In His Humanity By Cortney Donelson

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Jesus was fully God. 

He was also fully human. 

This Christmas season, perhaps I can grasp (again) what this means for my life… 

Jesus left the comfort of His home to be with us. Immanuel. God with us. He did not put His title of King of kings or Lord of lords on the shelf as He entered our world as a newborn infant. Despite His needs, His lowliness, and His new position, He did not stop being God. Clothing himself in flesh did not erase who He was and is … the Messiah. 

On the flip side, He did not act out His divinity when He arrived. He did not come wearing purple robes or with a silver spoon in His mouth. He came to serve. He did not dip into His godliness in order to live with and teach us. I know all this intellectually, maybe even emotionally. But, can I truly understand what this means for me spiritually?

Sometimes I read about Jesus’ life and the miracles He performed and think they were done because of His divine power. Raising the dead, healing the sick, walking on water. More often than not, I imagine what the disciples must have felt as they walked and learned alongside the Almighty. (I’m actually quite envious.) And, maybe I should read the miracles through those lenses. But, perhaps I am failing to read these stories as Jesus intended, as templates of the miracles I could be part of, if I would just do a couple of things differently. 

What if Jesus’ miracles were not performed out of His divinity, but in His humanity? What if Jesus was showing us how to balance work (serving), rest, and prayer in a way that brought us so intimately close to our Heavenly Father that His power would then work through us to do His will (His miracles)? In the middle of some of His busiest times when people seemed to need Him the most, Jesus left to be alone with His Father. What if we left for a bit every day to be alone with the Father as Jesus did? What if every minute of every day was experienced with God? What if we could get so relationally close to God that we became the vessels that He used to raise the dead, heal the sick, or even walk on water? 

The evidence of this possibility is found with Peter. Peter was human. He doubted. He denied. He worried. He battled with pride. He also raised the dead, healed the sick, and for a moment, walked on water. Was Peter more special than you or me? I don’t think so. I think his relationship with God became so intimate, that God’s power in the form of the Holy Spirit coursed through him. Peter made Jesus’ faith his own faith. We can too. God’s Kingdom, with all its power, works through the communication found within a network of extremely personal relationships. Relationships between God and us. 

Recently, I have read a few books that have shed “light” on Jesus’ life here on earth and what it means for mine. William Paul Young writes, “A bird is defined not by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are defined not by their limitations, but by the intentions God has for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in God’s image.” 

We are not defined by our sin, circumstances, or choices. We are defined by the purposes God has for us. We were made for intimacy with God, through Jesus Christ. When we reach such a level of relationship with Him, miracles happen despite our humanity. I’m now convinced that these miracles happen because of our humanity! Dallas Willard says it this way, “The spiritually born exhibit a life deriving from an invisible spiritual realm and its powers.” 

When I was moving through the most difficult time of my life, my intimacy with God grew immensely. He was all I had left. When I leaned on Him and embraced His love and the relationship He desired to have with me, miracles happened. An unlikely restoration of my marriage. A peace I can’t explain. Courage and boldness that I never knew. People often tell me that they could not do what I did – to stick it out in the face of the circumstances in which I found myself. Please stop! It is not I who should be hailed a hero for anything. It is the Spirit of God who guided and prompted me as I drew closer to the only One who can save anything or anyone. 

Jesus was fully God. Jesus was fully human. It was in His humanity that He performed miracles. It was through His intimacy with the Father that the miracles occurred. Same for Peter. Same for you. Same for me. 

Prayer: Father God, we celebrate Immanuel! Thank You for coming to earth as you did and for Jesus, who has shown us the way. I pray this Christmas season, that I draw close to You, feeling, tasting, experiencing Your love for me in ways that produce miracles. I pray that no one believes their power comes from themselves, but acknowledges You always. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

Influenced by “Hearing God” by Dallas Willard, “4 Chair Discipling” by Dann Spader, “The Shack” by William Paul Young, all four Gospels of the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4, and my prayer life. 

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