Unto us a Child is Born

Joy to the world, the Lord has come! May we all remember to take time to thank God for this, the ultimate gift; the gift of himself, on this Christmas morning.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Isaiah 9:2-7New Living Translation (NLT)

2 The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
5 The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

⁶ For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

Was Jesus' Physical Body Raised from the dead?

In my previous article,  "Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?"  I set out to prove from the available evidence that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. In light of this, I feel that the evidence weighs overwhelmingly in the affirmative: Jesus rose from the dead. However, one question still remains: If Jesus did rise from the dead, did he do so in a physical body? Or was his resurrection merely a "Spiritual Resurrection"? 

    Now it may surprise you that this idea of a “Spiritual Resurrection” actually has its origins in the late first century. At this time there was a psuedo-christain movement known as Gnosticism, who believed Jesus was never a mortal being. According to Gnostic teachings, all things material are inherently evil; only the spiritual is good. Therefore Jesus could not have existed as a physical being. Rather, they taught that he exists as a divine spirit, and only had the appearance of being human. Ergo, he was not a human being. He did not actually die. And he most certainly did not rise from the dead in a physical body—it was a “Spiritual Resurrection.”

    Despite the fact that the Apostles themselves identified the Gnostic movement as a cult and condemned its founders as false teachers, the Gnostic belief in a “Spiritual Resurrection” has survived to the present day. However, if one looks at what Jesus himself said and did after his resurrection, it soon becomes clear that he did in fact rise from the dead in a physical body.

    “‘Why are you frightened?’ he asked. ‘Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.’ As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet.
    “Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched.”
~ Luke 24:38-43 New Living Translation (NLT)  [Emphasis Added]

    “Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’
    “‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed.
    “Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’”
~ John 20:26-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

    Jesus made a point of eating in front of his disciples in order to show them that he was not a spirit or ghost. He was a living, breathing, human being; complete with flesh, bone, and appetite—as Jesus himself stated in Luke 24:39

    There was no “Spiritual Resurrection.” In fact, the concept of a “Spiritual Resurrection” was completely foreign to the Jewish culture. The Greek culture of the day, however,  had no trouble believing in a spiritual afterlife; it was the idea that a man could come back from the dead that gave them pause, as seen in Acts 17:32. 
    Gnosticism drew its inspiration primarily from Greek philosophers, and openly mocked both Judaism and the Jewish God. In contrast, the people to whom Jesus appeared—the Apostles who would later pen the New Testament—were all Jews. When they said that Jesus had been raised from the dead, they meant a physical, bodily resurrection. There was no such thing as a Spiritual Resurrection in their culture. To be raised from the dead literally meant coming back to life. This is further emphasized by the fact that every resurrection recorded in the Bible involves someone coming back from the dead physically. ( i.e. 1 Kings 17:17-24, 2 Kings 4:1-37, 2 Kings 13:21, Luke 7:13-15, Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew 28:5-7, John 11:43-44, Acts 9:36-42, Acts 20:9-12, Revelation 20, etc.)

    In short: The physical resurrection of Jesus was the cornerstone of the Apostle's faith and is the very foundation of Christianity itself, as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:12-23.

    Therefore, it is clear from the available cultural evidence and historical accounts of Jesus' resurrection, that Jesus Christ was indeed raised from the dead in a physical body. To argue otherwise would mean contradicting not only God's word but also Jesus Christ himself:

    “‘All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
    “‘What!’ they exclaimed. ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?’ But when Jesus said ‘this temple,’ he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.”
~ John 2:19-22 New Living Translation (NLT)  [Emphasis Added]

Where is God when we suffer?

Suffering.

We have all experienced suffering before—some more so than others. And often times the biggest question we have during these times of tragedy and sorrow is: Where is God?

This link below will take you to a video done by an old pastor of mine; a man who's youngest daughter passed away in December 2012, five days before Christmas. It is a long video, but definitely worth the time. In the midst of tragedy, God is the one foundation we can cling to. He will never leave us or abandon us; and He will cary us when no one else can.

Turn off the Dark- Fresh Life Christmas 2012

  "Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?

  My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
      like a root in dry ground.
  There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
   He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

 "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

 "He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.

Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
 He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

 "But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels."

          ~Isaiah 53New Living Translation (NLT)

Did Jesus Say He was God?

Not surprisingly, the topic of whether or not Jesus ever claimed to be God is quite common. However, it is recorded in the scriptures that Jesus did in fact claim to be God on multiple occasions. Take for example John 10:22-23:

“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’

“Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’”

“Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, ‘At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?’

“They replied, ‘We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.’”

~ John 10:22-33 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Added]

     

Now, there are some who look at this verse and say: “No, Jesus isn't claiming to be one with God. He's only claiming that he and God are ‘one in purpose.’ That is to say, they have a common goal/plan for humanity.”

This argument, however, is entirely false as revealed by the Jewish Leaders' response in verses 31-33. They knew what Jesus was saying. There was absolutely no room for doubt or misinterpretation. Jesus claimed to be God.

Now, this should be proof enough of Jesus' divine nature. But there are several other examples I would like to point out. The first is during Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane as recorded in the book of John.

  “After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

“Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. ‘Who are you looking for?’ he asked.

“‘Jesus the Nazarene,’ they replied.

“‘I am he,’ Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, ‘Who are you looking for?’

And again they replied, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’

“‘I told you that I am he,’ Jesus said. ‘And since I am the one you want, let these others go.’

~ John 18:1-8 New Living Translation (NLT) [Emphasis Added]

Now it is important to note that a contingent of Roman soldiers usually consisted of about 100-200 men, if not more. That is in addition to the temple guards sent by the High Priest. Therefore, it is safe to assume that there were at least 200 well-armed, well-trained men present in the garden when Jesus was arrested.

With that in mind, notice what happened in verses 5-6.

Why did over 100 elite solders draw back and fall to the ground when Jesus said “I Am he”?

The reason becomes apparent when you realize that in the original language of the New Testament— Greek — Jesus isn't simply answering their question. He isn't saying: “Oh? You're looking for Jesus of Nazareth? Well, that's me. How can I help you fine gentlemen this evening?” No. What Jesus says in verse 5 is “Ego Eimi”— the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה (Ehyeh). The “I Am” Jesus used to identify himself in this passage is the name God used when He first spoke to Moses in the Greek version of Exodus 3:14. 

Not only did Jesus Identify himself as God in this passage, he also used the same “I Am” (Ego Eimi) in John 4:26 when he identify himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman at the well. This phrase is repeated in John 8:58-60 when Jesus tells the Pharisees that “...before Abraham was, I Am,” and again during his trial as recorded in the books of Mark and Luke (Mark 14:60-64, Luke 22:66-71)

All of these claims were made prior to Jesus' death and resurrection. But his claims of divinity don't end there. Jesus equates himself with God once again in Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 22:12-20.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He existed in the Beginning with God, and he is God. (John 1:1-5) In no uncertain terms, Jesus declared himself to be God and revealed his power to the Roman Legionaries sent to arrest him. He proclaimed his name to the Jewish High Council during his trial, yet humbled himself to die in our place on the cross. Finally, having surrendered his life voluntarily for the sins of all mankind, Jesus raised himself from the dead three days later, just as he said he would. (John 2:19, John 10:18, Mark 14:58)

The evidence in scripture is obvious: Jesus and God are one in the same, just as Jesus said.