Lollard said:
Well since this is about us learning, I would be greatly appreciative if you could point me to the better proofs. Educate me !!!
At least point me in the direction, if you are short on time.
Sure thing.. here is some information from a paper that I wrote for a doctrines class on "The Humanity of Christ"
THE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ was not mere man, nor was he God only. Jesus Christ is in fact the
God-Man. It is the second half of the title of "
God-Man" which this term paper will deal with. That Jesus Christ is the second person of the trinity, the only begotten Son of the Living God is not a subject that needs to be addressed. It is the humanity of Jesus Christ that links Him to us in an intimate and unique sense. The scope of this term paper will include the birth of Jesus Christ, the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and finally the death of Jesus Christ. Through this paper we will see that from the beginning of His time on Earth until the end of His time on Earth, Jesus Christ was as human as any other person.
Chapter One
The Incarnation and Childhood of Jesus
The incarnation is a fundamental truth that must be fixed in the mind of the believer as the ground for all other doctrines concerning Jesus Christ. Lewis Sperry Chafer states the importance of this fact as follows, "He combines in Himself undiminished Deity and perfect humanity, there is none other comparable to Him, either within the Godhead, among angels, or among men. This theanthropic Person is as much God as is the Father or the Holy Spirit; but neither the Father nor the Spirit has come into union with that which is human." Upon His entrance into the world of Flesh, Jesus Christ was completely human. This fact can be seen in the Gospel account of Luke. The child that Mary carried, grew in her womb and was delivered in a normal human fashion, as seen in Luke 2:5-7 "To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son
" The human embryonic development of Jesus Christ was exactly as our own, which shows that even at the time of His birth, He was completely human.
While there is not much information in the scriptures regarding the childhood of Jesus, there is significant evidence as to the humanity of the child. We can see from such scriptures as Luke 2:40, which states, "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him", that Jesus "grew" physically. Not only did the boy grow physically, Luke 2:52 explains, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man". The distinct attributes of human beings that are found in the preceding verses are growth in both physical form, and wisdom. We learn from this that Jesus was subject to the same human development as we are. The physical body of Jesus was accountable to the same natural laws that are common to us. His body needed to grow and mature along with his mind. He was to all appearances a normal child, the son of a humble carpenter and his wife. This natural acceptance of the people whom he lived with again shows the natural human development of Jesus. Though it is not explicitly stated in the Gospels during the period of His childhood, there are other verses which show that his neighbours considered him a normal human being. When he returned to Nazareth the people proclaimed, "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James
" (Mark 6:3). That He was familiar to the people of his hometown indicates that they had watched him grow up amongst them as a totally normal child. So normal in fact that when he returned during His years of Ministry He was rejected.
Chapter II
Humanity Seen in the Ministry Years
It is during the years of Christs ministry that we see the most evidence of his complete humanity. The evidence that can be found in these portions of scripture attest to the natural body of Jesus. We are told in many places that Jesus required food, or became weary. We can also see complete human emotion in Jesus during times of sadness and anger. Emery Bancroft notes that Jesus "was moved by the instinctive principles and exercised the active powers which belong to a normal and developed humanity."
Beyond the natural needs of the human body, I find the greatest significant evidence of Jesus humanity in His self-appointed title of "The Son of Man." Henry Halley speaks on the significance of the title "The Son of Man" in this way, "Also, it suggests that Jesus rejoiced in his experience as God in human form, sharing the life of mankind. He carried the title with him to heaven". It is important to note that the title "The Son of Man" was Jesus favourite name for Himself. This title is used over 70 times in the Gospels. It is as if Jesus knew that He would be regarded as God Himself after the resurrection, and so wanted His human nature to be remembered as significant to His complete person. The title Son of Man also terms Him the
Son of Adam, or
the Son of Mary. Lewis Sperry Chafer considers the title "Son of Man" was given such significance by our Lord Himself because "the element which was
new, and therefore to be made impressive, was His humanity..", a notion which I tend to agree with. When John tells us that the "Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), he is revealing a magnificent truth that must be remembered when we are tempted or find ourselves in trials. It is His distinct humanity in combination with His deity, which ensures us that we, as humans, can never be separated from Him, as God.
It was during the years of His ministry that we see Jesus using this title. It is not surprising that Jesus stressed his humanity if you consider the divine aspects of His ministry. He was known for performing great miracles and many considered him the Messiah, as is seen during the Triumphal entry when the crowds shouted "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest." (Mark 11:10). It was likely due to the common knowledge of his divine nature that He chose to express His humanity when He taught.
Chapter III
The Death of Jesus Christ
The final place in which we will ascertain the humanity of Jesus Christ is a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem called Calvary. It was here that the life of Jesus Christ came to an end. The medical facts of the death of Christ are sufficient to prove that he was possessed of a human body, and died a literal death. Please note that it is not the intention of the author to disprove such ridiculous ideas as the "Swoon Theory" or the "Cold Tomb" which attempt to show that Jesus did not in fact die on the cross. The fact of Christs literal death will be assumed as is consistent with fundamental Christian doctrine.
The evidence of blood is a clear indication of a human body. We first see the blood of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, where due to His foreknowledge of the events to come "he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:44). There are really two points of Jesus humanity in the preceding passage. First He is engaged in earnest prayer, and secondly the great stress that was upon Him caused physical distress in the sweat and blood on His brow.
The crucifixion on Calvary caused the mortal body of Jesus to die. He suffered in the exact same way as the two thieves who were on either side of Him. During this time on the cross Jesus was only able to speak out a few sentences, due to the compression of his lungs and asphyxiation which is the result of crucifixion. He further displays the needs of His human body when He cried out "I thirst" (John 19:28). A most significant fact of the death of Jesus human body is found in the testimony of the Roman Centurion. The Romans were masters of crucifixion and so, when the Roman centurion reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead we can be certain that He was. The centurions did not even need to break His legs, as they did to the thieves who were with Him. Rather, upon coming to His cross they recognised that He was gone. To be sure, they pierced His side with a spear and witnessed the release of blood and water. This release of these natural substances points to the piercing of the pericardium, which is a sac that encases the heart. Recent medical science has concluded that the water and blood mixture that poured out of Jesus side is a clear indication that the crucifixion killed him.
After the death of Jesus, at which at least some of the apostles attended, His followers fled to avoid the same fate. Clearly the obvious fact of His death caused this flight. This is a complete proof that Jesus was possessed of a mortal human body that was subject to all the attributes of our own, and that this bodys life was ended on a cross at Calvary.
Conclusion
The birth of Jesus Christ, apart from His conception, was as normal as that of any other human being in history. He grew within His mothers womb and when her term was complete, He was brought forth from her into the world. The child that was born was then subject to the same natural development as we are. He grew in both wisdom and stature as any other child.
The ministry years of Jesus showed us that he was needful of all things that we have need of. He hungered, was thirsty, and experienced emotions that are common to human beings. Not only was He subject to our bodily needs, He further titled Himself the "Son of Man". This title, which was self-imposed, linked Him to us in a unique sense. Jesus Christ is the only heavenly being who ever became flesh.
The death of Christ showed us that His body was mortal and subject to the same limitations as our own. He was downtrodden by the vicious scourging and repeated beatings, and unable to carry His own cross the entire way to Calvary. When He reached the hill and was fixed upon the cross, the laws of nature, which apply to us, were applicable for Him. The result of crucifixion was the death of His mortal Body.
This portion of doctrine in which we learn that Jesus was as human as us, yet God at the same time is critical to the Christian. Paul teaches that "
as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). Jesus Christ became our "kinsman redeemer" when He left the heavenly places and came to earth in human form to save us from our sin.
