Jesus of Nazareth, the Crown of Mankind

The local newspaper took a picture of downtown Wabash Avenue during a playoff game at Indiana State University. The street was deserted, with not a soul or car in sight. Even businesses that operated in the evening played the radio broadcasts over their sound systems. We all were invested and proud of the team and Larry Bird in particular.

Having lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, during the 1970s, I know Larry Bird’s impact on ISU’s basketball team. All activity stopped when Larry played. You may think this is hyperbolism, but it’s not. The entire city attended, watched, or listened to every game.

This is the nature of humanity. Across the globe, the human race rejoices in exceptional leadership. We innately know that a God-given mandate rests upon us. We are the stewards of Earth, even if we deny it. We have the authority to form governments, pass laws, administer justice, protect people, and promote peace. God has charged us to create gardens where all that live within them thrive¹.

We may rarely think about the human race, but we are always at the forefront of God’s thoughts. The Psalmist declares, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth²!” and in verses five and six, “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands.”

Since the first Adam, God has intended for mankind to be ruler³ over His creation that He spoke into existence⁴. Imagine if Adam had not sinned. No one would have ever died, leaving Adam as the head of mankind and the chief representative of humanity to God. Of course, the first Adam did sin, making mankind subject to death, eternal punishment, and to the “prince of this world⁵.” But God never fails⁶!

We see in Hebrews 2:5-9 that the author refers to Psalms, chapter eight, and by the Holy Spirit, shows us that God’s Christ⁷ stepped in and fulfilled all of God’s requirements to be the “Larry Bird” of His creation. Jesus stepped out of His rightful place in heaven and became “the last Adam, a life-giving spirit⁸,” regaining paradise for God’s children.

Jesus came into the world fully human, yet He remained God. He is both the Son of Man⁹ and the Son of God¹⁰. Jesus succeeded in being mankind’s supreme representative, whereas the first Adam failed. Here is how one commentary explains this:

for man as a race cannot well be conceived to have a higher honor put upon him than to be thus exalted in the person and destiny of Jesus of Nazareth.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 349.

Larry Bird was fun to watch on the basketball court, but all believers find their fulfilled joy, reward, and destiny in Jesus Christ, for He is the pinnacle of mankind, King of kings and Lord of lords¹¹.

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Footnotes

1. Genesis 2:15 – Man and Woman in the Garden. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/genesis/2-15.htm ↩︎
2. Psalm 8:1 – How Majestic is Your Name! (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/psalms/8-1.htm ↩︎
3. Strong’s 4910To rule, have dominion, reign ↩︎
4. Genesis 1 BSB. (n.d.). Biblehub.Com. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/bsb/genesis/1.htm ↩︎
5. John 14:30 – Peace I Leave with You. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/john/14-30.htm ↩︎
6. Romans 8:31 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208%3A31&version=ESV ↩︎
7. Revelation 12:10 – The War in Heaven. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 30, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/revelation/12-10.htm ↩︎
8. 1 Corinthians 15:45 – The Resurrection Body. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/15-45.htm ↩︎
9. Mark 14:62 – Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/mark/14-62.htm ↩︎
10. Luke 1:35 – Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/luke/1-35.htm ↩︎
11. 1 Timothy 6:13-15 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved September 29, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206%3A13-15&version=ESV ↩︎