I apologize. Shoulda left this thread alone.
That'd be boring. I'm convinced that the inhabitants of this little cage are a little too cozy a little too often. Rattle it as hard as you like.
Jesus being God, did He have to eat?
Yes
Also, there is a lot of text here about Jesus being an example. That's true I suppose, but it isn't the point by any stretch of the imagination. And I suspect that the logic behind Jesus being an
example of the way is what may be behind the original question. Jesus didn't come as an
example in order to show us the way, he came in order to
be the way. The logic presented in the Bible is that Jesus was fully human, and, therefore, had to actually experience all of the things that humans experience - from the mundane and uncomfortable bodily functions (like eating and illness) to the spiritual and emotional struggles and pain (Jesus didn't just cry as a baby!) He also faced the same test that we did: will we trust and obey the Father's word? He passed where we fail, and that's what qualifies him to be the only human to truly live as humans are intended to live: ruling alongside the Creator (see Genesis 1). If Jesus is merely and only an example, a god putting on a show for us, then his life, death, and resurrection are just that: a show. It's all pretend, and therefore, pretty meaningless. In order for the Gospel to make sense, Jesus must be fully human (in order the fulfill the purpose and calling of
humanity)
and also fully divine (because humanity is too corrupted by its own sin and the resultant Death to save its own Life - that can only be dealt with by
God). I know it's a paradox, but I don't see another way to make sense of the situation. Do you all have a different understanding?
...and another thing: many seem to be conflating the idea of sacrifice with the idea of punishment. Animal sacrifice in the Bible was never about punishment for sin. Period. While sacrifice does deal with the problem of sin, the
punishment for sin is exile and/or death. In order to get this right, we really have to do some work in Leviticus (so it's no wonder most of us don't see it. Who reads Leviticus?). We need to start a little earlier, however. In Exodus, God rescues a poor and oppressed people from slavery to the kingdoms of Earth, and His desire is to dwell with them and to personally be their King. In order for this to happen, there are a few obstacles. The first is the need for a dwelling place for God's holy presence; this is dealt with in the second half of Exodus with the construction of the tabernacle. The obstacle that Leviticus deals with is that the people cannot approach God's presence. He is the source of all Life and Blessing, and all of humanity is corrupted by Death and Curse as a result of sin (see Genesis 3). They cannot be in the same space without causing a problem (God's presence will leave or the humans will die - thus preventing God's plans for His people from ever happening). So God provides a way forward: the sacrificial system. The blameless life of the animal does two things: first, it covers/washes the stain of sin/death/curse (which threatens to contaminate God's dwelling); and second, it enters into God's presence since the corrupted human cannot (without suffering immediate death). With this system in place, humans can live in and experience the presence of God. Thus, biblical sacrifice is about vicarious substitution -not so that our sins are
punished, but so that we can enter into God's holy
presence. This system does not deal with the punishment for sin at all. The punishment or consequences of intentional sin is not absolved through the sacrificial system, it is meted out in the form of exile and death. Rather than experiencing life in God's presence, one experiences death outside in God's absence. Now interestingly, Jesus is presented to us in the Bible as a sacrifice and as having received the punishment of our sin. His blameless life covers the stain of our sin and allows us to enter into God's presence, and he also experienced death outside of the city because of the sin of the people. Maybe this is what makes it confusing for us. He does both even though they aren't the same thing. I hope that makes sense. Any way, the next questions for the Israelites in the Torah is whether they will allow themselves to be ruled and guided by God as their King - that's in Numbers. We Christians (because of Jesus) should see ourselves as living the same story from Exodus through Leviticus and out into the wilderness in Numbers on our way to the Promised Land. First, salvation: by crying out to God in the midst of our slavery to corrupt human kingdoms, he will provide a way out. Second, life in God's presence is available through the life and death of Jesus. In God's presence we can hear His Torah and learn to become holy and experience the life of blessing that He desires for us. Third, having been saved and having learned God's instruction for our lives, we must follow Him out into the wilderness and live under His rule and authority as He leads us into the Promised Land.