*Jesus Cried:

John tells us in John Chapter 11 that when Jesus saw the result of our fallen sinful nature which resulted in the natural death of Lazarus and the pain that it caused all those close to him, that He wept (11:35). Luke shares with us that when He could not reach His chosen people that He wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Finally, when Jesus got ready to face the cross, in His humanity the writer of Hebrews tells us that He wept and cried aloud to God His father that if possible He might bypass this necessary trial and suffering for our salvation (Heb 5:7-8). Jesus died for our sins, but this does not mean that His humanity enjoyed what was necessary for our salvation. Like we would have done, He cried out in tears against the thought of such suffering against His human nature.

Jesus body, like ours, was sustained by food and water. Many passages talk about the hunger that Jesus experienced (Mark 11:12, 21:18; Matthew 4:2)

Jesus knew what is was to be thirsty. He was thirsty when he came to Jacob’s well and so asked a woman to give Him a drink (John 4:7). Jesus became thirsty while hanging on the cross and cried out, "I am thirsty" (John 19:28).

The Psalmist writes, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep" (Ps 127:2). As a man and carpenter by trade, Jesus knew what it was to be tired and in need of rest. Matthew records that one time while they were crossing the sea in a raging storm, that Jesus was so exhausted that He slept through it (Matt 8:24).

Like all human beings, Jesus experienced what it was to be weary. When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Jacob’s well John tells us that Jesus being weary¹²⁵, sat on the well (John 4:6). Herbert Lockyer cites several things which bring weariness to the body:

1. Family strife can produce it (Gen 27:46).
2. Disappointment with life can bring it (Job 10:1; Ps 69:3).
3. Overmuch study leads to it (Ecc 12:12)
4. God speaks of being wearied by man’s iniquity (Is 43:24).
5. Sin impoverishes one’s physical vigor (Jer 9:5; Gen 19:11; Ecc 10:15).
6. Weariness is no respecter of age (Is 40:30).^118/122

Because Jesus had experienced what it was to be weary and exhausted as a man, he could say in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all who are weary¹²⁶ and heavy-laden and I will give you rest."

"Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3). Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew what it was to toil all day long in the hot sun. While in the wilderness and after not having had anything to eat for forty days, Satan tempted Jesus to act outside of the limitations of His humanity and to turn the stones into bread. While Jesus had the power as God to do this, had He done this He would be no man. Jesus refused to act outside of the limitations of His humanity and as a result knew what it was to be a man. Men work for their bread, they are not able to turn stones into bread. Therefore, Jesus labored and toiled as a carpenter for his own physical needs as well as His family’s needs.

Many years ago Jesus told me that if I truly walked with Him I would be rejected by men. When He said that, He was not just talking about the world, He meant that I would also be rejected by Christians as well. To the best of my ability I have walked with Jesus for thirty-four years and this walk with Jesus has resulted in both rejection from the world as well as from Christians. It has also resulted in ongoing poverty and at times being homeless.

Jesus said about Himself, "The Son of Man has no where to lay His head" (Lk 9:58, Matt 8:20). Why was this? Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches¹²⁷." He then goes on to explain what He means by this: He explains that if a person's focus in life is how he is going to feed himself, clothe himself and how he is going to provide for a place to stay, his concern won’t be Jesus’ will for His life. The end result will be that when Jesus through the Holy Spirit wants that person to do something, that person will not obey him, that person will say "No!"

This was the story about the rich young ruler. He prided himself in that he obeyed the ten commandments, that he was a good man. He thought for sure if anyone would be saved and go to heaven it would be him. But there was this gnawing in the back of his mind and in his conscious. So wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. At first Jesus told him what he wanted to here, "Obey the ten commandments;" but when this did not satisfy the young man, Jesus then went to the root of his problem: Jesus said, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me" (Matt 19:21). The next verse states that when the young man heard this that he walked away grieved because he owned much property. You see, this young man wasn’t trying to live for God at all. All his good works were not to serve God, but to convince himself that he was okay so he could live with himself living for himself. How was this proved? When Jesus told him what he wanted him to do to live for Him, which meant he would need to be freed of his property, not being able to say yes to the Holy Spirit and let go of the world, he walked away grieved and grieving the Holy Spirit.

Brothers and sisters, are you living for Jesus and doing with Your life what He has called You to do? Or are You using your religious works to convince yourself that you are okay in order to live for yourself and avoid what Jesus really wants you to do. To live for Jesus means the abandonment of self, vocation and plans for one’s soul, and all that You have, which includes your good works, so Jesus can lead you into the will and plan and works He has for You to do: the will and plan that He has for your soul. When money, things and property become more important than living for Jesus, you are no longer living for Jesus, you are living for yourself. This is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 16:24-27 when He said:

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his soul shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds."

This was why Jesus lived in poverty and had no where to lay his head; it was because He was living for and walking in obedience to His Father through the Holy Spirit in His life. Because he was, those who were not, including religious men as well as secular men, took offense at Him and persecuted Him. Because the religious leaders, who yes were religious but not truly living for God, took offense at Him, they did not follow or support him or support Him before the people. They did this because in truth despite how religious they were, they were not living for God but for themselves and for their own interests.

Jesus said about Himself as a man, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34).  Because He was living for God the Father as a man and not for Himself, the world and the Jews rejected Him and gave him no support. The end result was that He lived out His ministry in poverty and with no where to lay his head. The Apostle Paul wrote about Jesus, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). How was Jesus rich? He was Fully God. He could have meant the needs of His humanity any time He wanted to. Why didn’t He? He did not because God the Father called Jesus, God the Son, to become a Man with all of man’s limitations and to live for Him as a man. Because He did He suffered rejection and poverty from men who did not want Him to succeed because they were not living for God, but for themselves.

How offended were people toward Jesus because he was a man doing the will of His Father who was in heaven? So uncomfortable were they in the presence of His example that they all got together and decided that it was necessary to get rid of Him. So they took Jesus the man and hung Him on a cross and killed Jesus the man. Jesus, in order for our salvation, obeyed His father and suffered rejection, poverty and a humiliating death on the cross. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered" (Heb 5:8).

When a man walks with God, in heaven he will have a hundred times as much, but what can he expect in this temporary earthly life? He can expect rejection and poverty. The Bible states that Satan is the present god of this world and he rewards those living for him, not those living for God (2 Cor 4:3-4). J. Vernon McGee once said that he did not trust someone who was rich. This was because he knew that in this life, outside of discovering gold or an oil well, the only way you get rich is by selling your soul and walking over people to get there. Jesus the man lived for God the Father. His reward in the world was rejection and poverty. Herbert Lockyer wrote about Jesus’ state of poverty,

"Evidences of His poor estate are found in the way He lived on borrowed things. He was born in a borrowed stable; He dined at another’s table; when He slept in a bed, it was a borrowed one at Bethany; He sailed in another man’s boat; He rode on another man’s ass; for His need, he lived upon the money and food ministered unto Him by women who were His true followers; He was ultimately buried in a borrowed grave. Poor, He had nothing to leave, not even His clothes, which were gambled for by the soldiers who crucified Him."^118/125

Poverty, however is not Jesus’ end. The writer of Hebrews states, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2). Why did Jesus endure rejection and poverty? Because of the joy that awaited him in heaven. Through His poverty, rejection and death He purchased our salvation so that we might be saved and have fellowship with Him forever. The end of Jesus’ suffering was bringing about the redemption of millions of men and women that he will have loving fellowship with forever.

What will be our reward in heaven for serving Jesus? Jesus has already assured us that he has a home for each of us individually, but I don’t believe the reward of heaven is based in having material things. The rich of the world can tell you that things do not bring happiness. Things cannot love or relate to you, but people can. The reward of those who serve Christ is the hundreds of souls they allow Jesus to draw to Himself through them that they will have fellowship and relationship with in Heaven forever.

Jesus said to his disciples in John 15:11, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." While Jesus experienced grief and sorrows, yet at the same time and always He experienced joy. While happiness is dependent on circumstances, joy is not. Joy is an inner quality that is not dependent on circumstances. Jesus demonstrated to us by example that joy was meant to be an ongoing inner experience in the normal human life. The fact that we do not experience this moment by moment has to do with our fallen sinful nature. Paul wrote, "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Rom 14:17). Jesus had no sin. As a result, while He was abused by men, yet at the same time He had perfect unhindered communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and as a result unhindered joy. His prayer for us: "But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy made full in themselves" (John 17:3).

Isaiah said about Jesus, "He will not be disheartened or crushed, until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law" (Isaiah 42:4). Jesus was never discouraged, but He did experience disappointment. Jesus must have experienced disappointment when He cried over Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling" (Matt 23:37). Jesus must have been disappointed when many of his disciples went back to the world. In disappointment Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" (John 6:67). He must have felt disappointment in his hour of need when his disciples would not pray with Him (Matt 26:40). When Peter denied Him three times He looked at him surely with disappointment in His heart (Luke 22:60-62).