 From the Editor |
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Coming of Christ
Foretold in the ProphetsWho is Jesus?Roman OccupationMiracles of ChristThe Death and ResurrectionWhat Does Jesus Expect From Me? |
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Prophecy Fulfilled!By You: PoetryExpect a MiracleJesus Christ’s MissionSimple WordsExercise Method May Have Spiritual Application |
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Who is Jesus?
By Loren M. Chamberlain
After some two thousand years the controversy still rages, “Who Is Jesus.” While the person Buddha is not essential to the teaching of Buddhism, nor is the person Mohammed needful to the Islamic faith, everything about Christianity rises or falls in the person of Jesus Christ. You cannot accept the teachings of Jesus without coming to a decision about Him. In fact, Christ-less Christianity is a contradiction of terms.
Many scholars are busily searching for the “historical” Jesus, which means, they are dissatisfied with the Jesus who is revealed in the Scriptures. It would seem they are chasing around looking for the Jesus of their own imagination. Only the Jesus of the Bible is worth knowing, and only the Bible can reveal, “Who Jesus Is.” Two Important Principles If we really want to know “Who Jesus is,” we must first understand a couple of very important principles. First, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). A translation closer to the original Greek might be, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Secondly, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21). To sum it up, all scripture is God breathed, and holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The scriptures did not come from the creative work or invention of the prophets, but was inspired by God. To depart from these two principles is to suppose your own intellect is greater than Jesus Christ and God the Father. | ||
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Facts About His Ministry The purpose of this brief article is not to establish the preexistence, or deity of Jesus, but to demonstrate whom the Jesus of the Bible was and the many interesting facts of the life He was born into and lived. Jesus was Jewish from birth to burial, as demonstrated by Matthew who connected Jesus to the two most important covenants in Judaism: the Abrahamic and the Davidic (Matthew 1). Both Matthew and Luke took special care to show that Jesus was born of a Jewish Mother (Matthew 1:16, 18). Matthew’s genealogy gives Jesus’ legal (or royal) lineage through Joseph. Mary’s ancestral line is recorded in Luke 3:23-38. Both Mary and Joseph were direct descendants of David. Matthew traced the genealogy back to Abraham while Luke traced it back to Adam. Matthew wrote to the Jews, so Jesus was shown as a descendant of their father, Abraham. Luke wrote to the Gentiles and emphasized Jesus as the Savior of all people. Jesus was circumcised the eighth day and presented to God as the firstborn according to Jewish Law (Luke 2:21-23). He would naturally have been educated as any Jewish child would have been so much so that all were shocked at His knowledge as a youth (Luke 2:46). Jesus’ baptism was totally in keeping with Jewish ritual immersion, and identified Him with the “Kingdom of God” (Matthew 3:15). |
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“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Soon after Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. This temptation by Satan shows us Jesus was human, and it gave Jesus the opportunity to reaffirm God’s plan for His ministry. It also gives us an example to follow when we are tempted. Jesus’ temptation was an important demonstration of His sinlessness. This time of testing showed that Jesus really was the Son of God, able to overcome Satan and his temptations. Just as God lead Israel into the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2) to humble and prove them, so God allowed His Son Jesus to be tried and tested (Matthew 4:1). Christ’s Healing Touch A leper came to Jesus worshipping Him and asked Jesus for healing. Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I will; be thou clean.” Immediately the leper was cleansed. There was no known cure in Jesus’ day. Jesus told the leper not to tell anyone, but to go and show himself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them (Matthew 8:1-4). The law required a healed leper to be examined by the priest (Leviticus 14). Jesus wanted this man to give his story firsthand to the priest to prove that his leprosy was completely gone so he could be restored to his community. Sin is also an incurable disease—and we all have it. Only Christ’s healing touch can miraculously take away our sins and restore us to real living. But first we must realize our inability to cure ourselves and go to Jesus Christ for His saving help. Jesus and the Law | ||
One Sabbath day Jesus and His disciples were hungry. As they passed through a cornfield they plucked and ate the ears of corn. “When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath’” (Matthew 12:2). The Pharisees had established 39 categories of actions forbidden on the Sabbath, based on interpretations of God’s Law and on Jewish custom. Harvesting was one of those forbidden actions.
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By picking wheat and rubbing it in their hands, the disciples were technically harvesting according to the religious leaders. Jesus and the disciples were picking grain because they were hungry, not because they wanted to harvest the grain for profit. They were not working on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were so self righteous they could not see beyond their own interpretation of God’s laws and their own technicalities (Matthew 12:2). Jesus reminded them that David, when he was hungry, ate the shewbread in the house of God that only the priests are allowed to eat (Matthew 12:1-8). God did not punish David because his need for food was more important than the legal technicalities. Jesus was saying, if you condemn me you must also condemn David. This is something the religious leaders could never do without causing a great uproar among the people. Jesus was not condoning disobedience to God’s laws, instead He was emphasizing discernment and compassion in enforcing the laws. Jesus always upheld the basic principles of Judaism, He made it clear that mercy and love came first and were more important than all the sacrifices that could be offered in the Temple (Matthew 12:6-8). Jesus criticized severely the Scribes and the Pharisees for setting aside the written Law of Moses by honoring their traditions (Matthew 15:1-6). Because traditions have been practiced for years does not justify elevating them above the laws of God. Traditions are to help us understand God’s laws better, not become laws. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). So Jesus validated the law in word, thought and deed. Jesus taught the sacredness and inspiration of the very letters of the words of the Torah as most other Scribes did (Matthew 5:18). “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). This is a clear statement of the truth of the Bible. If we accept Jesus Christ as Lord, we also accept His confirmation of the Bible as God’s Word. By memorizing large portions of the scriptures, Jesus was able to use them to defeat Satan in the wilderness validating the authority of the written text (Matthew 4:4,7,10). He referred to the three-fold division of the Jewish Scriptures: The Law, Prophets, and the Writings (Matthew 11:13; 22:40; 23:35; Luke 24:27, 44). He affirmed the basic foundation of Judaism: Love for God first, love for neighbor second (Matthew 22:35-40). He attended the Jewish feasts faithfully: Passover (Luke 2:41; John 2:13, 23). The Feast of Tabernacles: John 7:2, 10). He attended the synagogues and taught from the Hebrew Scriptures (Luke 4:16; Mark 1:21; John 18:20). Jesus was referred to as “Rabbi” on numerous occasions: (John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; Luke 7:40). Jesus honored and revered the Sabbath day (Matthew 12). Jesus observed the dietary laws: (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14). Jesus was buried according to Jewish burial customs (John 19:39-40). Conclusion In Acts 7 verse 56, Stephen, just prior to being stoned to death said, “‘Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’” Stephen saw the glory of God and Jesus the Messiah standing at God’s right hand. Stephen’s words are similar to Jesus words spoken before the Council, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). John 17 is the actual prayer of Jesus Christ. Remember what He prayed? “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). Stephen saw the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus, answered by God exactly as Jesus had requested. There is no doubt the Jesus of the Bible is Jewish, and there is no doubt He is “The Son of God.” Who is Jesus? He is our Savior, our High Priest, and our soon coming King! i | ||