There is a rational intelligibility to the universe that man struggles to define in that we are made in the image of our Creator. God revealed this mystery by becoming human in the person of Jesus Christ and we beheld His glory (John 1:14). The gospel of Christ constitutes a clarion call to draw near to God because His kingdom is at hand. Yet many people are not receptive to spiritual truths.
Each of us has struggled at one time or another to perceive the incalculable nature of the Ancient of Days and to grasp that Jesus conquered death and will return one day. Our finite minds are incapable of fathoming the infinite. However, Jesus Christ offers us a glimpse into the very heart of our Creator in a tangible and meaningful revelation that is available to all of humanity. Jesus has turned the abstract into the physical. He has transformed the metaphysical into a pragmatism that even a child can comprehend.
Logos is a Greek word defined as the divine reason implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning. Jesus ultimately synchronized man’s perception of the Logos with who God truly is, which facilitates the framework to establish a personal relationship with Him. Additionally, through Christ, individuals can fully appreciate their internal connectivity to His suffering on the cross and their own need for redemption.
Jesus of Nazareth is revealed in the pages of the Bible in a profound narrative that is both thought provoking and life changing. In the New Testament we encounter God in a personal and intimate way that brings Him directly into our hearts through the Christ that He promised since the dawn of creation. We are brought face to face with the solution to humanity’s preeminent challenge and greatest desire – peace with the Almighty. In the gospels we are summoned into a rendezvous with the love of God that pierces our hearts and penetrates our very souls.
SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS DOESN’T RECOGNIZE JESUS
Self-righteousness doesn’t recognize Jesus and sees no need for redemption. The Jews wanted a Messiah that would drive the Romans out and restore the sovereignty of Israel. But God’s plan was to bless all nations. They rejected Jesus and brought condemnation upon their people. In Luke 19:43-44, Jesus pronounces their fate: “The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
History records the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70, and the subsequent Jewish diaspora. If only they had considered the full counsel of God’s word and not ignored the prophesies of the suffering Messiah such as Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Daniel 9:26. That is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42). Isaiah 53 is still not read in synagogues even to this day. Christ was the stone the builders rejected that became the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7).
Jesus quoted Isaiah 42:1-4 regarding the Messiah’s gentle nature and humility in contrast to the expectations of the citizens of Jerusalem. “Here is My servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He has brought justice through victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.” (Matthew 12:18-21).
In a counterintuitive transformation the apostle Paul converts from Christ’s most aggressive adversary to His greatest advocate and composes over half of the New Testament. Paul presents “the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:25-27).
CHRIST REORIENTS ALL OF LIFE
Christ reorients all of life. What we believe about Him changes how we view our world, our friends, our family, ourselves and ultimately God. What we believe about Jesus defines our actions, our mindset and our wellbeing. What Jesus said about Himself alters any other notions we may have regarding His identity and of truth. And He punctuated His proclamations with His resurrection from the dead.
The mind-blowing intensity of the night Jesus was betrayed, arrested and interrogated is vividly portrayed in the gospels and the reader is left captivated by the prophetic fulfillment of every tiny detail. In the three-day period from His betrayal to His resurrection, Jesus fulfilled no less than twenty-six messianic prophecies. The impact of the personal sacrifice of Jesus is an agonizing account of the depth of love that God has for us and in the gospels, we experience the reason Jesus came to earth.
In His humanity Jesus experienced human emotions and fatigue. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus and was weary and thirsty at Jacob’s well in John 4:6-7. But Jesus was no ordinary man, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).
This truth is also reflected in 1 Peter 2:22, which states “He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”; in 1 John 3:5, “You know He appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.”; and 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Christ’s humanity is crucial for our salvation because He fulfilled the requirements of the law for us and became the unblemished Lamb that was sacrificed as atonement for our sins. 1 Peter 1:19 declares that our redemption is made possible not because of perishable sacrifices, “but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
The writer of Hebrews highlights the permanence of Christ’s atonement. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14).
And in Hebrews 10, the writer expounds upon the truth that, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (verse 4). He goes on to reveal that Jesus’ sacrifice is once – for all, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God,” (Hebrews 10:11-12).
JESUS WAS BOTH MAN AND GOD
In order to reconcile man to God, Jesus was both man and God. Paul writes of Jesus, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8).
Jesus could not reveal the Father unless He was God. John 1:18 asserts, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” Additionally, unless Jesus is fully divine then worshipping Him would be idolatry. Jesus has proven time and time again that He answers prayers and has the ability to save, thereby validating His divinity.
Jesus reveals the heart of God by showing us His own heart. In Matthew 11:28-29, He discloses His loving nature. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus doesn’t simply meet us in our place of need – He lives in our place of need.
The living soul of Christianity is authenticated by the living soul of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is made alive by the indwelling of the Spirit within every true believer. And it facilitates a vibrant and active relationship with the risen Jesus Christ. Jesus declares in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.”
The historicity of Jesus Christ is irrefutable. The reality of Jesus Christ is incontrovertible and constitutes a clarion call for each of us to come to terms with not only who He is but what He said and taught, and ultimately our own faith. Civilization forever changed when “Emmanuel” (God with us) Jesus walked among us and the impact of His influence reverberates throughout the world two thousand years later. The highest King promised that He would return and this is our blessed hope (Titus 2:13). This is the fulcrum of our faith.
