ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR

Did Jesus wear diapers? Did Jesus learn to say “Abba”? Did Jesus need to take naps? To all three, if we have a biblical theology of Jesus and the body, we must answer “yes.” Often, we focus on Jesus’ spiritual nature, but we need to reclaim an understanding of Jesus’ body as well. When we pay attention to how Jesus lived in his human body, we better understand how to live in our bodies to enjoy and glorify the Lord.

Our Savior Learned and Grew

The Bible teaches that Jesus learned and grew. Yes, Jesus was sinless, no doubt, but in his humanity, he had to learn; he had to grow. Luke 2:52 tells us, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (NIV). Jesus didn’t emerge from Mary’s womb potty-trained. Jesus grew from a small baby into an average-sized Hebrew male before he began his earthly ministry. Jesus had to learn how to speak Aramaic and Hebrew, how to read Isaiah, and how to write his alphabet.

Just as God designed Jesus to learn and grow, he designed us to learn and grow as well. We can learn new things, like how to play the piano or how to study Scripture. We grow physically, and even when our bodies are fully grown, we can and should continue to increase in “wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man,” by living in our bodies wisely, eating and drinking and exercising and touching and playing to the glory of God.

Our Savior Ministered through His Body

Not only did Jesus grow and learn in his body, he also used his entire body in ministry, employing his physical senses: he touched, he felt touch, he looked, he listened, he spoke. Jesus healed a leper, perhaps one of the most untouched people in his world, by touching him (see Matthew 8:2-3). Jesus healed a hemorrhaging woman inadvertently when she touched the hem of his garment. Rather than being angry when he felt power leaving his body, he “looked around,” (Mark 5:32) using his sense of sight to locate the woman and using his voice to praise her faith. Jesus healed a blind man by mixing dirt with spit and rubbing it on his eyes then telling him to wash. Though he could have healed all these people with only a word, (see the centurion’s servant in Luke 7:1-10 and the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19), at times he used his body as part of the healing process.

In the same way, we can use our bodies to minister to broken people. In a world in which touch has often been perverted from its original purpose, we can be people who touch wholesomely, lovingly, kindly. In a world in which too many eyes are fixed on screens, we can make eye contact with a hurting woman who dares to be seen by us, and we can let her know that she is seen and loved by God. In a world in which many people block out sound with earphones, we can use our ears to listen as Jesus listened, and we can respond actively, with compassion suiting the context.

Our Savior Ministered Through Food and Drink

Jesus also ministered the gospel with his body in the way he viewed and enjoyed food and drink. The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a “glutton and a drunkard.” While the Bible gives no evidence that Jesus was a “glutton and a drunkard,” the accusation arose because he often hung out with people who were. Jesus’ first miracle was changing water into wine, and yes, it was wine, good wine, the best wine (John 2:1-11). Another time, Jesus ordered the disciples to feed more than five thousand people after they suggested he send them home for dinner. The disciples scrounged up five loaves of bread and two fish, which Jesus transformed into a meal to feed the multitudes (Mark 6:30-43). And while this miracle does demonstrate spiritual realities about God’s abundant provision, it also points to Jesus’ practical awareness of physical needs.

What can we learn from the Jesus who feasted and drank and supplied hearty food and delicious wine to others? We can learn first, to attend to our bodies’ physical needs, to eat and drink to the glory of God. We can also learn to live out our union with Christ by throwing and attending lavish parties, by sharing our mom’s bread pudding recipe and trying our neighbor’s home-brewed cider. We can enjoy God’s good gifts even as we share his joy in feasting and drinking with others.

Although we can follow Jesus’ example in many of his bodily actions, there is one place he went we will never go. Jesus suffered on the cross and physically died to save sinners. In this, Jesus was our substitute, not our example. And yet, because Jesus offered his sinless body as our sacrifice, everything has changed for those who trust in him. In Christ, we are “raised to new life,” (Colossians 3:1), born again spiritually (John 3:3); in Christ, we are empowered to live in our bodies differently, seeing them as gifts of God, employing them for the purpose of enjoying and glorifying God. Not only do we have life eternal in our spirits, we will one day receive resurrection bodies when Jesus returns (in his ascended bodily form) to bring us into the new heavens and the new earth. Because we have such a great salvation, let us live in our bodies with renewed faith, hope, and love.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Turnage

Elizabeth Turnage is a writer, story coach, and teacher. She founded Living Story to help people learn, live, and love the gospel. She is the author of The Waiting Room: 60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in a Health Crisis and the Living Story Bible Study Series (P & R), Elizabeth offers gospel-centered resources at her blog, www.elizabethturnage.com.

Elizabeth has been married to orthopedic surgeon Kip Turnage for 36 years. They enjoy spending time with their children, Kirby and Amy Anne Turnage, Jackie and Matt Roelofs, Mary Elizabeth and Caleb Blake, and Robert Turnage. When they are not working or visiting their kids, they enjoy doting on their golden doodle, Rosie, the “best-dog-ever”!