GOD BECAME MAN

From the Salvation Army, you're listening to Wonderful Words of Life. Welcome back, everybody, and say welcome to our producer, Chris Benjamin, who's back in front of the mic. Hello, everyone.

Merry Christmas. Oh, no, I was asking our listeners to give an audible hello to you. Did you hear them, Chris? I'm just waiting. Oh, no, they're not there.

Well, they're there, but we hope that you're there and that you'll even maybe communicate with us every once in a while by sending us an email or giving us a call. It's been a great few weeks of episodic radio programs, particularly for this Advent season. And Chris gets a lot of credit for coming up with the idea of peeking in or eavesdropping around a Christmas table where friends and family just sit around and reminisce, perhaps, about their own Christmas memories, good and bad, because there's things that aren't always happy that happen around the holidays. So I love this week. Of course, we start getting into a little more theology. And this week, kind of piggybacking off of what we discussed last week, we began to discuss what does it really mean that God became man? We know that Jesus is God. Jesus was with God, Trinity. But I think we think a lot about Jesus, God, and we don't think as much about Jesus the man. And it's easy to do because we have his birth. We have a couple of things that happen when he's 12, and then we're at his three years of ministry. But in that, he lived life.

He learned a trade. He had siblings. And that's an interesting just going off in that direction because while he was perfect and God, he was part of an earthly family that wasn't. So were there family fights?

What did that look like? So when we pray and we're saying, we have to really understand that he was fully human to know that he understands our struggle. Absolutely. And I think the other thing is he understands the idea of family. Not everybody can share maybe 10 or 11 siblings.

My wife and I were at a wedding this weekend. The youngest of 13 children got married. And whether you have siblings or you were an only child, you have family.

There's a mom and a dad in there somewhere, a grandma and a grandpa, whatever your story is. We use Christmas often to reminisce about the good things and the blessings that God's given us, not the least of which was his son. And as we celebrate Jesus, particularly during this time of year, just take a moment and have an attitude of gratitude. Does that make sense, Chris?

Absolutely. I mean, Christmas is three days away. I'm excited. I love Christmas. I too can share with several of our friends that shared that I have some painful memories associated with the holidays, but for the most part, I can't wait. I love just the vibe, the hope, everything that surrounds this holiday. So we pray that you're able to lean more on that side this Christmas and just pray that you're somewhere safe and surrounded by family of people that can just lift you up. Amen. If nothing else, have a Merry Christmas.

Absolutely. And we'll see you next week on Wonderful Words of Life. Merry Christmas. This Christmas, you're invited to fight for the hungry, the hurting, and the hopeless. To fight for those struggling to keep a roof over their heads, make ends meet and survive the holidays. To fight for justice, hope, and love all year long. Your sustaining monthly gift of just $25 doubles the Salvation Army's ability to assist our neighbors battling poverty and help them win.

Join the fight for good at salvationarmyusa.org. A lot of times in Christmas, we tend to focus on Mary and the hardship that she went through to deliver in a manger. Everyone knows the story, but what do you think about the fact that God himself actually became human, a man, a baby? Came into the world.

Came into the world. Humbled himself to come down and live with us. He was fully human, right? Jesus had... He went through everything that we went through growing up.

Of course, he always had that kingdom perspective, but that doesn't mean that he didn't struggle. Right. You know? Well, and I think that's what allows us to feel... When we're saying those prayers, he relates.

He gets... I think if we don't really believe that he was fully human, then how am I supposed to be able to trust him with some of the stuff I'm walking through? Because I'm like, Lord, you don't know.

You really, you don't know. I think when it becomes real to us that he became man. He humbled himself as much as you could humble yourself.

Came from the highest of high to the lowest of low. I think that you, just knowing that and believing that, your relationship with the Lord is deepened. Right. And you can go, you get to a whole nother level, a whole nother realness with God when you can be like, Lord, you get it. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around Jesus as a teenager. Yeah. Oh. Knowing what I did to my parents.

It's hard. But the thing is, his first miracle is keeping the party going or turning water into wine. I mean, did he know from his birth that he was the son of man? I don't... And then how would he... Did that change the way that he interacted with other teenagers?

Well, we know what happened in 12 when they took him to Jerusalem, to the temple. And he clearly had a sense then, no, I've got another work. I've got another calling.

There's something else in me that stirs. And so there was some awareness, whatever that looked like for him. Did he ever cheat on a math test? I'm going with no.

I'm thinking not. Yeah. If you don't understand the fact that he became man, your thought process is like, how did his struggles really impact him if he was so godly? Was it harder for him or was it- It was like he just had a shield like it just bounced off him. Yeah, like it just bounced off of him. You know what I'm saying?

Well, and it completely takes the power away from the cross. Because he was a man dying. Yes, God, but he was also a man walking through all that.

It wasn't like it didn't hurt. Right. Yeah.

And he was then being separated from his father. And I don't think that we... I really don't think that we can even grasp that concept. Absolutely not. That separation of the Trinity.

Yeah. I just don't think that it's even something that we really think about often when we think about Jesus coming down to earth. One of my favorite stories in the gospels is when Jesus is praying the night that he's arrested. And he's like, Lord, take this cup from me. And I think that's the other thing too. He's terrified. He loves us and he wants to do this for us, but he is terrified.

It wasn't... And he knew this was the plan. And I can just imagine too that fear building up. As you know, this day is approaching and this time has come. And now my time on earth with my friends and these disciples that I poured into, that's coming to an end. And Lord, take this cup from me.

But if this is your will, I will walk it and I will follow through. Because as much as we all just... Babies are cute, but we kind of just, we stayed there for getting the rest of his life. The other 33 years of his life, there was struggle. And I think it's so easy to do that in the sense that you've got the birth, you've got a couple stories of Jesus growing up or teaching in the temple and running.

His parents are leaving and they don't know where he is. And then all of a sudden you're at his three years of ministry. Exactly. I mean, you've got life that was lived there.

You've got family fights. I mean, it's just all these things that I don't think we ever talk about, nor do we think. And I mean, it's easy not to. But I think when we're asked, okay, what does it look like or what does it mean that he was God and man? You've got to look at that.

Yeah, you have to. Was he extroverted? Was he introverted? Was he shy and bashful? Was he kind of all out there, all cylinders firing?

I wonder what that was like. I think he was shy for the most part until he knew his true calling. He was shy and then he started learning what he could do or what he could do for people.

And then that's when he took full power and did all the things he did. When I look at or consider the responses that he gave to questions as an adult, I have to wonder, was he that way as a young person? Did he think about what people were asking him? Did he think about things?

Did he really, before he spoke, because in my mind, when he responds to the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the teachers, whoever, I envision that he paused and thought for a moment before he spoke. So I'm wondering if that was his whole life, if he always thought, you know, I'm speaking on behalf of my father here. Would we recognize him, I wonder? Would we just look like another kid?

I don't think so. Did he feel different? Did he feel like he was like, you know?

Well, I come back to him at 12 in the temple. Even then, the priests and all those gathered, they were kind of scratching their heads saying, boy, we got one here. This kid is, he's precocious.

He, man, he's plugged in. So would we recognize him in a crowd? Maybe not, but to interact, I have to think, Laurie, I have to think that there would be, if you're in tune with this, there'd be something that you're kind of, there's something about him.

Maybe I can't put my finger on it, but he might not be the first one to speak, but when he does, man, he just nails that answer. That's an image that I have in my own imagination. It brings me back to what we were talking about, about connecting, though. I mean, like, would we see him and go by? Because you wouldn't recognize him in that way if you just walked by him on the street. You'd have to actually engage, and you'd have to sit, and you'd have to recognize the possibility of something otherworldly in this human being. And I don't know, so often, again, I just keep coming back to that idea that we just kind of pass by people. Would I engage with him?

I don't know. It's interesting, but you would have to, again, you would have to engage with him. You would have to connect with him. You would have to stop doing what you're doing, stop the paperwork, and actually sit for just a minute and listen to him to really recognize the Messiah. So how much do we miss? How often is he present?

And we walk by him, and we choose something else, and we only recognize him when we sit at his feet. The Salvation Army's mission, Doing the Most Good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support, and we would love to hear from you. Email us at radio at uss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at P.O.

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