Why did Jesus do the things He did when walking the earth in a physical body? For that matter, why did He take the trouble to clothe Himself in a physical body and walk the earth at all? What was His purpose? Did He really have a desire to be that close to His fallen creation? Were we that important to Him? Are we that important to Him? These are interesting questions to explore.
If we take a look at some examples of the activities of Jesus Christ as recorded in the biographical narratives of the New Testament scriptures, there are some interesting personal insights. Here are a few notable incidents:
- The widow in the funeral procession coming from the village of Nain was on her way to bury her only son. Since she was a widow, the son was her only means of support, and he was now gone. Jesus was compassionate, raised her son from death, and presented him to his mother.
- A blind man sitting on the side of the road was asking for money (begging). When he heard that Jesus was coming by he yelled out for Jesus to have mercy on him. He wanted his sight restored; Jesus complied.
- A man had a son who was referenced as “lunatic.” He had seizures and convulsions and often tried to destroy himself. The scriptures record that he was possessed by a devil. The father was desperate as he brought his son to Jesus and implored Jesus, “If you can do anything” please help my son. Jesus saw the condition of the son and felt the desperation of the father. He healed the child.
- There was man living in the caves and possessed by a multitude of devils. The devils in his spirit tormented him such that he often tried to kill himself. Jesus met him and had compassion on his condition and torment. Jesus healed the man. The locals who knew the man were surprised to see him again “in his right mind.”
- A couple of times Jesus was teaching crowds of people in rather remote areas. When He finished His teaching, He, by a special miracle, gave the crowds some dinner before sending them on their way.
- Lepers (people with the disease of leprosy) were feared and shunned. There was no cure. The unaffected did not want to contract the disease. When Lepers came to Jesus, He not only talked to and touched them, He healed them.
One scripture indicates that there were many more incidents of Jesus touching, healing, and forgiving people than could be recorded.
What were the reasons for this behavior? Why did Jesus care about the widow at Nain, the blind man on the side of the road, the man with the lunatic son, the man possessed by the multitude of devils, the hungry crowds, the disgusting lepers? The word that comes to mind is passion. One definition of the word is ardent affection, love. The definition indicates a strong devotion to some activity, object or concept; an object of desire or deep interest. Jesus has passion toward humankind, His creation. Jesus had a strong devotion to the widow, the blind man, the man and son, the possessed man, the hungry crowds, the lepers, and many others recorded and not recorded in the scriptures.
Jesus has the same passion, the same strong devotion, the same ardent affection, toward us. How do I know that? His greatest passion, the mission He came to accomplish, was to bring full forgiveness to all humanity for all time. It was what the Old Testament prophets declared, it was the meaning of the promises to Adam and to Abraham, it was what God planned from the beginning of our world. That is why Jesus declared, “It is finished!” as He died. The prophet Isaiah explained the purpose and Jesus’ completion of the work with the following descriptions:
- He (Jesus, the Messiah) will see those that will believe
- He will see the suffering He will have to endure, but because of those who will believe He will be satisfied
- He will justify many because He will take their iniquities (sins) upon Himself
- He will suffer for all those who have transgressed
- He will make intersession for the transgressors.
Are you a transgressor? He has been and continues to intercede for you. It is His passion.
Break the Bread 