Jesus Knows Exactly What it’s Like to be Human

Day 5 of 12 Reasons to Rejoice: Advent Devotions

On Day 3, we talked about the significance of Jesus becoming a real human. Now take a moment to consider how Jesus knows exactly what it’s like to be human.

Childbirth is very gritty. I speak from experience; it’s not pretty at all.

Potty training is messy (especially with boys) and not a lot of fun.

Puberty is a very volatile time in a person’s life.

Acne is mortifying when you’re a teen.

First jobs are stressful at any age.

Jesus went through all these stages. 

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Luke 2:6-7

Jesus is God (see Day 2), so he could’ve easily skipped a few steps had he wanted to. He could’ve dropped out of the sky as a full-grown man and skipped all the growing up that the rest of us have to go through in order to become adults.

But he didn’t.

He chose to bear every part of it and get the full experience of what it’s like to be human. And because he did, he can empathize with us. He knows about anxiety and sadness, illness and death, temptation and the grit of living on earth. He also has one experience that no one reading this post can yet relate to: He knows what it’s like to die.

Jesus was born like a human, lived like a human, and knows exactly what it’s like to be human. May we rejoice to have a savior and advocate who can relate to us!

For Further Reading

The full passage from which the above verses were selected can be found in Luke 2. See also: 

• Matthew 4:1-11: Jesus faced temptation as well. Such a human experience.
• Mark 14:32-42: Jesus went through a moment of terrible anxiety. It doesn’t get more human than that.

Next up:

Jesus’ Death Was the Beginning, Not The End