Jesus Taught His Disciples it is Okay to be Human

After telling parables and giving the explanations, Jesus asked His disciples, “Have you understood all these things?” (Matt. 13:51) This question can be asked of people today, as well. We are blessed because we have the benefit of looking back to see how the lessons of the parables were fulfilled during the disciples’ lifetime.  If the question was posed to us, could we, along with the disciples, confidently answer, YES?

Moving from one setting to another, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth.  He returned to the synagogue where He would find the people He grew up around.  Jesus is back in His hometown for a very short time because the people could not accept Him due to His humble background and His family, who were as common as you and me.  They were amazed at His teaching and miracles but had blinded their eyes to see Jesus as the Son of God.  We read that He didn’t do many miracles there because of their unbelief. He moved on.  I believe this is a warning to us today. We need to understand Jesus was wholly man. Yet, He was fully divine, the Son of God, and His Word is all authoritative. If we don’t believe these facts, He won’t work in our lives either.

This week we will look at the aspects Jesus’ humanity and deity within His fleshly body.  In Matthew, chapter 14, Jesus takes His disciples out of the classroom and into the mission field.  After Jesus received the report of the beheading of John the Baptist from John’s disciples, He demonstrates a human reaction to the distressing news. (Matt 14:1-12) After hearing this disturbing news Jesus got into a boat and withdrew to a secluded place to be alone.  This alone time was momentarily interrupted because the townspeople followed Him. The message this week will focus on ways of coping with losses of family members and loved ones, following Jesus’ example.  Also, we will see Jesus’ compassion for those who seek Him, as we look at the feeding of the five thousand.Despite His own need for rest and mourning, Jesus is moved with compassion when He sees the large crowd. He heals their sick and tends to their needs, illustrating His deep empathy and love for the people.  Jesus’ response to the crowd’s presence is a testament to His boundless compassion and His willingness to sacrifice His own comfort for the sake of others. This week’s lesson has the potential to enrich our understanding, by seeing Jesus’ example, of what it means to experience human emotion and provide support to one another. We will realize He is still providing for us as we seek Him daily. Our message this week will be taken from Matthew 14:13-23. My constant prayer is that we will have the same desire to walk with Jesus and as we see His power working in our lives through our faith. We, too, will worship Him and proclaim Him as God’s Son, as we gather together this Lord’s Day.                                                                            In Christ,                                                                              Steve