He Was Like Us

Very little of the early life of Jesus is recorded in the gospel accounts. Only in Luke do we get a small glimpse into the childhood of the Savior. Men have tried to guess and assume certain things that Jesus may have done when he was young, for instance because his father Joseph was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3), we assume that Jesus was taught and practiced the trade of carpentry. Even though we aren’t told stories of his youth, we can, by using other passages of scripture, come to realize that because Jesus was human, he shared some of the same emotions, feelings and temptations that you and I are experiencing right now.

Because He was human, Jesus felt happiness when things went well. He probably spent time with His friends laughing and playing games that most children played. As He grew older He experienced the emotions of an adolescent, thus learning and understanding the vast range of growing pains that young people experience as they grow into adulthood. Also as He grew older, He was tempted with all of the bad things that life had to offer. We read that He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15). And because of passages like Mark 7:21-23 we know that He was tempted with materialism, all types of sexual sin, greed, lewd behavior and foolishness. Jesus cried when he was sad (John 11:35), got angry, frustrated and perplexed when people disappointed Him (John 2:14) and enjoyed the company of children (Matthew 18:2). In order to know us and sympathize with us Jesus experienced life fully. So you might ask, "What does this have to do with me today?" Well, everything. As we go through our everyday lives, we experience happiness, frustration, temptation, anger, and enjoyment. Knowing that Jesus experienced life just as we do can be very comforting and encouraging. There’s not a problem that the Savior doesn’t understand and will mediate to the Father for us (1 Timothy 2:5).

So as we begin another week, let’s remember as the old song says, "there’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one" and He’ll help us through all of life’s troubles and triumphs because after all He was and is like us.

Jay Launius
Maud church of Christ
Maud, Texas