Who is Jesus/Yeshua?
Hypostatic Union this is a term I want us to be familiar with and understand. It sounds fancy and very scholarly, but it is a simple term.
Definition- Hypostatic means personal. The definition is the personal union of the two natures of Jesus. The fully human nature and the fully divine nature.
Jesus is not divided. He isn’t two separate people. Jesus is “Echad” one in the dual nature and union.
This is an important part of our Christology.
Christology is another term I want us to be familiar with and understand. It should shape our entire faith.
Definition- Christology is our theology that relates to the person, nature, and role of Christ.
If we have bad Christology, it skews our entire thought and lens by which we read, interpret, and understand Scripture. In our corner of Christianity, we have struggled with bad Christology, and this has led us to minimizing, questioning, and debating Jesus’ nature, authority, role and many times leads to complete apostasy that somehow, we don’t need Jesus, or that Jesus’ work of the cross wasn’t sufficient.
The plurality of God and the roles and natures is not a Christian theology. It started with Judaism. Modern Judaism will tell you and teach that they have never believed in the duality of God, but history simply refutes that. Not only does historical sects of Judaism believe in the duality of God’s nature, but they also stress the Torah specifies the duality of the human nature.
Judaism and Christianity were like each other in this concept. If our theology (Christology) is not rooted in solid Bible understanding every other element of our walk and mindset will be incorrect.
The Trinity itself is not explicitly written about in Scripture. It is a concept or a theme that is woven into the entire narrative of the Scripture though. Same thing with the Hypostatic Union.
Important Thought to Consider as We Begin-
Due to who we are as humans there will always be a certain element of mystery that is beyond our understanding when we study, consider, and reflect on the various issues surrounding Jesus’ dual nature (Hypostatic Union).
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about this very thing:
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of Godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” - 1 Timothy 3:16 ESV
We will never have it all figured out, or perfection in our understanding. We are not Gods. We are God’s creation. Let’s look at how Jesus is both God and Human.
Jesus called God, yet was human like us?
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. John 1:1 ESV
Jesus had a body of flesh, but was the fullness of God?
For in Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Colossians 2:9 ESV
In Luke chapter 24 verse 39 after the death and resurrection Jesus shows himself to the disciples and asks them to see his hands and feet and verify that He is more than just Spirit.
Jesus was alive before Abraham?
Shortly after Jesus stating in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God in John chapter 1 we see Jesus state he was alive before Father Abraham.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham I was, I am.” John 8:58 ESV
The patriarch system of Judaism in Jesus’ time placed Abraham as the Father. He was extolled and highly respected, and Jesus is claiming to be extolled before and above Abraham. Which the disciples knew because in Luke chapter 2 verses 6-7 it clearly states Jesus was born as a human during the reign of Caesar Augustus, not over 2,000 years before when Abraham was alive. Here again we see Jesus give us an account of the contrasting natures of himself.
Jesus knew everything, yet still increased in wisdom?
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:17 ESV
John documents Jesus’ conversation with Peter after his resurrection where Peter acknowledges that He knows that Jesus is all knowing.
Yet again in the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 verse 52 it states:
And Jesus increased in WISDOM and in Stature and in FAVOR with God and man. Luke 2:52 ESV
Jesus knew everything yet grew in wisdom. The contrasting natures of Jesus.
Jesus was tempted yet without Sin?
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 ESV
Jesus, Son of God, God as the Son, did not sin!
-Sidenote: Scriptures about God the Son
Colossians 1:13-16, John 1:1-3, John 17:3-5, Romans 8:29, Hebrews 1:1-5,Isaiah 53:4-5, Daniel 7:12-14, Matthew 11:27.
Jesus was tempted though the Gospel of Matthew tells us, Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 ESV
Praying to Jesus and Jesus Praying?
This is always a big one, was Jesus praying to himself? Certainly not?
And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59 ESV
Stephen had no problem paying TO JESUS as he was dying. Yet when Jesus was praying on the night of his betrayal, He prayed to the Father which to tie back to Hebrews chapter 4:15 is commonly called the High Priestly Prayer.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son my glorify you.” John 17:1 ESV
The Father chose to glorify the Son, and the Son does only the work of the Father.
Jesus gives and is life yet He Died?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 ESV
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28
Jesus alone gives eternal life.
One of the greatest ironies is that the one who offers and gives eternal life is also the one who experienced physical death for the very people He is offering life too. Jesus didn’t just tell us how to life, he showed us.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Matthew 27:50 ESV
No one took His spirit; He gave it up. Only God saves! No one forces God to do anything. He is God and we are not.
Conclusion-
Jesus had two distinct Natures, one was Human, and the other was Divine. There was no intermingling between these two natures. Jesus has been God for all eternity, since the foundations of it all, yet only became human for a specific amount of time. By becoming human for the period God the Son took on a nature he didn’t previously have. While the Scripture shows us the two natures of God it is explicit about the fact that Jesus was one person. We must understand never throughout history has there been another human who had a fully human nature, and a fully God nature inside one human body. The Apostles go to great lengths to preserve the miraculous event. The life of Jesus, God in the flesh.
Who is Jesus? The Bible tells us HE is EVERYTHING.
