Hark! what mean those holy voices

THE LORD JESUS AS A MAN

IN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

The second main point of the Gospel of Luke shows how Jesus the Nazarene, a man, was in His relationship with God. There are seven points regarding this.

Glorifying God

First, the Lord Jesus came to the earth to glorify God (2:14, 20; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47). When He was born, the angel said to the shepherds, “Glory in the highest places to God, and on earth peace among men of His good pleasure” (2:14). As a man, the Lord Jesus brought glory to God. All four Gospels record miracles performed by the Lord Jesus, but the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John rarely indicate that He performed miracles in order to glorify God. However, the Gospel of Luke often says that the people glorified God after the Lord Jesus performed a miracle. The Gospel of Luke refers to glorifying God at least six times (5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47), because its central subject is to show the way that Jesus the Nazarene glorified God as a man.

Caring for the Things of God

from the Time of His Youth

Second, the Lord cared for the things of God from the time of His youth. When the child Jesus was twelve years old, He sat in the midst of the teachers in the temple, hearing them and questioning them. Those who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers (2:41-47) … The Lord Jesus had human feelings because He had the human element. However, even at the age of twelve, He was able to put aside His family relationship and affection in order to care for the things of God.

Living before God

Third, the man Jesus lived before God; He was a man who always prayed. The Gospel of Luke most frequently records that the Lord Jesus prayed and taught others to pray. In this Gospel the Lord Jesus lived before God but rarely revealed Himself as the Son of God; rather, He always stood in the position of the Son of Man. On many occasions He acted only as a man who lived before God and did not reveal Himself as the Son of God or the Lord of heaven and earth. The Gospel of Luke shows that He was a man who lived before God: He went into God’s presence to inquire of God. Everything He did was for God and was to bring people before God and to bring people back to God. All His words and deeds were in God’s presence, and He often had contact with God.

Doing God’s Will

Fourth, the man Jesus did the will of God. No Gospel speaks more emphatically of Christ living in the will of God than the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John speaks of Him as God’s Son, and as a Son, He surely did the will of God and walked according to the Father’s will. The Gospel of Matthew speaks of Him as God’s King, and as a King, He surely submitted to God’s authority and exercised God’s authority, submitting to the will of God. Likewise, the Gospel of Mark speaks of Him as God’s Slave, and as a Slave, He surely did the will of God even more. However, the Gospel of Luke does not emphasize His being a Son, a King, or a Slave but His being a proper human being and, thus, a man who did the will of God. Obeying God as the Son, submitting to God as the King, and submitting to God’s will as the Slave should not be considered so marvelous. However, submitting to the will of God as a Man is a marvelous thing.

Choosing the Cross

Fifth, the man Jesus chose the cross. Some people may say, “The Gospel of Matthew speaks of Him as a King who chose the cross, and the Gospel of Mark speaks of Him as a Slave who chose the cross. Why does the Gospel of Luke, which presents Him as a man, also speak of His choosing the cross? ” Choosing the cross was the basic secret of His living as a man before God. If we are not under the cross, it is impossible to submit to God’s authority, impossible to serve God, and impossible to be a proper human being. The cross enables us to submit to God’s authority, to serve God, and to be a proper human being before God. Only by knowing and receiving the cross can we be under God’s authority, serve God properly, and live before God as proper human beings.

Not Making a Display of Himself

Sixth, the Lord never made a display of Himself in His living before God. The Gospel of Matthew shows that He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, but He was not making a display. Also, as the Slave of God in the Gospel of Mark, He did not make a display of Himself. In the Gospel of Luke we see a person who absolutely lived before God, lived for God, and was acceptable to God; He did not make a display of Himself. Other than the account of the manifestation of His glory in His transfiguration on the mount, it is not easy to find an instance in the Gospel of Luke that shows the Lord making a display of Himself as anything other than just a man. He rarely revealed that He was the Son of God, and He rarely presented His strengths and merits. Whenever He did something, He put God’s glory first, because His coming to be a man was to glorify God, not to make a display of Himself.

Not Having His Own Enjoyment

Seventh, the Lord did not have His own enjoyment. The Gospel of Luke shows Him living before God, but we do not see Him having any enjoyment for His own sake. He did not make a display of Himself, nor did He have enjoyment for His own sake. He came from a lowly family, and He was born in a manger and grew up in a laboring household. His father in the flesh, Joseph, was a carpenter, and He followed him to become a carpenter in His youth. His human living before God was without any enjoyment for His own sake.

The above points explain the aspect of the Lord Jesus as a man in His relationship with God. I hope that we will remember these points so that when we read the Gospel of Luke, we will appreciate the beauty of the Lord Jesus to God even more. His beauty was connected to these seven points.

A Study of the New Testament
in the Light of Christ as Life
Chapter 6 (LSM)
CWWL, 1955, vol. 1

Cawood was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, England. Since he was born in humble circumstances, he received a limited education. Through study and diligence he eventually became a curate in the Church of England. He wrote 17 hymns, none of which he personally published. - Songs of the Spirit by Martin