John 1:1-3 informs us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Later John tells us, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14). What John is saying here is that Jesus is timeless. He is outside of time and in fact He created time. That Jesus is everlasting and eternal. That Jesus is in fact God.
Matthew’s gospel says, ‘“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ – which means ‘God with us.’” This is a direct quote from Isaiah 7:14, which states, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
The Unpopular Messiah
The prophet Isaiah further predicts that Jesus as the Messiah, would be rejected by the Jews and put to death in what is perhaps the most vivid description of Jesus’ persecution, written some 700 years beforehand. The fifty third chapter of Isaiah begins, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). He then goes on to describe the Messiah not as a conquering hero, but as a humble servant that would be despised and rejected.
Isaiah paints a picture with the words, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:2-3a). In verses four and five Isaiah adds, “Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
The prophecy continues: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgement He was taken away. Yet who of His generation protested? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7-9)
The prophet Zachariah reiterates a couple of centuries later (still 500 years before Christ): “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zachariah 12:10). Zachariah is fully engaged with the concept that it is God Himself who is pierced and he equates this notion with the significance of a one and only son.
Death Could Not Hold Him
Hindsight is 20/20 and from our secure perspective two millennia later it is easy to see how Jesus fulfilled the words of prophecy through His birth, life and death. However, Isaiah predicts that the Messiah, after being cut off from the land of the living, will have His days prolonged. One could perhaps fulfill the previous verses through human effort (with much coordination with factors beyond human control). But to die for our sins and subsequently resurrect and be glorified is completely beyond the realm of human aspiration or ability.
Verse ten resumes the narrative: “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:10-12).
This all happened at the time of the Passover and the implications of Jesus being the unblemished Lamb at Passover are not lost in translation. Nor is His rewriting of the Passover Seder as the New Covenant under which the bride of Christ is betrothed. Jesus forever changed the world at Easter and two thousand years later, His true followers eagerly anticipate His return.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of the Christian faith. We do not worship an inanimate god as some religions do or the memory of some fallen hero whose bones have long since turned to dust. Our Lord and Savior is alive and well and He holds the keys to everything including death (Revelation 1:18). We are able to have an intimate relationship with Him through faith (John 17:20-23). This is what makes Christianity unique and establishes the Christian church as the ultimate body of fellowship with God.
Jesus Is God And God Is Jesus
Revelation 1:8 records God informing John, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘Who Is and Who Was and Who Is To Come, the Almighty.’” Here God explicitly states that He is the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is the same God as He is revealed to be in the Torah – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 50:24, Exodus 3:15, Acts 7:32 and Matthew 22:32).
A few verses later in Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus speaks to John: “Then He placed His right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!” In this concise passage of scripture, Jesus confirms that He is God and that He exists for ever and ever.
The writer of Hebrews also reinforces this reality in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.” These are attributes reserved for God (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:25-27. The humble carpenter’s son from Nazareth who healed the sick, made the lame walk and the blind see has impacted humanity more than any other man in history. Yeshua Hamashiach, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Who was obedient to death – even death on a cross! “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Acts 4:12 concurs: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” And Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).
A Light In The Darkness
Jesus is not simply some intangible persona or spiritual force that spiritual people supposedly tap into in order to receive spiritual blessings or can manipulate to produce favorable outcomes in their lives. Jesus is the incarnate image of the living God (2 Corinthians 4:4). He allows us to perceive God in an understandable and meaningful way and He alone is the true light in a dark world. “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:4-5).
Today the words of Jesus echo across the ages as Christianity encompasses the globe and the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ is preached to all nations. This is in and of itself a significant development and illustrates the finitude of the times we live in. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14).
The promise of God to Abraham that the entire world would be blessed through him is coming to fruition here and now. But many do not see it and remain in darkness, however, true believers long for His appearing. Today we are witnesses to many of the signs that Jesus said would immediately precede His return. Jesus said these signs would be the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:8). And as birth pains increase in both frequency and intensity as the birth draws near, so it is with wars, famines, and earthquakes. Even our climate exhibits the burden of sin upon our world.
We are living in a very significant era. One that God has spoken about through His prophets for millennia and it is incumbent upon humanity to take notice. The writers of the Bible have compiled a relevant and crucial message for our generation. One that transcends time and Jesus Christ is the focal point of that message. All of creation is signalling that every detail of God’s plan for humanity is nearing its climax.
The day is rapidly approaching when all of humanity will realize, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11). Luke 21:28 is our wake up call: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Jesus promised eternal life to those who sincerely place their hope and faith in Him (John 10:27-28) and true believers are assured by Psalm 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The same Jesus that was present at the beginning welcomes His followers into His Father’s house (John 14:2-3) to spend eternity with Him. Throughout the ages its always been about Jesus and it always will be. Amen!
