not just that there was this emptiness. In place of the
Father's love that He had enjoyed for the whole of His life, Jesus felt the
rage of God against sin. The Cross wasn't play acting. Jesus, this man, felt it
all, the physical pain, the emotional pain.
Out of this I want you to get two things. The first comes
from Hebrews.
Since then we have a great high
priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold
fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne
of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
What’s the point? The point is simply this: Jesus gets it.
When you cry out in confusion, in pain, in frustration, in loneliness, He gets
it. He understands. And He understands not because as God He understands
everything. He understands because He has been where you are. He was, and still
is, a man. As a result, He is someone who can sympathize with your weaknesses.
He does not condemn you. He isn't disappointed in you. He understands. I hope
that that would encourage you to cry out more and to do that with more
confidence. After all, it's this man who's been there who intercedes for you
before the Father.
And here's the other thing I want you to get. It comes from
Romans.
For those whom he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son
You are on your way to being 'conformed to the image of His
Son'. Do you understand what that means? You are on your way to becoming just
like Jesus. By the power of the Spirit you are also growing in favor with God. You
are also learning how to express faith, hope and love. And one day you will have
the wisdom of Jesus. Think of the words that you will speak. That will happen
to you. The Father promises. This is the Gospel. Believe it.