“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” “Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. “Now, however,” He told them, “the one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors. For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.” So they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” “That is enough,” He answered.” – Luke 22:31-38
Why is it that when we think about Jesus we envision a man who would rather be in the kitchen cooking with his mother then wrestling with his brothers in the yard? Based on how Jesus has been portrayed in movies would it be easier to envision him playing badminton or rugby? I’m not saying that cooking with your mother, or playing badminton is something that Jesus would never do, I’m just wondering if we really have a good understanding of just how manly Jesus was when he walked the earth.
My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Israel several years ago. When we visited Nazareth, the place where Jesus grew up, the first thing that struck us is how rocky the fields are. Even atheists know that Jesus was a carpenter, but what most people don’t know is that wood is scarce in a large part of Israel. Jesus likely learned how to work with stone as well as wood from his earthly father, Joseph. You build homes and fences with what you have available, and in Nazareth that something is rocks.
Nazareth was a tiny farming village that contained around 120-150 people. The interesting thing about Nazareth is that the farmers in that village were of royal blood. They were descended from the tribe of Judah and the line of David who had settled in Nazareth after returning from the Babylonian exile. They had settled in Nazereth rather than Jerusalem because the non-Davidic dynasty, the Hasmoneans, had assumed the Jewish throne and they were not going to give power back to the line of David without a fight. (1)
“So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”’ – Matthew 2:21-23
So Jesus grew up moving and lifting rocks. He was sweaty, dirty and stinky after a hard day’s work with his dad and bothers. Royal blood coursed through his veins, which probably stood out prominently on His muscular torso and arms which were formed by years of hard physical labor. I know that I’m going out on a limb here, but I’d venture to say that Jesus looked more like a Jewish linebacker than a baker.
The Bible is clear that Jesus was fully man and fully God.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” – Hebrews 2:14-18
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” – Colossians 1:15
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
So why am I talking about swords, rocks and muscles this morning? I think that the world wants you to think that Jesus was a wimp, but the truth is that Jesus was a man’s man when he walked the earth based on the Biblical and historical details that we have available to us. We live in a world that has neutered and ostracized men to the point that many of us are ashamed to be a man. We have been told that masculinity is toxic. The real sin is that we have taken that which God called good after he created Adam and Eve, male and female, and told God by our actions that God must have gotten it wrong and that there are many shades of male and female. That is a lie from the pit of hell friends. Man and women are both created in the image of God. The Bible says that they were created to help and complete one another.
Many years ago I wrote a devotional breaking down what it means to be a man of God. It would be worth your time checking out that blog again because being a man of God is not something to be taken lightly. It is a high calling.
I recently attended a men’s conference and we were served beef brisket. One of the many object lessons that we were given was that men of God should be grizzled and tough on the outside, but tender on the inside, just like the beef brisket that we were served. I love that analogy. There is a time to fight and there is a time to comfort and heal. There is a time for righteous anger and there is a time of Godly sorrow. Men of God are called to protect and provide and to humbly serve and elevate their wives and children.
“Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.”- John Eldredge, Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
God is stirring in our country. Men are starting to wake up to the fact that they have given up their seat at the table. Men are called to create a seat at the table for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that we should give up our seats. God created men to lead. God created men to rise up and protect when challenged.
God created men with hands that are strong enough to wield a sword and soft enough to hold a fragile baby. Real men can fix their car in the garage and then come into the house to change a diaper. Real men don’t sit on a couch watching other men lead. Real men get off the couch and work hard to provide for their families and for the needs of those who can’t work and demonstrate in both action and deeds what true, godly male leadership looks like.
Brothers in Christ, we have been silent too long. When are we going to wake up from our selfishness and slumber and become the men that God that we were created us to be? If this has struck a cord in you, please step up in your family, at work and in your church and get involved! Our wives can’t carry the burden at home and church, while we sit around watching sports and letting women do all the work. It’s time to rise up and get active in our churches and local men’s ministries and be the image bearers of Christ that we were created to be. Your marriages and children’s lives are depending on it men of God!
Manna and Coffee 