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| "Jesus" by Bas Uterwijk | Post Photography |
All history snaps
like a twig at His birth,
so that events are measured
according to whether
they come before Christ
or after Him.
+ Who Is This?
Deep Down Faith
This winter, I get the joy of spending some time with young people connected to Emmaus City Church engaging the Scriptures alongside one of my favorite reflections on God called Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. I've read this book three times now and Plantinga, like C.S. Lewis in many ways, has a gift for discussing profound thoughts in whimsical, rich, and accessible ways for young and old alike. Previous Deep Down Faith posts include:
Today's post will focus on the question we all need to ask about Jesus, "Who is this?" even as He asks each of us, "Who do you say that I am?" Some helpful Bible Project videos that complement the readings on Jesus include Covenants, Messiah, and Atonement.
One with Us and
One with God
"God holds this world with fierce love.
Keeping his promise,
He sends Jesus into the world ...
Jesus chose the path we had rejected ...
Remembering the promise
to reconcile the world to Himself
God joined our humanity in Jesus Christ
— the eternal Word made flesh."
In the movies, it is not uncommon for a hero who is being tortured by the enemy to stretch out his or her arms as though being crucified. It doesn't matter whether the hero acts at all like Jesus Christ. Hollywood simply wants us to connect the hero to Christ — to this think of this person as suffering for his or her people.
That's because Jesus Christ is the most famous person in the world. Thousands of books, plays, essays, and poems have been written about him. Hundreds of paintings and sculptures depict Him. Billions of people know His name, even if only as a pair of curse words. People sing about Him; children pray to Him; politicians claim Him for their cause. All history snaps like a twig at His birth, so that events are measured according to whether they come before Christ or after Him. And more than two billion people across the world are named after Him.
Yet there is a lot of confusion about Jesus Christ. Some people think of him as a kind of socialist rebel. Others believe he was more like an American businessman. Some think of him as a good man but not a great one, a pretty good teacher who was clearly right about many things but wrong about others. A number of unbelievers see Jesus Christ as a magician, or even as a madman. A few people even believe that Jesus never existed — that He is a mythical figure like Hercules or Robin Hood or Superman.
And then, in every age since Jesus' birth
there have also been many who have
believed in Him,
who have turned to Him
and whispered, "Lord."
One reason for uncertainty about Jesus is that He is frankly a mysterious person. The gospel of Mark shows us that people were confused about Him from the beginning. Some people who saw or heard Jesus thought that Elijah had returned. Others got Jesus mixed up with John the Baptizer (Mark 8:28). His townspeople assumed He was nothing more than the local carpenter (6:1-6). Enemies dismissed him as a demon-possessed lunatic (3:22). And everywhere Jesus went, He seemed to astonish and bewilder people, even His own disciples. They kept saying things like "What is this?" and "Who is this?" (1:27; 4:41).
The Bible gives a hundred answers
to "Who is this?" Jesus is:
Lamb of God and Shepherd
Suffering Servant and Lord
Convicted Criminal and Judge
Savior who did not save Himself
Defender who did not defend Himself
Living Water dying of thirst
He is the King of creation
whom soldiers pinned to
some two-by-fours.
He is the Light of the world
who was snuffed out —
only to flame up gloriously again.
He is our Lord and our God.
Who is this?
Jesus is Messiah, the Christ.
He is one of us.
For Reflection
It's the most important question
you will ever be asked.
It's the same questions Jesus
asks of His disciples:
"Why do you say that I am?"
What is your answer to Jesus?
Prayer Starters
Use this phrase to shape a prayer
to Jesus: "Jesus, to me You are ... "
Or use this prayer to Jesus
from the multitudes before His throne
(Revelation 5:12-13, NIV):
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise! ...
To Him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb,
be praise and honor
and glory and power,
forever and ever."
Amen.
Previous Jesus-focused posts:
Next Deep Down Faith post:
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Que le Royaume de Dieu vienne,
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With anticipation and joy,
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