We have been exploring the whole health of Jesus, as Dr. Luke recorded it in Luke 2:52. In this verse Luke tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom (mental health), stature (physical health), in favor with God (spiritual health) and in favor with men (emotional/social health). Being unhealthy in any one of these areas will ultimately pull down the health in all of the areas.
The life of Jesus shows us that we, too, must strive to live wholly healthy lives.
Yesterday at Calvary Assembly of God, Scott asked a challenging question: “What if Jesus hadn’t been strong enough to make it to the top of Calvary’s hill?”
Think about the excruciating torture Jesus went through—
- He was sleep deprived.
- He was dehydrated from His intense prayer time in Gethsemane, where He sweat blood.
- He was emotionally depleted from having all of His friends abandon and deny Him.
- He was beaten multiple times by temple guards and Roman soldiers.
- He was brutally whipped to the point that His back muscles and nerves were exposed.
- He had thorns crushed into His scalp.
- He had His beard ripped out.
- He had to carry a 60- to 90-pound wooden crossbeam nearly 650 yards uphill.
All of this took place before He had metal spikes slammed through His wrists and ankles, and then was hoisted up rudely into the air to be suspended from His Cross.
Jesus went through all of that for you and me. In making it all the way to the point where He said, “It is finished,” He fulfilled every prophesy concerning His death.
The only way Jesus could have made it through this is if He was at optimal physical health.
If Jesus had died from exhaustion or heart attack or loss of blood before He was actually nailed to the Cross, how many of the prophesies would have been left unfinished? He needed to keep His physical body in tip-top shape throughout His entire earthly life in order to be ready for this one crucial moment.
Being physically weak makes it difficult for us to…
- …think clearly (mental health)
- …concentrate on the things of God (spiritual health)
- …control our emotions and respond appropriately to other people (emotional/social health)
So we, like Jesus, must work on our physical health. God has a plan for your life. In order for you to fulfill all God has in mind, you must be wholly healthy. Are you taking care of your physical body? If you’re not, you are slowly robbing all of the other areas of your life of the strength they need.
If you’re not as physically healthy as you could be, what are you willing to do differently?
Check out this 3-minute clip where Scott asks us what physical health changes we’re willing to make for God’s glory…
Craig T. Owens 