He obeyed for us as a man.

What must a savior look like? Dorothy Sayers envisions an assembly with representatives from every group in the world. The purpose is to describe what a mediator between God and man must experience. He must know racial oppression, he must be poor, he must be cast out by his own people too, he must be falsely accused, he must know humiliation, and hopelessness, no, he must be tortured and falsely killed.

Then out walks Jesus, a Jew hated by Romans, despised by his own people for his questionable birth and home, poor, homeless, hungry, hunted down, betrayed, falsely accused, stripped naked, humiliated, scorned, and tortured to death.

True Man in Lowly Estate

God played the man, and took his medicine.

Every second of Jesus life was redemptive. Every breath he took required him to humble himself, and obey on our behalf.

He was poor and rejected from birth – literally born in a barn, with no family members there to help.

He was a true human, nothing about him betrayed the fact that he was special. Actually the bible goes out of its way to tell us there was nothing to attract us to him. (Is. 52) This fact is overlooked by most Christian artwork. Artists always try to portray Jesus as special, looking like he has a glow to him. In truth he looked devastatingly normal.

Apparently, his father, Joseph, died because taking care of his mother had become his responsibility. One that he took care of even from the cross.

His family thought he was crazy, and came to take him home.

The religious and powerful people of the day hated him, and sought to silence him.

B. Never Used his Deity – he didn’t Cheat

He went through every step of this life as a true man – completely human.

Satan tempted him in the wilderness to cheat – turn the stones into bread and give yourself something to eat. But instead he waited upon his father in heaven.

On the cross he heard the same temptation – he saved others, but cannot save himself. He waited upon his father to save him.

He never worked a single miracle for his own comfort, or to help himself.

He was content to sleep during a storm, but his disciples were afraid so he silenced it. He was content to go 40 days without eating, but the crowds were hungry so he fed them.

To save us, he had to do it as a human, so he came and remained a complete human, perfect man and perfect God. This explains one of the questions people often have. Jesus claims to not know some things, he says only the Father knows the dates and the times. Why? Jesus never leaned upon his deity to make his life easier. He humbled himself and came as a man. He did not cheat.

He came to save men. He was born as a man, he lived as a man, he obeyed as a man and he died as a man. As a man he obeyed perfectly, as a man he bore the weight of sin. As a man he received the punishment all the sin in the world deserved.