Christ's Humanity

The humanity of Jesus is extremely important to the Christian faith. Our confessional documents echo Scripture unambiguously as they inform us about this important truth. For instance, the Shorter Catechism says, "Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul" (#22). In the Nicene Creed we read that Jesus, "the only begotten Son of God... was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man." He was one of us, in our nature, sharing humanity, equipped to experience the temptations common to man, yet without sin. What an incredible, awe-inspiring mystery!
We find a thought-provoking example of His humanity in the record of Lazarus' death. When Jesus observed Mary and others around her weeping the text says, "He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled" (Jn 11:33). Some translate it, "He groaned in the spirit." According to Robertson, the verb carries the notion of snorting with anger like a horse. Jesus was indignant. There is some debate as to what was the object of His anger. I don't believe it was because He was perturbed by hypocritical mourning, but because He was angry at Satan's short-lived triumph over one whom He loved deeply. Christ was human, He was angry (without sin), and righteous indignation welled up within Him. Then it says He wept (v. 35). How human!
It also says He was "greatly troubled." Jesus became disturbed, upset, stirred up by this whole episode. Of course He knew it would serve to glorify God as Lazarus came forth in stunning fashion. But the man Jesus had a profound sense of sorrow as He beheld the misery caused by the devil's work. The collective sobbing moved Him so that His soul was agitated with a fellow feeling of their grief. His own spirit, His human spirit, was troubled in the presence of death. He was truly man with a soul that felt deeply the pangs of loss in a fallen world. Thank God for a Redeemer who is gentle and sympathetic. His compassion flows freely and abundantly to those for whom He came to die, on whom grief descends, and with whom He shares a common nature.
With gratitude we can love and admire our divine Savior who was able to bear the infinite weight of God's wrath in our place and save us to the uttermost. At the same time, we should thank God that Jesus is man who was fit for bearing that wrath and capable of sympathizing with us as an elder brother, an everlasting Father, and a compassionate high priest. Let us not fail to see the love of our Savior who assumed humanity for our sake and for our comfort.