Jesus the Man

Jesus fulfills many roles: Son of God, God the Son, savior, Good Shepherd. So it is not surprising that we tend to overlook Jesus the man. It is important that we spend time in the gospels to understand as much as we can about Jesus, for He told us to ‘Learn from Me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,’ (Matthew 11:29). What was He like? What kind of man was Jesus? We need look no further that the four gospels. Oftentimes Jesus would go off alone (usually to a mountain) to pray. Don’t you find it a revealing insight to the Son’s nature that He would pray? It is fascinating for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that it is one of many examples of Jesus practicing what He preached.

We know that Jesus many times corrected and castigated people, but it is illuminating that those He corrected were not those viewed by the world as sinners (and tax collectors, whom he instead recruited), but the so called religious leaders of the day. The Pharisees and those of the religious order the Sanhedrin, were often forced to endure Jesus’ harsh reprimands, for they were corrupt and hypocritical, honoring the traditions of men instead of the commands of God. So Jesus was not afraid to judge (with righteous judgment, John 7:25), as this act brought to light the deeds of darkness and the hypocrisy of those working in opposition of God’s will, who were proclaiming their own righteousness.

Jesus had a temper! Just look at His reaction to the fig tree when it failed to provide Him lunch. Or read about his reaction to those dealing with money at the temple. I would love to have seen my savior flipping tables over and yelling at the moneylenders. But always His anger was directed towards those who disrespected God’s will, and it was always designed to inspire conviction and change.

Jesus had a tender heart. His disciples were the most blessed (and pressured) men in history. They received His direct teachings and corrections, but also His love. Though Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, He did not give the man a hard time, and it almost seemed as if He were pleading for Judas’ very soul in the garden. Same goes for Peter when He informed the poor man that he would deny Jesus. Jesus could have looked at Peter with disgust and disappointment, but instead He proclaimed His confidence in him that Peter would become the rock on which His church would be built.

Look at the man Jesus in the wilderness. When He was tempted by the devil, did Jesus use supernatural power to repel Satan? No. He quoted scripture! Isn’t it incredible that the savior who was prophesied throughout the OT and whose teachings and life history dominate the NT should quote scripture to defend Himself against the wiles of the devil?

He was a poor man, never owning anything more than the clothes on His back, which buttressed His teaching of the difficulty for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

All in all I think Jesus was the sort of man I would be honored to have as a friend. He does not judge based on personal faults but on willful disobedience to our God. He practiced what He preached. He displayed righteous indignation towards those who dishonored God. And He displayed fierce loyalty to His elect. And it was as a man that Jesus endured the crucifixion. What I mean by that is that He did not call on His supernatural nature to endure the agony of His passion or to dull the pain, and He did not use His power as God the Son to free Himself from the cross, as He so easily could have. He bore the punishment for our sins, as no other man could or would. He received and receives all the glory in heaven as the Son of God, and yet He chose to leave that—for a short time—to come in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-8).