Hebrews 4: 9 “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
As Believers in Christ Jesus, we must be diligent when it comes to our relationship not only with Christ but also with the Word of God. As it says above, “walk even as He walked”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Jesus must have spent a considerable amount of time studying the Old Covenant (The Word of God). At the age of 12, He baffled the teachers and scholars of the Law. They were astounded at His wisdom at such a young age (Luke 2: 41-52). While studying the Old Covenant, I believe in time He understood who He was…the Word of God Incarnate. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it. We often get this ill-begotten idea that He just knew it all on the day He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in His mother’s womb. However, if we were to ask His earthly parents, they would probably say He was just like the rest of their kids; His diapers needed changing, He cried when feeling hungry or when needing to be cuddled, and made the same cooing sounds just like the rest of us. Although He was wholly God, He also was wholly human. Included on that list, Jesus learned how to read and practiced Judaism. He conquered reading comprehension while studying the Torah like any other Jewish young boy. He may have picked up on things a bit faster than other kids because there was no sinful or rebellious nature found in Him. When at the age of 12 He went missing for 3 days. That was not rebellion; that was obedience to His biological Father:
Philippians 2: 5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
This phrase in verse 7 “but made Himself of no reputation”, according to the revelation given to the Apostle Paul is the Greek word kenoō, from Thayer Definitions meaning:
1) to empty, make empty
1a) of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God
2) to make void
2a) deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect
3) to make void
3b) cause a thing to be seen to be empty, hollow, false
Part of Speech: verb
Solomon said it’s the little foxes that spoil the vines (Son. 2:15). Often we misinterpret the Word of God because we will not do the little things, such as simply looking up the meaning a word or a phrase in its original language. Its little things like that will cause us to follow after blind guides, and Jesus warned us about that ditch. Just reading scripture or daily devotionals are not enough. If that is what you depend on for your daily bread (2nd Tim. 2:15), you may find yourself lacking when standing in the presence of Christ one day. Please, do not get me wrong. Please do not get me wrong, I don’t think of myself more highly than anyone else. Much like Paul, I daily forget the things I’ve left behind and press forward toward that high calling. I have not arrived (Phil. 3:13-14).
As we can see in Philippians 2: 7, Christ emptied Himself of His former glory (John 17:5), and live among mankind as one of us. He maintained His divine nature without having to struggle with a sinful nature. Yet, He was tempted, tried, and tested by the enemy just like you and I. Heb. 4: 15 “For we do not have a High Priest (Christ) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
He lived as a man and functioned as the Prophet Moses spoke of:
Deut. 15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, 16 according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ 17 “And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”
We know that in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus was revealed as the Word of God made flesh. If you have a copy of the Old and New Testament, you also have the Word of God. The same author of the Gospel of John writes again in Revelation 19: 11 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
