When John saw a vision of Christ He wrote that: His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. (Revelation 1:14) According to Revelation 19:8 and Isaiah 1:18, white implies purity and righteousness. This symbolises the life of Jesus, as He is the only man that never sinned. A witness, the apostle Peter, writes that Jesus: did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. (1 Peter 2:22 - Quoted from Isaiah 53:9). He is also described as being: holy, harmless, undefiled. (Hebrews 7:26)
God the Father speaks of Jesus as: my righteous servant. (Isaiah 53:11) He also says: I will raise unto David a righteous Branch. (Jeremiah 23:5) Joseph, Mary's husband, was descended from David. Therefore this branch of righteousness is Jesus, whose appearing in total righteousness was prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. The New Testament Scriptures show how Jesus fulfilled these.
Christ's humility is seen in Philippians 2:5-8 which says: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Although we see in Christ's life on earth, great humility, in such acts as washing His disciples' feet, it should be noted that it was first and foremost an act of great humility to be transformed to the state of a natural man. Before His incarnation He was in the form of God, but when He laid aside this glorious state He did not consider Himself to have been robbed, but willingly partook of weakness.
As a man He did not rule like a king (though He was the King), but became a servant, saying: whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is it not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. (Luke 22:27)
Christ's ultimate act of humility, which was also an act of great courage, was His death on a cross. Any public punishment brings shame and the most shameful is that of death on a cross. Yet this is what the One who previously had the form of God endured.
Jesus grew up under the authority of Mary, his mother and Joseph, her husband. According to Luke 2:51 he: was subject to them (his parents). Thus he kept the commandment to honour his father and mother, although there were times even during His youth when He recognised a higher authority. For example, when He was twelve years old He lingered in Jerusalem when His parents started the return journey to Nazareth. His parents eventually found Him in the temple: sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. (Luke 2:46). He explained: I must be about my (heavenly) Father's business (Luke 2:49)
Of Jesus' childhood Luke 2:40 records: the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. And as He grew older: Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2:52)
Before His public ministry Jesus was a carpenter, and the people were surprised at His preaching the word of God saying: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary? (Mark 6:3) But little is recorded of His life before His public ministry. This began at the baptism of John when: Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age. (Luke 3:23)
Immediately prior to His years of public ministry, Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days yet was without sin. After those forty days during which He ate nothing, the devil tempted Him three more times.
The first of these three temptations was when: the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:3) Jesus knew that it had been the will of God to fast, and that doing the will of God was more important than satisfying the needs of the body when there is a conflict.
We also learn from this temptation that Jesus limited himself as a man, and did not use any means that men cannot use. He trusted that only what God allowed Him to obtain by human means was what God wanted Him to have.
After Jesus had refused the devil's way, soon afterward: behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Matthew 4:11) How much better to have God meet our needs than to go against His will to obtain. Jesus says: seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)
The second of the three recorded temptations was when: the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. (Luke 4:5-7)
Satan wanted Jesus to fulfil the role that the anti-Christ will later play. Jesus knew that one day His Heavenly Father would give Him authority to rule the world. But unlike Satan's gift, the Father's gift would include the love of His people, and the world would be at peace, and the reign would be eternal. Jesus trusted that the Father would achieve His purpose in His own time and in His own way. Jesus was also motivated by a zeal for righteousness. He was ruled not by temptation, but by His conscience and the word of God. Therefore: Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Luke 4:8)
We also cannot worship the devil, nor can we obey him to obtain something. Nor can we tell someone who is evil that they are good. Nor can we have too deep a friendship with those that are evil in order to obtain something.
The last of these three temptations involved trying to force God to act super-naturally when a natural solution was available: he (Satan) brought Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Luke 4:9-12)
So it was God who commanded Christ, not Christ who commanded God by demanding of Him an unnecessary miracle.
I will write a few words on an application of Christ's obedience to ourselves. God has given us a mind to foresee danger and to make sensible decisions and has given us a mortal body which must be looked after (although not excessively). Although if we obey God, He will help us, we should not try to opt out of the natural world. Under normal circumstances we should use our natural resources of mind and body, although praying for God's help. Only when necessary, will God intervene in a supernatural way. Some people want to be excessively spiritual, demanding of God that He intervene continually as though they are equal to God. This sort of pride is very much associated with the Pentecostal movement, where people desire to live too much in the supernatural realm. We should remember that God made the natural world and our natural minds. Therefore we should not try to escape from them. We should think of God's supernatural intervention as a privilege, not a right. This way of thinking may help us not to become overly ‘spiritual’.
In each of the three temptations, what was offered to Jesus by Satan was not in itself wrong, but rather the time, place and method were wrong.
Jesus, by quoting from the Old Testament Scriptures in His rejection of Satan showed that He recognised their authority as a standard of righteousness, that it was wrong to disobey them. Jesus would have been tempted with many other temptations during the forty days. Throughout all this temptation and throughout His whole life Jesus: was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus reveals His purpose in life when He said: I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38) He found satisfaction in doing this as He said to His disciples: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34)
Jesus' righteousness is seen most clearly during His last three years on earth, which were the years of his public ministry, and which I will now discuss. During this time He spoke and taught the word of His Father, and He: went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)
Jesus was very dedicated to His work. For example: he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also he named apostles. (Luke 6:12) Such prayer was because the choice of apostles was so important to the future of the church.
During His public ministry Jesus had to endure poverty, not ever having a house of His own. Jesus said to someone who was thinking of following him: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Luke 9:58) Sometimes Jesus stayed with friends. Other times: in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. (Luke 21:37) While there is no need for us to think we must all live in poverty, we must continue to love God and serve Him, whatever the consequences. Jesus, as our example, had to endure every hardship. But He did this for us: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
God the Father says to Christ: thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity. (Hebrews 1:9 - Quoted from Psalm 45:7) Jesus' hatred for sin meant that at many times He did not like being on earth in the presence of sinners. This is why He said: O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? (Matthew 17:17) But Jesus would have enjoyed the company of His faithful disciples.
When people refused to be taught, for example regarding the Sabbath, it both grieved and angered Jesus: And he (Jesus) saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand . . . and his hand was restored whole as the other. (Mark 3:4,5)
Although Jesus hated evil, He did not retaliate. Jesus: when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. (1 Peter 2:23) But He kept Himself from evil by not making friends with those who were unwilling to learn of the kingdom of God. Therefore He is described as being: separate from sinners. (Hebrews 7:26)
Whilst we see Christ's anger for those who refused to be taught, we see His compassion for those who were willing to learn: And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things (Mark 6:34).
He had a great desire to be able to protect and shelter them. Jesus said: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37) Because they rejected His words the city was destroyed by the Romans, but Jesus did not rejoice at the prospect of this judgement. To the contrary: he beheld the city, and wept over it. (Luke 19:41)
Jesus taught, not as the Pharisees with a desire to show off or be great. To the contrary He was motivated by a love for His disciples and: having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. (John 13:1)
The gentleness of Christ was prophesied of thus: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him . . . A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. (Isaiah 42:1-3) The bruised are those who are weak though being downtrodden, but Jesus will not crush them but will deliver them. The smoking flax are those who are barely surviving with only a little faith left, but Jesus will not despise nor disappoint them.
So Jesus of the New Testament is of the same nature as Yahweh of the Old Testament unto whom the psalmist David says: Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. (2 Samuel 22:36) Whether we are great or small, God's shield protects us and His gentleness helps us.
The way that Jesus' followers expressed their thoughts to Jesus (although sometimes foolishly) shows that they were not afraid of Jesus as a person. Jesus would show them where they were wrong. For example Jesus gently teaches Martha that there are more important things than housework: And she (Martha) had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and she came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:39-42)
Sometimes, however, they did fear to speak to Christ, lest they should display their ignorance: But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. (Mark 9:32) They also kept silent to hide their pride. When: he (Jesus) asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for . . . they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. (Mark 9:33,34)
Jesus was capable of genuine friendship: Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus (John 11:5,) and when Lazarus died Jesus: groaned in the spirit, and was troubled and: Jesus wept (John 11:33,35). To make such friendships would have required genuine humility. Jesus did not limit His friendship to the angelic host or to His heavenly Father.
When Jesus came to earth He came to show us what God the Father was like. To do this we do not see Him creating new stars or destroying the moon. Instead we see Him living a righteous life because this is the most important aspect of God's character: there is none good but one, that is, God. (Matthew 19:17) Because Jesus was totally good just like His Father, when people beheld His goodness they were seeing what God the Father was like. For this reason, when one of Jesus' disciples asked Him to show them the Father, Jesus replied: He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. (John 14:9)