And the word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth
Johns Account 1: 14, Concordant New Testament
One of the reasons that I enjoy the chosen series so much is that it shows us the human side of Jesus. Not only that, but of the relationships which He shared with His disciples and those around Him. I was reminded of this once again this week as I watched another scene of the series. It seems that Jesus and His disciples had stopped for the night and were asleep in some room somewhere. Well, the disciples were trying their best to sleep. However, because of the snoring of Jesus, they couldn't. It reminded me of just one more of the human attributes Jesus exhibited during His time in His ministry. Jesus snoring? How holy is that? Now, the context in which I viewed Jesus growing up in the church was somewhat different than what I've seen portrayed in the Chosen series. Jesus was seen and taught as being holy and having holy qualities. Rarely was it spoken of that He also had human tendencies. I recall hearing of how Jesus wept upon learning of the death of His friend Lazarus {Johns Account 11:35}. Granted, I knew that Jesus was indeed human, but the church has had difficulty in explaining how it is that Jesus could possesses certain, shall we say, human characteristics. I recall a certain pastor explaining that it would be impossible for Jesus, even in human form, to lust for anything. Now, do I believe that Jesus indeed had "feelings" for those of the opposite sex while growing up? Absolutely. We're told that He suffered the same things as you and I have, yet without sin {To the Hebrews 4:15}. We can readily assume that Jesus ran and played with His friends. That He more than once got on the nerves of His parents Mary and Joseph. This is what kids do. Is a rambunctious Jesus seen as being holy? Well, He was seen as being holy when He called out the Pharisees and trashed the money changers in the temple. All too often, we celebrate these actions by Jesus, yet we cannot wrap our understanding around His other human attributes. As the writer of Hebrews has proclaimed, He has been tried as I have in my life.
Nevertheless empties Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming to be in the likeness of humanity, and, being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross
Paul to the Philippians 2: 7-8, Concordant New Testament
The important thing to remember when we begin to see Jesus for who he was in the form of humanity is that He is the "Exact imprint" of the image of the Father {To the Hebrews 1:3}. This falls right in line with our being created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}. Whatever people might see as being imperfections or embarrassing about their own characteristics, remember that Jesus shared in our humanity. What were those human characteristics of Jesus which people of His time would deem as embarrassing? habits not fit for One who proclaimed Himself to be the Son of God. Did He suffer from certain "Digestive" issues from time to time? Did He eat strange things? All we're told is that He shared in our own trials, yet without sin. I've often held the view that we're told far too little of the early life of Jesus. We're told that He grew up and was "Staunch in spirit" {Lukes Account 2:40}. A quick definition check tells us that the word staunch means to be "Loyal and committed in attitude." That's all fine and good, but what were the behavioral characteristics of the boy Jesus? Well, we can readily assume that He lived a life similar to that of other boys His age of that day. We would likely see Jesus in the workshop of His father, Joseph, learning His family trade. We might even see Him becoming distracted, as children do, and trying the patience of His father. The boy Jesus would have certainly had friends that He played with. However, we also know that Jesus was in the spirit from a young age {Lukes Account 2: 42-49}. So, for all intents and purposes, that Holy One which we worship was indeed once a rambunctious young boy. Through Jesus, the Father has returned to be among His children. This is the man Jesus.
~Scott~
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