Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It's a plane. It's ... Jesus! Yes, it's Jesus – strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Jesus, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with His bare hands and who – disguised as a mild-mannered carpenter from a tiny village in Galilee – fights the never-ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Ok, Jesus was one of a kind. There’s no debating that here. Jesus was the Son of God, the only begotten Son of God, totally unique, preexisting, eternal member of the Trinity.
And yet. Jesus was not Superman.
The first heresy of the Early Church was that some people thought Jesus only seemed to be a real flesh-and-blood person. But the Bible goes to great lengths to correct this misperception (1Jn 4.2). Jesus fully entered into humanity. He really did become a human being. He got physically fatigued. He endured physical pain. He experienced emotion.
One of the few things we know about Jesus’s childhood is that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.”(Lk 2.52) Jesus increased in wisdom? What does that imply?
Jesus was God – let’s be clear about that. However, when he came to earth, He fully embraced human limitations. He could no longer be everywhere at once (He wasn’t omnipresent). He willingly gave up His power to do anything He wanted (He was no longer omnipotent). He surrendered the knowledge of certain things (He was not omniscient).
He wasn’t faking His humanity.
The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus became like us in every way. (Heb 2.17, 4.15) He was not the Six-Million Dollar Man with a computerised brain, supersonic hearing and bionic limbs. He was not impervious to the limitations that accompany humanity. He was not the Man of Steel with a microchip in His head. He was physically and mentally limited. He knew human existence, but He knew it without sin.
Here’s why that’s so important: You can never become like Superman. You can never learn to fly or concentrate hard enough to have X-ray vision. But you can become like Jesus.
Jesus is more than our Saviour and our Lord. He’s not just a teacher. He is a model of what life can be like when it’s fully surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did what He did because He was filled with the Spirit. (Mt 12.28, Lk 3.21-22, 4.18-19, Ac 10.38) This means something absolutely astonishing for those of us who follow Him: It is actually possible for us to live like He did, to live a life totally surrendered to and empowered by the Spirit of God. This means that we are able to carry out God’s plans, to continue the mission Jesus began during His earthly life and ministry. We are able to live in harmony with God, in touch with His power.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You have chosen us to obey Jesus Christ by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, You have granted us everything we need to manifest the fullness of life that is empowered by Your indwelling Spirit. I know that it is impossible to live out the spiritual life in my own resources and power and that only as I abide in Jesus and walk by the Spirit is it possible for me to display a life of godliness and righteousness. As I live by the Spirit, may I bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May I be strengthened with power through Your indwelling Spirit so that I can live a life that will be pleasing to You and edifying to others. May the love of Christ overflow in my thoughts, words and deeds this very day.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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