Christ the Perfect Man
Hebrews 2:14-18
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Christ the Perfect Man
Who do you say Jesus is? This was the question that we posed last week. One part we spoke about is that Jesus is the Son of God. In other words, He is God! That is only half of the answer. The other half we are going to explore this week is the humanity of Jesus Christ. He is the Perfect Man!
“The kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who, according to various laws of the Pentateuch, had the privilege or responsibility to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need. The Hebrew term (go el) for kinsman-redeemer designates one who delivers or rescues or redeems property or person. The kinsman who redeems or vindicates a relative is illustrated most clearly in the book of Ruth, where the kinsman-redeemer is Boaz.” – gotquestions.org
The person of the kinsman-redeemer had to be someone of great wealth who would be able to buy the property of their nearest relative or, to be able to assume responsibility of their nearest relative’s family members. Boaz is a wonderful picture of the kinsman-redeemer but Boaz was only pointing to the perfect kinsman-redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ.
As the Son of God, Jesus owns everything. We spoke last week about how all things were created by Him and for Him – Colossians 1:17. With this fact we can see how rich Jesus is as the creator of all things. However, we are human and in God’s economy we need a human redeemer.
We are all born spiritually dead because of sin – Ephesians 2:1. We are born without God. What that means is we are hopelessly poor eternal beings and doomed to eternity without God in hell. We need a perfect human kinsman-redeemer. We need God. We need someone who has never sinned and has a perfect standing before God who can pay the price of our depravity. We need Jesus.
Jesus was born of both God and man. Jesus had a human birth. Matthew 1:18 reads, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” The virgin birth is so important to the Gospel because we need a redeemer with no sin. Our most important need is not our financial or material circumstances but reconciliation with God. God made it happen by the power of His Holy Spirit. Our Father caused Mary to be pregnant in order for a sinless human to be born. Not of the seed of sinful man but of God.
Although Jesus is God He still experienced humanity to its fullest. Here are some examples of His human experience:
Weak and Tired – John 4:6, “and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” Luke 23:26, “When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”
Thirsty – John 19:28, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.”
Flesh and Bones – Luke 24:39, “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.”
Human Mind – Luke 2:52, “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Human Emotions – John 12:27, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”
Learned Obedience – Hebrews 5:8, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”
Was Tempted to Sin – Hebrews 4:15, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Visibly Seen as a Man – John 7:5, “For not even His brothers were believing in Him.”
Jesus Died – 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”
Hebrews 2:17 says, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect.” For those who believe in Jesus as the Bible declares Him to be can call Jesus our brother and God our Father! Jesus is our only blood relative who can redeem us out of the poverty of sin – John 14:6. He loves us as His nearest kin. How awesome is that.
One more thing! Jesus experienced human life in every aspect but never sinned. He struggled, suffered, went hungry, and was forsaken, ridiculed, attacked and died. We can go to Jesus with confidence that He has experienced the same humanity that we experience. Of course without sin but He can sympathize with us. May the truth of the humanity of Christ, which is part of God’s Adoption Process, cause you to love Him more!
