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I. THE REAL HUMANITY OF JESUS.

1. While we always contend that Christ is God, let us never lose the firm conviction He is truly man. His humanity was real, for He was born. The gate by which we enter upon the first life, He passed through also. In the circumstances of His birth He is completely human; He is as weak and feeble as any other babe. As He grows up, the very growth shows how completely human He is. "He grows in stature, and in favour both with God and man." When He reaches man's estate, He gets the common stamp of manhood upon His brow. "In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread." The carpenter's shop must witness to the toils of a Saviour, and when He becomes the preacher still we read such significant words as these — "Jesus, being weary, sat thus on the well." We find Him needing to betake Himself to rest in sleep, and if sorrow be the mark of real manhood, certainly Jesus has the truest evidence of being a man. If to hunger and to thirst be signs that His manhood is no fiction, you have these. Since the day when the prince of the power of the air obtained dominion in this world, men are tempted, and He, though born pure and holy, must not be delivered from temptation. If, since we have fallen and must endure temptation, we have need to pray, so had He. Leave out sin, and Christ is the perfect picture of humanity. And lastly, as the whole human race must yield its neck to the great iron-crowned monarch, so must Christ give up the ghost.

2. Having thus insisted upon the humanity of Christ, let us gather a few reflections from it.

1. Let us marvel at His condescension. well said, "I do not wonder at any miracle, but I do marvel at this, which is a miracle among miracles, that God should become man." That God should make a creature out of nothing is certainly a marvellous manifestation of power, but that God should take that creature into intimate union with His own nature — this is the strangest of all acts of condescending love. A prince who puts aside his crown, and clothes himself with beggar's rags to investigate the miseries of his country, is but a worm condescending to his fellow worm. An angel that should lay aside his beauty, and become decrepit, and walk the streets in pain and poverty to bless the race of man, were but a creature humbling himself to creatures a little lower than himself.

2. See the fitness of Christ for His work! He is a perfect man, and so "can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, seeing He was tempted in all points like as we are." Being not ashamed to call us brethren, He can compassionate the ignorant and those who are out of the way.

3. Behold His near relationship and union to His people. He is no stranger, He is our Brother; nay, our Head. Not a head of gold, and feet of clay, or limbs of baser metal; but as we are, so was He, that as He is so might we be.

4. See the glory of manhood now restored! Man was but a little lower than the angels, and had dominion over the fowl of the air, and over the fish of the sea. That royalty he lost. But all this is given back to us. We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour. It is our nature, Jesus in our manhood, who is now Lord of providence, which sits upon the throne of God at this very day.

5. Rejoice that a blessed channel is opened by which God's mercy can come to us!

6. See what a door of access is thus opened between us and God!

7. See how safe we are! Our soul's estate was once put in the hands of Adam; he was a fallible man; how unsafe our salvation was then! The salvation of every believer now is in the hand of a man; it is the man Christ Jesus! But what a man! Can He fail? Can He sin? Can He fall?

8. Here is your adoption! You become sons of God, because Christ becomes a son of man.

9. Here is your acceptance! The man, Christ, is accepted, and you, since He stands for you, are accepted in Him.

II. THE HUMANITY AS IT IS HERE DESCRIBED — "Holy Child."

1. Christ's humanity was perfectly holy. Upon this doctrine you are well established; but you may well wonder that Jesus was always holy. He is conceived of a woman, and yet no sort of sin cometh from His birth. He is educated in the midst of sinful persons. It could not be otherwise. He goes into the world, and as a physician must mingle with the sick, so He is found in the very worst of society. The harlot may speak to Him, and from the publican He turns not away, yet from none of these did He receive any corrupt influence. He is tempted, but the prince of this world came and had nothing in Christ. Imputation of sin would be the nearest approach to making our Lord a sinner; but let it ever be remembered that though Jehovah made Him to be sin for us, yet He knew no sin, and even in the conflict, when all the powers of hell were let loose against Him, and when God Himself had withdrawn — which would have hardened our hearts, but did not harden His.

2. Christ is called a "Holy Child" because His character is more aptly pictured by that of a child than that of a man. If you conceive of a perfectly holy child, you have then before you a representation of Christ. There is that in holy childhood which you cannot find even in holy manhood. You note in child. hood —

(1) Simplicity, the absence of all cunning. We dare not in manhood usually wear our heart upon our sleeve as children do.

(2) Humbleness. There is a king's daughter, and here is a gipsy child. Leave them in a room and see if they will not be at play together in five minutes. If it had been the queen and the gipsy woman they would have sat as far apart as possible. Christ is King of kings. Yet He is always with the poor and needy. You do not find little children sitting down and planning how they shall win crowns, popularity, or applause. They are quite satisfied to do their father's will, and live on his smile. It is so with Christ. When they would have made Him a king, He went and hid Himself.

(3) Obedience. Was it not so with Jesus His whole life long?

(4) A forgiving temper. We know that sometimes the blood comes up in the little face, and a little angry quarrel ensues, but it is soon over. Well, with Jesus this characteristic of childhood is carried out to the fullest extent, for His latest words are, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."(5) There is something very sweet in this picture of Christ's humanity, because we are none of us afraid to approach a child. Come then, and tell Jesus everything. Whatever your trouble or difficulty may be, stand not back through shame or fear.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

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KJV: And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

WEB: Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness,