They Watched Him And He Watched Them

• The pastor asked the man “What group are you associated with?”

• The man replied, “I belong to the invisible church.”

• The pastor then asked, “Well, what church are you a member of!”

• Again, he got the answer, “I belong to the invisible church!”

• Getting a bit suspicious, the pastor asked, “When does this invisible church meet and who pastors it?”

• The missionary then became incensed and said, “Well, your church here isn’t the true church. I belong to the invisible church!”

• The pastor replied, “Well, here’s some invisible money to help you minister to the invisible church!” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 38). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

The true church teaches a visible Christ who came to the earth to die for lost mankind in a HUMAN BODYL LIKE OURS.

How do we know Christ had a HUMAN BODY LIKE OURS.

(1) Because the Word of teaches that.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(2) Because He had human characteristics body like ours.

For example, look at Luke 14:1 “And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, THAT THEY WATCHED HIM.”

Why did they watch Him.

Verse 1 tells us why; they watched Him closely His every action and they listen to every word He spoke.

WHY DID HE GO THERE?

He went there for physical nourishment.

Remember the Son of God became flesh as we are, and the Bible says He went into the Chief Pharisees house “…To eat bread on the sabbath day…”

The Lord Jesus had a human body like ours.

Few will dispute that a man named Jesus Christ lived 2,000 years ago and that He was a great teacher who impacted the world.

However, Christ made a controversial claim—that He was the very Son of God, the long-prophesied Messiah—causing religious authorities in Jerusalem to reject Him, hate Him and eventually succeeded in having Him put to death.

The real uproar started when He stated that he existed before Abraham existed.

Look at John 8:58 “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM”.

• He was the Son of God He also had a human body like ours.

• One day we will have a heavenly body like His but while He was here on earth, He had a human body like ours.

When the Son of God was BORN, He was made flesh, and He had a human body like ours.

For example:

• He was born like us in Luke 2:7

• He grew up like us in Luke 2:40-52

• He grew tired like us in John 4:6

• He got thirsty like us in John 19:28

• He got hungry like us in Matthew 4:2

• He died like us in Luke 23:46

• He wept like us in Luke:3-4

Jesus had a physical body just like ours!!!

Jesus of Nazareth was truly and fully human and it was clear…

• To those who saw Him.

• To those heard Him.

• To those who touched Him.

• To those who shared their life with Him that he was HUMAN AS WE ARE.

And the reason he went into this house of this Chief Pharisee was because He was invited and because of the necessity for food that we humans need.

No one questioned his humanity during his ministry.

What was not apparent at first and revealed carefully and convincingly in his life after the resurrection, was that he also was God in the flesh.

WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO HAVE A HUMAN BODY LIKE OURS?

Let me share with you THREE IMPORTANT reasons. (You who take notes may want to jot these down.)

(1) Look at Galatians 4:4–5: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”

He had to become a man because only a man could be “born under the law.”

No animal or angelic being is “under the law.”

Only a human being could redeem other human beings born under the same law.

(2) Another reason Jesus had to be fully human like us was because God had to establish the necessity of the shedding of blood for the remission of sins.

The blood of animals, although acceptable on a temporary basis as a foreshadowing of the blood of the perfect Godman, was insufficient for the permanent remission of sin because Hebrews 10-4 tells us “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”.