Jesus: Son of Man
Not only is Jesus the Son of God, equal to and of the same essence of God the Father, and having all the same attributes, but He is also fully human.
How do we know that Jesus is human? Consider this:
* John 4:5-6 tells us, “So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well.” Wait, Jesus got tired? The eternal son of God? Yes, the fully God, fully human Jesus got tired. And not only did He get tired, but he also slept! “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but [Jesus] was asleep” (Matt. 8:24).
* Luke tells us, “And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them” (Luke 24:38-43). Jesus ate food to prove that He was not a spirit as the disciples thought. We also see Him eating the Passover. Finally, returning to that passage in John 4,, we read a little farther that Jesus asked the woman at the well for a drink of water!
* We read in John that, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. . . . when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34). Whatever the medical significance of “blood and water” might be, two things are clear. First, Jesus bled like a human being. He would have already bled much from the scourging He received prior to the crucifixion. Second, John and the other Gospel writers are clear that Jesus actually died, which was confirmed by the soldiers’ not breaking His legs (a tactic used to speed up the process, the condemned would die by asphyxiation).
Why is it important that Jesus was human? Two primary reasons. First, we read in Hebrews that the blood of animals cannot take away human sin (Hebrews 10:4). The sacrifice needed must be human, since he would represent all of humanity. Only a human living in perfect obedience could take away the curse of Genesis 3 and bring salvation to humanity (see Romans 5:12-21 to read how Christ contrasts with Adam).
The second reason Jesus would need to be human is that, as our representative, He understands our struggles. He has been through our pain–rejections, loneliness, hurt, sorrow. He can empathize with us. We do not have a God who is oblivious to our cries. We have a God who knows what we go through here on the earth and longs to draw us to Himself.
