Some Christians today may not believe properly in the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Many years ago, a certain person told me that he did not believe that the Lord Jesus, as the One in the heavens, still possesses the human nature. This person thought that after His resurrection the Lord put off His humanity. To such a person we need to preach the humanity of Jesus.
Stephen’s experience in Acts 7 proves that even in His ascension the Lord Jesus is still a man. Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:56). When Stephen saw the ascended Lord, he saw Him as a man.
The Lord’s word to the high priest in Matthew 26 is further proof that He still has His humanity: “Henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64). The high priest was inquiring if the Lord Jesus was the Son of God (v. 63). In His answer the Lord acknowledged that He is the Son of God, but He went on to say that in His ascension and at His coming back on the clouds He will be the Son of Man. Therefore, the Lord was a man not only on earth before His crucifixion, but also in the heavens at the right hand of God after His resurrection and ascension.
In John 1:51 the Lord Jesus said to Nathanael, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This is the fulfillment of Jacob’s dream (Gen. 28:11-22). Christ as the Son of Man with His humanity is the ladder set up on earth and leading to heaven. This word spoken by the Lord to Nathanael refers to eternity. This means that in eternity Christ will still be the Son of Man. Therefore, He will have both divinity and humanity forever.
At the time of the apostle John, some denied that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Concerning this, John said, “Every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh is out of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus, is not out of God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:2-3). It is a great heresy to deny the fact that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
It is also heretical to deny that Christ is a creature with respect to His humanity. We have been strongly opposed for teaching, according to Colossians 1:15, that with regard to His humanity the Lord Jesus is a creature. But those who deny that the Lord is a creature fall into the category of those who deny that Christ has come in the flesh. To say that Jesus is not a creature equals to say that He did not become flesh. Is flesh not a created thing? To be sure, flesh and blood are created elements. The blood shed by the Lord Jesus on the cross was surely something created by God.
If we make a thorough study of the word, we shall see that, on the one hand, our Lord is the Creator and that, on the other hand, He is also a creature. As God, He is the Creator; as a man, He is a creature. Is a man not part of God’s creation? Of course, man is included in God’s creation. Since the Lord Jesus became a man with blood and flesh, both of which are created elements, He is also a creature with respect to His humanity.
It is heretical to deny the fact that the Lord Jesus is a creature, just as it is blasphemous to deny the fact that He is God. According to the Scriptures, we say that Jesus is both God and man, that our Lord is both the Creator and a creature. He is truly the all-inclusive One. This all-inclusive One is both God and man, both the Creator and a creature.
In 9:25 we see something very surprising concerning Saul—he had disciples. This verse definitely and clearly speaks of “his disciples.” Saul, who was once a leading persecutor of Jesus, now has disciples following him. The point we would make concerning this is that Saul’s having disciples indicates that his preaching was powerful and prevailing. Through his preaching people were gained for the Lord.
Saul’s powerful, prevailing preaching stirred up the opposition of the Jews, who “consulted together to do away with him” (v. 23). We are told that they “watched the gates closely, both day and night, so that they might do away with him” (v. 24). Since Saul had no way to escape, “his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket” (v. 25). Therefore, in a way that was not at all glorious, Saul escaped from the opposers in Damascus. This way of escape was according to the Lord’s sovereignty.
The Lord Jesus did a wonderful work in turning His leading persecutor into a prevailing preacher. This change took place within a very short period of time.
Saul’s experience exposes the shortness of today’s seminaries. A person may attend a seminary to be trained in the way of knowledge, but become spiritually “flat” by the time he completes his education. We may say that Saul of Tarsus attended the Lord’s “seminary” and “graduated” after a short while to become a prevailing preacher. Unlike many preachers today, Saul did not try to teach and preach in the way of psychology. Instead, he came forth to tell people that this One is the Son of God and the Christ. As a result, he even gained disciples. However, eventually it became necessary for him to escape and go to Jerusalem.
Although a great deal had taken place in Damascus, Jerusalem had not heard the news concerning it. For this reason, when Saul tried to join the disciples, they “all feared him, not believing that he was a disciple” (v. 26). They could not believe that this opposer was now a disciple of the Lord Jesus. They were still afraid of him. But in His sovereignty the Lord provided Barnabas, a son of encouragement (4:36). Barnabas took hold of Saul and “led him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He spoke to him, and how in Damascus he spoke boldly in the name of Jesus” (9:27). Then Saul remained with them, “going in and going out in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord” (v. 28).
According to 9:29, Saul was “speaking and discussing with the Hellenists,” that is, with the Greek-speaking Jews. As Saul debated with them, they were offended and “attempted to do away with him” (v. 29). When the brothers realized what was happening, they decided to send Saul back to Tarsus. Therefore, 9:30 concludes this section by saying, “They brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.”