When we talk about Jesus while He was here on earth, we tend to focus more on His divinity than His humanity. Because He was walking around healing and helping people with all kinds of problems and diseases, it’s easy for us to think that Jesus had it made. We tend to forget that He was also a human being just like us. Therefore, I’d like to dig deeper into His life as a human being to see some of the things He had to deal with and overcome. We’ll look at His life from an economic, social, vocational, and personal standpoint.
Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem and raised in a small village called Nazareth. Ever since Jesus took His first breath, somebody wanted Him dead (King Herod). Had it not been for God the Father, Jesus would not have seen His first year humanly speaking. As a young boy from a poor family, we can imagine that Jesus didn’t always have things handed to Him. He probably had days during His youth when life would throw its shades at Him.
When I consider the type of leather sandals that these people wore back then, and knowing that Jesus came from Nazareth, one of the poorest villages in Israel, I doubt that He had sophisticated footwear. Nazareth was a poor place that was not known outside of Israel. Many didn’t have much hope for the Nazarene. They didn’t think anything good could come from Nazareth. So, there is no doubt that Jesus had a rough upbringing.
As a human, it makes sense to understand that Jesus needed to connect with others. He had 12 friends. He spent quality time with His friends and ate with them. He stood up for them in times of trouble, suffered for them, and prayed for them. Their friendship lasted at least 3 years, and Jesus loved them until the end of His life. However, during the time He spent with them, they didn’t quite get Him, He didn’t always make sense to them. It could be frustrating when your friends don’t get you. And during the worst moments of His life, one of His friends betrayed Him, another one denied Him and the rest of them left Him, and all these heartbreaks happened one after the other.
Not only did His friends doubt His abilities, but even His family members did not believe in Him, strangers doubted Him and as a matter of fact, many of them wanted to kill Him. So, Jesus had to believe in Himself. He was under a lot of stress, the pressure was coming from every direction, and to make matters worse, He had to bear everybody’s sins upon His shoulders even though He was innocent.
I believe Jesus tried to vent to His friends, and the more He explained Himself to them, the more confused they got, that can be exhausting. Jesus even cried while on earth, which shows that He is also emotional. Yet despite it all, Jesus maintained His priorities straight. He still had to push through even though He was tired, even though He couldn’t rely on anybody else but Himself.
Have you ever got tired of being misunderstood? I know I have; I’m sure many of you can relate. Yet, Jesus withstood the seasons and finished His race. He was very focused and passionate about His calling. Jesus mastered self-control so much so that He healed even His enemies. Jesus was exceptional, which made them hate Him even more.
Also, Jesus knew it was His responsibility to care for Himself though He was very popular and had a busy schedule. He knew He had to take some time for Himself to recharge, so He often pulled away from the crowd to pray and spend some time in nature. What a great strategy!
And just like we have some things that we wrestle with, Jesus also had some personal concerns. He often talked to His friends about His mission and how it will lead to His death. Jesus did not need to be 100% divine to know this because people had brought the news to Him that the religious leaders wanted Him dead.
Jesus’ purpose was to save us all by carrying the weight of humanity’s sins upon His shoulders though He never sinned. He knew the only way for Him to get the job done was by pulling strength from above. His human side was perfectly demonstrated when He asked His friends for prayers because He felt the agony that awaited Him and wondered if He could pray it away.
Jesus went through a lot to set us free. The type of pain and shame that He endured, no other human being can handle it. Dying on a cross was not an uncommon punishment in that era, but dying as a sacrificial lamb for everybody’s sins is something that only Jesus could have done. He persevered and overcame every hurdle that came His way. He died and conquered a shameful death for the sake of humanity, and He is now sitting on the right-hand side of His Father.
After all that Jesus has gone through, He still sees us as His brothers, sisters, and friends because He understands what we go through. He says He is the way because He knows exactly where we are trying to go and what we need. He is the only One who can take us there because He has been down that road before, and today He wants to help us live an abundant and eternal life as He promised.
SCRIPTURES
“Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39
“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this reason I came to this hour.” John 12: 27
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