God Came Near

If you are given a chance to ask Jesus a question, what would it be?

Have you ever wondered what Jesus did during his teenage years?

How did Mary get used to the fact that the God to whom she was praying was asleep under her own roof?

Do you realize how close God had come to us?

Thanks to Max Lucado. Through his book -- God came near, he provides a new perspective I had yet to come across.

We all know that God was once a man like us, but as we read the stories about Jesus, we seldom look at him that way – a human. I have always pictured Jesus as a very serious and strict person. And I thought it was easy for Jesus to accomplish anything. Of course Jesus did not sin when he was tempted by Satan, it was easy for him to avoid sinning, He was God! Jesus was hungry? He was tired? Not a big deal! He was God, surely he could make up for the weakness in his human nature with his divine nature?

Max has different thoughts as he wrote:

“Jesus may have pimples. He may have been tone-deaf. Perhaps a girl down the street had a crush on him or vice-versa. It could be that his knee was bony. One thing’s for sure: he was, while completely divine, completely human.”

He also wrote:

“For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure. He was susceptible to wooing woman. He got cold, burped, and had body odor. His feelings got hurt. His feet got tired. And his head ached.”

I wonder did Jesus ever joke. Did he laugh with his friends? Did he ever sitting around with his disciples, laughing and having a good time? I would like to believe that aside from the serious demeanor Jesus displayed while teaching, he too, laugh at times with his loving heart. This explains why the children loved to approach him when he was around.

Of course, we can only guess, for we weren’t there when Jesus came and we won’t get the answers until we meet Him face to face one day. However, it is worth a try, isn’t it? These guessings give us a chance to look at Jesus from another perspective. A perfect MAN, yet seems more real to us, closer to us. He knows too well the struggles we are facing, the helplessness we are feeling and the pain we are dealing with, for he went through the same thing himself, even more so he bore a heavier burden than all of us—he took our sins upon himself on the cross.

And if Jesus could overcome all the temptations and sufferings in human form, we too, can overcome the world through Him.

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 The Incarnation, complete God and COMPLETE HUMAN.

God had came THAT near. He didn’t have to, but he chose to, because he cares and he loves.

" Christ entered our world. As a result, we can enter his.

  It is man who creates the distance. It is Jesus who builds the bridge.

  For only God could love like that." 

                                                                                  ~ Max Lucado