All Scripture is
taken from the New King James Version
After
the Lord God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and dry land, and
every animal, He created man in His image. “Then God said, ‘Let Us (the Trinity
– God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all three in One) make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” (Genesis 1:26a). “And the Lord
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7).
We
can clearly establish from these two verses that God created Adam, the first
man as a full-grown man from the dust of the ground. Scripture does not tell us
how old, or at what stage of life Adam would have been. He did not experience
every stage of our human existence as we do. We do get a glimpse as to the age
and stage of life Adam might have been when God created Eve (from one of Adam’s
ribs) to be Adam’s wife, and to bear children. “Then God blessed them, and God
said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it;…”
(Genesis 2:28a). From this verse, we may
conclude that Adam and Eve may have been in their early to mid adulthood, as
they were in the child bearing years, although we know that God can cause women
to bear children at any age.
God created man to have a relationship and fellowship with him. God
would walk in the garden where He had placed Adam and Eve, in the cool of the
day. (See Genesis 3:8). But Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil, the very tree God commanded them not to eat of,
which broke man’s relationship and fellowship with God. What Adam and Eve did,
not only affected them in a negative way, but it affected all of mankind and
nature for all time. “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits
for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to
futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope: because
the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21).
Even though God pronounced consequences on man and nature, the break of
relationship with man broke God’s heart to the point where He knew He had to
take action. A plan was put in place by, and involving the Trinity. As we had
to have a great High Priest who could identify with us at every stage of our
human existence, a member of the Trinity had to be willing to take on human
form. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.
“Now in the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to
a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the city of David. The
virgin’s name was Mary. And having come
in, the angel said to her (Mary), ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is
with you; blessed are you among women!’…And behold, you will conceive in your
womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS…Then Mary said to
the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered
and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you, therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born
will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26-28, 31, 34-35).
Unlike Adam who God created as a full-grown man, Jesus came into the
world as you and I do, being conceived in our mother’s womb, and developing for
nine months (in most cases) in darkness. Can you fathom such an incredible
thought? The second person of the Trinity, God the Son, would subject Himself
to being conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. As part of the Trinity,
He created all things. “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in
heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and
for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
(Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus developed for nine months in darkness as all babies
do, before coming forth into the world as a helpless baby. He knew what it was like
to be totally dependent on others for all His needs. Mary and Joseph took care
of Jesus just as they took care of their other children.
Some of us have read the Christmas story over and over again for years.
We may even have it memorized. How many presentations of the Christmas story
have we gone to over the years? Yet, have we ever considered the humiliation it
took for the Son to leave the glory He had with the Trinity and become a tiny
seed in Mary’s womb, being conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus experienced being a child, playing and being educated with other
children. He had to learn the Torah and all the Jewish traditions. Scripture
gives us one small glimpse into Jesus’ childhood. One of the Jewish traditions
was the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem once a year. When Jesus was twelve
years old, Joseph and Mary took Him with them. When it came time to leave after
the Passover, Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem to make their way home to
Nazareth. When Joseph and Mary could not find Jesus with them, they went back
to Jerusalem and found Jesus in the temple. “Now so it was that after three
days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both
listening to them and asking them questions…So when they (Joseph and Mary) saw
Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this
to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.’ And He said to them,
‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s
business?” (Luke 2:46, 48-49).
Jesus also knew from experience what it was like to be a teenager. He
went through purity and all the struggles and challenges that any teenager
experiences. Some people question whether or not Jesus knew who He was and what
His destiny was. By the way He answered Mary in the Scripture I just quoted
above, I believe that Jesus knew His destiny. Yet, until the time came for
Jesus to begin His public ministry, He was subject to His parents. Jesus would
learn the trade of carpentry from Joseph. “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is
not His mother called Mary? And His brothers, James, Joses, Simon and Judas?”
(Matthew 13:55). Jesus worked as a carpenter with Joseph. Jesus knew what it
was to work with His hands and to work hard.
Often, when we think of Jesus, we think of Him coming to earth as a baby,
being born and laid in a manger, and all the events that surrounded His birth:
the shepherds being visited by angels, the kings and wise men seeing His star. Then
we skip over to Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan river. Jesus spent
forty days in the wilderness being tempted of the devil. Following His time in
the wilderness, Jesus began His public ministry for three years. Then came the
purpose for which He was destined – to suffer, to die on the Cross for our sin,
that we might have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Then Jesus rose
from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand to be our great High
Priest, ever making intercession for us before the Father.
“Seeing then that
we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who
cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
How many times do we skip over these events so quickly, especially as we
get ready for this Christmas season without thinking deeply about them? Think
about how much it cost the Father to send His Son, whom He loved so passionately,
knowing that Jesus would be beaten and die on the Cross. Think of how humiliated
Jesus was when He was conceived in Mary’s womb, and entered the world as a
helpless baby. After Jesus went through every stage of humanity, He further
humbled Himself and died on the Cross for you and I. “And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of a cross.” (Philippians 2:8).
Jesus Christ came into the world for one main purpose, and that is to
draw us back into relationship and fellowship with our Heavenly Father. If you
have never trusted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, you can pray this
prayer: “Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for
my sin that I would be cleansed of my sin which I confess to You. I accept
Jesus as my Savior and Lord now. Please bring me into a relationship with You.
I surrender my life to You now.” If you have a Bible, begin reading the book of
John which is the fourth book of the New Testament.
