Fully God, Fully Man

Many of us have made Jesus so inhuman that he becomes, as Paul Wallace says,

a lot like Superman: he’s an alien, an immigrant from an unearthly realm sent to us—yes, by his father—from the heavens. He looks like one of us but is not really one of us. Like Clark Kent, his humble exterior is merely a cover for out-of-this-world powers. He’s essentially distinct from the general run of earthly creatures. He is the Messiah of Steel. (Wallace, Paul. Stars Beneath Us. p. 114.)

Because of this perception we often miss the fact that the Bible affirms Jesus’ humanity over and over again. He was, by all means, quite like us and entirely relatable. After all, He had friends (Jn 15:14-15) and siblings (Mt 12:46-47); He had parents He obeyed (Lk 2:51); He grew and learned (Lk 2:52), asked questions (Mk 9:21) and didn’t know some things (Mt 24:36); He fasted (Mt 4:2) and was hungry (Mk 11:12); He was tempted (Mt 4:1); He worked a job (Mk 6:3); He paid taxes (Mt 17:24-27); He celebrated holidays (Lk 2:41-42); He got angry (Mk 3:5) and frustrated (Mk 9:19); He was troubled in soul (Jn 12:27) and spirit (Jn 13:21), cried (Jn 11:35), and was sorrowful (Mt 26:38); He had friends die (Mt 14:10-13) and go back on their word (Mt 26:35); He was mocked (Mk 15:20); He was rejected (Lk 4:29), denied (Lk 22:34), betrayed (Lk 22:48), abandoned (Mt 26:31), and even felt abandoned by God (Mt 27:46); and ultimately, He died (Mt 27:50).

Sometimes we focus on the Trinitarian side of Jesus so much that we miss the point that His role in the Trinity was to become man. When we ignore His humanity we downplay the message that Hebrews tries so hard to communicate:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (He 2:14-18)

Hebrews 4:15 goes on to elaborate on that last verse, saying, “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.”

Are we listening? If we are we should be getting a fully God, fully man vibe from these passages. Like man, He is flesh and blood; made like His brothers in every respect; He’s suffered; He’s been tempted in every way that we’ve been tempted. Jesus is relatable and His humanity is truly affirmed. 

But so is His Godhood. Unlike man, Jesus is capable of destroying the power of death and the devil; He is capable of delivering us from lifelong slavery; He has not given into temptation and He is without sin. His Godhood is truly affirmed as these are things that humans cannot do.

Want to continue the conversation? Take the long journey with my book/audiobook, The Rush and the Rest, or take a shorter path with my condensed version, Fantasy IRL.