FIRST OF ALL, READ THIS INSTALLMENT OF THE 13TH DISCIPLE
The 13th Disciple
Oh, you've heard about it before?
Well, why don't you let someone who was actually there tell you what happened. Yes, me. I was there.
Yes, yes, I know I wasn't among the ones specially chosen by the Messiah. However, I did have a way of being enough of a help and yet enough out of the way so that I was nicknamed "the 13th Disciple." I didn't mind the name. I came to witness if this Yeshua really did carry what His name meant: salvation.
But you say you've heard the story in the village? Ha. You have no idea.
We were on the boat. I managed to work my way on board with a promise of doing extra duty in pulling the fish nets in as well as doing a bit of mending if needed. I guess the rest of the boys took pity on me because they let me on board even though I realized that they weren't going to be doing any fishing on this trip. I promised to row if need be, but the wind was so good that the sail was put up and I was fortunate enough to get a free ride without much work. The Lake of Gennesaret was beautifully calm when we set out.
Philip nodded toward the back of the boat. "Master, you look tired. We'll handle the travel. Rest, now." I watched the rabbi's eyes carefully and could see that He was exhausted. I mean, He was constantly mobbed by people who were going crazy over Him. Earlier that day, when I finally arrived in Capernaum, He was finishing up some messages to a crowd of many hundreds, maybe thousands, and His words were stunning. When He had finished, everyone was saying that He had healed someone's child. That was about the time I snuck on the boat, and I was listening to all of the excitement he had been causing. Right then, though, He looked worn out. He nodded to Philip and went over and fell asleep almost as soon as He lay His head down. I could see James was concerned. He mumbled something to his brother John and John shook his head slowly. They were concerned that Yeshua may be overtaxing Himself. Well, I reasoned that the quiet trip would be a good rest for Him. We spent a good hour in quiet as evening came.
But something very strange happened. At the edge of this clear sunset a squall appeared right over the horizon. It was moving faster than lightning, it seemed. This looked to be bad, but when it slammed into us it was as terrifying as anything I had ever imagined. It shook the boat. I am serious. It did more than splash and slam into us; it was like it was grabbing us and shaking us like a farmer would shake a handful of wheat in his hand. We had no resistance. I could hear the wood groan. I had a death grip on the side, but the waves kept slamming into my face and forcing me towards the side of the boat. Between the gale winds of water, I saw Judas slip and almost tumble overboard.
Simon - you know, the former Zealot, the rebel soldier? The brave one? - I looked at him and I could see that his face was pale. He was sloshing toward the back; the water in the boat was as high as our calves. He was stumbling. Everybody was stumbling. Darkness was on us now. If there's one combination of horrible things to me, it's a sea storm and pitch blackness. I wished I had never been on the boat. I admit, Iwas openly calling out to Yahweh, using His name loudly.
I turned around and crawled through the water toward the sheltered area where Yeshua lay. I could hear Peter screaming, "Master, master, wake up!" The Zealot was shouting "Wake up, Lord! We're going to be destroyed!" Even the usually unemotional Matthew was grabbing Yeshua's sleeve and screaming "Rabbi! Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die?"
I grew sick. These winter storms go on for hours, and I knew that the boat wasn't going to hold up from all of this shaking. It was like a little earthquake inside the boat - I could see the boards heaving.
How here's what happens...
Yeshua doesn't say a word to them. He rubs His eyes with the back of His hand and sits up slowly. They move out of His way as He maneuvers to the front of the boat and faces the teeth of the screaming wind. It pauses before another blast, and before it launches itself again, we all hear Jesus bellow in a stern voice, like a stern rabbi, or an impatient father. "Hush! Quiet! Be still!"
And...
I don't know how to tell you this, but...
It stopped right then.
Immediately.
Yes, right at that instant.
I saw a wave that was taller than a house shrink ... no, melt down into a flat surface. I looked. The whole horizon was flat and quiet.
It was, well, scary. Nobody can have that kind of power except Yahweh Himself.
Simon stared with wide eyes. Peter stepped back a few steps. James sat down while Thomas leaned against the mast. Nobody spoke for a full minute.
Jesus turned and scanned the boat full of stunned men. "Where was your faith?" He asked simply. "Didn't you trust Me?"
Thomas stumbled backward and bumped into Philip next to me. "It was shocking to have a devilish storm outside the boat," I heard him say, "but to have God Himself inside the boat..."
And that's about all I can tell you right now. I am still trying to understand the full power of what I experienced that day.
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Well, why don't you let someone who was actually there tell you what happened. Yes, me. I was there.
Yes, yes, I know I wasn't among the ones specially chosen by the Messiah. However, I did have a way of being enough of a help and yet enough out of the way so that I was nicknamed "the 13th Disciple." I didn't mind the name. I came to witness if this Yeshua really did carry what His name meant: salvation.
But you say you've heard the story in the village? Ha. You have no idea.
We were on the boat. I managed to work my way on board with a promise of doing extra duty in pulling the fish nets in as well as doing a bit of mending if needed. I guess the rest of the boys took pity on me because they let me on board even though I realized that they weren't going to be doing any fishing on this trip. I promised to row if need be, but the wind was so good that the sail was put up and I was fortunate enough to get a free ride without much work. The Lake of Gennesaret was beautifully calm when we set out.
Philip nodded toward the back of the boat. "Master, you look tired. We'll handle the travel. Rest, now." I watched the rabbi's eyes carefully and could see that He was exhausted. I mean, He was constantly mobbed by people who were going crazy over Him. Earlier that day, when I finally arrived in Capernaum, He was finishing up some messages to a crowd of many hundreds, maybe thousands, and His words were stunning. When He had finished, everyone was saying that He had healed someone's child. That was about the time I snuck on the boat, and I was listening to all of the excitement he had been causing. Right then, though, He looked worn out. He nodded to Philip and went over and fell asleep almost as soon as He lay His head down. I could see James was concerned. He mumbled something to his brother John and John shook his head slowly. They were concerned that Yeshua may be overtaxing Himself. Well, I reasoned that the quiet trip would be a good rest for Him. We spent a good hour in quiet as evening came.
But something very strange happened. At the edge of this clear sunset a squall appeared right over the horizon. It was moving faster than lightning, it seemed. This looked to be bad, but when it slammed into us it was as terrifying as anything I had ever imagined. It shook the boat. I am serious. It did more than splash and slam into us; it was like it was grabbing us and shaking us like a farmer would shake a handful of wheat in his hand. We had no resistance. I could hear the wood groan. I had a death grip on the side, but the waves kept slamming into my face and forcing me towards the side of the boat. Between the gale winds of water, I saw Judas slip and almost tumble overboard.
Simon - you know, the former Zealot, the rebel soldier? The brave one? - I looked at him and I could see that his face was pale. He was sloshing toward the back; the water in the boat was as high as our calves. He was stumbling. Everybody was stumbling. Darkness was on us now. If there's one combination of horrible things to me, it's a sea storm and pitch blackness. I wished I had never been on the boat. I admit, Iwas openly calling out to Yahweh, using His name loudly.
I turned around and crawled through the water toward the sheltered area where Yeshua lay. I could hear Peter screaming, "Master, master, wake up!" The Zealot was shouting "Wake up, Lord! We're going to be destroyed!" Even the usually unemotional Matthew was grabbing Yeshua's sleeve and screaming "Rabbi! Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die?"
I grew sick. These winter storms go on for hours, and I knew that the boat wasn't going to hold up from all of this shaking. It was like a little earthquake inside the boat - I could see the boards heaving.
How here's what happens...
Yeshua doesn't say a word to them. He rubs His eyes with the back of His hand and sits up slowly. They move out of His way as He maneuvers to the front of the boat and faces the teeth of the screaming wind. It pauses before another blast, and before it launches itself again, we all hear Jesus bellow in a stern voice, like a stern rabbi, or an impatient father. "Hush! Quiet! Be still!"
And...
I don't know how to tell you this, but...
It stopped right then.
Immediately.
Yes, right at that instant.
I saw a wave that was taller than a house shrink ... no, melt down into a flat surface. I looked. The whole horizon was flat and quiet.
It was, well, scary. Nobody can have that kind of power except Yahweh Himself.
Simon stared with wide eyes. Peter stepped back a few steps. James sat down while Thomas leaned against the mast. Nobody spoke for a full minute.
Jesus turned and scanned the boat full of stunned men. "Where was your faith?" He asked simply. "Didn't you trust Me?"
Thomas stumbled backward and bumped into Philip next to me. "It was shocking to have a devilish storm outside the boat," I heard him say, "but to have God Himself inside the boat..."
And that's about all I can tell you right now. I am still trying to understand the full power of what I experienced that day.
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PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT GREEK PHRASE IN THE ENTIRE SECOND TESTAMENT:
Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
"...and the Word was made flesh..." John 1:14
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Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
"...and the Word was made flesh..." John 1:14
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John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
"Only begotten" - does that mean that there was a time when He didn’t exist? Jesus is the only begotten; in the Greek that word is monogenes.
John is saying is that in addition to Jesus possessing the life of the Father, Jesus was the son of inheritance. This word means a son who has the privilege and the right to get all that the Father has.
This word cannot mean simply that God brought Him to life and He’s the only one that God ever brought into life because in Hebrews 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested,offered up Isaac.” That refers to Genesis 22, where Abraham offered up Isaac and in that passage it says the same thing, his only begotten son.
Was Isaac Abraham’s only begotten son in the sense that he had no other sons? No. He had another son named Ishmael.
Ishmael was born before Isaac was born and was a son of Abraham but monogenes means the son of privilege.
The son of inheritance
The son of right.
In that passage as in John 3:16, the term means the possessor of the nature of the father, and also the one who possesses all the inheritance of the father.
Jesus Christ is called monogenes one, because he bears the nature of the father AND because the Father has given Him all that He possesses. He is the monogenes, eternally the Son and eternally the heir.
Jesus Himself said, “All authorities in heaven and earth have been given to Me. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me.”
John 5 He says, “All judgment has been given to Me.”
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
"Only begotten" - does that mean that there was a time when He didn’t exist? Jesus is the only begotten; in the Greek that word is monogenes.
John is saying is that in addition to Jesus possessing the life of the Father, Jesus was the son of inheritance. This word means a son who has the privilege and the right to get all that the Father has.
This word cannot mean simply that God brought Him to life and He’s the only one that God ever brought into life because in Hebrews 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested,offered up Isaac.” That refers to Genesis 22, where Abraham offered up Isaac and in that passage it says the same thing, his only begotten son.
Was Isaac Abraham’s only begotten son in the sense that he had no other sons? No. He had another son named Ishmael.
Ishmael was born before Isaac was born and was a son of Abraham but monogenes means the son of privilege.
The son of inheritance
The son of right.
In that passage as in John 3:16, the term means the possessor of the nature of the father, and also the one who possesses all the inheritance of the father.
Jesus Christ is called monogenes one, because he bears the nature of the father AND because the Father has given Him all that He possesses. He is the monogenes, eternally the Son and eternally the heir.
Jesus Himself said, “All authorities in heaven and earth have been given to Me. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me.”
John 5 He says, “All judgment has been given to Me.”
The book of Isaiah in the First Testament gives great detail about the coming Messiah.
IN HEBREW, THE WORD "MESSIAH" MEANS "THE EXPECTED ONE" OR "THE ANOINTED ONE". In Greek the word "Christ" means the same thing: "The Anointed One."
Is Jesus the Expected One, the Messiah? It was predicted many times in the First Testament, 800 years before Jesus arrived on Earth.. Here is a passage in Isaiah 53 and I highlighted some of the many prophecies in this passage:
Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the treasure with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the treasure with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
1. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
2. A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).3.
3. The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
4. The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
5. The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
6. The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).
7. The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
8. The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
Dr. Peter Stoner estimated the odds against Jesus fulfilling even just eight of the prophecies of the First Testament. If Jesus fulfilled just 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of one person, the probability is 1 in 10 to the 17th power or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 or one in one hundred quadrillion.
2. A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).3.
3. The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
4. The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
5. The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
6. The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).
7. The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
8. The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
Dr. Peter Stoner estimated the odds against Jesus fulfilling even just eight of the prophecies of the First Testament. If Jesus fulfilled just 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of one person, the probability is 1 in 10 to the 17th power or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 or one in one hundred quadrillion.
Ezekiel also tells about the Christ ("Anointed One") coming in the end times.
The 39th chapter of Ezekiel tells about the aftermath of Armageddon - the final battle of all times. All the nations will fight Christ in a battle played out in the 39th chapter. God will destroy 5 out of 6 parts of the attacking army, and the birds will come out and devour the bodies (see Revelation 19). The areas mentioned in this section can be traced to areas in what is now Russia.
Zechariah is the most prophetic of all of the books in the First Testament when it comes to telling about the coming Messiah.
The book of Zechariah is a prophecy of the coming glory of Jesus Christ and is filled with visions and signs and angels. You'll see the promise for the future - and 400 years later it all comes true. Zechariah can be linked over with the book of Revelation.
Historically, two writers - Haggai and Zechariah were sent to encourage Israel after they had come back from the Babylonian captivity for 70 years. They returned to ruins, and surrounding nations were threatening. These two prophets were sent to tell them that Israel should keep building, and God will protect them and give them greatness. Zechariah was written to comfort the nation. In chapters 9-11 the prediction is the political part, and 12-14 the spiritual part.
Look at the first eight verses:
The burden of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord),
And Hamath also, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
For Tyre built herself a fortress
And piled up silver like dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
Behold, the Lord will dispossess her
And cast her wealth into the sea;
And she will be consumed with fire.
Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
It's amazing to realize that although the island fortress city of Tyre was seen to be unconquerable, Alexander the Great did it in seven months by taking the boulders of the old mainland city and by "casting into the sea" building a causeway out to the island city to capture Tyre.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod,
History tells that the above cities were also conquered one-by-one by Alexander's Greek armies.
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
And I will remove their blood from their mouth
And their detestable things from between their teeth.
Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
And be like a clan in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
When David took over Jerusalem, he absorbed the Jebusites into his people, and did the same with those of Ekron, thus fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy.
But I will camp around My house because of an army,
Because of him who passes by and returns;
And no oppressor will pass over them anymore,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
Zechariah's prophecy was fulfilled with Alexander's march through the the region in 332-331 B.C. as he took over every one of the cities mentioned in this passage. However, Alexander did not hurt Jerusalem. When he came to conquer it, the high priests joined the other priests in dressing in white robes and going out to meeting him in a great ceremony. Alexander was deeply impressed - he had a dream about this, according to the historian Josephus, and joined hand with the priests and gave them their wishes of continual worship of Jehovah. He did Jerusalem no harm.
Historically, two writers - Haggai and Zechariah were sent to encourage Israel after they had come back from the Babylonian captivity for 70 years. They returned to ruins, and surrounding nations were threatening. These two prophets were sent to tell them that Israel should keep building, and God will protect them and give them greatness. Zechariah was written to comfort the nation. In chapters 9-11 the prediction is the political part, and 12-14 the spiritual part.
Look at the first eight verses:
The burden of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord),
And Hamath also, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
For Tyre built herself a fortress
And piled up silver like dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
Behold, the Lord will dispossess her
And cast her wealth into the sea;
And she will be consumed with fire.
Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
It's amazing to realize that although the island fortress city of Tyre was seen to be unconquerable, Alexander the Great did it in seven months by taking the boulders of the old mainland city and by "casting into the sea" building a causeway out to the island city to capture Tyre.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod,
History tells that the above cities were also conquered one-by-one by Alexander's Greek armies.
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
And I will remove their blood from their mouth
And their detestable things from between their teeth.
Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
And be like a clan in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
When David took over Jerusalem, he absorbed the Jebusites into his people, and did the same with those of Ekron, thus fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy.
But I will camp around My house because of an army,
Because of him who passes by and returns;
And no oppressor will pass over them anymore,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
Zechariah's prophecy was fulfilled with Alexander's march through the the region in 332-331 B.C. as he took over every one of the cities mentioned in this passage. However, Alexander did not hurt Jerusalem. When he came to conquer it, the high priests joined the other priests in dressing in white robes and going out to meeting him in a great ceremony. Alexander was deeply impressed - he had a dream about this, according to the historian Josephus, and joined hand with the priests and gave them their wishes of continual worship of Jehovah. He did Jerusalem no harm.
"Show me where Jesus is like God..."
Jesus has the same attributes that God has.
One of those attributes is in being all-powerful (Omnipotence) Here are some examples:
Matthew 8:26-27 – Jesus calmed the storm immediately.
Matthew 14:19 – Jesus feeds thousands of people with a small basket of loaves and the fishes
John 2:1-11 – Jesus shows an ability to re-arrange molecular structure when He changed the water into wine
One of those attributes is in being all-powerful (Omnipotence) Here are some examples:
Matthew 8:26-27 – Jesus calmed the storm immediately.
Matthew 14:19 – Jesus feeds thousands of people with a small basket of loaves and the fishes
John 2:1-11 – Jesus shows an ability to re-arrange molecular structure when He changed the water into wine
And yet, as much as He is God we also recognize the humanity of Christ
- He had a physical birth - and yet it was miraculous. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35.
- It is known as the "virgin birth" and Galatians 4:4-5 tells us why this is so important: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons..
- The virgin birth is of God, and so is the fact that Jesus is fully God and fully human.
- This bypasses inherited sin.
- He endured human limitations
- As seen in Luke 24:39. Jesus' humanity showed that He thirsted, He hungered, He grew tired.
- Jesus learned: Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. He had a human mind - Luke 2:52 - And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature (age), and in favor with God and men.
- Jesus had a human soul and emotions - Matt 26:38; John 11:35, 12:27, 13:21.
- Yet in all this Jesus was sinless even in the face of temptation
- When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. Jesus was tempted - (Luke 4:13.)
- He did not sin - Hebrews 4:15.
- Could Jesus have sinned (impeccability)?
- Why was Jesus' full humanity necessary?
- For representative obedience - Romans 5:18-19; 1 Cor 15:45-47.
- To be a substitute sacrifice - Hebrews 2:16-17, 4:15-16.
- Direct scriptural claims:
- The word God (theos) is used of Christ - John 1:1,18, 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8 (quoting Psalm 45:6); 2 Peter 1:1; Isaiah 9:6.
- The word Lord (kyrios) is used of Christ - This is the same word as you find in the Old Testament for YHWH (Yahweh), which is translated in the KJV, LORD. Kyrios is used to translate the name of the Lord 6,814 times in the OT. Luke 2:11; Matt 3:3 (Isaiah 40:3); Psalm 110:1 (Matt 22:44); 1 Cor 8:6.
- Other strong claims:
- "I am" - John 8:58 (Exodus 3:14).
- "Alpha & Omega" - Rev 22:13.
- "The Son of Man" - Daniel 7:13; Matthew 26:64.
- "Son of God" - Matt 11:25-30, 17:5; 1 Cor 15:28; Heb 1:1-3,5,8; John 1:14,18,34,49, 8:19, 14:9.
- Fullness of God - Colossians 1:19, 2:9.
- The Resurrection - 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.
- Evidence that Jesus possessed attributes of God:
- Omnipotence - Matt 8:26-27, 14:19; John 2:1-11.
- Eternity - John 8:58; Rev 22:13.
- Omniscience - Mark 2:8; John 2:25, 6:64.
- Omnipresence - Matt 18:20, 28:20.
- Sovereignty - Mark 2:5-7; "I say to you" instead of "Thus saith the Lord."
- Worthy to be worshipped - Phil 2:9-11; Heb 1:6; Rev 19:10.
- Did Jesus give up some of His divive attributes while on earth (kenosis)?
- No. He was fully God. Not acting is not the same as not having.
- Why was it necessary for Jesus to be God?
- Only an infinite God could bear the full penalty for sins.
- Salvation is from God - we can't save ourselves.
- Only someone who is truly God could be our mediator - 1 Tim 2:5.
- Inadequate views of the person of Christ:
- Apollinarianism - Human body, not human mind.
- Nestorianism - Two separate persons in Christ, human and divine.
- Monophysitism (Eutychianism) - One mixed nature. Neither fully God or man.
- Docetism (Gnosticism) - Denied humanity of Christ.
- Arianism - Denied deity of Christ.
- The Chalcedonian Definition (451) - Fully God & Man in one person.
- One nature does some things that the other nature does not do.
- Anything either nature does, the person of Christ does.
- Jesus was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever.
A. Resurrection
B. Historicity of Jesus' Resurrection
C. Ascension into Heaven
- New Testament - Matt 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25.
- The Nature of Christ's Resurrection:
- Not resuscitation - Lazarus (John 11:1-44).
- A renewed body that does not die again.
- Analogy of seeds - 1 Cor 15:42-44.
- Christ is the first person to be resurrected - 1 Cor 15:20.
- It is physical, not immaterial - Matt 28:9; Luke 24:30,39; John 20:15, 27.
- It is the beginning of God's renewal of a fallen world - Romans 8:22-23.
- Both Father and Son participated.
- God the Father raised Jesus - Acts 2:24; Romans 6:4; 1 Cor 6:14; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:20.
- Jesus raised Himself - John 10:17-18; 11:25; Heb 7:6.
- Doctrinal significance:
- Christ's resurrection insures our resurrection - 1 Pet 1:3; Eph 1:19-20, 2:5-6; Phil 3:10.
- Christ's resurrection insures our justification - Rom 4:25; Phil 2:8-9.
- Christ's resurrection insures that we will also receive resurrected bodies - 1 Cor 15:12-58; 2 Cor 4:14.
- Ethical significance of the resurrection:
- Your labor in not in vain - 1 Cor 15:58.
- Motivation for living - Col 3:1-4.
- Stop yielding to sin - Rom 6:11-13.
B. Historicity of Jesus' Resurrection
- Testimony of Scripture - Eyewitnesses:
- The Disciples and the Gospels (see A.1 above) - 1 John 1-3.
- Paul - Acts 9:1-8; 1 Cor 15:8.
- Others - 1 Cor 15:6.
- Attacks on the Resurrection of Jesus:
- Stolen body theory - Matt 28:12-15.
- Swoon theory - Jesus only seemed dead (The Passover Plot, The Jesus Scroll).
- Islamic view - Someone who looked exactly like Jesus died, but not the real Jesus, who ascended into heaven.
- Myth - The resurrection was symbolic or just spiritual. It was the result of the disciples wanting to see Christ.
"The resurrection itself in not an event of past history. All that historical criticism can establish is the fact that the first disciples came to believe in the resurrection." - Rudolf Bultmann.
C. Ascension into Heaven
- Christ ascended to a place - Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11.
- Christ received glory and honor - John 17:5; Acts 2:33; Phil 2:9; Rev 5:12.
- Christ is seated at God's right hand (Christ's session) - Psa 110:1; Acts 7:56; Eph 1:20-21; Heb 1:3, 12:1-2; 1 Pet 3:22.
- Doctrinal significance for our lives.
- We will also ascend - John 14:3; 1 Thess 4:17.
- We will share in Christ's authority - 1 Cor 6:3; Eph 2:6; Rev 2:26-27, 3:21.
The Resurrection of Jesus is essential to the Christian faith
Paul relates this truth in Acts 13:29-31:
When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.
In Acts 13:35-37 Paul again emphasizes this:
Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to [c]undergo decay.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.
Lee Strobel : "The resurrection is the supreme vindication of Jesus' divine identity and His inspired teaching. ...It's the foreshadowing of the resurrection of His followers. It's the basis of Christian hope."
Look up Luke 24:1 the empty tomb was discovered by women. This is striking since in the patriarchial society of the time, women were second class citizens. Why would the primary witnesses be women? You would not have made it up by using women - especially the "shady" Mary Magdalene. This is important as to the unchanging firmness of saying the women witnessed it.
Now look up Matthew 28:12-13 Justin and Tertullian still hold to the claim put that the disciples stole the body. Yet that means they admit the body was missing.
Usually a thief was kept on the cross in shame. yet Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea (all Gospels agree with this) who was a member fo the Sanhedrin. Yet mark's account said all of the Sanhedrin voted to condemn Jesus. So what about Jospeh of Arimathea, but Luke points out Joseph was not present for the vote. Changing history would not be possible, since oral tradition was easy to disprove since so many people knew the history. There was bitterness towards the Jewish leaders so it was not a good idea (if someone made it up) to make a Sanhedrin to be sympathetic.
Only Matthew writes about the guards at the tomb. Yet history tells us that there were no arguments that there were no guards. The flow of the argument proves that the guards were not there. Roman guards and Jewish guards were at the Garden of Gethsemane and it was probable that the Roman guards were present. Yet the bribery leans toward the Jewish guards being present.
It was sealed (like a document) to assure nobody broke in. Matthew 28:14 claims that the Jewish leaders handled the problem And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and [a]keep you out of trouble.”
The core details of all of the Gospels are the same. Some finer details are not necessarily exact and lends credibility and shows that there was no "carbon copy" repetition of the four manuscripts. Why were women there? For preparation of the body, and Joseph was hurrying to get it ready before Sabbath. Possibly they came to prepare this properly. Yet it was sealed. Perhaps they looked to the guards to allow them.
Some evidence implies Mark was written before AD 37 - simple and making it improbable to "build the legend" over the course of the generations. Mark was simply "this is how it happened."
When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.
In Acts 13:35-37 Paul again emphasizes this:
Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to [c]undergo decay.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.
Lee Strobel : "The resurrection is the supreme vindication of Jesus' divine identity and His inspired teaching. ...It's the foreshadowing of the resurrection of His followers. It's the basis of Christian hope."
Look up Luke 24:1 the empty tomb was discovered by women. This is striking since in the patriarchial society of the time, women were second class citizens. Why would the primary witnesses be women? You would not have made it up by using women - especially the "shady" Mary Magdalene. This is important as to the unchanging firmness of saying the women witnessed it.
Now look up Matthew 28:12-13 Justin and Tertullian still hold to the claim put that the disciples stole the body. Yet that means they admit the body was missing.
Usually a thief was kept on the cross in shame. yet Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea (all Gospels agree with this) who was a member fo the Sanhedrin. Yet mark's account said all of the Sanhedrin voted to condemn Jesus. So what about Jospeh of Arimathea, but Luke points out Joseph was not present for the vote. Changing history would not be possible, since oral tradition was easy to disprove since so many people knew the history. There was bitterness towards the Jewish leaders so it was not a good idea (if someone made it up) to make a Sanhedrin to be sympathetic.
Only Matthew writes about the guards at the tomb. Yet history tells us that there were no arguments that there were no guards. The flow of the argument proves that the guards were not there. Roman guards and Jewish guards were at the Garden of Gethsemane and it was probable that the Roman guards were present. Yet the bribery leans toward the Jewish guards being present.
It was sealed (like a document) to assure nobody broke in. Matthew 28:14 claims that the Jewish leaders handled the problem And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and [a]keep you out of trouble.”
The core details of all of the Gospels are the same. Some finer details are not necessarily exact and lends credibility and shows that there was no "carbon copy" repetition of the four manuscripts. Why were women there? For preparation of the body, and Joseph was hurrying to get it ready before Sabbath. Possibly they came to prepare this properly. Yet it was sealed. Perhaps they looked to the guards to allow them.
Some evidence implies Mark was written before AD 37 - simple and making it improbable to "build the legend" over the course of the generations. Mark was simply "this is how it happened."