Jesus Was Human

Jesus was fully human with a human nature.[1] The New Testament writers presented Jesus as a historical person and a human being that lived during the Roman governance of Israel’s lands. The Gospel and other New Testament writers include Roman leaders and events in their writings to date the chronological events of Jesus and His apostles.[2]

 

The Incarnation of Jesus (coming into the world as a human) is at the heart of Christianity and the New Testament. Jesus undeniably existed in a true human body on earth. As a human, Jesus had a human genealogy as a descendant of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Israel (Jacob), and David.[3] Moreover, Jesus was born a Jewish boy to a human mother, Mary.[4] He had a human birth, and He was conceived in Mary’s womb.[5] Jesus’ human birth affirmed His humanity as He was born as all human babies were born.[6] The birth of Jesus was natural through Mary, who was a virgin.[7] However, Jesus’s conception was supernatural by the Holy Spirit of God.[8] Thus, Jesus was both fully Man and fully God – the God-Man – united in His Body.[9]

 

Jesus had a natural human body with hands and feet, and He grew and became strong.[10] As He grew older, Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man.[11] The Holy Scriptures reveal that Jesus never married. For the first thirty years of His life, Jesus lived a human life and worked as a carpenter.[12] Jesus was known in His hometown as a carpenter’s son because Jesus’s human father Joseph was a carpenter.[13] Likewise, the Gospels declare that Jesus had other brothers and sisters.[14] The Holy Bible names Jesus’s brothers as James, Joses (Joseph), Judas, and Simon.[15]

 

In every respect, Jesus’s body was just like that of any other human.[16] Jesus was heard, seen, and touched in human flesh.[17] Moreover, Jesus became tired and weary, thirsty, hungry, tearful, sorrowful, tested, and tempted.[18] Jesus had a full range of human emotions because He had a human soul.[19] Jesus was amazed and marveled, agonized, and suffered with sorrow and pain like all humans.[20] Thus, Jesus experienced hunger, anxiety, doubt, disappointment, and surprise just like humans.[21] Significantly, Jesus was tempted in every way just as we humans.[22] This means that Jesus also faced every single type of temptation that humans face. Because Jesus suffered when He was tempted, Jesus is able to help us when tested and tempted.[23] Even more to the point, Jesus was able to die like other humans.[24] Notably, Jesus rose and resurrected from the dead in a physical human body.[25] Because Jesus lived as a human, He fully understands our experiences, pains, and struggles.[26] The Book of Hebrews stresses that if Jesus had not experienced human weakness, temptation, and pain, He would not be qualified to help humans go through their own human limits and struggles.[27]

 

However, the Holy Bible states clearly that even in His humanity Jesus did not sin and He was sinless.[28] Jesus lived a perfect human life! He obeyed His Heavenly Father in everything, even to the point of giving His life on Calvary’s Cross for our sins.[29] Jesus was an obedient and humble Servant of His Father – the living LORD God.[30] Even more, Jesus lived a life of complete and wholehearted obedience, faithfulness, and service to His Heavenly Father – Yahweh.[31] The New Testament portrays Jesus as a Man who went about doing good and helping others in need because the fullness of God was with Him.[32] Jesus never lied, cheated, coveted, disobeyed His Father, committed adultery, murdered, nor did He commit any of the many other sins noted in the Old Testament.[33] Jesus did not yield to Satan’s temptations and, in fact, He resisted and defeated evil because He knew and obeyed His Father’s commandments.[34] Indeed, Jesus is the Word of God that became human flesh.[35]

 

None of the four Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) offered a physical description of the earthly Jesus. However, the prophet Isaiah teaches in his Suffering Servant prophecy about Jesus that there was nothing beautiful or majestic in the physical appearance of Jesus while on earth.[36] The people who saw Jesus considered Him an ordinary man. Jesus was fully human in every way, but He was also God.[37]

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[1] See e.g., John 1:14; Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14, 17-18; Hebrews 4:15.

[2] See e.g., Luke 3:1-2; Acts 12:1; Acts 18:12.

[3] See Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 1:32, 69; Luke 3:23-38; Romans 1:3-4; 2 Timothy 2:8; Revelation 22:16.

[4] See e.g., Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-27, Luke 1:31-35; Romans 9:4-5; Galatians 4:4.

[5] See Matthew 1:18, 20, 25; Luke 2:1-7.

[6] See Luke 2:6-7; Philippians 2:6-7.

[7] See Matthew 1:20-25.

[8] See Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:31-35.

[9] See e.g., Isaiah 53:3; John 1:1-3, 14, 18; John 10:30, 38; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Philippians 2:6-7; 1 Timothy 2:5.

[10] See e.g., Matthew 26:12; Luke 2:40; Luke 24:40; Romans 8:3; 1 John 4:2-3.

[11] See e.g., Luke 2:52; Colossians 2:2-3.

[12] See Mark 6:3.

[13] See Matthew 13:55.

[14] See e.g., Matthew 12:46-47; Matthew 13:55-57; Mark 3:31-35; Mark 6:3; Luke 8:19-21; John 7:2-4.

[15] See Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3.

[16] See e.g., Luke 24:39; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:17-18.

[17] See e.g., John 1:4, 14; John 19:38-40; 1 John 1:1; 1 John 4:2-3, 14.

[18] See e.g., Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 4:1-2; Luke 19:41; John 4:6-7; John 11:33-35; John 19:28-30; Hebrews 4:15.

[19] See Matthew 26:38; Luke 23:46.

[20] See e.g., Matthew 8:10; Mark 14:32-42; Mark 15:34; Luke 12:50; Luke 22:40-46; Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 5:7-10; 1 Peter 3:18.

[21] See e.g., Mark 2:15; Mark 14:33; Luke 2:40; Luke 7:9; Hebrews 2:9, 17; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 12:2.

[22] See Hebrews 4:15.

[23] See e.g., Romans 6:6–7; Colossians 2:13–14; Hebrews 2:18.

[24] See e.g., Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46; Luke 24:46.

[25] See Luke 24:39-42; John 20:17.

[26] See e.g., Luke 22:28; Hebrews 4:15.

[27] See Hebrews 2:17-18; Hebrews 4:15-16; Hebrews 5:2, 7-9.

[28] See e.g., 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 Peter 2:21-22; 1 John 3:5.

[29] See e.g., Matthew 26:39, 42; John 14:31; John 15:10; Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:7-9; Hebrews 12:1-2.

[30] See e.g., Matthew 12:17-21; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:6-8.

[31] See e.g., John 5:30; John 6:38.

[32] See e.g., Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Mark 8:2; Luke 23:19; John 3:2; Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38.

[33] See e.g., John 12:49-50; John 15:10; John 18:38; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22.

[34] See e.g., Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1-13.

[35] See e.g., John 1:1-3, 14; Romans 8:3; 1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7.

[36] See Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 53:2-3.

[37] See e.g., John 1:1-3, 14, 18; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Philippians 2:6-7; Hebrews 2:17.