Jesus: Fully God, Fully Man

Introduction:

Our passage before us today is one that helps us to understand and grasp an important truth about Jesus. That he is somehow fully God and Fully man at the same time. I am not one that thinks theological terms are meant for the classroom and not the pulpit, so it is important we know the name of this doctrine. The teaching that Jesus took on a human nature, therefore becoming fully man but remained fully God at the same time is called the “Hypostatic Union.” Jesus has always been God but at the incarnation Jesus became a human being. The addition of a human nature to His divine nature is what makes Jesus the God-man. This is the Hypostatic Union, Jesus Christ, one person, fully God and fully man. His two natures are eternally inseparable. He will forever be fully God and fully man.

Luke 3:21-38 shows us that Jesus is fully God and fully man by putting his baptism and his genealogy together, side by side. Typically in the Bible, genealogies come at the beginning of a persons life, not 30 years into it, but Luke has done this on purpose to show his readers that Jesus was indeed not a normal man, but the God-Man. The Messiah, come to save his people from their sins.

Our passage begins at the baptism of Jesus, which, Luke’s telling of the event is light on details. all he says is:

Luke 3:21 (NKJV)

21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized;...

He does not provide any detail on where this baptism took place, the size of the crowd at the baptism, or even why Jesus was baptized. Jesus was sinless and John’s baptism being a “baptism of repentance” it seems like he was doing something he had no need of doing. In order to get the details surrounding John’s baptism of Jesus, we have to turn to the other Gospel acounts; particularly the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 3:13–15 NKJV

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.

Why did Jesus, if he was sinless and therefore in no need of repentance, undergo the baptism from John?

Jesus came to make himself one with those who did submit to the rite of baptism in order to fulfill all that the law required. Once John understood this, he baptized Jesus in the Jordan river with a crowd of people watching. From the view of the crowd, this was a routine baptism. But then, as Jesus walked out of the water something spectacular takes place and it is this spectacular event that proves that Jesus was

1.) Jesus- Fully God. (v.21-22)

While Luke is lighter on the details of Jesus baptism than Matthew, he does give us a piece of information that no other Gospel writer does, he tells us that Jesus was praying. We see over and over gain in the four accounts we have of Christ life, that he prayed passionately.

We are told that as Jesus was coming up from the water to the bank and praying, three things took place:

The heaven opened.

The Holy Spirit descended.

A voice came from heaven spoke.

A.) Heavens opened

Mark in his gospel tells us:

Mark 1:10 NKJV

10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

Whether this was a gentle parting of the clouds or as the ESV says the heavens were “torn open” like two giant hands divided them, the skies above the Jordan river that day were supernaturally and dramatically parted by the hand of God. We know at least John saw this but it is likely that the entire multitude there that day saw the heavens open.

B.) The Spirit descends

As the people had their eyes fixed on the sky v.22 tells us they then see “the Holy Spirit descend on him in bodily form like a dove.” Matthew’s account tells us that the Holy Spirit not only descended like a dove but that it landed on him.

Floating down from the open space where the sky had been split, the Spirit of God in bodily form circles down, like a dove (Not necessarily in the form of a dove, but moving like a dove) and lands on Jesus signifying that the Holy Spirit had come upon Jesus and never would depart.

Nothing like this had ever happened before. If and when the Holy SPirit came down upon people in the Old Testament, He would eventually leave. Jesus was the first man to permanently possess the Spirit of God inside of him. The visible presence of the Holy Spirit landing on Jesus indicates His approval of and involvement in the Son of God’s ministry.

C.) God the Father speaks.

The first to miraculous events at Jesus baptism were visible, but the last was verbal.

Luke 3:22 (NKJV)

...and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

I wonder what the Fathers voice sounded like? Thunder?

Psalm 18:13 NKJV

13 The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.

God was confirming to all those there that day, that Jesus was His Son, and that as His Son, God the Father was well pleased with Christ.

At Christ baptism you see the Holy Trinity of God on full display. God the Father, Son and Spirit are all three present at the same time.

The events at Jesus baptist bring full confirmation that Jesus was indeed “Fully God.”

2.) Jesus- Fully Man. (v.23-38)

v.23-38 are the kind of verses we tend to want to skip over as we read them, at surface level, they seem like unimportant details. However, all scripture is given to us by God for the purpose of our edification. This genealogy is unique for several reasons.

A.) Placement.

Typically when we see a genealogy in Scripture it is placed at the beginning of a book or at least at the beginning of the narrative of the life of the person you’re reading about. But this is different. It almost seems out of place in its location. But, it is not.

Luke, in placing this genealogy here is showing his readers that God’s son actually became a man. That he indeed was the God-Man.

Luke’s original audience was greek (Roman) and they believed that God was transendental (only spiritual) and that he was far off and unconcerned with the affairs of man. They thought God had no concern in the day to day affairs of mankind. Luke, is demonstrating to his readers that Jesus was fully God and fully man. He is demonstrating the Hypostatic union.

As fully man He can identify with mankind and all of their needs and problems. As fully God, he is the answer to every need and problem they have.

B.) Not the Fathers lineage.

The purpose that genealogies served for Jewish people was immensely important.

It helped determine the original division of the land amongst the 12 tribes when Israel fist possessed the promised land.

It also established the right of inheritance to property.

It formed the basis of kinsmen redemption. If a poor man was forced to sell his property to pay off debt, one of his near relatives was to purchase it.

It played a roll in taxation.

It determined if a man was eligible to serve as a priest

Any claim to be the king or Messiah of Israel had to be back by a genealogy.

Genealogies typically follow the fathers line, which at first glance is what this genealogy appears to do. However, if you look deeper, this isn’t the genealogy of Jospeh (like Matthew’s is), this is the genealogy of Mary.

We come to this conclusion becuase Joseph is listed to have a different father here than in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ. In Matthew its a man name Jacob, in Luke, a man named Heli.

You see, in jewish culture if a father had no sons and only daughters, which is likely the case with Mary, then, upon the marriage of his daughter he would legally adopt her husband as his legal son. This means that Lukes ancestry of Jesus isn’t by birth but by adoption.

Jospeh and Mary were both in the Davidic line so either genealogy proves Jesus right to the throne of Israel.

C.) Order.

Lukes genealogy of Christ goes in reverse order from Matthew. It also goes further back than Matthew does. His genealogy of Christ traces Christ roots only to Abraham. Which makes since because he was writing to a jewish audience. But, the text in Luke doesn't stop at Abraham but goes all they way back to God himself. (v.38) It brings us full circle back to the Hypostatic Union. Yes Jesus was a man, his lineage demonstrates that, but he is also fully God at the same time.

Conclusion:

Jesus is introduced to the public at the age of thirty on the banks of the Jordan river getting baptized by John. He blended in with the crowd at this point and seemed like nothing special. But, he was and is special. He is the God-Man.

Close with the gospel showing how as a man Christ understands our temptation but as a God only he can fully forgive.