II. CHRIST BEING THE PERFECT AND FINEST MAN
On one hand He was ordinary, but on the other hand He was unique. Every area of Jesus’ human living was absolutely proper and perfect.
A. Obedient
Luke tells us that when Jesus was twelve years old, He knew how to care for His Father’s will and yet at the same time be subject to His natural parents. He explained to His parents why He stayed in the temple but was still subject to them. He asked, "Did you not know that I must be in the things of My Father?" (Luke 2:49). Yet verse 51 says that He went with them and was subject to them. Some young people may say, "I am for God!"; but at home they are disobedient to their parents. This is not the fine, balanced humanity of Jesus.
B. Serving
In Mark 10:45 the Lord said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." Many people, especially some of the young people living at home, want to be served, but they never serve. They do not clean the house; they do not wash the dishes; they do not take care of their clothing; they do not even make their beds; they do not do anything. They just like to eat, sleep, and have a good time. This is not the humanity of Jesus. The humanity of Jesus is one to serve, not to be served. We do need such a spirit to serve others diligently.
C. Having No Appearance of Evil
In His ministry, the Lord contacted many kinds of people. Although He cared very much for their salvation, He always contacted them in a way which gave no appearance of evil. In John 3, Jesus was willing to meet with an elderly religious man in the middle of the night. But in chapter 4, when He spoke to a woman, He did it in broad daylight, in a very open and public place. He was very careful not only to avoid evil, but also to avoid the mere appearance of evil. He was more than proper when He dealt with members of the opposite sex. This kind of proper humanity is very much disregarded and even ridiculed in today’s society. As a result, many young people have fallen into the damaging trap of immorality.
D. Having the Finest Personality
The Lord’s personality was the finest. He was meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29). He did not say that He was meek and lowly in appearance, but in heart. He was so meek that even little children could come to Him (Matt. 19:14). He was so lowly that even a despised, sinful woman could come and weep at His feet (Luke 7:38-39). He was so gentle that John, the disciple, could recline on His bosom during a meal together (John 13:23). Yet He overturned the tables of the evil money-changers in the temple (Matt. 21:12-13). He also knew when to rejoice and when to weep. He rejoiced in the Father’s will (Luke 10:21), but He wept over the condition of God’s people (Luke 19:41). In all things this man Jesus was so fine and balanced.
(Lesson Book, Level 2: The Triune God—The Triune God and the Person and Work of Christ, Chapter 15, by Witness Lee)
