The following is a copy of the message I gave at Casa De Cristo on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.

We sing "What Child Is This?", but can we really relate to who Jesus is? More importantly, can Jesus relate to who we are and what we go thru. Maybe so.

Jesus was God's promise of salvation _{(Isaiah 61:1-3)} to both Jew and Gentile _{(Isaiah 49:6)}. The Bible also states that Jesus

Jesus is "THE MAN". You've seen the poster with all the names for Jesus -- Son of God, God with us, Prince of Peace, The Lamb of God, The Vine, Savior, The Lord of Glory, I am. ... Obviously he was pretty special.

Yet, he is also our priest (or pastor). And he can relate to what we're going thru...

Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. _{(Hebrews 2:17-18)}

Let's take a look at some of the ways he was made "in every respect like us".

Jesus was Jewish, in a time when being Jewish was not cool.

Long gone were the days of King David and King Solomon, when the Jewish nation was feared far and wide. Their country was now occupied by Romans, and while there was apparently food to eat, that was about it. The tax burden was heavy, with any surplus going to support the capital at Rome. There was little respect for Jews. The Jewish Temple leaders were corrupt and "good buddies" with the Romans occupying the area. Life was hard and there were many uprisings and rebellions. About 34 years after Jesus' crucifixion, the Romans grew tired of it all the. They destroyed the Temple, scattered or killed the Jews, and eliminated their Jewish problem.

While there are differences, you could look at the life of Palestinians today to get an idea of what life was like for the Jews under occupation 2,000 years ago. Being Jewish was not cool.

He was born of very questionable circumstances.

His mom and dad were not married when Jesus was conceived. Joseph (according to Matthew's gospel), had decided to break off the engagement quietly -- no need to disgrace the girl publicly even if she was fooling around _{(Matthew 1:18-19)}. After a visit from the angel, Joseph got straightened out. But everyone else in town could still count to 9, and they knew that Jesus was conceived out of wedlock -- a big no, no within the "righteous" Jewish community.

For years and years afterwords, you could hear the neighbors talk and the kids whisper, "bastard".

Jesus was poor -- what today we might call "trailer trash".

Jesus' parents were a couple of kids. Joseph was probably 18 or maybe 19 years old and Mary no more than 15 or 16 -- broke and just trying to get by.

When Jesus was presented at the Temple in accordance with Jewish law, they could not even afford the price of a lamb, the standard offering for a first born. They offered "a pair of doves, or two young pigeons", costing just a few pennies in the local currency -- the alternative offering for those who were "under funded" _{(Luke 2:24)(Matthew 10:30)(Leviticus 12:6)}.

Later on, the Wise Men did give the family gold, incense and myrrh. But it was immediately spent getting out of town. King Herod had decreed the death of all boys two years old and younger _{(Matthew 2:7-18)}. This was not a time to stick around. [Funny how God provides just what you need, just when you need it.]

Oh well, easy come, easy go. Carpenters can usually find work, but they'll never get rich.

Jesus lost his dad.

While Mary and Joseph had many other children after Jesus was born _{(Matthew 13:55:56)}, by the time Jesus was 30, his dad was long gone -- possibly due to a carpenter's accident.

Some have suggested that Jesus waited until all his siblings had reached maturity before starting his ministry. If so, and assuming Joseph and Mary "kept busy" having kids like most couples, Joseph probably died before Jesus was 16 years old. Jesus knew personal loss.

Later, when Lazarus died, Jesus knew first hand what a loss like that meant to those left behind.

Jesus was weird.

While we probably could not call him a "sissy boy", Jesus was definitely not "normal". I could see Jesus out with his friends, all about 13 or 14 years old, the hormones are kicking in and they are eying an older girl, saying "Hey, look at that hot babe. She's got a nice pair....". Jesus says something like, "Oh please! She's a child of God and worthy of respect, not turned into some lust object." His friends look at him funny, saying, "You're really weird, man." Jesus was different, and we all know how much people like and tolerate someone who is different. Jesus may not have had a lot of friends growing up.

Even after he started his ministry, the religious leaders of the day though he was possessed by Satan. They called him a glutton and a drunkard _{(Matthew 11:19)}. Even Jesus' own mother and brothers at least once thought he had gone off the deep end and tried to get him to come home _{(Mark 3:20-21,31-35)}.

Then there was Jesus' relationship with John -- "the disciple whom Jesus loved" _{(John 21:7)}.

This guy was 30+ years old, never married, and hung around with guys. Jesus was definitely not a "normal" guy.

So Jesus was oppressed, illegitimate, poor, an orphan, and weird. Oh boy! I want to be like that. Where do I sign up?

I don't think so!

Yet because of where he'd been, he can truly relate to where you are today. Jesus really was "in every respect like us".

When it came time to save the world, God didn't set up a committee or start a fund raising drive. He sent a poor, misfit kid, born in a smelly stable, and said here is your Messiah. Paul says in Hebrews 11 that the patriarchs of the Old Testament were looking forward to this promise. And it was kept with Jesus.

While Jesus might have been weird, he always "knew who he was and were he was going".

On the radio one time, they were reading letters from kids written to God. One eight-year-old wrote, "It's nice that Jesus was born, but couldn't you have gotten him hotel reservations or something?" God could have, but he did not.

Jesus wanted everyone to know that what he was doing was thru the power of God, not because he was rich, or well educated, or had influential friends. Jesus wanted to make sure there would be no question in anyone's mind. The only way he could do what he did, the only way he could have received the wisdom he possessed, the only way he could save the world, was thru God's power and grace. The world would never understand, but his children would understand and would follow him.

Jesus said, in John 14:10-12, "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Jesus can relate to what you are going thru, having gone thru the same things we have. Jesus can truly relate to what we're going thru. He's been there himself. In Hebrews, Paul says that Jesus, our high priest, is not without mercy...

So, the next time God asks you to do something, don't ask, "Who am I? How could I do something like that?" Think of what that poor Jewish kid did by just stepping out and relying on God. And know that, by relying on God and his power, you can do "all these things, and more" _{(John 14:12)}, too. When God asks you to do something "foolish", don't worry. Jesus did a lot of "foolish" things, too. And yet it all works out for the best.

So the next time you sing "What Child Is This?", you'll know the answer.

Jesus was someone just like us.