{"id":92,"date":"2011-03-21T20:34:19","date_gmt":"2011-03-21T20:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?p=92"},"modified":"2025-12-16T19:26:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T19:26:27","slug":"sympathetic-savior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/believe\/sympathetic-savior","title":{"rendered":"Sympathetic Savior: The Humanity of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

God became flesh… How is it possible? What does it mean? How Human was Jesus?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

b<\/em>y Steven Gledhill<\/em><\/span> for FREEdom from MEdom Project<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sympathetic Savior: The Humanity of Jesus<\/em> is intended to clarify what it means that Jesus Christ experienced humanity in the flesh by fully participating in the human condition. Tis the season of revelation, recognizing what Jesus sacrificed in order to know every bit of who we are so that we, through relationship with him by faith, can be healed, renewed, and restored into every bit of all<\/em> that God wants and has for us\u2026 today!<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus never did anything halfheartedly. When he embraced our humanity, he didn\u2019t pull a fast one by making a show of it. He embraced it so fully and totally that he was able to die. God can\u2019t die. But Jesus did.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014<\/span>John\u00a0Eldredge<\/a>, author,\u00a0Beautiful Outlaw<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What I have written here may be something different than you typically hear on this subject concerning the humanity of Jesus. As I went into some deep study, I believe that I received revelation from God’s Spirit that blew my mind and broke my heart. I wept at my laptop while writing the first of what went on to be a three-part series, Sympathetic Savior<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For the first time, my perception of what God in the person of Jesus Christ did for me shook me to the core. I did not begin writing this piece knowing that this is what I would be writing. It was indeed heartbreaking, and afforded me the opportunity to more fully understand and appreciate what God, and more specifically, Jesus Christ, sacrificed to pay the ransom for sin. Jesus laid down everything<\/em> necessary for every one of us to experience relationship with God in the person that is Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Apostle Paul wrote about Jesus:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers\u00a0of this world, rather than from Christ.<\/span> For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. <\/span>Colossians 2:8-10 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The writer of Colossians, the Apostle Paul, makes it clear that Jesus is<\/em> alive in a human body while fully God. The Bible is clear on this as theological certainty. Paul wrote this letter to a New Testament group of Christ followers after having an experience when he saw the resurrected Christ in all of his glory. Paul’s encounter with the risen Christ rendered him blind until he found the man with whom he was told by Jesus would restore his sight. What occurred may have been traumatic for Paul. Then, he experienced the miraculous healing that would affirm his newfound faith.<\/p>\n

The focus in this comprehensive essay is to place greater emphasis on the time that Jesus, the Son of God, emptied himself entirely of divine standing and privilege. It is entirely possible that while the deity of Jesus would<\/em> not be used to his advantage while a person of human flesh, but perhaps could<\/em> not be used to his advantage.<\/p>\n

I hope that you will have an open mind and follow me with me as I hope to convey what I believe to be true about the humanity of Jesus while on earth in the flesh.<\/p>\n

There may be interpretations and commentary of The Bible in this essay that some, if not most, theological scholars may deem suspect. These opinions of biblical scholars with PhDs often dismiss less orthodox perspectives as the kind of “empty philosophy” or “high-sounding nonsense” that Apostle Paul identified in the passage above. However, it might just be worthy of serious consideration that a less than traditional take on Scripture (doctrinally speaking) is, not only credible, but offers clarity concerning the humanity of Jesus while on this planet in the flesh.<\/p>\n

Continue reading and you will discover that this comes from a responsible study of Scripture, upholding the integrity of the context of each passage examined here involving the application of original Greek texts and how it might be translated for context. Despite objection from what might be closer to theological presumption than a reasonable hypothesis, I am convinced that God’s divine Spirit led me to the lengths I have gone to more fully appreciate the humanity of Jesus, and what it cost him to redeem, reconcile, and restore us into relationship with God.<\/p>\n

So, here we go.<\/p>\n

Fully Man, Fully God<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that the name, Jesus, is translated from his name in the Greek, Yeshua, a <\/em>variant of the name Yehoshua<\/em>?<\/p>\n

The name Yeshua<\/em>, when translated from Hebrew is the name, Jeshua (Jeshuah)<\/em>, which is known by its variants, Joshua<\/em>, and Jesus<\/em>. What is interesting is that ‘yeho’<\/em> is a variant of YHWH (Yahweh), the name of God, and ‘shua’<\/em> means “to cry out”, “a scream for the need to be rescued.” The name Jesus was the given name of the newborn Savior in the gospel of Matthew of the New Testament. Christ from the Greek word Christos <\/em>means chosen by God to deliver his people.\u00a0Altogether, Jesus Christ<\/em> is the chosen to save each one of us as we identify ourselves as needing to be rescued and call on Jesus to deliver us from oppression and poverty, held captive, enslaved by sin.<\/p>\n

Jesus, when speaking to his disciple, John, in the book of Revelation, referred to himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters, or symbols of the Hebrew alphabet, translated emet<\/em>, meaning truth. The irony of that is that there is no beginning, and there is no end. The triune God has always existed. He\/They have always existed, and so therefore, are the Alpha. They will always exist, eternally, and therefore, are the Omega.<\/p>\n

How long did God exist before creating anything—the first thing?<\/p>\n

How about this? Alpha and Omega is not really about time<\/em>. What it actually means is that everything that is, for all time and space is contained within these aspects of the triune God. God is not only at the center of all things, he envelops all things. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is God, symbolized as the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet until the last letter of the alphabet, and includes every word contained within and throughout throughout the alphabet. Wow! How do we wrap our feeble human minds around that<\/em>? We cannot really comprehend the empirical forces within and throughout the universe either. We choose to accept it. What other choice do we have?<\/p>\n

Being addressed here is the fact that this triune God understood the whole time that creating human beings who are not themselves God, giving us free will to choose on our own, means that it was inevitable that we would choose poorly. This is due to our inclination to take for ourselves what has not been given, which we understand to be sin, creating a void since we have chosen in a fashion that opposes the integrity of what God created.<\/p>\n

God (Father, Son, and Spirit) knew from the beginning that it would be up to God’s son lower himself from divine to the likeness of human flesh—sinful flesh, according to Apostle Paul (Romans 8:3)—in order to fill that void. The void is what sin did to separate humankind from its creator.<\/p>\n

John, the beloved friend of Jesus, saw his friend die on a cross. John comforted Jesus’ mother during the darkest of times within feet of the cross as Jesus died. John would see his Savior, resurrected from the dead. He also saw Jesus ascend to heaven. John would then be filled with the Holy Spirit, anointed (meaning chosen) to write one several manuscripts about his experiences with Jesus. When he saw Jesus again in a vision (Revelation 1), John beheld the awesome glory of his exalted king, and fell at his feet as if he was dead. Not in an act of worship… dead.<\/p>\n

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said,\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.<\/span> <\/span>I am the living one. I died, but look\u2014I am alive forever and ever!” <\/span>Revelation 1:17 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This was an entirely different and unique experience, nothing like he had ever experienced before in his three years with Jesus in the flesh. Jesus appeared as though he was holding stars in his hand. In the radiance of his king, the Almighty One, in the blaze of his magnificence, John went down to the ground as though he was toast. Or so John thought. It was not until Jesus identified himself and reminded John that he is indeed alive; fully man and, no doubt fully God, having been exalted to kingship, that John was restored by the gracious, compassionate love contained in this blaze of glory before him.<\/p>\n

All glory to him (Jesus) who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. <\/span>He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. <\/span>And everyone will see him\u2014<\/span><\/span>even those who pierced him. <\/span><\/span>And all the nations of the world <\/span>will mourn for him. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Yes! Amen! \u201cI am the Alpha and the Omega\u2014the beginning and the end,”\u00a0<\/sup>says the Lord God. \u201cI am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come\u2014the Almighty One.\u201d <\/span>Revelation 1:5b-8 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, God elevated him<\/em> to the place of highest honor <\/span>and gave him the name above all other names, <\/span><\/span>that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, <\/span>in heaven and on earth and under the earth, <\/span><\/span>and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, <\/span><\/span>to the glory of God the Father.<\/span> Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to all that, Jesus, fully God, needed to be made fully human in the flesh in order to ultimately pay the ransom for our sin. Jesus would live a human life and then die on a cross as the sacrifice for sin; yours and mine. It is challenging, to say the least, to understand how the person of God can be full of the glory of God, has been reduced to being a human embryo, born as an infant, grown through childhood into adulthood, experienced fatigue, immeasurable physical pain and psychological suffering, and is then executed to death on a cross as the sacrifice for sin. How is this possible?<\/p>\n

And the Word became 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.<\/span> John 1:14 (NKJV)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Most Christians, regardless of religious denomination or affiliation, have been taught as theology that Jesus was God made flesh some 2000 years ago, and was identified as being fully man and fully divine (God) simultaneously; the God-man. It is theologically considered to be fact that Jesus was fully divine while fully participating in the human condition. It would be a miraculous thing since it is an intellectual contradiction. However, there appears to be room for discussion regarding the humanity of Jesus, taking into account the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the New Testament writings of Apostle Paul, as well as the written words of Jesus himself.<\/p>\n

“God became a man, but his now-fellow men would not accept him. At every turn, he was doubted, challenged, and scorned by people blinded and enslaved by their expectations of what God should be like… With rare exception, the people did not recognize who he was, and they did not believe him when he told them because their minds already had a firm image of what the Messiah should be like, as well as how the prophecies of his coming\u00a0should be fulfilled. Their ideas about these things were so ironclad that they were unable to recognize the reality standing in front of them.”<\/em> <\/span>—<\/span>David C. Grabbe<\/a>, author<\/span><\/p>\n

There are numerous passages in both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible that describe the sacrifice for sin as the perfect<\/em> sacrifice, a lamb without blemish, and blameless. Because there is so much biblical commentary on this, I will not simply pick the one that suits the points I hope to support through my study of Scripture. That does not feel right to me.<\/p>\n

When looking deeper into the original Hebrew translation for the word ‘perfect’ in the Old Testament, taman<\/em>, is typically described to mean wholeness, soundness, and integrity of mind; innocence<\/em>, or to go a step further, most innocent<\/em>. The original Greek translation used in the New Testament for the word ‘perfect’ is calal<\/i>, translated to mean completeness<\/em>, free from sin. The word ‘perfect’ in the Old Testament, as it related to the sacrifice for sin, typically described what Jesus needed to be.<\/em> The New Testament, in the book of Hebrews, described what Jesus did <\/em>as the perfect sacrifice, achieved in its completeness<\/em>, in order to set God’s creation free from sin.<\/p>\n

This is worthy of examination, though not for the purpose of seeing Jesus as anything less than who he was in the flesh as a human being on earth. It is for the purpose of appreciating what Jesus had to overcome to be who he was while entirely human and dwelling among humans, in order to achieve his mission, in order to fulfill his calling as the sinless<\/em>, blameless<\/em> sacrifice for sin.<\/p>\n

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.<\/span> This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings (temptations) we do, yet he did not sin.<\/span> <\/span>So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.<\/span> <\/span>Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The New Testament of The Bible clearly states that Jesus understands the weakness of flawed imperfection, not because we were created imperfect, but because the original humans could choose for themselves. Adam and Eve had it all. They were stewards of God’s creation. However, when tempted to want more, when their belief in who they were was challenged, they were compelled to want more than they already had, and to be more than they already were, and made that infamously foolish, self-centered, choice. They would go on to repeat poor decisions until it became rather routine behavior. They would then pass imperfect thoughts and behavior on to their children. And so it went and goes from there; the endless cycle of giving in to the temptation to be selfish.<\/p>\n

Because of that, all have sinned since Adam and Eve. All have chosen poorly at one time or another, and so we are born into this imperfectly flawed condition that is humanity. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was born into the same human condition, imperfect as it is, and was tempted by human desire and intention, and tested by the same challenge that comes with being human.<\/p>\n

I am not the first to chronicle who and what I believe Jesus to be as one who laid aside his deity to become someone in the likeness of human flesh in order to most fully<\/em> appreciate the human condition, having participaed fully<\/em> in the human experience. The Apostle Paul did that long before this. What I have written involves deep study into Scripture, as well as researching the opinions and commentary of Biblical scholars. There is a spectrum of opinion interpreting Scripture regarding the theology of Jesus having emptied himself of divine standing, privilege, and advantage, born of human flesh, and to live the human experience (Philippians 2:6-8). How human was Jesus during his 33 years living among “us”?<\/p>\n

Here’s the thing. Once we accept that God in all three persons made the universe and originated life from nothing, then all<\/em> things done, made, and changed by God is entirely possible. This includes the transformation of God the son into the person of human flesh, born of a virgin, known as Jesus (Yeshua) while inhabiting the earth.<\/p>\n

What you will read throughout this essay is not only possible, but I believe is likely, to the point I<\/em> believe it to be more than one person’s opinion or speculation. If you read this, you may disagree. But if you process this information with an open mind, hoping to appreciate what Jesus sacrificed so that we would have relationship with God, you just might find this to be a compelling read; or at the very least, something to seriously consider.<\/p>\n

At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!<\/span> 2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Most will say that Jesus, as a man of flesh walking the earth, was no doubt perfect. But that presents a problem. If Jesus the man was absolutely perfect, as we typically consider perfection to be without a single flaw, then it would not<\/em> be possible for Jesus to sin. If Jesus could not sin, how could he be truly tempted<\/em> to sin? The virtuous essence of the humility of Jesus as a servant was his dependence on God the Father. Perfect and fully God, why would Jesus need<\/em> to depend on God, except to be a model of what dependence on God is supposed<\/em> to look like?<\/p>\n

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness <\/span>for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. <\/span>Luke 4:1-2 (ESV)<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Did Jesus really need<\/em> that<\/em> time to fast and pray in in the wilderness? Did he know he would be confronted by incredible adversity while broken down by fatigue, hunger, and loneliness? If Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, is not entirely human without<\/em> the advantage of being fully divine, is his participation in the human condition entirely authentic? This expression of human need was not a show as some token model or example of what it looks like to depend on God.<\/p>\n

His time of fasting with prayer and meditation in the wilderness truly and fully prepared Jesus for servanthood and ministry of historic proportions that would ultimately take him to the garden of Gethsemane, pleading with his heavenly father—God—for an alternative option to be the blood sacrifice for sin. Whether we like it or not, Jesus, entirely human in the likeness of sinful flesh<\/a>, according to Apostle Paul, bore the full weight of God’s wrath against the sin of humanity that proved most hostile in opposition to God’s glory and holiness.<\/p>\n

Who, being in very nature God<\/em>, (Jesus) <\/span>did not<\/em> consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage<\/em>; <\/span><\/span>rather, he made himself nothing <\/em><\/span>by taking the very nature of a servant<\/em>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>being made in human likeness. <\/span>Philippians 2:6-7 (NIV)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is<\/em> a big deal to me. Why? It’s important that I<\/em> appreciate the very real need<\/em> of Jesus in human flesh who trusted God absolutely to fulfill his role as the sinless sacrifice for sin.<\/p>\n

Does it diminish who Jesus was in the flesh as a human being? Or, is the opposite true?<\/p>\n

The life of Jesus, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, having experienced a sinless life, amplifies<\/em> the life of Jesus in the flesh. It would be so much more that Jesus would experience every heartbeat of human discomfort, pain, suffering and struggle, whether it be physical, psychological, or spiritual. As Apostle Paul wrote, Jesus emptied himself of his divine nature to the point of absolutely no divine standing, privilege, advantage, and authority.<\/p>\n

“In the New Testament the words rendered “carnal” are derived from sarks, “flesh.” This refers to the flesh as opposed to the pneuma, “spirit,” and denotes, in an ethical sense, mere human nature, the lower side of man as apart from the Divine influence, and therefore estranged from God and prone to sin; whatever in the soul is weak and tends toward ungodliness.”<\/em> <\/span>—James Orr, General Editor, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia<\/em>, 1915<\/span><\/p>\n

So within this study lies a myriad of questions:<\/p>\n

Was Jesus without flaw or shortcoming as a human being, or was Jesus so<\/em> human that he shared in all<\/em> of the weakness of every person subject to temptation?<\/p>\n

Did Jesus desire what a human being, by nature, desires?<\/p>\n

Could Jesus be selfish, or to put it another way, self-centered?<\/p>\n

Being made<\/em> in the likeness of sinful flesh, was Jesus prone by his human nature to sin?<\/p>\n

Was Jesus have self-centered impulses as a child growing up?<\/p>\n

Did Jesus make mistakes as a child growing up that would not be counted against him as sin since he was, in fact, a child learning to discern right from wrong?<\/p>\n

If Jesus was in<\/em>capable of immature self-centeredness natural to being human as an impulsive young child, could he ever truly be tempted to sin as he matured into adolescence and adulthood?<\/p>\n

Really think about this. Would the emotionally-driven impulses of a very young Jesus be without flaw and imperfection?<\/p>\n

In his ministry as an adult, when he returned to his “home town” to do ministry, he did not impress a whole lot of people. He was not known by the people of his hometown to be all that remarkable. Even his own siblings, including his brother James (yes, that James, who wrote scripture), did not identify Jesus to be the prophesied Messiah that would one day be his king, until after the resurrection.<\/p>\n

The spotless lamb of God who Isaiah, prophesied to be the Messiah, in the minds of his family and friends, I suspect, found Jesus to be “disqualified” since they had seen his flaws as a young person. To them, he was not known to spotless… not considered remarkable as this perfect human being without flaw as the Son of God would be. Not even his own brother James was buying it.<\/p>\n

Please understand this: What makes Jesus all the more “qualified” to be our Messiah is that he was indeed flawed as a human being, as the Apostle Paul wrote, made<\/em> in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3, NKJV). In other words, Jesus was born human with the potential—the aptitude and natural inclination—to be self-centered enough to sin, as any human born would be. And yet, by the time he was found in the temple blowing the minds of scholars with his understanding of things at the tender age of twelve, Jesus was living a sinless life.<\/p>\n

Was young Jesus without flaw or imperfection? No. Was it possible that Jesus had an ego or sense of pride that would not be held against him as sin at such a young age? I believe it to be possible; likely even. How can you not believe it to be possible? As stated, if at the age of 12, Jesus was in control of all emotional impulse, he would have been observed by everyone<\/em> as being an incredibly remarkable child. It may not have been a surprise to his brothers, cousins, and townspeople that there was someone uniquely special in their midst who as an adult might be healing people from affliction, delivering them from bondage,\u00a0 and what not.<\/p>\n

But, none of them would consider that the promised Messiah was in their midst. What I find peculiar about that is that his family and friends would have been so convinced that this child prodigy among them was so remarkable that it might even be reasonable to believe that he was the chosen one, their Messiah. He was one of them. What an advantage it would be to his home town to proclaim that the Messiah had grown up among them.<\/p>\n

Did God blind their minds from recognizing something phenomenally special about Jesus during his formative years?<\/p>\n

Why were they not in awe of this boy—this prodigy, this phenom—while growing up if he was the perfect<\/em> child?<\/p>\n

We are led by the story in scripture to consider that young Jesus was not a boy that was viewed as perfect. He was not considered remarkable compared to his brothers, who were probably good boys, but hardly perfect. Among his family and friends, young Jesus was no doubt favored by his parents because of who they knew him to be, but young Jesus would be groomed by his mother and others to recognize, and believe for himself, that he was indeed the chosen one<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It would not be until Jesus was 30 years old that he would be led to fast for 40 days and nights in the wilderness that his imperfections and flaws would be put to the test. Why? It wasn’t theater. It wasn’t for show! It was so that Jesus would identify that only<\/em> God was his source for strength, sustenance, comfort, stability, and perhaps even his sanity under the weight of his circumstances.<\/p>\n

The human being that was Jesus apparently needed to be put to the test so that during three years of ministry he would not need to be validated by his friends and family when he went home to do ministry; to serve those he loved. Because, he didn’t get it. I tend to think that when Jesus declared that “a prophet is not welcome in his home town”, and then left town, that it was not out of spite or anger, but from a place of humility, having been tested in the depths of his character. Jesus stated the fact of who he is and was rejected. However, he may have stirred the hearts of a few folks who were receptive to him, who would one day find him, and like his brother James, would come to serve with him in ministry.<\/p>\n

Everyone else, many of whom he knew in Nazareth, were accusing Jesus of blasphemy, so vehement to the point of trying to throw him over a cliff.<\/p>\n

(As an aside, it is interesting to me that whenever preachers or anyone else talk about Jesus while human on earth, as it pertains to his relationship with God, they will not refer to God, as God. They are sure to reference God as “his<\/em>\u00a0Father” or “the Father”. Only Jesus, and at times the Apostle Paul, apparently referred to his Father as “God”, sometimes in the third person. Both Jesus and Paul in the New Testament hinted that there may be a hierarchy of sorts within the\u00a0triune\u00a0God relationship.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Could Jesus Sin in the Flesh?<\/span><\/p>\n

I will continue to emphasize, moving forward, that I am in no way attempting to diminish the person of Jesus while on earth in the flesh as a human being. My intention is to hopefully convey what I believe in my soul was revealed by the Holy Spirit about how Jesus was so altogether human that each and every experience while human was in his human body; his human brain; his human soul and spirit. What that does is amplify what it means that Jesus could resist the temptation to sin with human desire (the way you and I want what we want), entirely dependent on whom Jesus himself identified to be a higher authority, whether referring to him as his Father, or as God. Even the Apostle Paul wrote about wanting to appreciate all the more the sufferings of his Savior. Stripped of divine advantage, Jesus would experience every suffering—physical, psychological, and spiritual—entirely human.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Most Bible scholars write that in the flesh, Jesus could not in actuality sin. The God in him, if you will, overrode any real possibility that Jesus could give into whatever temptation he may have been exposed to as a human being in the flesh. Commentaries I read in my personal study usually suggest that the temptation of Jesus—God in the flesh—while human on the earth was more of a perceptual reality, that while exposed to temptation, was sinless because he was fully God. And so, there lies the great paradox regarding the temptation of Jesus; or, perhaps there lies the contradiction.<\/p>\n

If Jesus fully divine as God was incapable of feeling<\/em> temptation to the extent that it was possible to give into it, wouldn’t the same be true that fully divine as God he was limited in his flesh to feeling<\/em> pain to the extent that he suffered like you or I would? Would the divine in Jesus limit, or even prevent, Jesus from emotional or psychological pain and discomfort on the level human beings not<\/em> fully God would fully<\/em> experience as being fully<\/em> human?<\/p>\n

If Jesus was fully God while fully man in the flesh, he would be without flaw and incapable of sin. Incapable of sin, he could hardly be tempted to sin. Not really. It can be said that there is no way that Jesus could have led a sinless life if not fully divine. But, what if that is exactly<\/em> what qualifies Jesus as the only one to so fully depend on the Spirit-filled relationship he had with God the Father to be the model of what it takes to live fully human having led a sinless life?<\/p>\n

Also, if Jesus was perfect without flaw, would he need<\/em> nourishment and sleep to adequately function; to stay alive?<\/p>\n

The following is a Bible passage I found in my research that indeed points to Jesus being fully man and fully God:<\/p>\n

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not<\/em> according to Christ.<\/span> For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,<\/span><\/span> and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. <\/span>Colossians 2:8-10 (ESV)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many will accuse me of spewing human philosophy and empty deceit that does not align with the truth about Jesus the Christ, our Savior who has redeemed us through his sacrifice as the ransom for sin. I am in full agreement that Jesus is<\/em> fully man and fully God, and sitting on the throne as the sovereign head with absolute authority. It is Jesus whom I serve. When examining the passage above, the Apostle Paul is speaking in the present tense<\/em>. Read it again if you did not see it.<\/p>\n

Does it diminish Jesus if fully in the flesh he was flawed and could make mistakes from a self-centered nature? Or rather, does it make it that much more remarkable that Jesus, from the time of accountability, led a sinless life? Does it make Jesus less or does it make Jesus more<\/em>, to consider him capable of sin should it have been possible, to be authentically tempted to selfishly do wrong, yet remain innocent of unrighteous behavior?<\/p>\n

God absolutely cannot<\/em> sin. God can do no<\/em> wrong. God cannot<\/em> die. It is utterly impossible.<\/p>\n

It will be addressed throughout this article the matter of whether it is at all possible that Jesus, from the time of accountability for sin, could have. The question that will be addressed repeatedly is: If Jesus could not<\/em> have been capable<\/em> of sin while participating fully in the human condition, could he ever<\/em> be tempted on an emotional level to behave badly from a self-centered place from within?<\/p>\n

Christ Jesus,<\/span> who, though he was in the form of God<\/em>, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,<\/span> but emptied<\/em> himself,<\/em> by taking the form of a servant<\/em>, being born in the likeness of men.<\/span> <\/span>Philippians 2:6-7 (ESV)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

For he, who had always been God by nature<\/em>, did not cling to his prerogatives as God\u2019s equal, but stripped himself of all privilege<\/em> by consenting to be a slave by nature<\/em> and being born as mortal man. <\/span>Philippians 2:6-7 (PHILLIPS)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Though he was God,<\/span> he did not think of equality with God <\/span><\/span>as something to cling to.<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nInstead, he gave up his divine privileges <\/em><\/span>taking the humble position of a slave<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span> and was born as a human being<\/em>.<\/span> <\/span>Philippians 2:6-7 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus, who considered equality with God something not something to be cling to, emptied himself of divine standing and privilege<\/em>, to be obedient in the likeness of sinful flesh<\/em>. Actually, grace did not really become a thing until Jesus did what he did. Jesus abandoned his God nature to take on human nature; which in the Apostle Paul’s text is like that of a sin nature. This is an in-depth study into what it all means.<\/p>\n

This is so important, perhaps even necessary, to more fully appreciate the immense sacrifice it was for Jesus to fully participate in the nature, condition, and experience without applying any of his nature as God to be an advantage in his time living among human beings on the earth. Jesus did not find it advantageous to truly experience human desire, temptation, pain, and struggle by clinging to his divine, God nature, so why do we have such a hard time accepting that Jesus laid it all down to be born human?<\/p>\n

As I attempt to lay out the entirely human suffering of Jesus in the flesh to pay our debt, please try not to let the preconditioning of what you thought you knew about this growing up get in the way. That’s what I had to do with tears to get to this point.<\/p>\n

I will be making the point that Yeshua, Jesus, fully man, having been made flesh and born into the world, laid down his divine nature as God for some thirty-three years, making it absolutely necessary to trust and fully depend on God the Father while filled with God the Spirit. There is no twisting, spinning, or taking what the Bible says about it out of context. It is simply a matter of discerning literary truth while acknowledging the written Word of God laid out by Paul in letters to the churches in Philippi and Rome.<\/p>\n

Paul wrote that Jesus gave up divine standing and privilege to participate in the likeness of human flesh. The word ‘likeness’<\/em> is translated from the original Greek to mean, “to be made into”<\/em>. (This will be a big deal later when getting into the matter of understanding what it is that Jesus is God’s only begotten<\/em> son.) The word ‘man’<\/em> is translated from the original Greek language to mean, “human being”<\/em>. This study will take on the challenge of identifying the degree to which Jesus was human by examining the Greek words for ‘likeness’<\/em> and ‘flesh’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My purpose in making this point is to establish that his torment and suffering leading up to his crucifixion, during his crucifixion, and for three days until his resurrection was entirely a human experience, without the advantage (perks, if you will) of being divinely sovereign. To be divine as God, I believe, diminishes Christ’s suffering because, after all, how much can God actually suffer (being that he’s God), even if he has taken on human flesh? Entirely and exclusively human, Christ’s suffering is immeasurable and unimaginable. Maybe, this is why Paul goes to great lengths to also appreciate the suffering of his Lord; wanting to fellowship with Jesus in that<\/em> suffering.<\/p>\n

I will harp on making this point repeatedly throughout this article.<\/p>\n

I Am In the Father and the Father is In Me<\/span><\/p>\n

It is typically accepted and taught that Jesus was fully God and fully man. This is true. Jesus, fully God-fully man is the alpha and the omega. He was from the beginning, and is today and forever, fully God while fully man.<\/p>\n

Let’s get right to it. Here is the scripture pointing to Jesus proclaiming his deity:<\/p>\n

\u201cLet not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.<\/span><\/span> 2\u00a0<\/sup>In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?<\/span><\/span> 3\u00a0<\/sup>And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.<\/span><\/span> 4\u00a0<\/sup>And you know the way to where I am going.\u201d<\/span><\/span> 5\u00a0<\/sup>Thomas said to him, \u201cLord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?\u201d<\/span> 6\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to him, \u201cI am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.<\/span><\/span> 7\u00a0<\/sup>If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>Philip said to him, \u201cLord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.\u201d<\/span> 9\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to him, \u201cHave I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.<\/em> How can you say, \u2018Show us the Father\u2019?<\/span><\/span> 10\u00a0<\/sup>Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.<\/span><\/span> 11\u00a0<\/sup>Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do<\/em>, because I am going to the Father.<\/span><\/span> 13\u00a0<\/sup>Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.<\/span><\/span> <\/span>14\u00a0<\/sup>If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.<\/span> John 14:1-14 (ESV)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Is Jesus stating definitively that in his flesh he is entirely divine as fully God? Perhaps. But consider this: The disciples and most of his followers believed their Messiah to be the new king of the Jewish people who would restore Israel into the nation it once was; out from under the oppression of Roman rule. It was a thousand-year prophecy that had yet to be fulfilled, and still wouldn’t be until nearly another two thousand years in 1948 A.D.<\/p>\n

When Jesus died on the cross, so did the fulfillment of the prophecy, as far as these believers understood. It wasn’t until believers were filled with the Holy Spirit—glorified Jesus living in<\/em> them—that they would realize that it was Christ dwelling within them<\/em>, inhabiting their souls and brains. Their Messiah had come for them in human flesh, and then lived in<\/em> and through<\/em> them by way of his Spirit; the Holy Spirit of God. Just as Jesus himself was filled with the Spirit of God, so had the disciples, at something called Pentecost, been filled the Spirit of God.<\/p>\n

The disciples were anointed and ordained by God, full of the Spirit of God, to continue the miraculous work of Jesus, having ascended to heaven and exalted to the throne as King, at the right hand of the Father. It is accepted theologically and doctrinally that Jesus is in fact fully man and fully God. But what about his time on earth as a man of flesh? It’s a bit complicated.<\/p>\n

What does it mean that Jesus said, “Whoever have seen me has seen the Father?” Jesus was known to be a teacher<\/em> while human on the earth, master<\/em> since he was known to have spiritual authority considering his connection with who the disciples recognized as God, and Jesus was known to be a prophet<\/em>. At the very least, “Whoever have seen me has seen the Father,” is prophetic.<\/p>\n

When the day comes that we see God in heaven, we will see Jesus in all of his glory as God. Jesus is the physical manifestation of God<\/em>. Whenever we have seen Jesus we will indeed see our heavenly Father. We will also be glorified in our bodies, which will allow us to see Jesus, unlike what John experienced when he fell as if he was dead, when he saw Jesus glorified. Even in heaven, we will be filled with the Spirit of God. We will always experience the presence of Jesus, wherever we are, whatever we are doing.<\/p>\n

Think about it. How many will inhabit heaven? All believers in relationship with God from Adam and Eve until… Well, I don’t know how to finish that sentence since only God knows. Will there be billions of us? Tens of billions? According to WorldAtlas.com, some 108 billion people have lived on planet earth until now. What percentage of that ever-increasing number have experienced relationship with God on some level… on the level that they have experienced the unmerited favor of God and their sins have been forgiven?<\/p>\n

The omnipresence of Jesus, fully man and fully God in heaven will allow him to be anywhere and everywhere he chooses to be among us as the family of believers in glory. Anytime we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father. And it is the Holy Spirit that allows us, even in heaven, to encounter and experience Jesus in our midst, all of the time.<\/p>\n

That is then (future tense), this is now, and now behold the promise.<\/p>\n

Sympathetic Advocate<\/span><\/p>\n

25\u00a0<\/sup>I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.<\/span> <\/span>26\u00a0<\/sup><\/span>But when the Father sends the Advocate<\/em> as my representative\u2014that is, the Holy Spirit\u2014he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cI am leaving you with a gift\u2014peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don\u2019t be troubled or afraid.<\/span>\u00a028\u00a0<\/sup>Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am<\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>29\u00a0<\/sup>I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. <\/span>John 14:25-29 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus, while human in the flesh, addresses the order of things. While participating fully in the human condition and plight of the human condition, that contains within it the desire of the flesh, it ultimately leads to death in the flesh. The difference in the case of Jesus, is that he led a sinless life. However, even a sinless life in the flesh was vulnerable to the flawed human existence, and still subject to the inevitability of death in the flesh. Jesus understood it and lived it, beyond the scope of what any biblical scholar has to say about it. Jesus spoke of the Father as “greater than I am”\u00a0<\/em>recognized he was flawed and, dare I say, imperfect as a human being on earth. Jesus, the man, laid aside divine standing, privilege, and advantage, in order to completely experience all that he did; beyond anything you or I could possibly imagine.<\/p>\n

What is awesome is that, having died as the sacrifice for sin, resurrected into new life, paving the way for all of us to be resurrected into new life, Jesus left his experience as a human being, and was exalted as fully God, fully divine. But, Jesus did not stop there. Jesus told his disciples that his leaving would be better and to their advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do<\/em>, because I am going to the Father.<\/span> John 14:12 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus came back by way of the Holy Spirit, to be our advocate, helper, and comforter, by inhabiting our lives in the way that transcends human comprehension. Being filled with the Spirit of God, is the unveiling of everything that is possible and accessible in relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.<\/span> For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.<\/span> <\/span>So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord\u2014who is the Spirit\u2014makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. <\/span>2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Spirit-filled believers were doing mighty works while filled with the Spirit of God fully<\/em> alive in them. You might say, Jesus raised people from the dead. So did apostles Peter (Acts 9:36-43) and Paul (Acts 20:7-12). They healed people and cast out demons with the Spirit of God fully alive in them. Peter and Paul, I suppose, could have said, and rightfully so, when you see me, you see Jesus. I am in Jesus and he is in me. Deity was fully alive in these human beings but they were not themselves divine. Paul sometimes challenged believers to imitate him as representative of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Jesus said to his disciple Phillip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works… whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going<\/em> to the Father.<\/span><\/span>” At the outset of the passage above, Jesus speaks in future tense of preparing a place in glory for believers. Jesus said that he speaks from a place of a higher authority, and that those in ministry after him will do even greater works than he because Jesus is going<\/em> to<\/em> the Father, having been fully restored into who he is as God; sovereign king with full authority to dwell in the lives of the faithful. Again, future tense.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.<\/span> He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,<\/span> having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. <\/span>For to which of the angels did God ever say, <\/span>\u201cYou are my Son, <\/span>today I have begotten you\u201d? <\/span><\/span>Or again, “I will be to him a father, <\/span><\/span>and he shall be to me a son\u201d?<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>Hebrews 1:2-5 (ESV)<\/span><\/p>\n

The writer of Hebrews indicates that the Son of God reflects the majestic, radiant glory of the Father and was and is the full expression of all that God is, to the extent that the universe was created through the person of God’s son. But then Jesus, as planned, emptied himself of his position of divine standing and privilege to live among us in the flesh, obedient to the point of sacrificing his very life to redeem us from sin and death. Then God resurrected Jesus from the dead and exalted him to the throne to be worshipped. All relationship with God, including the atonement for sin, is through the person that is Jesus Christ. The other point worth noting is an apparent inference that there has always been a hierarchy in the triune persons of God in terms of how they interact with each other and their roles in terms of how they interact with each other. The writer of Hebrews seemingly goes out his way to speak of Jesus as worthy of worship.<\/p>\n

This has been the introduction to responding to the question, what does it mean that God became flesh? How can God become flesh? How human was Jesus, God in the flesh?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So then, since we have a great High Priest (advocate)\u00a0who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.\u00a0This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.\u00a0So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.<\/span>\u00a0Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT)<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to better understand and appreciate the sacrifice of the person of God who we call Jesus, we need to examine him humbling himself to the point that his initial sacrifice was laying down his function and authority as God; to become entirely man Jesus can sympathize with your weakness and mine. To begin, let’s define the word ‘sympathy’.<\/p>\n

Sympathy—from Latin sympathia, from Greek sympatheia, having common feelings, sympathetic, feelings, emotion, experience\u2014pathos means an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion<\/span><\/p>\n

Sympathy—1 a: an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other b: mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it c: unity or harmony in action or effect 2 a: inclination to think or feel alike: emotional or intellectual accord b: feeling of loyalty: tendency to favor or support 3 a: the act or capacity of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another b: the feeling or mental state brought about by such sensitivity<\/span><\/p>\n

Savior—1: one that saves from danger or destruction,\u00a02: one who brings salvation<\/span>
\nAs defined by Merriam-Webster, Inc.<\/span><\/p>\n

The objective here is to really get to know Jesus Christ as the person who knows you intimately, and has experienced personally—physically, emotionally and spiritually—all that you and I have experienced in our lifetime. He knows the emotional spectrum from human triumph and elation to deep sorrow, paranoia, fear and devastation until finally the experience of death.<\/p>\n

The Humility of God<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"From the beginning Jesus was the sacrifice intended to restore mankind into relationship with God. Because we are not and never were God, we were by our nature prone to choose independently from the perfect will of God. God, knowing this, had already prepared a way for mercy for our\u00a0imperfect choices and behavior.<\/p>\n

The Bible says that God gave us His only begotten Son. But, the word \u2018begotten\u2019 used to describe how God gave us Jesus means, \u2018brought forth\u2019, \u2018produced\u2019, or \u2018created\u2019. Jesus has always been, from the beginning, God, as the Bible tells us he has. So perhaps He was identified by God as His Son for the first time when He was conceived inside the womb of his earthly mother Mary. While the person of Jesus always existed as God, His humanity was \u201ccreated\u201d or made for Jesus, becoming the only begotten Son of God as conceived by way of a human being to be born human.<\/p>\n

What killed the body, mind, and human heart of our Lord Jesus was the sin of mankind that, not only killed Jesus on the cross, but also was responsible for Jesus being exhausted, hungry, thirsty; and able to experience pain, sickness, fear, discouragement, and even despair at Gethsemane.<\/p>\n

This is important to better comprehend and appreciate the degree to which Jesus was actually human as He demonstrated His dependence on God the Father to live out His life of humanity\u2014what the Bible refers to as \u201cflesh\u201d\u2014without sin. Jesus modelled for us the perfect example of recovery from flesh as he would admit powerlessness, believe that His Father, God, would empower Him with authority over his mortal body and mind of flesh, and commit to depend on God the Father for everything. The approach of Jesus to His own recovery from the human plight was as though his life depended on it. Jesus understood that His very breath was dependent on God to survive His life as a human being.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We may not be able to understand how Jesus, as God, made himself to become this \u201ccreation\u201d of human flesh by the reproductive processes created by God, but the Bible explains why<\/em> Jesus became flesh. It was necessary that Jesus not merely appear on the scene, but be born onto the scene; to live in the flesh.<\/p>\n

That being said, God somehow caused a virgin to conceive and the human experience of Jesus began. The human life of Jesus began when the egg of the virgin Mary became fertile and formed into an embryo, which grew into a fetus with the exchange of human blood and DNA from his mother. He had his Heavenly Father\u2019s Spirit, but the Bible tells us he was fully human. Jesus had the full deity of who He was as God but somehow laid it down in order to fully experience humanity in order to better relate with you and me.<\/p>\n

“Jesus did not come to do what he did and say what he said to fulfill prophecy. Jesus came and did what he did, and said what he said, and prophecy was fulfilled.”<\/em><\/span> —Mr. Johnson, incarcerated at the time<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

And the Word became<\/em> flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten<\/em> of the Father, full of grace and truth.\u00a0<\/span> John 1:14 (NASB)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Word Became<\/em> Flesh<\/span><\/p>\n

Does it merely mean that Jesus was God manifest in human form by means of flesh and bones, or was Jesus born of and in the flesh as it speaks to the whole person \u2013 body, heart, mind, and soul (the character, or spirit of a person)?<\/p>\n

Was Jesus fully God and fully man? That is what most of us have been taught but is it an accurate interpretation of Scripture? Does it make sense even in a Biblical context?<\/p>\n

God is never<\/em> tempted to do wrong… Temptation comes from our own<\/em> desires…\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>James 1:13-14 (NLT)<\/span><\/p>\n

Start with these questions:<\/p>\n