Could our lord suffer illness?

[robert_Ian_Will]

As a perfect man/ God could the Lord jesus Christ experience illness , if he could experience suffering and sorrow…effects of the fall? I would be helped by your insights?

 

[DavidFilmer]

could the Lord jesus Christ experience illness , if he could experience suffering and sorrow…effects of the fall?

This is an interesting and insightful question.

It is very clear that Christ experienced both sorrow and suffering. He wept at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus. And he obviously suffered immense physical pain during his Passion. So what about illness?

I’m pretty sure that the answer to this question is not part of the Deposit of Faith, and thus, the Church has not (and cannot) answer this question. Thus, any reply you receive is speculation, at best.

In my own humble opinion, I do not believe that Jesus was ever protected from the effects of our fallen human nature (though he perfectly resisted all the temptations that go along with it). But I also happen to believe that his human body was a rather perfect specimen, so he would have had a superior immune system. So I think it is possible that he never suffered sickness, but I don’t think he was completely immune from it.

But I could be wrong (it has happened once before).

 

[Sir_Anthony]

interesting idea, well if He could cure illnesses, I would suspect that He would not fall prey to the common cold (or whatever a common 1st century Palestine illness would be). Then again if Jesus was fully man as well as fully God, He hypothethically should be suspectiable to illnesses as well since it is a common human experience. And He disproved that most illnesses are not caused by sin which the common idea of the Pharisees. Since there should be no real reason why He can’t have the common cold.

 

[DavidFilmer]

if He could cure illnesses, I would suspect that He would not fall prey to the common cold

So, the question is, would he cure himself? Or, more directly, did he have power to take himself off the Cross (as the Jews taunted him)? I believe he did, but he freely chose to accept the Suffering. Likewise, I (personally) believe that Jesus would have accepted and endured whatever illness he may have received during his earthly life (even though he could have overcome it with a thought). But, as I have said, I think it is unlikely that he would have faced this particular choice.

Of course, there is also the matter of St. Joseph. Most Catholic theologians believe that St. Joesph was dead by the time that Jesus endured his Passion. Could Jesus have “saved” Joseph? Why would he have not done so? These are questions that can never be answered.