“Human Like Me” – Do I Dare Write it?

Guest post by Michael Joshua.

I began this writing thing quite by accident. I have always felt like Christians do not take Christ’s human-ness seriously. You know, we can only see him as human while seeing him as God. I knew of an author that I thought could really give power to this premise, but could not reach him after several attempts. To which, my wife simply quipped, “Why don’t you just write the book?”

Now, she might have just been trying to get me out of the kitchen, but here I am over a year later, still writing. Look what she started.

For me, not seeing Jesus as one of us is a problem. I don’t think that God gave us a pseudo-human Savior; I believe he was totally human while being totally divine. To me, this means that he felt human emotions and reacted with human feeling:

· Frustrated with his followers (Matt 15:16 – “Are you still so dull?” NIV)

· Tired of the crowds (Mark 3:9 “Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him.” NIV)

· Anger at those selling in the temple (John 2:15 “…scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” NIV)

· Apprehension knowing the cross was at hand (Matt 26:39 “…let this cup pass from me…” KJV)

· Amazed at the centurion’s faith (Luke 7:9 “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him…” NIV)

· Pushed by his enemies (Luke 4:29 “They got up, and drove him out of town…” NIV)

· Thankful to God (Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” John 11:41 NIV)

· Falsely Accused over and over and over again – all the way to the cross

Jesus lived as a human for 33 years on this earth. Even John the Baptist wasn’t sure if he was the Christ. Doesn’t that tell you just how much like us Jesus truly was? I guess Jesus wasn’t wearing his halo around town.

The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?'” In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:

· The blind see,

· The lame walk,

· Lepers are cleansed,

· The deaf hear,

· The dead are raised,

· The wretched of the earth have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”

Luke 7:20-23 (The Message)

I suppose it is the same with us, I know it is with me. Sometimes when the Spirit nudges me, I wonder if it is the Spirit.

But I know. In my heart, I know.

With this tagline: “When I look in the mirror – Jesus looks back” – a thought became a manuscript. The words flowed from the scriptures through my heart to the page.

So, one nonfiction manuscript rejected several times does not deter me.

Two fiction manuscripts in my laptop clamor to be completed and released. As my characters moan and cry to be let out onto the page, I listen to the voice of the Spirit.

Inspirational Fiction – a driving force meant to inspire not only the reader, but the writer as well.

Whether I am ever published is not all that important.

I write for Him.