“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” —Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)
Excerpt from my just-released Book: Emptied
Introduction
This book is the result of my personal Bible Study. I will say from the outset, that I am not a Bible scholar with any formal higher education in theological or Biblical studies. (I have used my friend and scholar, Dr. Wayne Detzler to review this work). I read and study the Bible because I love to probe into it to look for answers to life’s questions, to hear God’s voice, and to come to know the author.
I try to keep it simple, saying that if God is real, He will keep His promise as written in the book of Hebrews to reward those who diligently seek him. I use basic Bible study tools and rely on some trusted reference material. As much as possible I start with my own study before resorting to commentaries and scholarly opinions. Before me, I keep Paul’s words to the Romans: “Do not be wise in your own opinion” (12:16). In other words, don’t think so highly of your thoughts.
There is much debate and divergent opinion on the topic of what it means that Jesus came in the flesh. Certainly, this topic has been studied and debated over the centuries by people much smarter and more studied than myself, with conclusions that run the spectrum of Jesus being fully God to Jesus being fully man to Jesus being fully God and fully man, and everything in between.
The results from my study I do not consider to be authoritative nor conclusive, but for my spiritual, relational, and intellectual satisfaction. I pray that it is relevant to others as I do feel strongly that however a Christ-follower comes out on this debate, it may have a dramatic impact on how a Believer lives out their life in Christ.
From when I first stepped forward to follow Jesus back in 1979 I was taught and understood that the person I chose to follow was both “Fully God and Fully Man”. What? How much God and how much man? While Jesus was on the earth was he still 100% God and 100% man? How does that work? I accepted this dual identity of Jesus as one of the great spiritual and Holy mysteries – an incomprehensible paradox that the human brain could never fully understand.
But, then I began to study the life of Jesus in the Gospels and a distinction began to unfold. More and more of what I read and studied seemed to reveal Jesus operating as a man and relying on the Father and the Holy Spirit as His source of power and wisdom. Hmmm? Something like we, as Christ-followers are taught to do.
So, I will humbly tell you right up front what my personal studied opinion is: Jesus, even as forever the eternal Son of God, while He walked this earth from birth, right up until when He breathed his last breath on the cross, chose to live his life while on earth fully as a man!
There, I said it! (Hopefully, we have moved beyond the days of the Puritan’s use of stocks, whips, severed ears, tongue piercing, and the gallows for people with differing religious opinions.)
I understand that most people who get upset at the emphasis on Jesus’ manhood, become upset because they think I (and others) are saying Jesus was just a good man or that He was only a prophet—that He was only a son of God like all humans are sons of God. Let me be as clear as I can—even as a man, Jesus never stopped being a part of the Triune Godhead, the eternal Son of God. Some people just don’t believe it is possible that Jesus could empty Himself of His power and privilege and still be God. Until convinced otherwise, I do.
Two (not perfect) Examples:
One example of what Jesus did is found in the hit TV show, Undercover Boss. In the show, the high-level executive, often the CEO, decides (chooses) to hide their identity by putting on a disguise and taking on the appearance of a low-level employee. He/she does this to experience what goes on at the very foundational level of their organization and to understand the challenges the employees face, all to gain insight as to how they can make their organization better. Yet, even though they have put on a disguise and chosen to put aside all the power and privilege of their position, they are still the CEO. They can choose at any moment to pick back up their power and privilege. Eventually, they do.
A similar example might be Mark Twain’s classic, The Prince and the Pauper. In this story, the prince finds a commoner who was his doppelganger (a counterpart who looked just like him). He decides that he wants to see what life is like outside of the safe confines of the palace, so he switches clothes with his double and leaves all his princely privilege and power behind. On the outside, he is humbled to find how harsh and ugly the world is as a commoner. Yet, by lineage and blood, he is still the prince and is eventually restored to his rightful place.
Like Undercover Boss and the Prince and the Pauper, even though Jesus put on the disguise of a servant and emptied himself of his Godly power and privilege, he continued to be the Son of God.
What follows in this book is my rationale, based on the Biblical evidence for this opinion.
Christ in Heaven, from the beginning, was/is/will forever be God, equally God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Son of God came down to earth and chose to be fully man. As the Spirit-filled Messiah he died, was raised from the dead and ascended back to Heaven to be restored to His rightful place.
The following are my 10 Scripture Exhibits of Evidence which have led me to believe that for a tiny slice of eternity, Jesus chose not to exercise His Godly power and privilege, but came down to earth to live fully as a man.
10 Exhibits of Biblical Evidence That Jesus (The Son of God) Chose to Live Life Fully as a Man While He Walked the Earth
- Based Upon “The Emptying” in Philippians 2:5-8
- Based Upon the Testimony of Biblical Figures
- Based Upon Jesus Needing to be Filled/Led by the Spirit
- Based Upon Jesus Being Tempted, While God Cannot Be Tempted
- Based Upon Jesus Needing to Pray
- Based Upon Confirmation of The Source of Jesus’ Miraculous Power
- Based Upon the Continued Miracles Performed by His Disciples
- Based Upon Jesus, The Son of God, Choosing to Walk Like a Man by Faith
- Based Upon Jesus, The Son of God, Choosing to Walk like a Man Having His Own Will.
- Based Upon Jesus as a Man Appearing to be NOT Omniscient or “All-Knowing”
Emptied – Jesus: Son of God & The Perfect Man
So, what could Dave Tucker write about Jesus that has not already been written?
Jesus operating as a man and relying on God-the-Father and the Holy Spirit as His source of strength and wisdom is not a new revelation. What may be new is that I am not aware of there being a complete compilation of the Biblical evidence supporting the conclusion that Jesus, THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD chose to live his life on earth fully as a man.
Many Christians already believe this to be true, while many do not, and likely many more have not even given it significant thought. I do feel strongly that however a Christ-follower comes out on this debate, it may have a dramatic impact on how a Believer lives out their life in Christ. If nothing else, I believe many will find the evidence compelling and well worth every Christian’s consideration.
You can find EMPTIED on Amazon at:
Reactions To EMPTIED
“Love Dave’s insightful and provocative writing! With Emptied, Dave gives clarity to what it means for Jesus to be ‘fully man’ while not sacrificing any of His divinity. The conclusions are both challenging and motivating for the sincere Christ-follower!” Pastor, Dan McCandless
“In Emptied, Tucker dares to examine one of the most profound mysteries in all of scripture. Theologians call it Kenosis. He masterfully examines how “the Word became flesh” and leads us to a renewed, reverential awe of Jesus Christ.” Keith Guinta, Thought-Provoking Christian Blogger (winepatch.org)
Tucked In and Lamps Burning 