Belonging (S2) : WK 4 - MON
(Matthew 21:18) In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry…
The debate on the nature of Christ has been around since the first century. The question of whether or not Jesus was human or divine has been asked for a long time. For hundreds of years after Jesus’ ascension the church wrestled with these questions and formed councils to give answers to the church at that time.
After all the debates the leaders of the church came to this general conclusion: Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Of course, that is a simplistic summary of the church’s answer to the question and I’m sure you have your own thoughts on the issue. The issue still lives on to this day, as more thought has been given to the idea of Jesus’ humanity.
So you may not be sure if Jesus was fully human or fully divine or some combination of the two and to what percentage. If you think about it enough, you might just blow your mind away. To try and understand our God, who lives on another plane of existence, by our reality seems to me an impossibility. But Matthew helps us understand at least one thing about Jesus’ humanity.
“he was hungry”
Jesus understood and experienced the human need for sustenance. He knew what it felt like to need and to lack. He knew not only what hunger and thirst felt like, but also exhaustion, disappointment, physical pain, sadness, joy, fear, and loneliness.
When I read the story of Jesus, I see that there isn’t anything that I haven’t gone through that Jesus couldn’t understand, because he went through it himself. So the next time you are hungry, remember that Jesus was hungry too. In fact, whatever you are going through right now, Jesus has felt it, he understands it, and he’s with you in it. You are not alone.
The debate on the nature of Christ has been around since the first century. The question of whether or not Jesus was human or divine has been asked for a long time. For hundreds of years after Jesus’ ascension the church wrestled with these questions and formed councils to give answers to the church at that time.
After all the debates the leaders of the church came to this general conclusion: Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Of course, that is a simplistic summary of the church’s answer to the question and I’m sure you have your own thoughts on the issue. The issue still lives on to this day, as more thought has been given to the idea of Jesus’ humanity.
So you may not be sure if Jesus was fully human or fully divine or some combination of the two and to what percentage. If you think about it enough, you might just blow your mind away. To try and understand our God, who lives on another plane of existence, by our reality seems to me an impossibility. But Matthew helps us understand at least one thing about Jesus’ humanity.
“he was hungry”
Jesus understood and experienced the human need for sustenance. He knew what it felt like to need and to lack. He knew not only what hunger and thirst felt like, but also exhaustion, disappointment, physical pain, sadness, joy, fear, and loneliness.
When I read the story of Jesus, I see that there isn’t anything that I haven’t gone through that Jesus couldn’t understand, because he went through it himself. So the next time you are hungry, remember that Jesus was hungry too. In fact, whatever you are going through right now, Jesus has felt it, he understands it, and he’s with you in it. You are not alone.
- What was the hungriest you have ever been? What did you eat to stop your hunger?
- How do you understand the concept of Jesus being fully human and fully divine?
- Do you feel that Jesus understands what you are going through? Why or why not?
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