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Jesus
He always was, He is, He always will be

There Is But One
Sometimes we forget how important names were in the cultures of Jesus earthly ministry. Mom and dad didn’t just pick His name out of a directory as we frequently do today

The Law and The Prophets
Many seem to stumble over what He meant by saying He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets

We Three Kings – Aren’t
 It is important that these "Wise Men" came to pay homage to Jesus.

Hebrews 7:3

Have you ever noticed that we speak of Jesus in the past and Jesus in the future but never in the present? We know that He was, He was from before time. We know that He always will be and that He is coming again. However, do we have a firm understanding that He is not a "was," instead that He IS? "What would Jesus do" should be restated to what is Jesus doing. He is more than a historical figure to read about, He is more than a future event, He is now. His ministry did not begin with the Book of Genesis nor end with the Book of Revelation. The lyrics of a beautiful hymn are only partly true, "You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!" He lives, He actually does live. As He was speaking with His disciples, He bodily ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-10). And He sits at the right hand of God. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God (Luke 22:69)

Now, does He just sit there? The absurdity of the questions shouldn’t detract us from its implication. Do we for one minute think He is uninvolved or unconcerned about the lives of people today? We often talk and act as if we think He took a vacation or is on sabbatical. We act as though He was concerned, He will be again, but in the meantime He is just sitting up there completely detached from us – waiting, contemplating preparing.

Yes He is our intercessor and He is preparing a place for us, but He knows about Little Big Horn; Bull Run, Buchenwald, Pearl Harbor and Nagasaki and He grieves. He was in the World Trade Center Towers. He grieves over Jerusalem. He grieves over Juneau Alaska. He grieves with the parents of Samantha and Danielle. He grieves over us.

Is He up there in heaven, in the clouds somewhere remote and aloof? Some writers appear to think so, "He ascended because His ministry here on earth was finished," or words to that effect. Is that why He appeared to Stephen (Acts 7:55) and Paul (Acts 9:3-6)? Paul, in defense of the faith states, And last of all he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:8). He appeared to a disciple named Ananias and had quite a lengthy conversation with him (Acts 9:10-15). It seems He can jolly well do as He pleases and go where He wants. Has He appeared to us?

This should give us something to think about, the very idea that Jesus could actually be walking down the street. What if He came up to us and asked What are you discussing together as you walk along? (Luke24: 17) Would we be as tongue tied as those two disciples or would we be mortified by what He heard us discussing? Picture Him sitting in church. Would He be pleased or unable to recognize what is taking place? Is it impossible for Him to come knocking at our door? Wouldn’t that be a little disconcerting? Is our house clean? What’s for supper? If we invite Him in, maybe He will sit down with us, says the blessing and, later, prepare communion for us. Would we even recognize Him?

For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink Matthew 25:42

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There is But One!
Lest We Forget

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And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him,
and he saw the Spirit of God Descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. Matthew 3:16

Moses struggled with the ministry given to him. He offered every possible excuse for not accepting the Lord’s holy assignment, he was an unknown, he was unqualified, the Egyptians wouldn’t believe him, he stuttered. Most striking in all of this discourse with his God was when he asked God His name. God responded overwhelmingly, And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shat thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14). "My identity depends upon nothing else. Not the house or the neighborhood I live in or the car I drive, the team for whom I cheer or the church to which I belong, just me."

Centuries later, another, Jesus, spoke as the "I am," with the same authority dozens of times during His earthly ministry. In the book of Matthew we find, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17), I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (9:13). Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I cane not to send peace, but a sword (10:34). And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world Amen (28:20). God certified it. Jesus affirmed it.

Sometimes we forget how important names were in the cultures of Jesus earthly ministry. Mom and dad didn’t just pick His name out of a directory as we frequently do today. We are told in Matthew 1:21 that He was called Jesus because He would save His people from sin. Luke records that an angel instructed Mary to call Him Jesus (Luke 1:30), that He was called Jesus before He was conceived in her womb (Luke 2:21). Translations suggest that Jesus means "Yahweh is salvation" or simply, "savior." When we say "Jesus," we say Savior!" We are also aware that "Christ" was not the family name of Joseph and Mary and, consequently, not Jesus’ last name either. Rather, we are told it is the Greek equivalent of mashiach the Hebrew word for Messiah, the Anointed One. It says that Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of the Messianic promises found in the Old Testament. The old hymn says it well, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! There’s just something about that name!" Amen.

It is the "I am," our Savior, our Anointed One whom Peter recognized when he said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15). On occasion we forget that Peter’s original name was Simeon, son of Jonas or "Simon Bar Jona." Actually, Jesus first named Peter Cephas his Aramaic name (John 1:42). The name Peter (petros) means a piece of a rock while the "rock" in this passage is petra or a massive rock. We derive the English word "church" from kuriakos meaning "of or belonging to the Lord." The Greek of which is ekklesia and the Latin is ecclesia. These words are used 115 times in the New Testament to refer to all believers who follow Jesus everywhere, for all time, or to a local congregation of believers. He is the head of the church.

"I am," Jesus Christ, is the indisputable author, the very everlasting foundation of the church our High Priest. There is no other. We are not to suggest that any person have eminence, authority, claim to respect, superiority or the right to command. Jesus told us not to call any one of us master or father or teacher, But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi;’ for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ (Matthew 23:8-10). What more compelling evidence could be presented that equality is to exist within the "church," Isn’t that also the implication of what He said to the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 20:20-21)? We have one master, one father, one teacher, one mediator before God and one High Priest, Jesus Christ. He is sufficient. None other is necessary. He will teach us all things (John 14:26).

So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee. Hebrews 5:5

Just as our God is known as a God of love, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. On the other hand, He also said He came to set son against father and daughter against mother (Luke 12:53). It is also recorded that He said, I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled? (Luke 12:49). Commentaries tell us that it was not the intent that His ministry would be divisive and disturbing but consequences produced by human disobedience and sin. Today’s churches don’t talk about this side of Christianity. However, it is abundantly clear His mission, our ministry, would be disturbing to others and dangerous for us. Peace, as Matthew Henry’s Commentary indicates, is peace with God and our consciences. Let the dead bury their dead (Luke 9:60). We will find peace in heaven, not on earth

In ordinary terms, Jesus’ anti-establishment views got Him into trouble. The establishment He was in such strong opposition to was the "church." He called the temple preachers hypocrites (Matthew 23:13). He said, "Woe unto you teachers and preachers" (Matthew 23:15). Strong’s Greek/Hebrew Dictionary, states "woe" was an exclamation of grief. He said "grief unto" the scribes, the Pharisees, proud and high-minded rabbis, "blind guides," "blind fools," "white washed tombs," those opposing the Truth – the church of His day. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! For so did their fathers to the false prophets. (Luke 6:26). The pastors of His church, not the Roman authorities, crucified Him When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death (Matthew 27:1). Along with the elders they persuaded the crowd to spare the life of a criminal rather than Jesus. Ultimately, the veil of priestly exclusivity was "rent in twain" and their vain temple destroyed.

Although Jesus preached brotherly love, some of His contemporaries regarded him with contempt. In His hometown He was greeted with skepticism and rejection, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him (Mark 6:3). The people of Nazareth became enraged with Jesus when He would not perform miracles for them, they rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong (Luke 4:29).

Clearly, the mild-mannered "Clark Kent" stereotype of Jesus does not fit. That portrayal of Him is probably the consequence of attempts to "soft-sell" Christianity. But, it is a shallow representation of His earthly ministry that only satisfies the timid. Unfortunately, it rarely gets corrected once a person is converted. He got angry over people’s stubborn hearts (Mark 3:5). We are given an indication of His more "abrasive" side when He drove the "moneychangers" from the temple grounds (John 2:14). Here we have the popular picture of Him flailing with a whip and turning over tables. There is a less frequently mentioned second occasion found in Matthew 21:12 where He scattered them with His words alone. Today, both incidents are gingerly regarded lest the taking of "offerings" and bookstores be seen in the same light by the uninitiated. Speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand For this people’s hearts have waxed gross (Matthew 13:13-15).

He is not a "wimp." He knew He was hated, But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause John 15:25 but He persisted. He knew He would be executed as a traitor, From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed (Matthew 16: 21), but He continued His ministry. Weeks before, Jews had attempted to stone Him for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself a God (John 10:33). Warned that the tide of resentment against Him was growing (John 11:8), in considerable danger, Jesus went to the home of Mary and Martha and raised their brother Lazarus (John 11:443-44). With the high priest Ciaphas prophesying His death (John 11:51) and other priests plotting to murder Lazarus to discredit Him (John 12:10), He continued on His journey to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast and His destiny. A world hero, He died on the cross for our sins.

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)

The Law and The Prophets
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Jesus statement recorded in Matthew is straightforward and unequivocal. How could we possibly misunderstand His meaning or intent? "The Law" He was speaking of is the five books of Moses – the Mosaic Law. The "Prophets" He refers to is the books that the prophets (commentaries on the law) wrote. In our terms, He did not come to destroy the authority of the Old Testament.

However, many seem to stumble over what He meant by saying He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Many scholars and theologians use His statement in ways that really don’t seem appropriate. Apparently, they want to apply the Law to us today. The attempt raises some serious questions. Are we still under the law? Which of the laws? Are they talking about the moral law, the ceremonial law, the political law, the Pentateuch or the entirety of the Old Testament? All, at one time or another, are referred to as the "law." If some part of the "law" still applies, was it misleading for John to write, For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)? Was Paul in error in saying he, a former Jew at that, was not under the Law (1 Corinthians 9:20)? Was it incorrect to say Jesus removed the yoke of the Law? Was Jesus wrong in saying He and His followers were exempt from paying the "temple tax" (Matthew 17:26)?

The "Law," in this case ceremonial law, requires over 21 distinct sacrificial offerings including the sacrifice of a slaughtered animal (Zebhach), burnt offerings (Olah), Chota’ah – a sin offering and a wave offering (Tenuphah), the food laws and circumcision. All of which required (1) priestly offices, and (2) a tabernacle or THE TEMPLE. If we still function under these, why aren’t they being performed? Where is the Temple in which they must be performed? Why was Christ sacrificed and why was the veil of the temple rent asunder?

The law of tithing, that with which modern church leaders are especially enamored specifically requires the tithe to be collected from the priestly descendants of Levi. No modern Christian cleric can claim such heritage. (Hebrews 7:5). Furthermore, the tithe was specifically for the benefit of the Levites, because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee (Deuteronomy 14:29), widows, fatherless and the poor. The "First Tithe," that consisted of a tenth of the tithe collected, is therefore rendered null and void as a legitimate means of sustenance for any modern "non-Levitical" clerics. The "Second Tithe," the remaining nine-tenths was for their sons and daughters and servants in a festive celebration. (Deuteronomy 12:12, 14:22-27). And the "Third Tithe was exclusively for widows, the fatherless, aliens and the poor – no church budget there either (Deuteronomy 26:12). That the words "tithe" and "tithing" occur just eight times in the New Testament as references to contemporary Jewish practices should end the debate. Christ spoke less of tithing than He did of the "church."

How, then, did Jesus "fulfill the law" if He kept eliminating and ignoring its key portions (Remember His attitude toward the Sabbath?) We get a clue from Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:43 where, in anger, He accused the priest of only giving lip service to their sacred duties. He clearly indicates that He is the Word the only begotten Son of the Living God, He is the Temple, He is the Priesthood, He is the ultimate Sacrifice, He is our Lord and Savior. Is there any doubt? Adam Clark’s Commentary states, "Our blessed Lord has outdone all the moral systems in the universe" because it was not external rituals, wealth, learning, fame honor or glory but His unparalleled love for all of us.

His life fulfilled the Messianic promise. His death satisfied all sacrificial demands. His resurrection is evidence of His divinity, of His atoning character and our sure and certain redemption. His ascension sent us the Holy Spirit as our guide and comforter until that day in which there is no sunset and no dawning. He is our pure Sacrifice, our Intercessor, our High Priest. He fulfills the Law.

"We Three Kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar." Though we may never outgrow our love for the Christmas Story or the wonderful hymn about the Three Kings, most Christians come to realize that the story is not Scripturally accurate. No where do they speak of Kings to say nothing of there being three. That comes into the story for the fact that there were three gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. The record in Matthew speaks of "wise men" or "Magi" depending upon the version one is reading, not kings. Biblical scholars are even uncertain about where they came from. Some, like Justin Martyr and Tertullian thought they came from modern day Arabia, others think they came from Persia. Invariably, astrology, divination, sorcery, magic and Zoroastrianism are included in discussions about them. However many there were, where they came from is uncertain. The fact that they were anything but Jewish is unequivocal.

Therein lies the significance of their visit. They were a regal, perhaps priestly class unlike the commoners who, heretofore, had paid homage to our LORD. They were not representatives from the High Priest, members of the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees or Pharisees. They weren’t from the court of Herod or his Jewish advisors in Jerusalem. Instead he, Herod, set forth to murder the boy Jesus by killing all the children in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under (Matthew 2:16). They weren’t even representatives of the ruling government from Rome. They were "gentiles," a nice way of saying they were "foreign heathens" – not that the Romans weren’t so regarded as well. Where was the "royalty" of Israel and Judea – we must remember that as far back as this the Nation of Israel had ceased to exist, it divided into two hostile camps, it was conquered by surrounding nations ultimately by Rome – where were the representatives of Judaism? No where to be found.

It is important that these "Wise Men" came to pay homage to Jesus. It is implicit recognition that He came to save all people from their sins. The exclusivity, the privileged status of Israel as God’s only people was so declared at an end. As His later words and actions clearly demonstrated, Go ye into all the world, He said, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) It is also very clear that these people fully recognized whom they were seeking and, though feeble, whom they were attempting to honor with their comparatively meager gifts. Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matthew 2:2). In contrast, Herod plotted His murder.

It is also important to see in the account of the "Magi" the total depravity of Judaism in Jesus’ day. These "chosen people" never completed the conquest of the "Promised Land," instead they chose to make themselves at home with those God had ordered destroyed. They intermarried with and adopted many of the customs and religious traditions of these native people. A hollow and meaningless shell was all that remained of the children of Abraham and the law of Moses. To them, Jesus was totally insignificant. Conceived out of wedlock into a family of the wrong class, only the nearly untouchable shepherds came to pay homage. He was not the expected Messiah come to "restore" their nation to greatness. Instead He said to make peace with their Roman conquerors, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s (Matthew 22:21) totally dismissing their carnal concerns.

It wasn’t the Roman government who demanded Jesus’ execution, it was His "church." The Sanhedrin, the "supreme Jewish Court of Justice" that proceeded against Jesus, Peter, John, Stephen and Paul had no scriptural basis. The office of High Priest capable of tracing hereditary line back to Aaron was broken around 153 BC. Herod the Great, dethroned High Priests at will contrary to the Law. By the time Jesus was born, this curious crew little resembled any sacred office found in Scripture. In many ways, these aristocratic, wealthy church officials were totally unworthy to greet the newborn Jesus. At His death, any pretense of this noxious privileged priesthood was dispensed with completely. The Magi, in the account of Jesus birth, represent both a promise of salvation to the entire world and a stinging rebuke of the established church and its hollow practices.

And the WORD Was Made Flesh

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An infinite, all knowing, all seeing, all powerful God is incomprehensible. It is literally impossible for us to know, let alone understand God. For centuries, God’s name was never spoken. He called Himself the "I AM" (Exodus 3:14) in itself incomprehensible for which there is no explanation or translation. We would be better off today if we remembered how weak and empty the English attempt at translating ‘el hayah as "God" really is. What in the world does John 1:1-2 really mean? Jesus came to help us better understand more of what we need to know about Him, but we must realize how completely unfathomable He really is.

Only then maybe we can have a greater comprehension of how difficult it is for human beings to comprehend the full implication of this Scripture, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). On the ubiquitous scale of one to ten, with grasping the full implication of the Virgin Birth being a one and the complete apperception Trinity being somewhere in the middle, mastering the idea of "God" becoming flesh and dwelling among us is an emphatic ten. Words are simply inadequate to fully describe this extraordinary event. Our minds are truly dumbfounded.

Then, when we walk out into a starlit night and know that He who created it all became one of us, we will not be able to but agree with David, When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the Stars, which thou has ordained; What is man, that thou are mindful of him? (Psalm 8:3). He wasn’t just mindful of us He died for us. He didn’t just die for us that we might, once again come into the presence of God, He constantly, continuously intercedes for us so that God sees us as pure and blameless as His Son. He who is God, was in the beginning, who created all things, He became one of us as the only way to save us. Mindful of us, what greater love could there possibly be? Again it is in John we learn that, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Then, how much love does our Lord Jesus demonstrate?

To think we know why God became flesh smacks of arrogance. It suggests we can know the mind, the will, the intentions and purposes of God. Easier it is for us to walk on water in the summertime. Some propose, and it undoubtedly true – partly – that this Blessed Incarnation is His reaching out to that part of His creation just a little lower than the angels - ourselves. It makes the unfathomable intelligible to our finite minds, but surely if that were His sole intent, He could have found another way. There is something troubling about the person of Christ existing for the sole purpose of atonement. We know He came to more fully reveal God, He said so, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:8). Early Christians were called "The People of the Way." What did that mean? As usually stated does it mean He is the way to salvation or did He portray a way of life for us to follow? Did He become human to portray a model for us to emulate? If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a living example worth? A thousand times, in so many ways, we are told, faith without works is dead (James 2:26).

The question does not need an answer. It may not have one. It is sufficient that He became human. What is critical that demands an answer is our response to His humiliation. Somewhere in grace we lose gratitude. Somewhere in the truth of John 3:16 we forget the love expressed from God in His inexplicable sacrifice is to be reciprocated in our love for one another. No one comes to the Father is predicated on love thy neighbor. Why should we be so self-sacrificing, perhaps the phrase is self-effacing? That’s the point, we shouldn’t. It isn’t a should, it is a would, "I would be true," in the words of an old hymn. It isn’t that Christ expects repayment of the debt, what do we possibly have that He wants or needs? It really isn’t even that we want to make restitution. More to the point, as we come to intellectually grasp the fully significance of the cost of His Personhood to Him we become so emotionally overwhelmed that we increasingly inconspicuously, withdrawing ourselves from being noticed. "Who am I, Lord, that you are mindful of me?" When I realize the answer is "nobody," then I have become "somebody." That isn’t vogue, not in this millennium of self-love and self-centeredness. But if Jesus, the very essence of God, is so very much more a paradigm of selflessness, what else should be our response? Our Western market mentality that translates everything, including relationships, into transactions makes selfless giving nearly impossible for us to comprehend. Yet Christianity should teach us to give rather than to grasp, to love rather than to lust. Marketing Christianity is an oxymoron.

Ye ask, and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts James 4:3

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