The Humanity of Christ

The Humanity of Christ; 

similar to another of my articles pertaining to his two natures.

Before starting this article the emphasis on the humanity of Christ is not without the reality that both the divine and human natures are intact with truth that they are equal.  There were several heresies that tried to dissuade their truths.  

The first heresies denied not so much Christ’s divinity as his true humanity (Gnostic Docetism).  Then we had the Nestorian heresy which regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God’s Son.  We had the Monophysites heresy which affirmed that human nature had ceased to exist as such when the divine person of God’s Son assumed it.   (cf CCC 465 - 467).   

What this thesis attempts to point out is what the human nature of Christ is all about.  When the divine nature of Christ assumed human nature he became Truly man while remaining Truly God.  (CCC 464).  

At the sixth ecumenical council, Constantinople III in 681, the Church confessed that Christ possesses two wills and two natural operations, divine and human.  They are not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that the Word made flesh willed humanly in obedience to his Father all that he had decided divinely with the Father and the Holy Spirit for our salvation.  Christ’s human will does not resist or oppose but rather submits to his divine and almighty will.  (CCC 475).

Our point here is to look at the human nature of Christ, without dismissing his divinity, and realizing that as a man Jesus had the same attributes of his counter-parts all men have.  Was he free of human traits wherein he didn’t have human weaknesses?  Could he get beyond the mistakes of human choices that were not sinful but maybe losing his temper over the wrong-doings of other people?  Was he exempt from twisting an ankle or cutting his fingers if he wasn’t watching what he was doing with sharp instruments?   Each of these are common occurrences with other men, so why not Christ?

Of course the answer to these and other mishaps were never any different than other men.  Jesus, as a man,  was no different than you or I because of the nature that was his and it makes the pervasiveness of humanity with him as it does with us.  

Most important is this truth that when Jesus performed a miraculous healing it wasn't just his divinity but both natures were always involved simultaneously.  And when he did anything a man would normally do he was using both natures collectively.  

This brings us to the Passion and death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary.  Both natures became  the brunt of his Passion.  The Agony in the garden of Getheminee, the trial with Pilate and Herod, his carrying his cross, the nailing of his body to the Cross, and his handing over his spirit to the Father.  One important fact, God couldn’t die, just human nature did.  At the Resurrection both natures once again were joined as will ours when our bodies are called forth.  

Christ’s death was a real death in that it put an end to his earthly existence.  But because of the union his body retained with the person of the Son, he was not a mortal corpse like others, for divine power preserved Chris’t body from corruption.  Both of these statements can be said of Christ:  “He was cut off from the land of the living,” and “My flesh will dwell in hope.  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see corruption.”  Jesus’ Resurrection “on the third day” was the proof of this, for bodily decay was held to begin on the fourth day after death.  (CCC 627).  

 Again, during Christ’s period in the tomb, his divine person continued to assume both his soul and his body, although they were separated from each other by death.  For this reason  the dead Christ’s body saw no corruption.  (Acts 13: 37)  (CCC 630(.  

To confirm that we all shall follow Christ in a resurrected body, the story of Christ at the Sea of Tiberias.  “When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”  They answered him, “No.”  So he said to them, “cast your net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.”   “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”  Jesus then said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”  (Jn 21: 4 - 6, 10, 12).    

After our resurrection, our bodies, the same yet different as in Christ’s body, will find glory and like Christ will live eternally, now joined with our yearning souls.  This will be eternal life with God.

Ralph B. Hathaway