Jesus

“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:52‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. Jesus was the Creator who became a man to redeem us.
“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The word "Adam" means "man". The first Adam (man) was created from the dust of the ground (see Genesis 2:7). The second Adam (man) was the LORD from heaven. The Holy Spirit gives us this understanding concerning Him in 1 Corinthians 15:
“The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:45-49‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus had to come into the human world through a vessel of humanity (Mary - woman). God, who transcends time, stepped into the realm of time and manifest Himself to us in the form of the Son of God! This is why Jesus has the titles "Son of God" and "Son of man". He was both God and man! Jesus came in the likeness of sinful man (that is, He took upon Himself a human body) to experience life in human form from conception to Calvary!
“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus grew up from a baby to a toddler, to a pre-teen, to a teenager, to an adolescent, and to adulthood. He experienced every facet of human life. He did this to identify with us and to overcome the curse of sin that had been imposed upon us  from the fall of man in Genesis 3.
In the Old Testament a priest could not serve until he was age 30.
“List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭4:3 NLT‬‬
(see also Numbers 4:23, 30, 35, 39, 43, and 47).
“Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry...."
Luke 3:23a NLT
Jesus was born to die as the sacrifice for our sins. He had a purpose in His life of just 33 years. He chose His disciples and for 3 to 3 1/2 years He taught them in the school of Divinity. You could say that they all got their Master's degree from the Doctor of Divinity! He lived His human life on earth until the time of His appointed death by crucifixion. The reason He was born as a man had come to full fruition. He was the High Priest of eternity!
“While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5:7-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Just a brief note on Melchizedek: He was a Christophany (an Old Testament appearance of Jesus). Melchizedek had no earthly Father and mother and no descendants.
“This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.”
There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭7:1-3 NLT‬‬
Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils to this High Priest of the Most High God (Hebrew - El-Elyon). You only give tithe to God! In Genesis 14 we read the account of Abraham's encounter with Melchizedek.
Melchizedek served Abram (later changed to Abraham - see Genesis 17:1-8) bread and wine (see Genesis 14:18). These are the elements of communion. This was a foreshadowing of what Jesus - The High Priest would do.
Melchizedek was called "king of justice" and "king of Salem" meaning "King of Justice/Righteousness" and "King of Peace". Isaiah 9:6 says this about Jesus:
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭9:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Jesus is our eternal High Priest!
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
We must learn to appreciate and value what our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us! The life He lived, what He did, and what is now available through Him is nothing less than a gift of God - absolute redemption and full, free access to God. In Him we are restored! One day we will get to thank Him face to face.
“And they will see his face...."
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Hallelujah!!!!!!!

Curtis R. Norris