#16 - Who is Jesus Christ?
<<< BIBLE CHAPTER SECTIONS: >>>
(Referred to in this weeks "Come Follow Me")
Mt 15 - Traditions and Commandments
Mt 16 - Pharisees and Sadducees demand signs - Leaven of Pharisees and Sadducees - Peter confess Jesus - Foretells His Death and Resurrection - Take up your cross and follow Jesus
Mt 17 - Transfiguration - Heals a demon-possessed boy - again foretells death and resurrection - temple tax?
Mk 7- Traditions and Commandments - What defiles a person - The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith - Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
Mk 8- Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand - The Pharisees Demand a Sign - The Leaen of the Pharisees and Herod - Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida - Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ - Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
Mk 9 - Transfiguration - heals boy with an unclean spirit - again foretells death and resurrection - who is greatest? - anyone not against us is for us - temptations to sin -
Lk 9 - sends out the Apostles - Herod perplexed by Jesus - feeds 5000 - foretells His death - Take up your cross and follow Jesus - transfiguration - healing boy with unclean spirit - again foretells death - who is greatest? - anyone not against us is for us - Samaritan village rejects Jesus - cost of following Jesus -
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
The identity of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most disputed issue of human history. “Christ” was the term applied to The Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. The Old Testament predicted that God would send an offspring of Eve to redeem humanity from the curse of sin. The predictions described a Mediator, a Sacrifice, a Prophet, a Priest, a King, all of seemingly super-human proportions. Various people at various times focused on different aspects of the Messiahs identity and character. It was generally understood that The Messiah would come in God’s time and in God’s power with an unmistakable stamp of God on His life. The description in Isaiah 9:6,7 is a good representation of what people expected, but most people had an understandably biased focus on one part or another of the verses. “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
The whole of Jewish Scriptures describes God as “Holy,” “other than” human beings, or anything else we can see or imagine. Isa 43 asks the question “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?” … “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.”
It is for this reason that when Jesus came claiming to be The Messiah and calling Himself the “Son of God,” people called Him a “blasphemer.” How could a mere man be The Son of a Holy God?
The Jews believed that their Scriptures taught that a One and Only, Beyond-Human, God would raise up a human Messiah to rescue them and restore the glorious Kingdom of David to Jerusalem and Judah. Into this high-expectation environment came Jesus who was not only saying amazing things, but doing things that seemed to have the power of God behind them.
And in this context Jesus asked his small band of followers who people were saying He was. The popular answers were all similar in that they believed Jesus to be either one of their ancient prophets come back, or a new one who God was using to restore their ancient Kingdom. Jesus then asked the most important question that they, and all of us, must answer. “But who do you say that I am?” Peter quickly answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Peter recognized that there was a relationship between Jesus and God that was more than Jesus just representing God. Peter knew that the Jewish Scriptures referred to The Messiah as The Son of God, and heard Jesus refer to Himself as the Son.
The challenge of the phrase “Son of God” came, and comes, in trying to comprehend how the “Son of God” could be both a human being and God. This challenge is why Jesus said that Peter did not make his declaration because it was natural for our mind to understand, but because the Spirit of God opened his mind to see the truth that Jesus was indeed both God and Man. The human tendency was, and is, to try to explain Jesus as an unusual human being about Whom a variety of exaggerated stories were told. Thus it was easy to dismiss His claims and demonstrations as either myth or delusion. Peter was beginning to see clearly that the only way to reconcile the Divine words and behaviors of the human Jesus was to see that Jesus was indeed God come in the flesh.
This new understanding was reinforced when Peter, James and John went with Jesus to a mountain top where they experienced the Glory of Jesus as The God He was and is. The more Peter and the disciples reflected on the Jesus they knew and the predictions of The Messiah in the Old Testament, they saw the veiled mystery of God Himself coming to redeem His people. This truth is what is demonstrated in the Gospels and described in the rest of the New Testament letters.
The “keys of the Kingdom” are only mentioned in the Bible in Matthew 16 with reference to Peter’s testimony of Jesus’ identity. There have been numerous ideas about just what Jesus meant when He promised Peter the “keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” While Jesus simply said it involved “binding and loosing” things in Heaven and on earth, others have amplified the concept. Roman Catholics claim it gave their first Pope Peter the authority to organize and oversee the church. Other churches down through history have claimed similar authorities. Given the relative vagueness of the interchange between Peter and Jesus it seems reasonable to simply look to what Peter’s life ministry actually did. Peter did not organize any church hierarchy, or claim any unique authority other than to proclaim what he knew about the Person and Work of Jesus the Christ. I believe it is best to simply, yet very profoundly understand the “keys of the Kingdom of God” to be the explaining of the reality of Who Jesus really is and What Jesus did for us in His life, death, and resurrection.
Given the historical reality of the remarkably unique combination of words and works of Jesus Christ it is understandable that many questions would surround Him as He healed sick people, brought dead people back to life, forgave sins and overruled a variety of natures laws. So as one man brought his spirit oppressed son to be healed, he said to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” That was the only truly accurate response to all the things he and others heard and saw in Jesus. There are no adequate human explanations of Jesus the Christ other than to say I believe what You tell me, but it is hard to believe so I need You to help me.
Whoever Jesus Christ is, and whatever He did, is settled in the history recorded by eye witnesses of Jesus’ Own words and actions. While there are undoubtedly many things about Him that we have yet to learn, nothing can contradict what He said about Himself, no matter what I or anyone may suggest as new insight into Jesus’ identity and ministry
(Referred to in this weeks "Come Follow Me")
Mt 15 - Traditions and Commandments
Mt 16 - Pharisees and Sadducees demand signs - Leaven of Pharisees and Sadducees - Peter confess Jesus - Foretells His Death and Resurrection - Take up your cross and follow Jesus
Mt 17 - Transfiguration - Heals a demon-possessed boy - again foretells death and resurrection - temple tax?
Mk 7- Traditions and Commandments - What defiles a person - The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith - Jesus Heals a Deaf Man
Mk 8- Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand - The Pharisees Demand a Sign - The Leaen of the Pharisees and Herod - Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida - Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ - Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
Mk 9 - Transfiguration - heals boy with an unclean spirit - again foretells death and resurrection - who is greatest? - anyone not against us is for us - temptations to sin -
Lk 9 - sends out the Apostles - Herod perplexed by Jesus - feeds 5000 - foretells His death - Take up your cross and follow Jesus - transfiguration - healing boy with unclean spirit - again foretells death - who is greatest? - anyone not against us is for us - Samaritan village rejects Jesus - cost of following Jesus -
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
The identity of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most disputed issue of human history. “Christ” was the term applied to The Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures. The Old Testament predicted that God would send an offspring of Eve to redeem humanity from the curse of sin. The predictions described a Mediator, a Sacrifice, a Prophet, a Priest, a King, all of seemingly super-human proportions. Various people at various times focused on different aspects of the Messiahs identity and character. It was generally understood that The Messiah would come in God’s time and in God’s power with an unmistakable stamp of God on His life. The description in Isaiah 9:6,7 is a good representation of what people expected, but most people had an understandably biased focus on one part or another of the verses. “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
The whole of Jewish Scriptures describes God as “Holy,” “other than” human beings, or anything else we can see or imagine. Isa 43 asks the question “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?” … “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.”
It is for this reason that when Jesus came claiming to be The Messiah and calling Himself the “Son of God,” people called Him a “blasphemer.” How could a mere man be The Son of a Holy God?
The Jews believed that their Scriptures taught that a One and Only, Beyond-Human, God would raise up a human Messiah to rescue them and restore the glorious Kingdom of David to Jerusalem and Judah. Into this high-expectation environment came Jesus who was not only saying amazing things, but doing things that seemed to have the power of God behind them.
And in this context Jesus asked his small band of followers who people were saying He was. The popular answers were all similar in that they believed Jesus to be either one of their ancient prophets come back, or a new one who God was using to restore their ancient Kingdom. Jesus then asked the most important question that they, and all of us, must answer. “But who do you say that I am?” Peter quickly answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Peter recognized that there was a relationship between Jesus and God that was more than Jesus just representing God. Peter knew that the Jewish Scriptures referred to The Messiah as The Son of God, and heard Jesus refer to Himself as the Son.
The challenge of the phrase “Son of God” came, and comes, in trying to comprehend how the “Son of God” could be both a human being and God. This challenge is why Jesus said that Peter did not make his declaration because it was natural for our mind to understand, but because the Spirit of God opened his mind to see the truth that Jesus was indeed both God and Man. The human tendency was, and is, to try to explain Jesus as an unusual human being about Whom a variety of exaggerated stories were told. Thus it was easy to dismiss His claims and demonstrations as either myth or delusion. Peter was beginning to see clearly that the only way to reconcile the Divine words and behaviors of the human Jesus was to see that Jesus was indeed God come in the flesh.
This new understanding was reinforced when Peter, James and John went with Jesus to a mountain top where they experienced the Glory of Jesus as The God He was and is. The more Peter and the disciples reflected on the Jesus they knew and the predictions of The Messiah in the Old Testament, they saw the veiled mystery of God Himself coming to redeem His people. This truth is what is demonstrated in the Gospels and described in the rest of the New Testament letters.
The “keys of the Kingdom” are only mentioned in the Bible in Matthew 16 with reference to Peter’s testimony of Jesus’ identity. There have been numerous ideas about just what Jesus meant when He promised Peter the “keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” While Jesus simply said it involved “binding and loosing” things in Heaven and on earth, others have amplified the concept. Roman Catholics claim it gave their first Pope Peter the authority to organize and oversee the church. Other churches down through history have claimed similar authorities. Given the relative vagueness of the interchange between Peter and Jesus it seems reasonable to simply look to what Peter’s life ministry actually did. Peter did not organize any church hierarchy, or claim any unique authority other than to proclaim what he knew about the Person and Work of Jesus the Christ. I believe it is best to simply, yet very profoundly understand the “keys of the Kingdom of God” to be the explaining of the reality of Who Jesus really is and What Jesus did for us in His life, death, and resurrection.
Given the historical reality of the remarkably unique combination of words and works of Jesus Christ it is understandable that many questions would surround Him as He healed sick people, brought dead people back to life, forgave sins and overruled a variety of natures laws. So as one man brought his spirit oppressed son to be healed, he said to Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” That was the only truly accurate response to all the things he and others heard and saw in Jesus. There are no adequate human explanations of Jesus the Christ other than to say I believe what You tell me, but it is hard to believe so I need You to help me.
Whoever Jesus Christ is, and whatever He did, is settled in the history recorded by eye witnesses of Jesus’ Own words and actions. While there are undoubtedly many things about Him that we have yet to learn, nothing can contradict what He said about Himself, no matter what I or anyone may suggest as new insight into Jesus’ identity and ministry
Check out these LINKS:
Watch Bible Project video about Matthew
Watch Bible Project video about Mark
Watch Bible Project video about Luke
Watch Bible Project video about John
Read "Bible Words to Ponder" related to this week study
Read "The Gospel"