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s we think about the man Jesus and we encounter him on the pages of holy writ, we meet a very different personality than the one that most people think of when they think of God.

The ancient Jewish people as a whole had a perception of God that most people today still hold when they think of him.

We think of God as something far off; something that is unreachable, untouchable and unapproachable and something to fear.

At times among the ancient Israelites there were glimpses of Yavweh as a tender, loving shepherd who guides and tends, protects and comforts his own. This was more often than not overridden by the fear of him and his awesomeness.

Among the rest of the world the concept was the same but at the same time different. Different in that they believed in many “gods”.

 

The ancient pagan looked upon the "gods" as fierce, warlike, malevolent beings who busied themselves zapping the earthly realm and its' inhabitants; sending upon them storms, earthquakes, diseases, death and calamities of every kind, seeking to do them harm.

 It was this concept that gave birth to all the ancient religions that were based upon superstition and appeasement of the “gods” rather than being based upon revelation. There is a Greek word for the worship of the gods, (deisidaimonia) which literally means, the fear of superior beings.

Entering into such a world came Jesus the Messiah, but not the handsome blue eyed Anglo-Saxonish person portrayed in most representations of him.  According to the prophet, “he had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him”. ( Is.53:2 N.E.B.)

He was so different from the expectations and predilections of men that he in no way met their view of what God should be.

Jesus, according to scripture, was 100% a man. He was a human being, made of flesh with real blood running through his veins.

He had feet that got smelly, skin that had body odor, and perhaps at times, even bad breath!

Upon entering this world he temporarily laid aside his right to rule these beings that he had created and became one of them.

 “Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Phil.2:6-8 N.L.T.)

Just like the first man (Adam) he had the freewill that would have enabled him to sin. If he had not this freewill then the temptation by Satan would have all been a sham and a charade and would be totally meaningless.

Just like the first Adam he also had the capability of not sinning, the capability to resist succumbing to the tempter. Unlike the first Adam he remained faithful, obedient and true to the mission for which he appeared on this planet.

We find this Jesus so unlike what one would expect a “God “to be.

To brighten up a wedding feast in trouble, to bring relief, and avoid embarrassment for a frustrated host, he turns water into wine. Not just a couple of glasses but approximately 120-180 gallons or 480-720 quarts. Jn.2:1-11

  He breaks a social taboo when he meets a Samaritan woman at Sychar. As a Jew, it was taboo to even speak to a Samaritan, and as a Jewish man he should not even have looked at or spoken with this piece of chattel, a woman.

               
            However, unlike many of his professed followers it did not seem to disturb him that she was not of the “right race”. Neither does he appear to be disturbed that she is a divorcee five times over and maybe a “loose woman” since she was at the present time “shacked up” with some man whom she had not married at all! He gently speaks to her; “ If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” ( Jn.4:10 N.L.T.)

  • We can find him on many occasions, touching the lepers and others with diseases and sicknesses.
  • We find where others reached out and touched him.
  • We find him angry.
  • We find him weeping.
  • Little children sat on his lap.
  • He got down on his hands and knees and washed the dusty feet of his bickering disciples. WHAT A GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Because Gods’ children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form.”

“Therefore it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters.”

“Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.” (Heb.2:14-18 N.L.T.)

WHAT A GOD, Jesus, the same ,yesterday , today, and forever.

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

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