5 Times You Need Jesus' Humanity
#4. When No One Understands
Is Jesus’ humanity irrelevant?
A few days ago, a number of guys were discussing the real meaning of Jesus being “Fully Man”. It got a bit technical, at which point Simon Bowkett helpfully added this challenge…
I can remember feeling the same in my Christology course at Union School of Theology. I understood that it was true, but why did it matter to the bereaved person in my small group or the Christian lacking assurance?
Only when I taught on these doctrines at church was I forced to ask “When do ordinary Christians need this truth?”
That’s what I want to share in today’s email. Here are 5 times in your day to day life, when knowing Jesus is fully man will really hope.
1. When You’ve Lost Hope in Humanity
It’s not hard to lose hope in humanity.
This year has seen the invasion of Ukraine. It’s seen yet more leadership scandals in the church. The financial situation is bleak. And no doubt you’ve seen particular failures in your personal life too.
What hope is there for humanity?
A new Adam.
You see the Bible teaches the Adam was a representative. When he sinned, we all sinned. Every human descended from him is under sin’s control. That is why humanity is hopeless.
We needed a new man to represent us.
Romans 5:18-19:
“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)
By being born of a virgin, Jesus didn’t descend from Adam.
But he was still a man and could set up a new humanity with a new law written on their hearts. Jesus brings the only hope of a new humanity. Humanity won’t be rescued by education, or other religions, or even hard work.
Jesus the man is the only hope for humanity.
2. When You Feel God Won’t Accept You
If you have any self awareness, you know you should be rejected by God. How many times this year:
Have you failed to spend time in prayer with him?
Have you represented him poorly to outsiders?
Have you deliberately chosen to disobey his law?
What hope is there for someone like us?
We need a mediator.
Let’s say someone is doing peace talks in the middle east. The Israelis can’t talk to other Israelis about peace. They need someone from the Palestinians to speak to. There needs to be engagement between the two sides.
Similarly God the Father couldn’t just talk to God the Son. He needed a perfect man to deal with. However, such a man didn’t exist. Only the incarnate Son could represent us.
Jesus represents us with God because he is a man. The fact he is also God means that he can represent God to us.
Hebrews says just as much.
“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” (Heb. 2:17)
A priest was a go-between God and man. But he was still a man. Jesus the God man was something else. Paul puts it like this:
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Tim. 2:5).
If Jesus is a mediator, your sin can be forgiven. You aren’t accepted on the basis of your obedience. You’re coming through Jesus
Because Jesus is a man, you can always be accepted by God.
3. When You Need an Example
What does a holy human look like?
Every human being you see day to day is a sinner. As a result, it can be hard to picture what a faithful and good human being looks like.
This is where we need Jesus.
Jesus shows us what God is like. But he also shows us what a good human being looks like.
Paul says this:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Phil 2:5-7)
When the Philippians need an example of relationships, they are to look at Jesus. If they look at Jesus’ way of life, they’ll see exactly how a human beings should live.
Let me give you a worked example of that:
How do we respond to authorities? Peter talks to readers being beaten for being Christians. What should they do? He points to Christ.
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:21-24).
By becoming a man, Jesus shows Peter’s readers what godliness in persecution looks like. He was silent under persecution, entrusting himself to God. So should we be.
You could multiply examples. In situations like this and many others Jesus shows us how to live.
Jesus is our perfect example.
4. When No One Understands
Sometimes it feels no one can understand.
I remember talking to someone who was being degraded by the insults of another person. He struggled to get across how hurtful this was.
I couldn’t say to him, “I understand” because I didn’t. But I could say to him, “Jesus understands”. Jesus was humiliated on the cross. Insulted, stripped, falsely accused. Perhaps no one at that church understood him, but Jesus did.
Again Hebrews 4:15 says “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses”. Jesus is a perfect high priest because he can identify with us.
Isn’t it great that we can pray to God and he understands?
When you feel exhausted, Jesus knows exactly what that feels like.
When you feel great physical pain, Jesus knows exactly what that feels like.
When you are tempted by Satan, Jesus knows exactly what that feels like.
It’s never true for a Christian that “no one understands” because Christ has always been there first.
5. When You Come to Worship
The final result of Jesus’ humanity is it causes us to worship. Indeed, on the last day everyone will bow the knee to this God-man. Philippians 2:7-11:
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Notice the “therefore”. He humbled himself and therefore (as a direct consequence) he is honoured by all.
And don’t you agree with that? Don’t you listen to all these things Jesus went through as a man and think “How could he do something like that for me!”
Only God could enact this miracle. You and I can’t be 100% cat and 100% human, or 100% dog and 100% human let alone God and human. Only God could do this!
So many of our songs at Christmas express amazement that God became a human baby – and rightly so. It was the greatest condescension imaginable. And because of that Jesus deserves the greatest praise.
Conclusion
As we close, many of you will have known these truths for years
But I hope as we look at all these things one after the other, they are like lights on the front of a house – each a tiny bulb on it’s own but together making a great illumination
Isn’t it incredible the great act Jesus did for you by becoming human?
Isn’t it incredible that he was really and truly human, with a human body and mind, and temptations and will?
Isn’t it amazing that he somehow did this without diminishing his divinity in anyway?
And isn’t it amazing that because of this you can have access to God and empathy from God, an example to follow and a reason to sing?
Jesus’ humanity is such a great truth and one that bears our considering again and again.
So celebrate the truth of Jesus’ humanity this Christmas, and all the rest of the year as well.
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Next time: I’ll be sharing my favourite reads of 2022. If you don’t want to miss it, make sure you are subscribed.