I remember sitting as a kid in a wooden pew, staring up at a painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane inside our old brick Congregational church, thinking, “There’s no way he gets me. He’s God.” You probably know the painting — Jesus with a soft glow around His head like a holy Chernobyl survivor, hands perfectly folded, peacefully gazing up at some celestial spotlight in the clouds. (If that doesn’t sound familiar, do yourself a favor and Google “Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann.” Tell me that’s not exactly what I just described.)
Have you ever thought that — “Yeah, but Jesus was Jesus — I’m just me”? Totally human, totally flawed, totally overwhelmed.
But here’s the thing — so was Jesus (to clarify, flawed as in human, not flawed as in sinner).
Hebrews 2.17 says, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things…” Not some things. All things. Hebrews 4.15 similarly says: He was tempted in every way, just as we are — yet without sin. He wasn’t some untouched spiritual Clark Kent coasting through life. He got tired, hungry, betrayed, misunderstood, and tempted… deeply. And he feels it all with us.
That’s why He’s not just our Savior — he’s our Example.
Jesus said in John 14.12, “Whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and even greater things…” That means the goal isn’t just to believe in what he did — but to believe that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live like him too.
Here’s the challenge: If we believe Jesus can’t identify with us — can’t possibly understand what we’re going through — then John says we’re aligning with the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4.2-3). How? Because we’re denying that Jesus actually came in the flesh.
To say “Jesus doesn’t get me” is to say “Jesus didn’t really become one of us.” And that’s a big deal.
So this week, ask the Holy Spirit these two questions: Where am I an antichrist (believing Jesus doesn’t understand)? Jesus, amidst my struggle or temptation with _____ what did you do and how can the Holy Spirit help me overcome?
You can live like him — fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit in every circumstance and relationship in life.
God bless,
Nathan
