Who do you think Jesus is? Jesus asked His disciples “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? (Matt. 16:13). It was more easy for them to tell Jesus, what they heard others saying about Him. However it was more challenging to answer Jesus’ next question “But who do you say that I am?” (v15). This was something personal, where they have to reveal their individual conviction about the very essence of Jesus. Similarly Jesus is asking each of us, what we really think about Him. Our entire life depends on this realization. Individually we have to decide, what we really think about Jesus in our heart. This is not about somebody else’s opinion. Our entire course of life depends on this conviction. The title, “the Son of Man”, was Jesus’ favorite designation for Himself, which He used more than 80 times. He had a purpose in mind, behind this designation. This expression was common in the Old Testament, which except in one case, always referred to a human. Thus Jesus wanted to emphasize his humanity. In every way he was like any other human. He was born and grew up as a baby (Luke 2:40, 52), had sisters and brother (Matt. 13:55-56), ate (Matt. 9:11), slept (Luke 8:23), tired (John 4:6), and suffered hunger and thirst (Matt. 4:2, John 19:28). Many of His contemporaries did not recognize in Him anything more than a man (John 7:46). They failed to perceive that there is more meaning in the title, “Son of Man”. “One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of days” (Daniel 7:13), and received eternal dominion, glory, and a kingdom. The Jews identified this Son of Man with the Messiah. So, Jesus using this title, was revealing, indirectly, that He was also the promised Messiah. Why is it so important to know that Jesus was also fully human? What are the implications of this for our salvation? What are its implications in our daily battle with sin and temptations? Jesus being fully human did not use any of His divine powers to overcome sin and temptation (“emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” Phil. 2:7). All the powers he used to fight sin, are also at our disposal, just within our reach. We have to only ask God in prayer, just like Jesus. There is no record of Jesus publicly saying “I am God”, or “I am the Messiah”. If he had done so, His mission in this world, would have been prematurely interrupted, because of Jew’s animosity. However He choose to hint indirectly to His divine nature, so that He wanted His hearers to know about His divinity. Jesus made many references to His special relationship with His Father. When He said that God was His Father, He was making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). In Luke 5:17-26, we read Jesus healing a man with palsy. It required nothing less than the creative power of God to restore health to that degenerating body. The same voice that gave life to man, created from dust of the earth, had given life to the dying paralytic through His words. In this incident Jesus also claimed the divine prerogative to forgive sins. He also said that He Himself “will sit on the throne of His glory” (Matt. 25:31), to judge all the nations, which is God’s authority alone. Jesus asserted and demonstrated that He had the same power as the Father to overcome death. “As the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so that Son gives life to whom He will” (John 5:21). Only God can say “I am the resurrection and the life”. Jesus asserted to His preexistence like God. He “came down from heaven” (John 3:13), because the Father sent him (John 5:23). Again he reaffirmed His preexistence, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). The word of God also speaks about the pre-existence of Christ. The word existed as a divine being, as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with the Father. The world was made by Him and “and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). When we read John 8:58, we see Jesus announcing himself to be the self-existent One, in contrast to Abraham. He was not only there before Abraham’s birth, but existed eternally. “I am” implies continuous existence. “I am” is the title of Yahweh himself (Exodus 3:14). Jewish leaders understood that Jesus claimed divinity, so guilty of blasphemy and therefore “they took up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59 – stoning to death was the punishment for blasphemy). Even Jesus accepted worship from others, which only God is eligible (Matt. 4:10). By accepting adoration from others, He was revealing His divinity. The disciples on the sea (Matt. 14:33), the healed blind man (John 9:38), the women at Jesus’ tomb (Matt. 28:9) and the disciples in Galilee (Matt. 28:17) worshipped Him recognizing His deity. Thomas’ world to Jesus “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), will be spoken by a Jew only if he is sure, he is talking to God. No one need to be in doubt. Christ is God in the highest sense, one with God from all eternity. In Christ is life original, un-borrowed, and underived. “He has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). This divinity of Christ is the greatest assurance of our eternal life. Satan always tries his best to malign the character of God in front of people. Jesus came to correct this false image of God, by representing Father in this world. He wanted us to know God, because this knowledge is indispensable for eternal life (John 17:3). In Eden, humans lost their relationship with God and eternal life. Jesus came to restore everything, reestablish our bond with Father (John 1:51), forgive us our sins (Matt. 26:28), give us an example how to live (1 Pet. 2:21) and finally to give us eternal life (John 3:16). Actually the transgression of the law of God, demanded the life of the sinner. In all the universe there was only on who could, in behalf of man, satisfy this claim. Since divine law is same as God himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for this transgression. None but Christ only could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him back again into harmony with heaven. A human being can never be our savior, no matter how great his/her life may have been. Only knowledge about Jesus is not enough. Even demons confessed that Jesus was “the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24), “the Son of God” (Mark 3:11) and “Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7). We should have faith in Him, we have to trust Him, we have to accept Him as our savior, we have to submit ourselves to Him, we have to obey Him and finally live a life according to His words. As a last point to ponder, the best place to realize who Jesus is, at the foot of the cross. Look at the Centurion. He understood fully who Jesus was at the foot of the cross and said “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). Just think, when was the last time you were at the foot of the cross? Take a moment to meditate upon His infinite sacrifice! Finally we should be able to say with absolute faith, like Peter “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16)? Messiah means savior, that itself savior from the living God, being His only Son. If you like this message, please visit my page, like and share it with your friends https://facebook/SomeTruthsThatYouShouldNotMiss
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:03:45 +0000
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