Another Ninety-Five

T H E S I S # 16

Jesus was sent by His Father for the purpose of redeeming man from his sins. Only a perfect and innocent sacrifice could satisfy God’s just demand.

How old were You, Lord Jesus, when You began to realize that….

That Your dad was not Your dad? That Your brothers were actually half-brothers, and Your sisters half-sisters? That You were different, different than Your siblings, Your parents, the neighbors, religious leaders, and…. and…. everyone!? That Your real Father was the Jehovah-God Your parents reverenced?

And Lord Jesus, as a child, what was it like to be….

To be sinless? To be pure? To be at peace? To be without fault? To be fearless? To possess deep insights? To be in harmony with Your God?

And Lord Jesus Christ, were You a teenager when You learned that….

That You were born of a virgin? That Herod murdered innocent babies in an effort to extinguish Your life? That You were the promised Messiah for whom Your people had been waiting for millennia? That You would soon be the Passover Lamb? That You would be the fulfillment of many prophecies?

And Lord Jesus, were You a young man when You first realized that….

That You would never marry? That You would be hated by jealous controllers? That You were to be the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”? That You must be the seed that falls into the ground and produces a bountiful harvest? That a cruel cross awaited You? That You would be betrayed “with a kiss”? That You would bear our sins in Your “own body on the tree”? That You would be the perfect and innocent sacrifice that would satisfy God’s just demand?

Jesus, what was it like to be Jesus?