Jesus With Us On Earth – Post SWO26 Bible Study
Hebrews 2:14–18
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.
1 John 4:2–3
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
What’s The Point?
Jesus came to earth to redeem us; he took on flesh and became one of us. Jesus’ incarnation is necessary for our salvation. The author of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus had to become like us and suffer like us so that he could pay for our sins. And John says that anyone who doesn’t confess that Jesus came in the flesh has the spirit of the antichrist! This is not an issue we can skip over; the humanity of Jesus Christ is essential to our salvation.
So, in today’s study we are going to look through the New Testament and see that Christ was fully human. He didn’t just look like us or seem to be one of us; he took on all our weakness. He traded in his eternal glory for mortal flesh. We will look at five realities of Jesus humanity and then seek to understand the significance of his humility and humanity.
1. He was born. Luke 2:7 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
This is obvious, but we can’t overlook its significance. Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, the one through whom all things were made (John 1:3), became human. The Creator became created. He who never had a beginning, began his human life as every human being does—tiny, weak, and totally dependent.
2. He had to grow up. Luke 2:52“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
Jesus is God; he could have been born with all knowledge, but he humbled himself and became like us in every way. He could have bypassed this, but he chose to experience it. He was unchanging and all-knowing, but he became a child who needed to be taught by the creatures he created.
3. He was hungry and thirsty. Matthew 4:2 “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” John 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’”
Psalm 50:12 says, “If I were hungry, I would not tell you.” God does not need physical nourishment. He is without any need for something to sustain him because he is perfect. When Jesus was hungry or thirsty he was experiencing our frailty. He who has never needed anything put on a body that required him to eat and drink every few hours. He humbled himself to become one of us in every way.
4. He was tired. John 4:6 “Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.”
Weariness is not a characteristic we think of when we think of God. God is all-powerful, able to accomplish anything; that is why Jesus’ weariness is such a good picture of his humanity. Psalm 121:4 says, “ Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” In glory, Jesus needed no sleep, he had no need for anything, but in the flesh Jesus got tired from walking. The humility of Jesus to become one of us is greater than we could ever imagine.
5. He experienced sorrow. John 11:34–35 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Matthew 26:38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
This is such a human emotion. We live in a broken world. People we love die; people we care about get hurt. All of this is because of our sin. God’s creation was very good (Genesis 1:31), and we corrupted it with our sin. That is what Jesus entered into. He knows our pain, our suffering, and what it feels like to lose someone you care about. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus in this way in Isaiah 53:4 saying, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”
We are looking at the details of Jesus’ humanity, but the main thing we must recognize is even though he became like us in every way, he did not sin. He knows our weakness, our suffering, our pain, our frailty, even our temptations, but he never yielded to sin. That is what the first passage we looked at in Hebrews said, “He partook of the same things…he was made like his brothers.”
God, the Creator, the One who needs no sleep, the All-powerful, the Uncreated One, He who has no beginning—that God has made salvation available to us through his life, death and resurrection. And if that wasn’t enough, he also understands our temptation and helps us because he has firsthand understanding of our weakness.
What a gracious God we serve, willing to become one of us so that he could be with us!
Scripture Memorization
Hebrews 2:17
“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.”
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for humbling yourself and becoming like me. You know my weaknesses; you know my temptations; you know my frustrations; you know my frailty, and yet, you still lived in victory over sin. You lived the life I could never live and died the death that I deserved to die so that I could dwell with you for all eternity. I confess that I am unworthy of your grace and kindness, and I pray that your perfect example would inspire and convict me to holy living.
Reflection + Discussion
- Jesus humbled himself by leaving glory and becoming a servant. What are some practical ways we can follow his example of humility in our daily lives?
- Jesus experienced pain, grief, and suffering but never sinned. What can we learn from the way Jesus handled hardship and temptation in his earthly life?
- Jesus willingly chose to experience our weakness even though he is all-powerful. What does that teach us about God’s character and love?
- Why was it necessary for Jesus to become fully human in order to save us? What would be missing if he had only appeared to be human?
- Hebrews says Jesus understands our weakness and temptation because he experienced life as a human. How does that change the way you think about prayer or bringing struggles to God?
If you have any questions, please reach out: harry@swoutfitters.com. All of the Scripture referenced in this study is from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.