Jesus Stops Time

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,

22 But I say unto you,

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,

28 But I say unto you,

In a sense Jesus stopped time. Let me explain. We time-bound creatures have a way of immortalizing the past. We sometimes think that teachers “back then” must have been more wise than we are today. Some of us tend to exalt the present as the sum of all that exists. And then there are some folks who see all that is bright to be yet in the future. But Jesus spans it all!

He is the “alpha and omega”, the “first and the last”. He said “before Abraham was I am…” The Son Of God was there to hear Noah preach, Moses judge, and King David play his harp. His Spirit was present when these teachers of old expounded their incomplete notions about the law to their audience.

He, above anyone in all time, can speak about what they had to say. He stops the influence of time when He speaks, because, in a sense, He is timeless. These “old time” speakers were in His presence just as we are today, and our descendants will be tomorrow. And He is their Lord just as He is ours, and He has the right to correct us all by saying “but I say unto you.” He is The Teacher of all teachers and we should sit at His timeless feet today and learn.

Jesus, The Prince Of Life

Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

This phrase “the Prince of life” only appears here in the Bible. The Apostle Peter, who spoke these words, was preaching to thousands of unbelieving Jews in the Jerusalem Temple. Peter's words were powerful, direct, and impromptu.

When someone speaks off the cuff like this the hearers usually get a clearer glimpse of the personality and raw beliefs of the person behind the words. That was surely the case that day. Peter's unprepared words give us insight into his core beliefs which were also the commonly held beliefs of all early Christians. They believed Jesus was the Prince of Life.

So what is the meaning of the words Peter chose to describe Jesus? The word “prince” is a beautiful and unique word. There really isn’t a full English equivalent to this word. In modern English prince is usually defined as the son of a king, but that is not in the definition of this word translated Prince.

The word literally means “furnishing the first cause”. This is used for a founder or originator, and it is a word that carries with it the honor of being the first to pass through or to begin something great.

It is translated in Hebrews 2:10 with the word “captain” in the phrase, “captain of our salvation.” He is the chief leader of all the saved and the originator of their salvation. It is translated in Hebrews 12:2 with the word “author” in the phrase, “author and finisher of our faith.” There would be no saving faith if Jesus had not come and secured our salvation. He furnished the first cause of our saving faith.

By using this phrase Peter declared that Jesus is the originator, the author of life. But he wasn't just crediting Jesus with the creation of the world. Peter was giving the honor to Jesus of being the first to pass though the front lines of death coming out on the other side as the Victor. He defeated death and through this victory gives life everlasting! He is the leader of a great army of victors who shall also pass through death into everlasting life because they have trusted their eternal souls into His Gospel care. He Is The Prince Of Life!

Divorce Me!

Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

10 And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not;

Within moments Peter fell from extreme self-confidence and pride to humiliation and fear. He would have many such experiences throughout his Christian life. In the context we find the root problem. Peter thought he knew more about his own business, commercial fishing, than Jesus did. Peter was arrogant and surly when Jesus told him to take him fishing. And he was impatient with Jesus.

Walking with Christ is hard on some of us… especially if we are prideful, know-it-alls, overly self-assured, and/or tend to be impatient with others. The fall can be hard and far, but Jesus will be sure to take us there… for our own good, and to make us useful to Him. He must have servants who are willing to do His will not their own will.

The realization of our failure will show us what we fear most… that we don’t measure up and that we aren’t what we believe ourselves to be or pretend to be, and that Jesus plainly sees that truth about us. Those of us who suffer from this arrogance generally do so out of fear. And when we loose face in the presence of Jesus it can be a horrible experience.

Peter’s response was, “Depart from me…” This word depart could be used by a failed husband or wife who is so distraught over their own failure that they cry out to their mate, “divorce me!” It is more than saying I am unworthy, it is saying I can’t stand that you see my shame. But Jesus said, “Fear not…” He knew Peter's agony. Peter had gone from one extreme to another in a matter of minutes. Now Jesus brought him back to a place of balance, a place of humility born from unconditional love. Wow...

What Is Living Water?

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

“Living water” was a metaphor Jesus drew from His location, and the Samaritan woman's daily chore of drawing water from a well. Jesus didn’t intend to imply she would never have to come to this literal well again to draw water. In fact she probably drew water the next day. His intent was to highlight a spiritual truth about what salvation supplied by Him would mean for her.

As I have stated in other posts, it would mean her salvation would be permanent and portable, and that she would not be dependent on worship in a temple or some special location, or some human intermediary or priest standing between God and her, or rituals. If she had to go somewhere, or to some person, or engage in some ritual for her salvation then His "living water" metaphor would not contrast with her everyday chore of going to the well for water.

But “living water” is a contrasting metaphor. The water Jesus gives doesn't have to be drawn from a well outside her personal spiritual life. This "living water" is ever present and goes with her wherever she goes. Jesus' "living water" metaphor introduced a revolutionary truth to this woman. But what exactly did Jesus offer that could permanently quench her spiritual thirst? What is this "living water"?

"Living water" illustrated the knowledge -the good news- He would give her that she was permanently reconciled to God and in a continual relationship with Jesus based on faith in His Gospel. Living water is a metaphor for the Gospel she would learn, believe, and then never forget. So when, in her very complex guilt laden life, she would wonder if God still loved her, if all her sins were really forgiven, and if Jesus was still saving her, she could remember the Gospel truth He taught her, and know for sure that she was loved and everlastingly saved from condemnation. She would draw living water from a Gospel spring of truth flowing in her soul. Living water... it is the knowledge of a salvation that is permanent and portable. This is a Jesus kind of salvation... a sure salvation.

Jesus Stopped A Fight So He Could Die On The Cross

There was deadly tension at Jesus' arrest. The conspirators were afraid of reprisals from the masses who followed Jesus, so they came prepared to fight. Jesus' disciples knew Him well, and knew there was no just reason to arrest Him. They also knew He had a large following and might be able to start a war, which everyone expected the Messiah to do. They, too, were ready to fight.

A large armed mob was there to support a delegation, led by Judas, assigned to arrest Jesus. John 18:3 Jesus, instead of retreating, walked straight toward them with His small group following. John 18:1 As the groups approached each other the tension was thick. Jesus engaged them first, asking who they were seeking. Twice Jesus revealed who He was, the mob fell back. John 18:4-9 Judas stepped forward and confirmed this was indeed Jesus by kissing Him. Matthew 26:49

When a fight is about to begin the adrenaline starts flowing and a fevered, passionate rage begins to rise. Some of the High Priest's men stepped forward and grabbed Jesus to arrest Him. Mark 14:46 As they were taking Him away His disciples moved forward, Peter pulled a sword and began a close quarter street fight, cutting off an ear with a deadly slash. John 18:10

Then an amazing, startling thing happened... Jesus pulled away from His captors and quickly moved between His disciples and the mob. A mob looking for a fight. Jesus demanded that Peter put away His sword, and then He spoke clearly to Peter and the rest of His men to calm them down and back them off. Matthew 26:52-54 This is where all the warring dreams of His disciples died... Perhaps their bold bravery sunk into a sort of angry helplessness, a kind of shame, that comes when a man is prepared, but unable, to prove his faithfulness and mettle when it is needed most...

Then, in this trigger ready tension, Jesus reached down to the ground, picked up the sliced ear, and with the care of the greatest physician repaired the injured man's wound... a man who had come prepared to fight to take this Great Physician to His death. Luke 22:51

Jesus then turned to the mob to calm them. He reminded them that He had been among them for days, and had always been available for arrest. He was not a criminal who needed to be arrested with weapons drawn. Mark 14:48-49 Then they bound Him and led Him away. John 18:12-13 Jesus could have died there with His disciples... but His destiny was the Cross... it was always the Cross.

Jesus, God's Dwelling Place

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Jesus was revolutionary in more ways than some may realize, and here is one of the most revolutionary truths.

Ancient religion was about places. Places where the gods or god dwelt. Every religion had a sacred place, a temple where the people went to meet with God. The Jews had theirs in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans had theirs on Mount Gerizim.

This same way of thinking exists in religions today. The Muslims have Mecca, Hindus have Varanasi, Buddhists have Lumbini. Many Christians mistakenly look for God in places… but, what we are taught in the New Testament is God is found in a man: Jesus Christ. Jesus never built a temple or required one be built.

The water of life flows from Him to His people. The incarnation changed the world, and the way the world should think. The center of the kingdom of God moved from a place to a person. He has risen from the dead... He is alive... worship Him.

Resurrection Song

When Jesus returns the dead in Christ shall rise from the grave with a new and different kind of body. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52 They will all know by experience what it means for a believer to die. They’ve been through it. Their resurrection song is quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So here we have a glimpse of one of the greatest hymns ever. It will be first sung on a day like no other: resurrection day. Couples who married young, raised a family, then were separated in death after painful struggles will look into each others eyes again... and shout with joy. Mothers, who had their children robbed from them by death, shall find their agony forever replaced in the rapture of this moment. Car accidents, war deaths, explosions, fire, storms, disease, crime... all now permanently defeated!

People who went to the grave secure in the Gospel--still clinging to Jesus--will know instantly, as their lungs fill with that first breath, and their eyes open to a world they left so long ago, the reality of truth and the fulness of God's gospel promises. And they will shout this victory hymn with streaming tears of joy. Jesus... has defeated death by His death and resurrection, and fully answered the demands of the law!

The Bible teaches us that all of us will consciously exist forever. Death and life are only different states of conscious existence. You will never reach the end of you. Will you sing this victory song on that day when life returns in its fulness to those who have had their sins freely forgiven through Jesus Christ's Gospel work? Or will you remain among the conscious dead... never to sing the victory song? The Gospel is the door to eternal life, and we walk through it by faith.

The picture is from http://pointsoflight.blogspot.com/

Absolute Proof - Beyond Any Doubt

Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs,

In US courts we have various standards for decisions made by jurors. In criminal cases a verdict of guilty cannot be returned unless the juror is sure of guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt”. This means that the evidence presented to the juror has established a particular point to a moral certainty, and it is beyond dispute that any reasonable alternative is possible. But “beyond a reasonable doubt” does not mean absolute proof or the absence of any doubt.

In civil cases there is the standard of “proof by clear and convincing evidence.” This is a lower burden of proof than reasonable doubt. It is a decision by the Juror that there is high probability that “a fact sought to be proved is true.”

In the language of the New Testament a word of evidence and decision making was used in this verse. It is translated “infallible proofs”. The Greek scholars in Friberg’s Analytical Greek Lexicon defined this word as: “evidence that removes doubt.” This is the highest level of proof: these people witnessed the same reality over, and over, and over again, to the point that they could not mistake the truth of what they had witnessed. The proof was absolute. This word was used here by Luke concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Never Built A Building

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

This may seem unimportant, but actually it is one of the most revolutionary truths of the New Testament. Religion in the world of Jesus was all about buildings: Temples, and their location: sacred ground. A large part of the first 5 books of the Old Testament was dedicated to details about the construction of the Tabernacle and instructions about what would take place in it. 1 Kings 6:38 says it took Solomon 7 years to build the first Temple. John 2:20 informs us that Herod’s temple took 46 years to finish.

The religions of the world were rooted in the size and opulence of their temples, but Jesus never gave any instruction or revealed any plan to build a temple. He never declared any ground to be sacred to His Church.

In this passage John’s baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are tied together. John baptized outdoors apart from any structure. There were pools at the temple, but, as far as we know, John didn’t baptize there. The Baptism of the Spirit took place in someone’s home, not a sacred temple, or even a church building. In fact, there is no church building mentioned in the New Testament.

This is one of the most radical ideas in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that the true Temple of God was His body. John 2:19-21 This is the reality of the Incarnation. With the coming of the Christ our gathering place for worship became the person of the Christ secured by the ministry of His Spirit. He is “God with us.” We go to Him as the center of our worship. Even the poorest of the poor can worship at this temple. The most humble structure can become the grandest temple... if Jesus is worshiped there.

I'm all for buildings... but a place of wood and brick can never replace the Christ. A building only shelters us so we can focus our worship on Him... if His Spirit is not present the grandest building is desolate. Jesus is revealed in His Word by His Spirit, there is no other direct revelation of the Christ on this earth. Read Him… Worship Him.

All Men Seek Him

Mark 1:37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

Seek… what a glorious word! It is among my favorites. I consider myself to be a seeker… this means I spend much of my time seeking. So what exactly am I doing when I seek?

Well... the first principle is I must know there is something I don’t know. This knowledge of ignorance usually comes from asking questions about what I think I do know. To know that I don’t know is vital to learning and living.

The second principle is the recognition of my need of this knowledge or answer. If I see no need or value I will not move to the third principle which is:

I am willing to expend time, energy, and wealth to find what I do not now possess. This is the calculation of life. What am I willing to sacrifice to get the answers I need.

The forth principle is that I do it… I sacrifice what I must to gain what I don’t possess. I get up and do what I need to do… Only then am I seeking.

These people were seeking the greatest of all objectives: Jesus! What is there in this life that is right for us to seek which cannot be found in or provided by Him?

Is it correct to say that “all men” seek Him? In one sense I think so... He is the treasure-chest of all things right. He is or He holds the answer to every reasonable question. If we seek those things that are exclusively found in Him then it can be said we are seeking Him even if we don't know that the answer resides in Him.

But those seekers the disciples speak of in this verse already knew Jesus held the answers... that He was the answer... now they were seeking a personal relationship with Him. What a blissful day it is when I move from not knowing the source of an answer to knowing the source and moving toward it. It is like moving from darkness to light, from being lost to being found.

There are billions each day in this world who seek answers that only He can provide.

Let us go...

Mark 1:38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

This comment was made after Jesus left His bed “a great while” before daylight. He had spent the previous evening in spiritual close-quarters battle with the forces of evil. We are not told whether our Savior slept or not… but I think not. In the dark early morning hours he left the house for solitude.

Just as civilians often mistake war for romantic adventure while the battle scared soldier sees it in stark, cold, deadly images without romance or adventure, so the spiritual civilian sees the battle with evil in whimsical unreal images while the battle scared spiritual veteran, who has felt the breath of satan and seen the carnage of evil, bears a constant dark burden and sees the stark coldness of a war torn world. It will keep you awake at night… it will drive you to pray… it can make you wish at times that you were someone else doing anything else.

It is significant that Jesus could not even steal a few moments alone to pray and prepare. His sleepless, uneasy disciples must have heard Him leave the house, so they looked for Him... not wanting to be alone. When they found Him they said that “all men seek for thee.” Was there no place of rest in this war with sin? Not for this Captain, for wherever He went the war was there. But He would be nowhere else… this is what He came for and He would not retreat!

Hear the resolve in His words. If this past year has torn you... shaken you in your battle with evil. Take heart... your Captain will not stop advancing. If you're frightened or discouraged look for Him in those early morning hours... listen to His words of resolve: “Let us go...” Notice His use of the plural pronoun “us.” Mix His words of resolve with your own. Let “us” advance in this coming year, for this is why He has chosen us to be in this war with Him. And this long war is why He came. He is the Victor.

Charles Spurgeon on "Merry Christmas"

Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Observe the sacred joy of Mary that you may imitate it. This is a season when all men expect us to be joyous. We greet each other with "Merry Christmas." Some Christians don’t like the word "merry." But it is a right good old Saxon word, having the joy of childhood and the mirth of manhood in it. It brings before one's mind the old songs of the season, and the midnight peal of bells, the holly and the blazing log.

I love it for its place in that most tender of all parables, where it is written, that, when the long-lost prodigal returned to his father safe and sound, "They began to be merry." This is the season when we are expected to be happy; and my heart's desire is, that in the highest and best sense, you who are believers may be "merry."

Mary's heart was merry within her; but here was the mark of her joy: it was not such merriment as worldlings will revel in at Christmas, but such merriment as the angels have around the throne, where they sing, "Glory to God in the highest," while we sing "On earth peace, goodwill towards men." Such merry hearts have a continual feast. I want you, ye children of the bride-chamber, to possess today and tomorrow, yea, all your days, the high and consecrated bliss of Mary, that you may not only read her words, but use them for yourselves, ever experiencing their meaning: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

How Did The Wise Men Know What The Star Meant? The Answer Is Really Interesting...

Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Have you ever wondered who those wise men were? How did they know about Jesus' birth? How did they know what the star meant? Well… the answers are pretty interesting.

The words “wise men” are translated from the word “magi” or, in this instance, “magoi”. This word and other evidence helps us locate their home country. Magi is an old Persian/Babylonian word (Thayer, BDAG). So since this region was east of Israel, and these men were called magi “from the east”, and Persia/Babylon had a long history with Israel, we can be fairly certain they were from the region now called Iraq and Iran.

The Background: Babylon was the country that defeated Judah in war and then took the defeated Jews back to Babylon as captives. Babylon later became part of the Persian empire. The captives carried their Bibles with them, and some of them became great men in the Babylonian government. The Jewish prophet Daniel, for instance, was powerful and famous while in captivity. He was one of the “wise men” of Babylon and was appointed the chief magistrate over all the wise men. Daniel 2:13; 2:48 Later the Persian king Cyrus gave the captive Jews liberty to return to Judah. Ezra 1:1-3

The prophecy of the star at the birth of Jesus is found in Numbers 24:17. The wise men who were looking for Jesus knew about this prophecy, so it is obvious that the Jewish Bible was kept by the wise men of this region after the Jews returned to Palestine. In their libraries the wise men would have had access to the works of the great Jewish wise man Daniel who prophesied of the coming Messiah, and other Jewish Holy Books. So the wise men looked for the new born King of Israel because they read it in the scriptures.

It was through the ministry of Daniel, and other captive Jewish scribes, that the well-educated scribe Ezra had the complete (up to that point in history) preserved Bible when he returned to Jerusalem with the other freed captives. Ezra 7:6, 10, 11, 12, 25, Nehemiah 8:1-8 Ezra had the Scriptures, so did the wise men, and so do we.

The presence of the wise men after the birth of Jesus supports the truth that the Book of Numbers predates the Babylonian captivity. This was a problem for modern skeptics who believed Numbers was written after the captivity. Other skeptics guessed that Daniel and the other Jewish scribes wrote the Book of Numbers, and the rest of the Old Testament, while in captivity to bolster the Jewish claim to Palestine. Then in 1979 a silver amulet was found in an archaeological dig in Jerusalem with Numbers 6:24-26 etched into the silver. This amulet predated the Babylonian captivity, and is clear extra-Biblical evidence that the Old Testament book of Numbers existed before the captivity... so there is now even more evidence that the Jews took the scriptures into captivity which centuries later led the wise men to Jesus.

The wise men searched for this new King because they believed the Bible, and their faith guided them to Jesus... the Bible will do the same today for those who follow the light of that prophetic star.

Jesus' Birth Was Prophesied In Books Of The Bible Hundreds Of Years Before His Birth

Here are a few of the Old Testament prophesies concerning Jesus' birth. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain manuscripts of the Old Testament dating from 300 BC to 70AD. I have noted whether any part of the book containing a prophecy is in the Dead Sea Scroll collection and what the estimated date is of the manuscript(s). There is no evidence that the residents of Qumran, the closest community to the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ever came into contact with Jesus. 

1. The time period of His birth:

Prophesied: Daniel 9:25

Fulfilled: Luke 2:22

There are 8 Daniel manuscripts in the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS). The oldest is dated before 150 BC.

2. The city of His birth:

Prophesied: Micah 5:2

Fulfilled: Luke 2:4-7

There are 2 Micah manuscripts in the DSS. The oldest is dated in the 3rd century BC.

3. That His mother would be a virgin:

Prophesied: Isaiah 7:14

Fulfilled: Matthew 1:18

There are 22 Isaiah manuscripts in the DSS. The Great Scroll is a complete copy of the book and has been dated to around 100BC.

4. That He and His family would escape to Egypt.

Prophesied: Hosea 11:1

Fulfilled: Matthew 2:13-15

There are 3 manuscripts of Hosea, 2 commentaries, in the DSS. These are dated between 100 and 75BC.

5. That the innocents would be slaughtered:

Prophesied: Jeremiah 31:15

Fulfilled: Matthew 2:16

There are 6 manuscripts of Jeremiah in the DSS dated around 200 BC.

6. He is the Son of God:

Prophesied: Psalm 2:7

Fulfilled: Luke 3:22 (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11)

There are 39 manuscripts of the Psalms dated between 200-100BC.

7. He will be called Lord:

Prophesied: Psalm 110:1

Fulfilled: Luke 2:11

There are 39 manuscripts of the Psalms dated between 200-100BC.

8. That He would be a member of the tribe of Judah:

Prophesied: Micah 5:2

Fulfilled: Luke 3:33

There are 2 Micah manuscripts in the DSS. The oldest is dated in the 3rd century BC.

9. A descendant of Abraham:

Prophesied: Genesis 22:18

Fulfilled: Matthew 1:1

There are 24 Genesis manuscripts in the DSS ranging from 200-1BC.

10. A Descendant of Isaac:

Prophesied: Genesis 21:12

Fulfilled: Luke 3:34

There are 24 Genesis manuscripts in the DSS ranging from 200-1BC.

11. A descendant of Jesse:

Prophesied: Isaiah 11:1

Fulfilled: Luke 3:32

There are 22 Isaiah manuscripts in the DSS. The Great Scroll is a complete copy of the book and has been dated to around 100BC

12. A descendant of David:

Prophesied: Jeremiah 23:5-6

Fulfilled: Luke 3:31

There are 6 manuscripts of Jeremiah in the DSS dated around 200 BC.

Jesus Was A Nobody...

If the wife of an emperor, king, or powerful merchant gave birth to a child, it would have been widely known and celebrated. Everyone would know where that child was living.

But almost no one seemed to know Jesus was born. Herod would not have known if the Magi hadn't told him, and the Magi wouldn't have known if God hadn't told them by the use of a star. The shepherds would not have known if the angels hadn't told them. Even after Herod knew the Christ had been born he still was unable to find the child Jesus.

Jesus was born to such an unknown inconsequential family that He blended into the mass of humanity wherever his family lived. With few exceptions no one seemed to ever suspect this child born to Mary and Joseph was anything but just another face to feed in the mass of Jewish peasants.

Jesus' existence was so nondescript that even today some scholars question He ever lived. Think of it: He was virtually unknown until His baptism by John, and then only personally known in His local region in a small country in the Roman Empire. Even then His period of public notoriety was short lived, about 3 years, and he was executed with criminals as a law-breaker.

His short rise to fame was off the tracks people used to become famous. He didn't go to any famous schools or seminaries. He wasn't involved in the politics of His country. He wasn't in a scribal college and He was “unpublished.” He didn't seek license to teach... he just did it.

In a world where duplication was done by hand, 3 years is barely enough time to complete the publication of just a few copies of the biography of a famous person's life... but the life of a Jewish peasant?

Sure... there were writers who wrote about His life: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But if no one valued their writings then there would have been no scribal duplication of their books. But the writings of these men became the most widely translated and widely read publications in human history. People like William Tyndale have died trying to get these writings into the hands of the masses.

Jesus' fame spread in the same way it generally does today: by one person telling another person. This is one of the most miraculous realities in all of human history. The fame of this virtually unknown Jew has been kept alive because people talk about Him. Jesus was and is a nobody only to people who don't know Him. But when you come to know Him He is somebody who must be talked about. There has never been somebody like Him.

People have tried to eradicate His fame from popular culture over the centuries only to see His fame spread more widely by their efforts. They find it is more like trying to put a fire out with gasoline.

How could this happen? Why is He so famous? Because of who He is, what He said, and what He did. If you don't know much about Him I suggest you begin your reading with the Gospel of John or with His Gospel.

The Incarnation Changed Everything

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The incarnation changed everything. Until God was revealed in Jesus we went to a place, a building, to meet with Him. We were bound to the mystical revelation of truth in symbols, temple design and furniture, and Words spoken by prophets. The only incarnation was in the content of meaning carried in those Words and symbols.

But now, born to us all, the very incarnation of the Son Of God. God filling the vessel of a human body with Himself. A body has eternally become the temple of God. Every cell controlled by deity. His every facial expression is the the expression of God. In Jesus we find the Transcendent. Emmanuel!

There are still many today who seek God in a building. They search for Him in symbols and abstractions. They claim to find him in lists of rules and laws... but He is found in a man—Jesus Christ. Look for Him there. Worship Him there. Find reconciliation and forgiveness there. It is all in Him.

Inheriting Heaven

1 Peter 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

In the United States we generally think of inheritance as gifts received from a person after their death. But in the cultural context of the Bible inheritance was viewed differently. Not understanding this difference can lead to confusion when coming across words like inheritance and testament in the Bible.

Under Old Testament law an Israelite was born into a family inheritance. It was property given by God to the perpetual generations of the inheritor's family. Each successive generation was given stewardship responsibility over this family possession.

When a senior family member inherited, upon the death of the family head, his inheritance was more of a legal standing than a possession. He was the one with legal standing to make decisions related to the possession. Each generation could strengthen, corrupt, enlarge, or diminish the inheritance.

This system is very relevant to Christ followers today. We are currently the generation who has been handed the rights to the earthly inheritance of Christ Jesus given through the apostles and early church. We are only inter-generational stewards of that inheritance, and can strengthen, corrupt, enlarge, or diminish that inheritance for future generations.

The manual for our inheritance is the New Testament, and when we carefully compare what has been handed to us by previous generations to this manual we will find some corruption. It comes with the human condition. Christian history is rife with corruption and defilement of the inheritance of truth, and that history is still being made today. This earthly inheritance is, in human hands, perpetually unstable.

But this passage speaks of an inheritance that awaits all those who have trusted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus has secured this inheritance on our behalf. He is our family head... our Adam. This possession is under His careful control and cannot be corrupted. It is “incorruptible”and “undefiled.” It is reserved for us, and awaits us in its pristine condition.

Think of the first moment in that inheritance! It will be the first inheritance ever handed to us as a single collective generation. Pure... glorious... ours forever... Home.

Jesus, The Transcendent Witness

John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Most religions (I use this word in its broadest sense) have a primary witness. Someone who claims to have seen or heard from God, or experienced a unique awareness of some force, power, or knowledge. The testimony of this witness usually becomes the foundation of the religion.

Christianity is multi-tiered in its cadre of witnesses. There are those who testify in the Bible that God spoke directly to or through them. Then there are those who, throughout history, have confessed to a definite, real, experience with God. I am in that group... I have experienced God.

But Jesus is the primary witness, and He is also the transcendent witness. By this I mean He is far past simply being a conduit of God's revelation or message. He is the revelation. He is the message. The fullness of His knowledge, being, and purpose transcends this existence. But He came to us... The Apostle John seems to have understood this reality better than most, so this insight is boldly woven into his writings.

This is the chief realism of Christ followers--Jesus is Emmanuel--God with us. He is the primary witness, and there is none like Him.

An Abused, Angry, Sullen Woman

John 4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

We must keep this conversation in the context of the culture of that day. It was a man's world, and for women and children not willing to show humility in the presence of men it was, sadly, a brutal world. I think one purpose for retaining the first part of this conversation was to give us insight into the nature of this particular woman within that culture.

Twice Jesus told this woman what to do, and twice she argued with Him, and then didn't do what she was told. In that culture her responses would have been openly disrespectful. Then, while alone with a man from a neighboring nation in conflict with her own, she tried to start a religious argument about the superiority of her national religion over his. Dangerous...

I would expect to see scars on the face and knuckles of a woman who responded to men in that culture the way this woman responded to Jesus. She was a sullen, angry, abused woman, who had experienced a difficult life of broken relationships. She was living, unmarried, with her sixth man.

But... Jesus knew this, and was patient and kind with her. To Jesus she was His lost sheep in the wilderness. She was the one He came to save. He left the ninety and nine righteous to look for her. Other men may have seen her as someone to abuse, use, belittle, or ignore. Jesus saw a beloved soul; a person to value and sacrifice Himself to redeem. Even his disciples were surprised to see Him talking to her as they returned from an errand. He could have gone to a Samaritan queen… but He went to that water-well to save that woman, and I'm glad He did.

Whose Wife Will She Be In The Judgment Day?

Matthew 22:23-33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

29 ¶ Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

The question asked in verse 28 has to be one of the most amusing questions in the Bible. The people who asked Jesus this question with its lengthy setup were members of a Jewish religious sect called Sadducee who objected to the possibility of the resurrection. They hoped to corner Jesus with this convoluted question. But, as so many others have learned, Jesus doesn’t corner.

This question must have seemed so logical and ironclad when it was conceived in the self-justifying confines of some Sadducean meeting. But when it finally tumbled out into the light of day it became almost comedic instead of dramatic.

Jesus brushed the question aside with a rebuke, and then a brief answer. We can learn much from this answer.

First, from His rebuke we know that the Old Testament contains the doctrine of the resurrection. He proved that in verses 31 and 32.

Second, they failed to take into account the power of God to raise the dead. The Sadducees were theological well-diggers: the deeper they dug the smaller their view of the sky. For this group of Sadducees, the deeper they dug into the argument the smaller their view of God. We must never lose sight of the omnipotent God, nothing is beyond His power.

Third, it is concretely clear that Jesus believed in the resurrection of the dead. He knew that death would soon be defeated by His own resurrection.

Fourth, Each resurrected body will be individually made, which is similar to angels. Angels were individually created and, therefore, are not ordered by family units. There are no father or mother angels, or, for that matter, baby angels. There will be a finite number of resurrected persons, and they will not be born into family units. While we may carry the remembrance of our earthly families, each person will be an individual within a single invariable new earthly population of equals. Question answered...