Thank God Jesus Was Human
Isaiah 53:2
I love Jesus. Yes, I know that he’s no longer living here with us, and that he reigns in glory in heaven. But I can still put my feelings about him in the present tense, can’t I? Because I mean, as the song says, He Lives!
We’ve all heard for years that Jesus was both human and divine. And we accept that as factual, mostly without fully understanding it. Jesus helped to feed that image by calling himself the Son of Man, while also admitting that he was at the same time the Son of God.
So, what about his humanity – if Jesus was both human and divine, does that tell me that he was something less than fully divine? Less than perfect? I don’t know how to answer that one. In some mysterious way, perhaps he was both at the same time. Yes, that would be truly mysterious.
And now, in heaven, does Jesus remain both human and divine? Maybe someday I will be able to answer that one.
But nevertheless, his humanity gives me great comfort. I thank God for it. Why? Because it tells me that Jesus knows. He knows what I know and he feels what I feel. He is not some distant deity looking down on me and tut-tutting when he sees me fail. No, he is right there with me in the muck and mud of humanity.
Who am I? For sure, I am a follower of Jesus, an eyewitness to much of what you can now read in the four gospels. I was not in his inner circle, but I knew most of them and observed their ups and downs. And if you read about them in those same gospels, you will quickly conclude that all twelve of them were definitely human!
How did the gospel writers describe the humanity of Jesus? Well, to be honest, they seem to have emphasized his amazing powers, so his humanity can sometimes seem a bit obscure. But if you look for it, you will find it.
Of course, there is the obvious. Jesus lived in a human body. It was a body that was not immune to pain and suffering. It was a body that looked and functioned like most every other body of our place and time, a body that, like ours, actually stopped breathing and died. Nothing about him stood out physically, and I must assume that God the Father planned it that way. It reinforced the idea that Jesus was one of us, not set apart in any physical way. He was not Superman!
Here is what the prophet Isaiah said about the appearance of Jesus (Isaiah 53:2):
“For he grew up before him like a young plant
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”
Beyond his physical appearance, you can find hints of his humanity if you carefully read the gospels. For example, when Jesus and the twelve came to the well at Sychar in Samaria, it was recorded that he was tired and thirsty (John 4).
Like some of us, Jesus must have been a very heavy sleeper. How do I know that? Because he, asleep in a boat in the midst of a violent storm, had to be awakened to still the wind and the waves (Mark 4).
Jesus healed many, but not always. When he came to his hometown, Nazareth, this is what happened:
“He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor except in their own hometown and in their own house.’ And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 14)
His fellow townspeople certainly saw Jesus as human.
And he could get angry.
It occurred on the day following his transfiguration. You can’t help but remember how he took Peter, James and John up a mountain, where his appearance was “transfigured” into one that actually radiated light. While there, he discussed his path forward, including his death in Jerusalem, with none other than Moses and Elijah. Before leaving, a voice came from heaven, instructing the three disciples to “listen” to Jesus.
The Transfiguration by Giovanni Bellini 1490
As they descended from the mountain the next day, things went downhill fast (pun intended). Here is what Luke recorded:
“On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.” (Luke 9)
I can scarcely imagine the disappointment that Jesus felt. After all, his disciples had been with him for quite a while and had even been sent out on their own to preach and heal. But now, it seemed that they were helpless. And Jesus, after his amazing transfiguration, and his conversation with Moses and Elijah about the coming end of his ministry, must have been extremely discouraged.
You can read more about the very human feelings of Jesus in Matthew 23, as he called out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, who put the details of the law above God’s command to love him and to love their neighbor.
Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, and he prayed to our Father God, just like humans are instructed to pray.
And I know you remember how Jesus was tempted, in all of his humanity, just as we are tempted.
But about the humanity of Jesus, one thing really stands out to me above all the rest. One thing that makes me appreciate him, and yes, love him more than almost everything else.
It was his humility. Yes, his humility. Why? Why would that impress me more than his very human physical stature and more than his very human emotions of love, frustration, anger and sympathy?
It’s because of the dual nature of his existence. Let me explain. Yes, Jesus was human. But he was also divine, literally the Son of God come to live with us on earth. That’s the very meaning of the name Emanuel.
I believe his dual nature caused enormous struggles within. Perhaps, in his humanity, he wanted to give up on his disciples, who failed him time after time. Perhaps their shortcomings even caused the human Jesus to question God’s plan to sacrifice him for the redemption of the world. Perhaps, after three years with them, his human side was simply fed up, not only with them, but with all of humanity. You can see signs of his frustrations in the examples above.
I don’t believe any of us can begin to imagine the struggles of Jesus. In our humanity, it’s beyond our comprehension to understand how the Son of God could endure what he did, with his humanity arguing that we are just not worth it.
And of course, you do remember how he prayed, just before his arrest, to his Father to “remove this cup.”
But, Jesus obeyed, even to the point of his suffering and death. And again, how can we possibly understand the struggle that took place within him? In his divinity, and in his humanity, Jesus humbled himself in obedience to a plan that, on the face of it, appeared foolish and doomed. To his amazing credit, in all of his humanity, Jesus summoned the strength to obey.
The human Jesus, inseparable from the divine Jesus, obeyed in great humility. And in great love. That’s why I love Jesus so much.
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