Messiah

Celebrate God’s Victory

Luke’s gospel concludes with the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven. Luke states, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. When he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:50-53). The Apostle Paul discussed the resurrection of the dead in the context of a mystery and the believer’s victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:35-58). Paul said that we must all be changed and that our mortal body must put on immortality, and then, Paul concluded, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Although Jesus gave us the victory over sin and death through his resurrection and ascension into heaven, sin and death still exist in the world today, and we have not yet experienced the full manifestation of God’s kingdom on earth. Psalm 98 is a celebration of the righteous reign of the Lord, a future event when the psalmist says, “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Psalm 98:3).

Psalm 98 begins with a call to celebrate God’s victory. The psalmist instructs us, “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory” (Psalm 98:1, KJV). The English Standard Version of the Bible translates the last part of Psalm 98:1 as “His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” associating God’s victory with Jesus’ work of salvation on the cross. The psalmist went on to say:

The Lord has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God. (Psalm 98:2-3)

The Hebrew word that is translated seen in Psalm 98:3, raʾah (raw-awˊ) denotes a type of seeing something with the eyes that requires “the individual to see physically outside of himself or herself: to see so that one can learn to know, whether it be another person (Deuteronomy 33:9) or God (Deuteronomy 1:31; 11:2); to experience (Jeremiah 5:12; 14:13; 20:18; 42:14)” (H7200). This type of seeing requires the person that is seeing to be physically present with the person or object that is seen. During Jesus’ ministry on the earth 2000 years ago, his travels were limited to the geographical region known as the Promised Land, the territory that God promised to give Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 15:7). Psalm 98:2 refers to a time when God’s salvation will be revealed in the sight of all the nations.

Isaiah’s prophecy in 52:1-12 is about the LORD’s coming salvation and he uses the term good news to refer to Jesus’ gospel message. It says specifically in Isaiah 52:6-7 about the righteous reign of the Lord:

“Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

The “servant song” that followed Isaiah 52:1-12 “is one of the most explicit prophecies of Christ’s atoning work on Calvary. It caused great controversy within Judaism because it clearly connected the Messiah with suffering and death. As a result, some Jewish scholars even suggested two messiahs: one who would suffer and another who would reign. In anticipating the Messiah, they could not comprehend how he could fulfill both sets of prophecies. Jesus applied this prophecy to himself (Luke 22:37), as did his disciples (Matthew 8:17; John 12:38; Hebrews 9:28)” (note on Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

The good news of the gospel is what prompts God’s chosen people to sing to the LORD a new song in Psalm 98:1, and we see that when Jesus is revealed in the sight of the nations and “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Psalm 98:3), that there is a call to all the earth to join in the celebration. The psalmist invites us to:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! (Psalm 98:4-6)

The great joy that Jesus’ disciples felt as they made their way back to Jerusalem after he had ascended into heaven (Luke 24:52) was likely very small in comparison to the joyful noise that all the earth will make when it sees the salvation of our God. Even the seas, rivers, and hills will join in the celebration of God’s victory (Psalm 98:7-8).

The psalmist closes his call to celebrate with a reminder of the Lord’s mission when he returns to earth. The psalmist says, “For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity” (Psalm 98:9). The Hebrew word that is translated judge, shaphat (shaw-fatˊ) means “pronounce sentence (for or against)…This word, though often translated as judge, is much more inclusive than the modern concept of judging and encompasses all the facets and functions of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Consequently, this term can be understood in any one of the following ways. It could designate, in its broadest sense, to function as ruler or governor…In a judicial sense, the word could also indicate, because of the exalted status of the ruler, the arbitration of civil, domestic, and religious disputes (Deuteronomy 25:1)…In the executive sense, it could denote to execute judgment, to bring about what had been decided. This could be in the form of vindication (Psalm 10:18; Isaiah 1:17, 23); or a condemnation and punishment (Ezekiel 7:3, 8; 23:45)” (H8199). The psalmist tells us that Jesus will judge the world with righteousness (Psalm 98:9). The Hebrew word tsedeq (tsehˊ-dek), which is translated righteousness, is “a masculine noun meaning a right relation to an ethical or legal standard…The word is frequently connected with the term justice (Psalm 119:106; Isaiah 58:2)” (H6664). In addition to bringing justice to the world, the psalmist tells us that Jesus will judge the people with equity or straightness (H4339). The New Testament concept of straightness has to do with having a straight path or perhaps, a direct route to an immediate outcome (G2117). This suggests that when Jesus returns, there will be an immediate change in people’s circumstances that will be reflective of his moral and legal standard for them. In other words, Jesus intends to straighten people’s lives out when he comes back to judge the world, and will instantaneously get everyone aligned with God’s word, the Bible.

Jesus told his disciples shortly before his death that their sorrow would turn into joy and that in a little while they would see him again (John 16:16-17). Jesus’ disciples didn’t know what he meant by a little while, but were afraid to ask him (John 16:18). John tells us:

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:19-24)

Jesus compared the joy that his disciples would experience when he returned to that of a woman who had just given birth to a child. Jesus said, “She no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). Anyone who has experienced the birth of a child can appreciate how seeing your baby for the first time makes you want to celebrate and might put a song in your heart that wasn’t there before. We see in Psalm 98 a spontaneous reaction to all the ends of the earth having seen the salvation of our God (Psalm 98:1-3). The book of Revelation tells us that this reaction is preceded by Christ’s defeat of Antichrist and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:1-10). Then, the curtain to heaven is opened and we see Jesus ride into the scene. John tells us:

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)

It’s easy to see why Jewish scholars didn’t connect Jesus, the suffering servant, with the Messiah that was going to deliver Israel from the political oppression of Antichrist. There is a stark difference between this triumphal entry and the one we see in the gospel of Luke where Jesus road into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey (Luke 19:35-40). Regardless of their differences, each of these events should cause us to make a joyful noise to the LORD and break forth into a joyous song to celebrate God’s victory.

The Christ of God

The book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God was able to raise his son Isaac from the dead. Hebrews 11:17-19 states, “By faith Abraham when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promise was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” The resurrection of the dead was the main focus of the Apostle Paul’s gospel message. When Paul testified before the chief priests and all the council, he said, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (Acts 23:66). Luke went on to explain that, “a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:7-8). Believing in the resurrection of the dead is one of the key aspects of Abraham’s faith that endured throughout the history of Israel. This belief was embedded in Judaism, and was transferred to Christianity after Jesus’ resurrection.

Abraham’s belief about the resurrection of the dead went beyond the general principle of life after death. Abraham’s belief about the resurrection of the dead was linked to God’s instruction to sacrifice of his only son Isaac. When Isaac asked Abraham about the lamb for the burnt offering, “Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son’” (Genesis 22:7-8). The burnt offering was first used in the consecration of the priests after the people of Israel were delivered from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8). The Hebrew word qadash (kaw-dashˊ) is translated as both consecrate and sanctify. God told Moses, “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests” (Exodus 29:1). Qadash is “a verb meaning to be set apart, to be holy, to show oneself holy, to be treated as holy, to consecrate…to declare holy or consecrated, to behave, to act holy, to dedicate oneself” (H6942). It seems likely that Abraham believed God was asking him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering because he was being set apart for a divine purpose. Abraham may have thought that Isaac was like the Lamb of God that would eventually take away the sin of the world. “Abraham proved that his faith in God was genuine, for he believed that God could bring Isaac back to life if need be (Hebrews 11:17-19). God’s provision of a ram as a substitute showed that he did not want human sacrifices. The only human sacrifice approved by God was that of his Son, the sinless Lamb of God (John 1:29)” (note on Genesis 22:12).

John the Baptist was the first and one of only a few people who recognized Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). On one occasion, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. Luke 9:18-20 states:

Now it happened as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

The Greek term Christos (khris-tosˊ) means “anointed, i.e. the Messiah” (G5547). Christos is derived “from chrio (G5548), to anoint. Anointed, a term used in the OT applied to everyone anointed with the holy oil, primarily to the high priesthood (Leviticus 4:5, 16). Also a name applied to others acting as redeemers.” Peter identified Jesus as “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20). The Greek word that Peter used to refer to God, theos (thehˊos) is used “of persons, the God of someone, i.e. his protector, benefactor, the object of his worship” (G2316). Identifying Jesus as The Christ of God was Peter’s way of making a connection between who Jesus was and God’s purpose for bringing Christ into this world.

All three of the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe Peter’s declaration of Jesus’ identity differently, but the series of events that follow Peter’s disclosure are the same. After Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, then Jesus foretold of his death, then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me,” and after that, Jesus was transfigured. It could be that the timing of these events was significant and that’s why it was kept intact by each person who remembered and recorded it. The central theme of these events was identification of and association with Christ and in a nut shell, they conveyed the essence of God’s plan of salvation. It was like Jesus was stating the bottom line of his work on earth, this is who I am and this is what I’m here to do. This is what you need to do and this is how it will all turn out.

During Jesus’ transfiguration, God confirmed his identity and his mission. Luke’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration is as follows:

Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36)

Moses and Elijah referred to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension as a departure and described this as something that Jesus was going to accomplish. The Greek word that is translated departure is exodus (exˊ-od-os). Exodos means “an exit” (G1841) and is a combination of the Greek words ex “a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out” (G1537) and hodos (hod-osˊ) which means “a road; (by implication) a progress (the route, act or distance).” Hodos is used figuratively to describe “the way of access, e.g., into the direct presence of God (Hebrews 9:8)” (G3598). Jesus told his disciples shortly before his death, “I am the way (hodos), and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The reason why Jesus’ exodus was described as an accomplishment was because it was charting a new course for all who would follow in his footsteps. Jesus told his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3). The place that Jesus was referring to is identified in the book of Hebrews as the holy places or sanctuary. In the Old Testament, the holy places were only accessible by the priests, but the writer of Hebrews explains that believers have obtained access to the holy places through the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:1-14 states:

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age).According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

The writer of Hebrews indicated that the blood of Christ purifies our conscience so that we are able to serve God. The conscience is “that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter” (G4893). The need for our consciences to be purified is rooted in a condition of being lost. Jesus used the term lost to describe people who are excluded from the Messiah’s kingdom (G622) and told a man named Zacchaeus who had received salvation, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Being lost means that when you die, you will be separated from God for eternity. The most important part of Christ’s sacrifice for sin and death on the cross was that through his resurrection he triumphed over death and made it possible for us to do the same. Paul talked about what Jesus accomplished in the context of a mystery and a victory. Paul said:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)

Paul indicated that the Christ of God is the means of our success. Christ made a way for humans to achieve deathlessness or as Paul stated it, to be clothed in immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). Immortality is defined as the opposite of death (G110). Often in the Septuagint, death or in the Greek thanatos has the sense of destruction, perdition, misery, implying both physical death and exclusion from the presence and favor of God in consequence of sin and disobedience. Opposed to zoe (G2222), life and blessedness (Sept.: Deuteronomy 30:19; Proverbs 11:19; 12:28). In the New Testament, this sense is applied with more definitiveness to the gospel plan of salvation, and as zoe is used to denote the bliss and glory of the kingdom of God including the idea of a joyful resurrection, so thanatos is used for the opposite, i.e. rejection from the kingdom of God” (G2288).

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to his disciples on multiple occasions. Luke records one of these in the final chapter of his book. Luke said, “As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them” and then, “he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have’” (Luke 24:36, 38). After eating a piece of broiled fish to further demonstrate his restoration to life (Luke 24:42-43), Jesus went on to explain his role as The Christ of God. Jesus said, “’These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:44-47). Luke tells us that Jesus had to open the minds of his disciples in order for them to understand the Scriptures. The implication being that Jesus’ disciples were still not able to comprehend that The Christ of God was intended to die for the sin of the world and rise from the dead three days later (Luke 24:46).

God in Human Form

Genesis 1:26 tells us that the human race came into existence through the creation of a single man who was called Adam. It states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’” The Hebrew word that is translated image, tselem (tsehˊ-lem) “means image in the sense of essential nature: human nature in its internal and external characteristics rather than an exact duplicate…God made man in his own image, reflecting some of His own perfections: perfect in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and with dominion over the creatures (Genesis 1:26). Being created in God’s image meant being created male and female, in a loving unity of more than one person (Genesis 1:27). It also says in Genesis 1:26 that we were created after God’s likeness. The Hebrew word dᵉmuwth (dem-oothˊ) means “resemblance” and more concretely, “model, shape.” When we see family members, we sometimes notice a family resemblance. Family members look like each other because of the genetic code they share; so you might say that God’s creation of human beings was the result him replicating his own DNA, similar to a man and woman conceiving a child.

The conception of Jesus was possible because God and humans have similar natures and a genetic makeup that enables them to be joined together into a single entity. It says in Luke 1:30-35:

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

It says in Hebrews 1:3 that the Son of God is “the exact imprint of his nature.” Jesus is the essence (G5287) of God, an exact copy of his character (G5481), represented in the form of a human being. Jesus told his disciple Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The announcement of Jesus’ birth indicates that he was not just the Son of God, but also the anticipated Messiah that would save God’s people from the guilt and power of sin and from eternal death (G4990). Luke 2:11 states, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” When he was presented at the temple, shortly after his birth, a man named Simeon spoke about Jesus’ role through the Holy Spirit. Luke says about Simeon, “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel’” (Luke 2:26-32). Simeon said that he had seen God’s salvation (Luke 2:30). The Greek word that is translated salvation, soterion (so-tayˊ-ree-on) means “a savior, deliverer. Delivering, saving, bringing salvation” (G4992).

The idea that Jesus’ birth brought salvation into the world is expanded on in Titus 2:11-14. Paul wrote to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” The training that Paul was referring to was the training of a child, “i.e. educate, or (by implication) discipline” (G3811). According to Paul, salvation is a training process that humans go through in order to become more like God. It involves discipline that causes us to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:13).

The way that Jesus educated or you might say disciplined his disciples was by demonstrating for them appropriate behavior. The night before he was crucified, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in order to teach them how sanctification works. John tells us:

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” (John 13:3-11)

“By his statement, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me,’ it seems that the Lord was referring to the necessity of regular spiritual cleansing to remain in fellowship with him. Jesus did not say, ‘you have no share in me (en [1722] emoi), which would indicate Peter lacked salvation, but ‘you have no share with me (met’ [3326] emou), meaning Peter would have no communion and fellowship with him. Christians need constant cleansing and renewal if they are to remain in fellowship with God” (note on John 13:8).

Jesus went on to explain to his disciples the reason why he, the Creator of the human race, became a human being. John said:

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:12-17)

Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that sanctification was not something that they could achieve independent of God. Sanctification is a process that involves service. Jesus demonstrated how to do it so that his disciples would have an example to follow. God was no longer just telling the people of Israel what they needed to do. Jesus showed the people how to do it by doing it himself.

Paul told the Philippian believers, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4-8). Paul said that Jesus found himself in human form, making it sound as if Jesus woke up one day and discovered that he had been changed into a human being. The Greek word that is translated found, heurisko (hyoo-risˊ-ko) is “spoken of computation, measurement, to find, figure out a value, a distance, etc. (Acts 19:19; 27:28). To find out mentally, i.e. to invent, contrive, to find a way to do something” (G2147). When God formulated his plan of salvation, it seems likely that it was based on him finding a way to manifest himself in human form. The good news for us is that we don’t have to find a way to do the reciprocal. We were created in the likeness of God, all we have to do is believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is able to restore the divine image within us.

God’s presence

God was personally involved in the children of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. God instructed Moses to tell the people, “About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle” (Exodus 11:4-5). God protected the Israelites by means of a sacrificial lamb that served as a substitute for the firstborn of each of the children of Israel’s families. The blood of the lamb was put on the doorposts and the lintel of their houses and God said, “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13). Moses described the Israelites departure from Egypt as a night of watching and said, “The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations” (Exodus 12:40-42).

The night of watching that took place when the Israelites left Egypt was a night vigil in which the LORD went through the land of Goshen looking for the blood of the lamb on each individual doorpost and lintel of the children of Israel’s houses. Extreme care was taken to make sure that the destroyer didn’t enter any of the houses that were displaying the lamb’s blood (Exodus 12:23). In the same way that the LORD had carefully watched over the children of Israel the night they left Egypt and protected them from the destroyer, Moses said the Israelites were to observe “a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations” (Exodus 12:42). In other words, the annual Passover celebration was intended to be a night vigil in which the Israelites looked for their Savior, the Lamb of God’s arrival. John the Baptist’s announcement, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) should have triggered the Jews awareness that their Messiah had arrived on the scene, but the Passover celebration that took place the night of Jesus’ death seemed to go unnoticed by those who were supposed to be watching for God’s fulfillment of the Old Testament Covenants (Major Covenants of the Old Testament, KJSB, p. 16).

Psalm 114 focuses on God’s presence among his people. The psalmist stated, “When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion” (Psalm 114:1-2). A dominion is a territory over which one rules or governs. The Hebrew term memshalah (mem-shaw-law’) often “denotes the ruling power which one in authority exercises over his domain or kingdom” (H4475). Another way of looking at a king’s dominion is that it signifies the area over which he can exercise his sovereign authority (H4474). The reason why Israel was the Lord’s dominion was because God redeemed the children of Israel from slavery, making them his personal possession (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). Judah was thought of as the Lord’s sanctuary because Jesus was a direct descendant of Judah and was later referred to as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5) when he “took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne” in heaven (Revelation 5:7). Revelation 5:9-10 states:

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

Ultimately, Jesus’ dominion will be over the entire earth, but initially, the blood of the lamb only covered the Israelites who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and were specifically chosen by God to be his treasured possession because of the covenant he made with Abraham (Genesis 15:9-21, Deuteronomy 7:8).

It was through his deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt that God’s presence on the earth first began to be felt. Psalm 114:7 states, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” The Hebrew word that is translated Lord in this verse, ‘adon (aw-done’) when applied to God, signifies His position as the “one who has authority (like a master) over His people to reward the obedient and punish the disobedient…In such contexts God is conceived as a Being who is sovereign ruler and almighty master” (H113). The Hebrew word chuwl (khool), which is translated tremble, conveys two basic ideas: to whirl in motion or writhe in pain. This word is often used to describe the labor pains of giving birth (H2342). The children of Israel’s supernatural deliverance from slavery in Egypt may have been likened to the labor pains of childbirth because in the process of birthing the nation of Israel God overthrew Pharaoh by means of a long agonizing process that included ten plagues and ended with “a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead” (Exodus 12:30). Afterwards, the children of Israel were thrust out and “the Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead'” (Exodus 12:33).

Like an annual birthday celebration, Moses told the children of Israel, “Remember this day in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place” (Exodus 13:3). The strong hand of the LORD was not only a symbol of his personal involvement in a situation but also the exercise of his power to accomplish a specific task. Israel’s deliverance from slavery had to do with their loyalty and devotion to God. The Passover celebration required the children of Israel to follow God’s instructions exactly in order to preserve their lives. What they were asked to do may not have made sense to them, but because the Israelites lives depended on it, it says in Exodus 12:28, “Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” This was an important turning point in God’s relationship with his chosen people, and therefore, it needed to be remembered. On a national level, it was like being born again. God saved the children of Israel collectively, as a group they became the children of God.

Psalm 114:7 describes the world’s reaction to God’s presence as trembling because there is always an emotional element to God’s involvement in our lives. The Hebrew word that is translated presence, paneh (paw-neh’) means the face. “In a more specific application, the word represents the look on one’s face, or one’s countenance” (H6440). The Bible clearly teaches that God is a spiritual being, but Jesus’ birth changed the way we interact with God and made it possible for us to see God in a physical form. Jesus’ presence in the world evoked different reactions from people depending on their relationship with God. Some people like Zacchaeus, a man described as a chief tax collector, were anxious to meet Jesus in person (Luke 19:3), but others like the ones who witnessed Jesus casting a legion of demons into a herd of pigs, “began to beg him to depart from their region” (Mark 5:17). Jesus’ strength was physically demonstrated when he calmed a storm that threatened his disciples lives (Mark 4:39) and made a fig tree wither (Matthew 21:19) because it failed to provide him with the nourishment he needed. After Jesus’ resurrection, “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God'” (Matthew 27:54).

When the children of Israel departed from Egypt, God went with them and his presence was manifested to them in the form of two pillars that were visible at all times. Exodus 13:21-22 states:

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

The Hebrew word paneh is translated “before” in Exodus 13:21-22 to convey the fact the God was physically present with the Israelites as they traveled. The tall pillars made it possible for everyone to see God’s presence no matter where they were in the camp.

Exodus 13:17-18 tells us, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’ But God led the people around by way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.” God’s decision to lead the people by way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea had to do with their lack of experience with warfare. The people of Israel had been trained to submit to Pharaoh’s authority and to fear his soldiers. When it says that they went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle, it most likely meant that the people of Israel were physically capable of fighting, but were being defended by God’s army. Exodus 14:13-14 states, “And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

The phrase “you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14) is translated “ye shall hold your peace” in the King James Version of the Bible. The Hebrew word charash (khaw-rash’) means “to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave” (H2790). What this seems to suggest is something being etched in one’s memory. The salvation of the LORD was intended to be a memorable event in which the Israelites played no active part. Moses said they would “see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13). The Hebrew word that is translated see, ra’ah (raw-aw’) basically connotes seeing with one’s eyes. “This verb can also mean ‘to observe’…The second primary meaning is ‘to perceive,’ or to be ‘consciously aware of’…It can also mean ‘to realize’ or ‘to get acquainted with’…It can represent mentally recognizing that something is true” (H7200). The Hebrew word that is translated salvation, yeshuw’ah (yesh-oo’-aw) means deliverance. “Many personal names contain a form of the root, such as Joshua (“the Lord is help”), Isaiah (“the Lord is help”), and Jesus (a Greek form of yeshu’ah)” (H3444).

As the people of Israel approached the Red Sea, it says in Exodus 14:19-20, “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.” Traditional Christian interpretation has held that the angel of God “was a preincarnate manifestation of Christ as God’s Messenger-Servant” (note on Genesis 16:7) and is here associated with the cloud, a visible symbol of God’s presence among his people (notes on Exodus 13:21 and 14:19). The purpose of the angel of God moving behind the host of Israel was likely to separate and to protect them from the Egyptians, but he also may have moved and went behind them to keep the Israelites from running away. During the night, “the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21).The strong east wind that divided the waters of the Red Sea might have had similar characteristics to a hurricane. Hurricane Irma, which was described as having unfathomable power and was estimated to have winds of approximately 200 mph, caused an estimated $50 billion in damage. In order to separate the waters of the Red Sea and make the sea dry land, there would have had to have been a supernatural force at work.

The Hebrew word that is translated wind in Exodus 14:21, ruwach (roo’-akh) is more often than not translated as Spirit or spirit. “It is clear that the wind is regarded in Scripture as a fitting emblem of the mighty penetrating power of the invisible God. Moreover, the breath is suppose to symbolize not only the deep feelings that are generated within man, such as sorrow and anger; but also kindred feelings in the Divine nature. It is revealed that God and God alone has the faculty of communicating His Spirit or life to His creatures, who are thus enabled to feel, think, speak, and act in accordance with the Divine will” (H7307). By resemblance breath is associated with the wind , “i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation” and it could be imagined that the parting of the Red Sea was somewhat like God take a deep breath and blowing the waters aside so that his people could cross the land on dry ground. One of the key characteristics of this supernatural feat was that God made the sea dry land. In other words, it was as if the water had completely evaporated. The ground became parched like the desert (H2724). Exodus 14:22-25 states:

And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Moses described the LORD’s deliverance of the people of Israel this way:

At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;
    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
    I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
    they sank like lead in the mighty waters. (Exodus 15:8-10)

Moses’ tribute to the LORD focused on the visible evidence of God’s overthrow of the Egyptians. He said:

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:1-2)

Moses indicated that the LORD had become his salvation when he triumphed gloriously over the Egyptian army. The Hebrew word that is translated triumphed gloriously, ga’ah (gaw-aw’) generally means to rise (H1342). This seems to connect the Israelites’ deliverance with Jesus’ resurrection. It could be said that the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea was similar to being baptized in that it portrayed the death, burial and resurrection that believers are identified with through baptism. Exodus 14:30-31 states, “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” The Israelites’ belief was a direct result of their personal experience and was based on what the LORD did to save them. Much like the disciples that witnessed Jesus’ resurrection, Israel saw the great power that the LORD used to defeat their enemy and “came to experience a personal relationship to God rather than an impersonal relationship with His promises” (H539).

Personal testimony

Jesus’ healing of the man born blind provided an opportunity for him to give his personal testimony to the religious leaders that denied Jesus was the promised Savior of God’s people. When the man was asked how he had received his sight, “He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see” (John 9:15). This straight forward account of what happened left little room for the Pharisees to question the man any further. As usual, the religious leaders were divided about the authenticity of Jesus’ miraculous power. John recorded, “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them” (John 9:16). In an attempt to discredit the man who was healed, the Pharisees brought in his parents to see if they would corroborate his story or deny that a miracle had taken place.

The parents of the man that was healed refused to put their own reputations on the line, but instead claimed that their son was old enough to testify on his own behalf (John 9:23). It says in John 9:24, “Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.” The Pharisees’ persistent haranguing of the man who was healed did little to shake his confidence in what had happened to him. In what appeared to be a sarcastic jab at the Pharisees ignorance, “He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would you hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?” (John 9:27). This man’s courageous personal testimony left the Pharisees with little choice but to ban him from their synagogue in order to prevent him from influencing others into believing in Jesus. In a final attempt to convince the Pharisees he was telling the truth, the man said:

Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence his is, and yet he had opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. (John 9:30-33)

After the man was cast out, Jesus found him and encouraged him in his faith. Jesus told the healed man that he was the Son of God and gave him the opportunity to be born again (John 9:35). Immediately, the man committed himself to Jesus, “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him” (John 9:38). The commitment the man made to Jesus was not based on the miracle he done for him, but an understanding of who Jesus really was, God in human form. Jesus allowed this man to worship him because he knew his faith was genuine.

Controversy

Toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, there was a lot of public debate about his true identity. Part of the problem was that Jesus intentionally tried to keep his identity a secret. Many times after he performed a miracle, he would tell the recipient not to tell anyone what had happened to him. Even when Jesus took three of his disciples to the top of a mountain and showed them his glorified state, he instructed them saying, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead” (Matthew 17:9). It says in John 7:1, “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.” The controversy about Jesus stemmed from the fact that many people knew him as the son of Mary and Joseph, a carpenter who had lived an ordinary life until the start of his ministry around the age of 30. When it was time for Jesus to begin his work of salvation, he tried to win the common people over without impressing them with his holy grandeur. Often times, Jesus had to sneak away to remote locations just to get a break from the masses of people that sought his help. During a popular religious festival, that would be attended by the majority of the Jewish population, Jesus was encouraged to “go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world” (John 7:3-4).

The crux of the argument being presented to Jesus was that his intention of being the savior of the world meant that he had to be known by everyone. Therefore, it was necessary for him to go where masses of people could witness his miracles. Jesus knew that the risk of being killed was too great for him to expose himself to anymore public appearances. After Jesus’ brethren were gone, it says in John 7:10, “then went he also up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” Jesus’ intention to keep himself hidden from the religious leaders was nearly an impossible feat. When it was discovered that Jesus was somewhere in the vicinity, “Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people” (John 7:11-12). When the Pharisees heard the murmuring about Jesus, they sent officers to arrest him, but Jesus told them, “Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me and where I am, thither ye cannot come” (John 7:33-34).

Jesus’ reference to his ascension to heaven was probably meant to startle the officers that came to arrest him so that they would realize he wasn’t an ordinary man that they could just take into custody. When the officers were asked to explain why they hadn’t arrested Jesus they told the Pharisees and chief priests, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46). In other words, they recognized the supernatural power of Jesus’ words and were unwilling to try and take him by force. Like the prophet Elijah, Jesus could have brought fire down from heaven and consumed these men if he chose to (1 Kings 1:10). At the heart of the discussion about Jesus true identity was the question about whether or not the Pharisees intended to allow the Jews’ Messiah to accomplish his mission on earth. At that time, it was becoming clear to the religious leaders that Jesus had already won over the majority of people and proven himself to be who he claimed to be, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Among the Pharisees that were debating what to do about Jesus, was Nicodemus (John 7:50), the Pharisee that had come to Jesus by night and admitted, “no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2). Even though Jesus had given him an in depth explanation about how he could be saved (John 3:3-21), Nicodemus didn’t appear to have been converted, because rather than sharing what had happened with the other Pharisees, Nicodemus suggested a trial should be conducted in order to settle the controversy about Jesus’ identity once and for all (John 7:51).

 

A sign

The scribes and the Pharisees were notorious for their criticism of Jesus and went so far as to suggest that he was performing miracles by the power of Beelzebub the prince of the devils (Matthew 12:24). After Jesus told these hypocrites that they would be judged for their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it says in Matthew 12:38, “Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.” The fact that the scribes and Pharisees used the title Master to refer to Jesus and then asked him for a sign showed their disrespect for his authority. Essentially, what these men were doing was asking Jesus to show them his credentials. The scribes and Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus was their Messiah and wanted evidence that he was who he claimed to be. At a deeper level, these men expected Jesus to act like their version of what they thought God’s Messiah would be, a revolutionary that would overthrow the Roman government.

In spite of their disrespectful attitude, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that he would give them a sign similar to the one that was given to Nineveh, the wicked city where Jonah the prophet was sent with a message of God’s judgment (Jonah 1:2). Jesus said, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39). Interestingly enough, Jesus didn’t tell the scribes and Pharisees that his resurrection would be the sign of his authenticity, but told these sceptics that the proof he would give them that he was their Messiah would be his death and burial. In other words, the proof that Jesus was the Jew’s Messiah was that he would be killed by the very same people he came to save. This was also a prophetic sign because it was foretold hundreds of years earlier that Israel’s Messiah would suffer and die for God’s chosen people (Isaiah 53).

Jesus depicted the spiritual state of God’s people as being susceptible to demonic influence (Matthew 12:45). This may have been the case because Satan had gained significant ground in God’s territory through Roman occupation. Jesus’ illustration showed that God’s people should expect things to get worse, rather than better, after the Roman government was out of the picture. He said, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return unto my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation” (Matthew 12:43-45).

Witnesses

Jesus responded to the Jews rejection of him as their Messiah by first letting them know that they would be jusged for their choice (John 5:22) and then, explained to them that there would come a day when everyone would be resurrected from the dead, but rather than entering into the presence of God and living with him for eternity, those who rejected Jesus would spend eternity in hell (John 5:29). Jesus intentionally made a point of declaring the truth about God’s judgment early in his ministry, and also talked about it often, so that no one could say, I didn’t know about that. Comparing God’s judgment to a legal case in which each person would be charged with some offence, Jesus said, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom you trust” (John 5:45). Jesus said this because his “listeners prided themselves on their attachment to Moses, the great lawgiver. So it was an unexpected thrust for Jesus to say Moses himself would accuse them before God” (note on John 5:45).

Thinking about the evidence required to convict someone of a crime in a court of law, Jesus identified four witnesses that could testify that he was in fact the Jews’ Messiah. The first witness Jesus called to their minds was John the Baptist (John 5:33). The Jews were familiar with John’s message and many saw him baptize Jesus in the Jordan river (Matthew 3:16). During his first encounter with Jesus, John stated, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus told the Jews, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (John 5:36). Jesus was referring to his works of salvation. The Messiah’s mission was to save God’s people and Jesus intended to finish that assignment through his death and resurrection. Ultimately, there was no better way for Jesus to prove he was who he said was than to resurrect himself from the dead. If that wasn’t enough, Jesus added that God himself had testified to his identity (Matthew 3:17) and the Scriptures also testified of him (John 5:39).

Miracles

Jesus’ ministry began with a great display of the power he possessed as the Son of God. This supernatural activity drew a lot of attention to Jesus’ ministry and resulted in both good and bad circumstances that he had to deal with throughout the rest of the three years he ministered to God’s chosen people. Matthew described the start of Jesus’ ministry this way.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had palsy; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)

Jesus’ ability to cure any and every disease by supernatural means was recognized as a sign of his deity. Not since the time of Elijah and Elisha, hundreds of years earlier, had God’s people seen such a display of God’s power. Mark’s account of the launch of Jesus’ ministry focused on the authority with which he worked his miracles. He said,”And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him” (Mark 1:27).

One of the keys to understanding Jesus’ approach to his ministry was the connection made between sin and disease in the mind of God’s people. The Mosaic Law stated that disease was a consequence of sin. Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt, Moses told them “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26).

Perhaps the clearest demonstration of Jesus power, authority, and compassion for the sick was displayed when he healed a paralyzed man who was let down through the rooftop tiling by his friends so that he could get close enough to Jesus to be healed. Luke’s gospel states:

And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason he in your hearts? Whether is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that he may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (Luke 5:20-25)

John’s account of the start of Jesus’ ministry provided a timeline of the first three days of his activities and recorded that only a few days into his ministry, Jesus declared his intent to rise from the dead after he was crucified. This final miracle was to be the ultimate sign to the Jews that Jesus was in fact their Messiah. After cleansing God’s temple, the Jews confronted Jesus about his unorthodox behavior. It says in John’s gospel, “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body” (John 2:18-21).

The Son of God

The genealogical records of his birth (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38) both showed that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, but looked at his unique position from two different perspectives. First, Matthew established that Jesus was the legal heir to David’s throne and therefore, he had the right to identify himself as the king of the Jews. Luke traced Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to the original man, Adam. In his account, Luke did not specifically stated that Jesus was the son of Joseph, but said he was “being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph” (Luke 3:23). Luke’s comment was intended to show that Jesus could inherit his father’s estate, even though he was not his biological relative. His position as the first born son of Joseph’s family entitled Jesus to certain rights and privileges. What Luke was most likely getting at by linking Jesus to Adam, the first man whom God created, was that Jesus inherited not only the blessing that God bestowed on Adam as his “son” (Luke 3:38), but also the sin nature or curse that was passed on from generation to generation after Adam sinned in the garden of Eden. The importance of Jesus’ humanity and identification with the sin nature of man was stressed by Luke in his gospel because he wanted to make it clear that Jesus was a member of the fallen human race.

Jesus held a dual position from God’s perspective, he was both a member of the human race and a member of the three-person trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Son of God, Jesus also had certain rights and privileges. God said after Jesus was baptized, “Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke3:22). This statement clearly identified Jesus as God’s biological offspring. Mary was told before Jesus was conceived that he would be “called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The implication being that Jesus would not be called or recognized as the biological offspring of Joseph. As his human offspring, Jesus was well pleasing to God because he was the result of God’s long and arduous attempt to save mankind. Thousands of years had transpired since Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, but Jesus’ birth essentially brought to a conclusion God’s plan of salvation and marked the beginning of a new era; one in which God’s relationship to man would be restored and his spiritual offspring would finally come into existence. At the onset of his ministry, Jesus acknowledged that he was destined for a single mission, to establish the kingdom of God on earth (Mark 1:15). In order to do that, Jesus had to overcome the constraints of his humanity and enter into the realm of the spirit where man and God become one.