"Well then," some people may say, "if the essential thing was that He should surrender His body to death in place of all, why did He not do so as Man privately, without going to the length of public crucifixion? Surely it would have been more suitable for Him to have laid aside His body with honor than to endure so shameful a death." But look at this argument closely, and see how merely human it is, whereas what the Savior did was truly divine and worthy of His Godhead for several reasons. The first is this. The death of men under ordinary circumstances is the result of their natural weakness. They are essentially impermanent, so after a time they fall ill and when worn out they die. But the Lord is not like that. He is not weak, He is the Power of God and Word of God and Very Life Itself. If He had died quietly in His bed like other men it would have looked as if He did so in accordance with His nature, and as though He was indeed no more than other men. But because He was Himself Word and Life and Power His body was made strong, and because the death had to be accomplished, He took the occasion of perfecting His sacrifice not from Himself, but from others. How could He fall sick, Who had healed others? Or how could that body weaken and fail by means of which others are made strong? - Athanasius
Athanasius asks "How could He fall sick, Who had healed others?"
It would seem that Athanasius believes that Jesus needs to be some sort of Superman in order to save us. If one who could become sick himself could never have healed our illnesses, then it stands to reason that
One who was hungry (Luke 4:2), could never be the bread of life (John 6:35-38).
One who was thirsty (John 19:28), could not be the source of living water (John 4:10, 13-14.
One who was weary himself (Mark 4:35), could not offer rest (Mt 11:28-30)
One who had to grow in knowledge (Luke 2:52) and obedience (Heb 2:10; 5:8-9), - and who did not have all the answers (Mk 13:32), could never be the light that enlightens everyone (John 1:9).
I could go on, but I think these are sufficient to show that it is entirely possible for the incarnation of the Word to at once, experience human weakness as well as be the means of being restored of that weakness. Jesus was a TRULY human but he was not MERELY human. He lived a life of human weakness and frailty - like the rest of us - "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15
