When we consider the fact that it was God who became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, we can easily be drawn into believing that He had little trouble in living a sinless life. After all, God is God, right? And nothing is too hard for God, right?
The trouble with such a view is that Jesus wasn’t only God, but He was fully man, the Son of Man. The author of Hebrews says “...He had to be made like His brethren in all things...” Jesus was not a machine (a divine droid, if you will) which could override the physical demands of the body, ignore its emotional stirrings, and simply disregard the temptations of the flesh. He was fully man and had to be in order to stand as our Redeemer and High Priest before God.
Observe these things from Jesus’ life, keeping in mind that He lived without a single transgression. Early in His ministry, Jesus became angry with those whose heart was hard and did not approve of His healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5). How easy it would have been to fly into a rage and strike down a couple of them. On another occasion, He became upset because His disciples could not cast out a certain evil spirit. He called their generation “unbelieving” and expressed exasperation: “How long shall I put up with you?” (Mark 9:19). During the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus wept over the city because of her inability to see what was happening at the moment and what was going to happen to her later (Luke 19:41-44).
Then there was the cross. In Gethsemane, Jesus agonized over what was about to happen, His sweat becoming “like drops of blood” (Luke 22:40-44). The gravity of the hour, the impending ordeal, the knowledge of what was at stake - all this and more bore heavily on Jesus. No wonder He asked for that cup to be removed from Him.
There was the betrayal, the mockings, the excruciating pain of the scourging and the cross. Jesus experienced all of these and more like any other human being. Yet, He did not sin.
God in the flesh. Fully man. Perfect self-control. Absolute obedience. Faithfulness embodied. Overcoming sin. True love.
Praise our Lord!
><> Jeff