JESUS CHRIST
Messiah Man God The Work of Jesus
See also Jesus Crucified
The founder of Christianity is Jesus the "Christ", the "Messiah" in Hebrew, born in Bethlehem in the year "1" after Christ. He spent most of his life in Nazareth as a humble carpenter, died on a Cross in Jerusalem to pay for the sins of all human raze, and resurrected on the third day to give each one of us a "new life", to "live in us", in anyone who believes in Him!.
He is the "Messiah" long-awaited by the Jews... the "Messiah" is an idea and hope that runs through every page of the Holy Scriptures... with 300 prophecies about his "First Coming", and 500 about his "Second Coming"... announcing his character, his time of coming, the type and details of his church... and the Messiah is the core of the heart of every Jew... He was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David... he shall save Israel and the whole world!...
- There have been many who claimed to be the Messiah... the one who "will establish the throne of God's Kingdom for ever" (Sam.12).
"Jesus of Nazareth", was one of those who claimed to be the Messiah... racially and religiously Jesus was born, lived, and died a loyal Jew. He at all times observed the Jewish religious ceremonies rigorously. His first commandment was a direct quotation of the "Schema", in Debt.6: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mar.12:29-30).
"300 Prophecies":
They were about the Messiah in the Old Testament (the Tanakh), and they were fulfilled to the letter in "Jesus of Nazareth"... HERE ARE SOME OF THEM:
- The "seed of a woman": Gen.3:15, Gal.4:4.
- Descendent of Abraham: Gen.12:3, Matt.1:1.
- Descendent of Isaac: Gen.17:19, Luc.3:34.
- Descendent of Jacob: Num.24:17, Matt.1:2.
- From the Tribe of Judah: Gen.49:10, Luc.3:33.
- Hair of the Throne of David: Is.9:7, Luk.1:32.
- Anointed and eternal: Ps.45:6-7, Heb.1:8-12.
- Born in Bethlehem: Mic.5:2, Luc.2-7.
- To be born of a Virgin: Is.7:14, Matt.1, Luk.1.
- Time of his birth and death: Dan.9:25, Luk.2:1: Doing the proper computations, the Messiah was supposed to die on April 3, of the year 33 AC (Open Bible pag.833, La Biblia Comprendida y Vivida, Dr. Dominguez, pag.180).
- Slaughter of the Innocent children: Jer.31:15, Matt.2:16-18.
- Flight to Egypt: Hos.11:1, Matt.2:14-15.
- He shall be called a Nazarene: Judg.13:5, Matt.2:23.
- The way prepared by John the Baptist: Is.40:3,5, Luk.3:3-6.
- Preceded by a forerunner: Mal.3:1, Luk.7:24-27.
- Preceded by Elijah: Mal.4:5-6, Matt.11:13-14.
- Declared the Son of God: Ps.2:7, Matt.3:17.
- Galilean Ministry: Is.9:1-2, Matt.4:13-16.
- Speaks in Parables: Ps.78:2-4, Matt.13:34-35.
- A Prophet: Dam.18:15, Acts 3:20-22.
- To bind up the brokenhearted: Is.61:1-2, Luk.4:18-19.
- Rejected by his own people, the Jews: Is.53:3, John 1:11.
- Priest after the Order of Melchizedek: Ps.110:4, Heb.5:5-6.
- Triumphal entry in Jerusalem on a donkey: Zech.9:9, Mark 11:7-9.
- Entry through the "Golden Gate", that shall be shut for ever after his entrance: Ex.44:1-2, Mark 11:7-9. When you go to Jerusalem look at the Golden Gate, it is shut with stone and cement, and with e Muslim cemetery in its front, through which a Jewish Messiah will never pass.
- Adored by infants: Ps.8:2, Matt.21:15--16.
- Not believed: Is.53:1, John 12:37.
- Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver: Zech.11:12, Matt.26:14-15.
- Accused by false witnesses: Ps.35:11, Mk.14:57.
- Silent to accusations: Is.53:7, Mk.15:4-5.
- Spat and struck: Is.50:6, Matt.26:67.
- Hated without reason: Ps.35:19, Jn.15:24-25.
- Vicarious Sacrifice: Is.53:5, Rom.5:6-8.
- Crucified, "pierced through hands and feet": Zech.12:10, Ps.22:17, Jn.20:27.
- Crucified with malefactors: Is.53:12, Mk.15:27,28.
- Soldiers gambled for his clothing: Ps.22:17, Matt.27:46.
- No bones broken: Ps.34:20, Jn.19:32-36.
- His side pierced: Zech.12:10, Jn.19:34.
- Buried with the rich: Is.53:9, Matt.27:57-60.
- To be resurrected: Ps.16:10, 49:15, Mc.16:6-7.
- Ascension to Heaven: Ps.68:18, Mc.16:19.
- It is puzzling to consider why some Jews do not recognize Jesus as the long promised and awaited Messiah, with so many prophecies of the Scriptures fulfilled to the letter in Jesus on Him...
... One reason is that the Scriptures make 300 prophecies of the "First Coming of the Messiah", as the suffering servant of Is.53, but make 500 prophecies about the "Second Coming of the Messiah", the triumphal King of Zach.14... to the point that some rabbis talk about two Messiah, and for most Jews, the "triumphant one" is the Messiah they were expecting... another big reason:
... The Jews did not kill Jesus, the Roman soldiers did, under the command of a Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate... however the "real killers" of Jesus are you and I, because each time we sin, "we crucify the Son of God for ourselves holding him up to mockery" (Hebrews 6:6)...
... The Jews, and you and I, were expecting a Messiah to bring us the kingdom of this world, but Jesus offers us something infinitely bigger, the Kingdom of Heaven... and for it we shout "crucify him"!... we expected a boss, and Jesus is only a God. We wanted swords, and Jesus gives us palms. We were longing to be bosses, but Jesus orders us to love. We were expecting to be victorious, with honors, and Jesus commands us to forgive and to be humble... and for it, as a criminal of high treason, we shout "crucify him"!...
- Without any question, Jesus is the most famous and influential person in the history of the human race... He never wrote a book, but millions of books have been written on him... He owned no property, won no medals, never held any political or religious office, commanded no army... Yet no person in history has had such an influence on the human race. Even the present year is dated from his birth.
- He said that he had come not to destroy, but to fulfill the Jewish Laws. He announced his purpose in Luk.4 with the words of Is.61:1-2: "The Lord anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind..."
Jesus' reception: His life was a stormy one: The multitudes flocked to him, and many of them acknowledge him as the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah (Christ). But the powerful forces in the Jewish congregation, Pharisees and Sadducees, jealous of his popularity, incensed by his denunciation of some of them, and bitterly critical of his disregard for formalism, his willingness to violate some of the minor laws, and very specially for his heretical claim that he was the Son of God, the Messiah, repudiated him, and conspired to kill him... their final conspiracy was not after doing something bad, but after resurrecting a 4 days death, Lazarus! (Jn.12)... they were blind!, they could not see that he was really God... and eventually they saw him crucified, fulfilling the scriptures, as he had announced 3 times before... and after learning of his resurrection, they persecuted his followers!...
The first three Gospels, start up calling Jesus a "man", to end up calling him "God". The Gospel of John starts calling him God, and ends up calling him a "man" who weeps when his friend Lazarus dies.
JESUS OF NAZARETH: He came as a humble person, he was not a Priest nor a Scribe, but a carpenter peasant, without any political power... he had no influential friends... but he declared himself the Son of God, the Messiah, God Himself Incarnated!... and did it with his words and deeds, making all kinds of miracles...
... He died on a Cross to redeem the humankind from sin, as told in the Scriptures, and he resurrected, as also foretold in the same Scriptures, to give us a new glorious life on Earth and eternally in Heaven... to everybody!... to anyone who believes in Him!... See "THE MESSIAH".
... He announced the foundation of his "Church", and for that porpoise he chose 12 humble men: One of them, Judas, was a traitor; other, Peter, denied him; all the others abandoned him at Calvary, except John and his Mother... but his Church was born at Calvary, among blood and pain, like all births, and was made public at Pentecost... of those 12 chosen, 11 became Saints, and today there are 2,100 million Christians, and growing!...
... He established the new "Baptism", being born again in water and in the Spirit, as children of God...
... He founded the "Eucharist", our daily bread, where He offers himself every day to us made blood and wine...
When "Jesus" was born, the Romans were in charge in Israel, and the life consisted largely in external observances, in petty dietary laws, rather that internal union with God through faith humility and charity as the result of a clean and pure heart. It became a "priestly class" who hypocritically held themselves above others, and a "chosen people" superiors of all other people... intolerance, bigotry, hypocrisy, an materialism were like poisons eating up the soul of Israel...
The Times of "Jesus of Nazareth":
- In 63 BC, Pompey marched into Palestine, and Rome took control setting up a puppet government, allowing vassal kings to rule in Israel:
- "Herod the Great" ruled Palestine from 37 to 4 BC, he was extremely cruel, but restored the Temple. At his death, his sons ruled various segments of Palestine:
- "Herod Archelaus" ruled Judea from 4 BC to 6 AC; under him Jesus was born, and the Holy Innocents were slaughtered.
- "Herod Antipas", ruled Galilee and Perea until 33 AC: He is the one denounced by John the Baptist of adultery, and before him Jesus stood trial.
- In 6 AC, Herod Archelaus was removed, and replaced by the Roman Governor "Pontius Pilate", famous for his judgment over Jesus.
Leaders of Israel: Among the leaders of Israel, were:
- The "Sadducees" (Priests, and Politicians), were in charge of the Temple, and converted it in a house of business and thieves.
- The "Pharisees" (Rabbis and Scribes), were running the synagogues; they were hated by the Sadducees, because they were "laymen" who follow most strictly the Laws of Moses, looking more religious than the Priests, but they were hypocrites, following the letter and not the spirit of the Law.
He is "God", the only one real God, who became flesh to dwell among us, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit... his human "father" was not Joseph but the Holy Spirit, and that's why he was not called "the son of Joseph" but "the son of God" (Lc.1:32), because at that time there were no "family names", but everyone was called after his father, i.e., "Simon Bar John" means "Simon Son of John" (Matt.16:17), "Juda Ben Hur" means "Juda Son of Hur"...
Jesus claimed repeatedly "to be God":
With his words and deeds (miracles)... in fact he is the only founder of the great religions to proclaim himself God, "before Abraham was, I am" (Jn.8:58)... and he is the only founder of the great religions who made "miracles" to show he is God (Mr.2:10)... Abraham, Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tzu, never claimed to be God, and never made miracles... and, to top it all, Jesus was the only founder of great religions who resurrected after death, and appeared in flesh 11 times to his disciples (Mr.16:9).
... So, if Jesus was not God, he was not even a good man, he was a liar who fooled everyone!... but he was, and he is "God"!.
The Bible, calls him repeatedly God:
"My Lord and my God", says John 20:28. In the Gospels at least 7 different witness call him God, even the demons!...
The "seven witness"in the Gospels:
1 - Thomas: "my Lord and my God" (Jn.20:28).
2- The demons: "the Holy One of God" (Mr.1:24).
3 - The Baptist: "the Son of God" (Jn.1:34).
4 - The Centurion and the Roman Soldiers at Calvary: "the Son of God" (Matt.27:54).
5 - Peter: "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Jn.6:69).
6 - Martha, the sister of Lazarus: "the Messiah, the Son of God" (Jn.11:27).
7 - Nathanael: "the Son of God, the King of Israel" (Jn.1:49).
Jesus lived 33 years, and what he did during all his life was stated by John the Baptist in Jn.1:29: To be "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", as described in Is.53... this was the job of Jesus, "to take away the sin of the world"; to take away all the bad karma of every person in the world, would say the Hindus!; and the method, "being the Lamb of God"... if Jesus would become flesh again, it would not be to make great scientific or economic discoveries, or to undertake great social changes... it would be only "to take away the sin of the world", and he would do it with the same method, "being the Lamb of God".
1- During his first 30 years:
He gave us example, living a normal humble life, "being obedient to his parents", says Lk.1:51... just "doing the will of the Father" (Matt.6:10, Jn.4:34).
2- During his last 3 years:
"He went about doing good, teaching and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, casting out devils and healing all the sick", summarizes Matt.4:23-24 and Acts 10:38.
3- His work "on the Cross":
On the Cross, Jesus redeemed us completely, our "body", "soul" and "spirit", as described in Isaiah 53:4-5:
... 1- He redeemed "our body":
Bearing on the Cross our "pain", and the factory of our pain, "our afflictions"... other Bibles translate, our "sufferings" and "infirmities"; or our "diseases" and "infirmities"; or our "sufferings" and "sorrows".
To understand this better, lets see this example: If you want to finish with the beer in a city, you destroy all the cans of beer... but not only that, you have to destroy the factories to make beer, otherwise the next day you will have the city full o beers again... and this what Jesus did: He pay for our "pains", and for the factory to make them, our affliction, our sicknesses...
... 2- He redeemed "our soul":
Paying for "our sins", and for the factory to make sins, for "our rebellions": Our vices and bad habits, drug addiction, homosexuality, impurity, adultery... some Bibles translate "transgressions" and "iniquities"; or "sins" and "offenses"...
... 3- He redeemed "our spirit":
He "made us whole", "we are healed"... other Bibles say, he "reconciled us", or he gave us "peace"...
4- His work on "his resurrection":
He conquered death for us, and gave us a "new life" with Jesus Christ living in us... he did not just restored the "old man", he created a "new man"!, a "new creature"!. (2Cor.5:17, Fe.4:22-24).
- In "Baptism":
1- The "old man" dies, by immersion into water, he is crucified and buried with Christ...
2- And comes out of the water as a "new man" in Christ, alive to God in Christ Jesus, raised up a "new creature... (ROM.6:4, Cools.2:12).