Christian Living

The Human Side of Jesus

by paul hoffmaster
01/30/22
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One of the things that we overlook when studying the life of Jesus is His human side.  We fail to understand that He exercised all the aspects of human nature.  He was tempted, yet didn’t sin.  There were times when He was tired, hungry, and sleep-deprived.  There were times of emotional energy that displayed anger and frustration.  He engaged the religious community in spirited exchanges.  His earthly family did not support Him.  Jesus was treated like a “celebrity” due to the miracles and wonders that He did.  His message of redemption and reconciliation of the Jewish people fell on deaf ears.  During Jesus’ three years of ministry, He traveled with a “heart condition” that bordered on a broken heart.  Jesus was not “superman” but the Son of God who came as the Son of Man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God, yet He was also a man.  Christians look at the infallibility of Jesus while at the same time ignoring His human challenges. 

We find that Jesus wept three times in recorded history.  I am sure there were other times, but the Scriptures only contain three incidents.  All these occurrences were during the last week of His earthly life.  Two out of the three times His tears illustrated frustration over the hardness of the hearts of the people.  The “wake” that was held for Lazarus’ death was an assembly of unbelief.  Even Lazarus’ sister Mary was caught up in faithless expression.  Jesus not only wept when He saw the assembled but “groaned in the spirit and was troubled.” (John 11:33)  Jesus had ministered to this family many times, (Luke 10:38-42, also reference John 11:3) yet when tragedy struck, one of the sisters developed instant amnesia.  When we fail to live what we confess, I wonder how Jesus looks at us.

The second time Jesus wept was when He was about to descend into Jerusalem on what has been called His Triumphal Entry or Palm Sunday.  As He looked over the city, He was saddened over its continual rejection of God’s love.  As a result of their lack of remorse, they would face the consequences. (Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:42-44)  Our country continues to harden its heart against God. The above verse shows what will happen when we continually reject God’s ways.

The last recorded time Jesus wept was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here we see the human aspects of Jesus recorded for the entire world to see.  Struggling to shed His human emotions, He cried out to God, seeking an alternative means to achieve God’s purpose.  Hebrews 5:7 along with Luke 22:44; Mark 14:33; Matthew 26:38 highlights the battle Jesus waged in dying to self-will.   Tears flowing from Jesus’ eyes, He trumped His humanism and proclaimed, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”

The evidence of our belief is based on our actions.  What does Jesus see when we are faced with challenges to our Faith?  Do we remember what we have been taught?  Will our country continue to harden its heart?  Victory is achieved when the spirit man overcomes the carnal man.