Why Is It Important For Christ To Be Human?
Since we have seen that He was Deity what difference does the humanity of Christ make? As Almighty God, He was able to care for the sins of the world. He was able to do all that man could not. He satisfied God’s requirements for atonement. What difference does His humanity make?
- He cannot be our example if He is God only. God, an infinite being cannot really set a “followable” example for finite man. We would be incapable of following that example.
- He could not pay for man’s sins if he were not locked into humanity in some manner. The requirement is for man to die. If Christ was to take upon Himself the penalty, he must be man.
- He could not defeat the devil evidently without this step according to Hebrews 2:14.
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST DECLARED
I. He Had A Human Birth (He Was Born Of A Woman) As Evidence of His Humanity
Christ was born of Mary according to the Gospels and Galatians 4:4. He was born of a virgin as well. We will cover this in more detail in the incarnation. (Matthew 1:18-2:12, Luke 1:30-38; 2:1-20)
II. As Part of His Humanity, He Had Human Terms Applied To Him
- They Called Him The Son Of David:
Matthew 1:1; Matthew 12:23; Matthew 15:22. To be a true son of David, He would have to have been of the seed of David, and human.
- He Was Called The Son Of Abraham:
Matthew 1:1. The same applies here as in the previous comment.
- He Was Born Of The Seed Of David:
Romans 1:3. This passage adds proof to the previous two points. The thought of seed indicates a physical relationship.
- He Was A Descendent Of Adam:
Luke 3:23-38 shows the genealogy tracing back to Adam. This is another proof of the physical, human aspect of Christ’s nature.
- This Fulfilled A Promise To Eve:
Genesis 3:15 and Ahaz, Isaiah 7:14. Again this strong physical, human link to man is seen. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua: He had a human name as well as physical descendancy.
- They Called Him A Carpenter:
Mark 6:3 Along with his human name and descendancy, we see that He was involved in a physical occupation, that of a carpenter. If only God why would He need to subject Himself to such things. Indeed, if only God, why go through the process of birth, growing, learning, and the other mundane things of human life?
- He Was Called A Man:
I Timothy 2:5 The apostle Paul was quite in error if this Jesus were only God.
- He Was Flesh And Blood:
Hebrews 2:14 To be flesh and blood, is to be human. We have no other creature on earth that has flesh and blood that are not animal or human. With all of the characteristics of a human, then He must have been human.
III. He Had Human Development As Proof of His Humanity
- He Was One Of The Early Home “Schoolers”:
Luke 2:40,
“The child grew, became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.”
- He Matured As Other Humans Mature: Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
- He Was Taught But Probably Not In Schools: There is a possibility that he had some teaching in the synagogue. Luke 4:16 shows that he could read in the synagogue. John 7:15 mentions that the Jews marvelled at his knowledge.
- He Visited The Temple: Luke 2:41,46,47 tells us that he visited in a big way and shocked a few teachers.
- He Knew The Scriptures: Luke 4:17 tells us that he had a working knowledge of the Scriptures. Enough of knowledge to find a certain passage in Isaiah
“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet, Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,”
Matthew 4:4 and the context are the testing in the wilderness and it shows that he had a good understanding of the Scripture. His knowledge of the Scriptures may well have come from a combination of three things;
- His teaching from His parents
- His own personal study and
- His communion with the Heavenly Father
IV. He Had Essential Elements Of Human Nature As Part of His Humanity
- He Had A Human Body: Hebrews 10:5 mentions his body. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that we are sanctified by the offering of His body. “By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Matthew 26:12 tells of Jesus body being anointed. John 2:21, “But he spoke of the temple of his body.” Hebrews 2:14 mentions he had flesh and blood.
- He Had A Human Body After The Resurrection: His body was human, even though it was glorified. Luke 24:39, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
- He Had A Soul: Matthew 26:38 indeed it sorrowed.
- John 12:27
- Act. 2:27,31
- He Had A Spirit: Mark 2:8, “And immediately, when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, why reason ye these things in your hearts.” Mark 8:12, Luke 23:46, John 13:21. Since it has been shown that He had a human body, a human soul, and a human spirit, then He must have been human.
V. He Had The Infirmities Of The Human Body As Evidence of His Humanity
- He Became Tired:
John 4:6,
“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat by the well; and it was about the sixth hour.”
He became tired and weary, just as we.
- He Became Hungry:
Matthew 4:2,
“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry.” (Also Matthew 21:18)
- He Became Thirsty:
John 19:28,
“After this Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”
- He Slept:
Matthew 8:24,
“And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep.”
- He Was Tempted:
Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15.
“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to help them that are tempted.”
- He Was Limited In Knowledge:
Mark 13:32,
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels who are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
Mark 11:13 tells of Him approaching a fig tree with leaves to see if there was fruit on it. Mark 5:30-34 mentions the woman that touched his garment. He asked who touched his clothes. Some might suggest that this was a rhetorical question or that he wanted her to identify herself and that He really knew who it was. John 11:34 relates that Christ asked where they had laid Lazarus when He came to raise him. And said, “where have ye laid him….”
Since all of these be human traits, it seems very logical to assume that He too was human.
VI. He Was Known As A Man As Evidence of His Humanity
- He Called Himself Man
John 8:40,
“But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth….” If He were less than a man, then He is a liar.
- He Had The Appearance Of A Man Post-Resurrection:
John 20:15 relates that Mary took Him for a gardener.
John 21:4,5 tells that the disciples didn’t know who He was when He was standing on the shore.
- He Appeared In Human Form In Glory:
1 Timothy 2:5,
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus,”
- He Will Come In The Same Form:
Matthew 16:27,28; 25:31 mentions his coming again, and Acts 1:10-11 mentions that He will come as He went. The disciples saw him go in bodily form.
- He Appeared In His Bodily Form In Power:
Matthew 26:64, 65,
“…Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
- He Will Judge The World As A Man:
Acts. 17:31,
“Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; concerning which he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
If He were not a man, then He was one of the great tricksters of all time. He fooled people from, close friends to acquaintances, from uneducated to highly educated, and from low class to high class. Such an accomplishment, if He were not human, was nothing short of trickery and falsehood.
VII. He Displayed The Emotions Of A Human
I will list some references and the emotion/emotions that are mentioned. Matthew 26:36-44 tells of His being depressed, His sorrow, His weakness of the flesh, and most likely disappointment in his disciples. Mark 3:5, “And when he had looked round about on them with anger….” (He is angry with the Jews because they were waiting to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.)
- Luke 10:21 tells us that He “rejoiced in the Spirit”.
- Luke 22:44, “And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly….” (This is the agony in the garden.)
- John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”
- John 12:27 tells us that His soul was troubled.
- John 13:21 — troubled in spirit.
- John 13:23 — loved.
VIII. He Needed Spiritual Help
He prayed:
Mark 1:35,
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Luke 22:44,
“And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly….”
The thought of needing help gives added meaning to the disciples going to sleep in the garden just before His arrest. How saddened He must have been when His best friends would not pray with or for him.
Acts. 10:38,
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
If Christ needed to be empowered then surely He must have been human.
IX. He Needed To Be A Man
There is seldom reference to any need of His humanity, but it was a necessary requirement within God’s overall plan. Paul mentions in
I Corinthians 15:20-23.
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”
Not only does this text declare Christ’s humanity, but also it points out the need of that humanity.
- Without humanity, Christ could not provide the perfect life to sacrifice.
- Without humanity, Christ could not provide the sacrificial death on the cross.
- Without humanity, Christ could not provide the resurrection of the saints.
As man fell by representation in Adam, so man had to be represented by man in the plan of redemption. It would seem that His humanity is of great necessity!
Human Characteristics of Christ
Summary of the human characteristics possessed by Jesus Christ that qualify him as man are as follows:
- He had a human parentage ( Luke 1: 31; Galatians 4: 4)
- He had a human body, soul and body
- Body – (Matthew 26: 12)
- Soul – (Matthew (26: 38; John 12: 27)
- Spirit – (Mark 2: 8; Luke 23: 46)
- He possessed flesh and blood (Hebrews 2: 14)
- He grew (Luke 2: 40)
- He asked questions (Luke 2: 46)
- He increased in wisdom (Luke 2: 52)
- He prayed (Mark 1: 35; Luke 11: 1)
- He was tempted (Mark 4: 1; Heb. 2: 18; 4: 25)
- He learned obedience (Heb. 5: 8)
- He was hungry (Matt. 4: 2)
- He was thirsty (John 4: 7; 19: 28)
- He was weary (John 4: 6)
- He slept (Matt. 8: 24)
- He was angry and grieved (Mk. 3: 5)
- He wept (John 11: 35; Lk. 19: 41)
- He bled (John 19: 34)
- He suffered (I Pet. 4: 1)
- He died (Matt. 27: 50; I Cor. 15:3)
- He was buried (Matt. 27:59,60)
- He was called the son of David.
