Jesus, who is He? I mean who is He, REALLY? In my younger years, a wise pastor’s wife once told me to, “seek His face”. I had heard those words before in Psalms.
Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.
Psalm 105:4
I also know that one of my favorite promises from the Lord, in 2 Chronicles tells me that I should do so:
and if My people who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
At the time, even though I knew these verses, I didn’t really know what she meant. She did however, give me a great direction to start. She told me to read through the gospels and focus on the red letters.
She said, “See the way He taught. Find out the things He said to His disciples and to others.” She said I would find out what he ‘looked like’ by experiencing the way He dealt with others.
What I found was nothing short of a miracle. Jesus is God, Prophet, Priest, King, Savior, and Friend.
Jesus and God Are One
In my journey of discovering who this man is, I made the greatest of all discoveries. This man was God in the flesh, dwelling among us. The bible refers to Jesus in a multitude of ways from times past, to future times.
The prophet Isaiah tells us in chapter 7, “a virgin will be with child” and “she will have a son and His name shall be called Immanuel which means ‘God with us’.”
The book of John tells us in chapter 1, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”. He also tells us, “through Him all things were made” and “apart from Him nothing came into being, that has coming into being.”
Furthermore, John points out in verse 14 that, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This little bit of evidence alone demonstrates that
- the prophet Isaiah said He would be “God with us”
- John calls Him the Word of God
- John says the Word is God
- John says all things were created through Him
While Jesus Himself did not feel as though equality with God was something to be grasped; He walked, He talked, He loved, He forgave sins, He healed and He gave… like God. This is because it is impossible for God to act in a way contrary to His nature.
In the Words of Jesus
However, if you need further evidence of Jesus’ deity let us look at it, in His own words. Jesus Himself tells the pharisees that He and the Father are one, in John chapter 10. He was so clear about what He meant by it, they took up stones against Him, to stone Him to death. Their reason? They said, “because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” Clearly, He was saying what He said, in such a way, they unmistakably got the answer to the question they had asked. They just didn’t like the answer. Hear this exchange:
24The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. 26“But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30“I and the Father are one.” 31The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
John 10:24-33
He does go on from there and declare Himself to be the “Son of God”, as well. However, I’ll have to delve into that at a different time. That will require a thorough understanding of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
Jesus the Prophet
Jesus is prophecy fulfilled. There are hundreds of prophetic words that reference Jesus throughout the writings of the Hebrew prophets. There are literally volumes of books written on this topic by some of the greatest leaders in religious history.
What I love about Him though is the Prophet that He was Himself. All throughout God’s word we see the prophets and hear their words but what is a prophet?
What Is a Prophet in the Bible?
Many people have lots of opinions about what a prophet is. However, when it comes to what a prophet is from a biblical stand point the answer is clear.
A prophet in the bible is someone that hears the word of the Lord God and gives it to the people of God. This comes in the form of exhortation, encouragement, instruction, correction, judgement, and even healing.
Moses gave a clear understanding of what a prophet is from a biblical standpoint, Deuteronomy chapter 18. He not only tells what a prophet is, but Moses also referenced a prophet that would come after him.
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. 16 This is according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ 17 The Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.
Deuteronomy 18:15 - 19
Jesus was the Prophet that Moses was speaking about in Deuteronomy; however, Jesus came as a prophet, to speak a specific message from the Lord of Hosts. He declared it Himself, in the hearing of the Jews, while reading from the prophet Isaiah. He did this, so that they could hear the prophecy of Him being fulfilled, while He was reading it.
16And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, ND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
20And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. 21Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:16 - 21
His position as Prophet is important to us because of His message:
- good news
- freedom for the captives
- sight for the blind
- freedom for the oppressed
- proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
He said these were things, He was bringing to us. The prophets of old declared these things, as well. The sole and expressed purpose of becoming flesh and dwelling amongst us was to die, for the sins of all mankind and make us all free in Him, children of the Most High God!
Jesus also declares Himself a prophet, as He prophesied where He would die. He did this while speaking to a group of Pharisees. They were telling Him to leave their anonymous town, at the time. In their jealousy, of the large crowds He had gathered with His preaching, they also smugly informed Him that, Herod the king, was looking for Him to kill Him.
31Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 32And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ 33“Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35“Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”
Luke 12:31-35
As a prophet who was called, by the words of Isaiah, to “delight in the fear of the Lord”, He responded accordingly. He knew God’s will would happen regardless of the whims of an earthly king. While disregarding those whims and the jealous words of the pharisees, notice the loving conversation He has with Jerusalem… and her people. He was still, even in that moment, speaking of the Father’s love for His children, who were about to kill Him.
Jesus the Great High Priest
King David writes in Psalm 110, a messianic psalm, that the Jesus would be a high priest by stating, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Melchizedek was a high priest to God that Abraham gave 10% of the spoils to, from the war of the kings (Genesis 14).
What makes Jesus such a great High Priest, is who He truly is and what it is, that He did.
A high priest is supposed to offer up the sacrifice for sin to God on behalf of the people of Israel. In order to do this, he must first go through a multi-step process of ritualistic cleansing and repentence. He also offers up a sacrifice for himself first, before he can make a sacrifice for the people. But Jesus, changed the rule book. He was not only the High Priest but according to Hebrews 7 He was also the sacrifice.
23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
Hebrews 7:23-28
The Hebrew law actually has a priesthood laid out in it. However, the law required that priests be of the tribe of Levi. Jesus on the other hand was from the tribe of Judah. So why isn’t Jesus from the tribe of the priests required by the law?
Jesus was intended to be the fulfillment and completion of the law. In Him a new covenant was born, a covenant of grace. The prophets said He would be a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. So, what made Melchizedek different than the Levitical priesthood?
To understand this completely let’s take a look at the exchange between Abraham and Melchizedek.
17 Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.
Genesis 14:17-20
Verse 18 here, lays out a clear distinction between Melchizedek and the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek is also a king.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords
To state simply that Jesus is King, is both truth and horrendous understatement. Jesus is the King of all kings, the Lord of all Lords. He is the Holy One of Israel. The One whom the holy angels declare His comings and his goings.
There are a great many verses throughout the bible that talk about the magnitude of who He is. He has a great many titles as a result of this. I named a few above. However, the immensity of exactly who the King of Kings is, can be described by the Holy Spirit as written through a letter to the Ephesians, in chapter 1.
18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:18-23
I mean, WOW!!! Our great High Priest is the highest of all Kings, as well. Yet, the most humbling and thought-provoking part of those verses, to me, is that we, the body, are “His fullness”. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to pretend that we (especially me) are anything special. That very sentence though explains WHY we are His fullness, because He fill us.
We are temples of the Living God. Filled with His Holy Spirit. Living a life on earth where we are never separated from Him even for a second. Isn’t that amazing news? The King of the Universe who has a throne above all things, chooses to make His home, in us… just… WOW!!!
The Resurrection and the Life
If you understand the Old Testament, then you understand the importance of the willing sacrifice of Isaac, the son of Abraham, by Abraham. Abraham was promised by God that Isaac was the son of promise and that in Isaac’s seed there was a blessing for all mankind. He also knew that God promised that through Isaac, Abraham’s descendants would be like the sands on the seashore or the stars in the sky.
So when God asked Him to sacrifice that son, He knew that God could do miracles and that something good would come from simply obeying the word of the Lord. As He walked up that mountain with his son, who was carrying the wood for the sacrifice, his son asked him a question. He asked Abraham where the sacrifice was because they hadn’t brought a lamb or goat to sacrifice.
I find Abraham’s response in Genesis chapter 22, from the King James Version, to be… prophetic. Abraham replies to Isaac, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb…”
The truth is, some 4,000 years later, The Father did sacrifice His Son because of the willingness of one Father to do the same for Him. On that hill at Calvary, God provided Himself, as a lamb, to be sacrificed, for the sins of all, that would receive this truth.
Jesus became God’s Perfect Lamb. However, that was only the fulfillment of the law. The sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross and the beating that He took before that were for our salvation and our healing, respectively.
The next part is the best part. On the third day, Jesus conquered death and the grave by rising from the dead and waltzing right out of the tomb. He overcame death and even Hell itself. His sacrifice gave Him the authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to usher in a new covenant. A covenant based on His sacrifice, His blood, and His grace.
He is the deliverer, the author and finisher of our salvation, God’ Perfect Lamb, the Redeemer of all things!
The Ultimate Sacrifice, Jesus the Savior!
Man was kicked out of a literal paradise because of our inability to not follow God's law. In the garden though, God's law was one simple rule. Eat of any tree in the garden, except one. As a result of breaking that law Adam and Eve came to know shame. They now knew the difference between good and evil, the difference between obeying God and not obeying God.
As a result of their sin, the very first death occurred on Earth. This death came by God as a result of man's sin. God used the death of an animal to cover the shame of Adam and Eve by making tunics from the skin of that animal to cover them and their shame. The next sacrifices mentioned in the bible are from Cain and Abel. One was accepted and one was not. Why?
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
Genesis 4:3-5
You'll notice two things that are different between the two different sacrifices (offerings). While Cain did bring of his produce, Abel brought of the "firstlings" (first born) and of the fat. Abel did not just bring from his flock, he brought the first and the best from among his produce. Also, you'll notice that Abel brought a sacrifice similar to the one God used to cover man's sin, an animal.
The next time the word "offering" is used in the bible, is when Abraham was commanded by God to offer his "only son" (the son of promise; he was told to send his other son away) as a burnt offering, on Mount Moriah. As we know from the scriptures, Abraham was willing and it was enough for God to step in and stopped Abraham's sacrifice.
11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.
Genesis 22:11-13
That willingness to give up his "only son", set in motion the ultimate sacrifice. In this moment God Himself made a promise to Abraham. The promise was not just for Abraham's descendants but for all the nations of the earth.
15Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Genesis 22:15-18
That promise was made because Abraham was willing to do what Adam and Eve did not... Obey! Obey regardless of your personal feelings, obey regardless of the promises already made, obey regardless of circumstances. This exact concept was clearly stated by the prophet Samuel.
22 Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams."
1 Samuel 15:22
However, because of man's inability to follow God's law, as demonstrated by the Hebrew people (and the rest of mankind) for thousands of years following this event, God set in motion another plan. He would send His own Son, the "Firstborn of All Creation", His "Word Made Flesh" who would dwell among us. He would cleanse us from our sins, bear away our sickness and disease, make us new creations filled with His Holy Spirit. However, that would only happen on one condition according to the Word of the Lord given through Isaiah the prophet.
The Suffering Servant
53
1Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted 5But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 11As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.Isaiah 53: 1-12
Verse 10 makes it very clear that "the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; IF He would render Himself as a guilt offering". Jesus had to go willingly to His death. He had to be willing to remain silent in His own defence because in that moment He would "bear their iniquities". He was taking my place, He was taking your place, He was taking the place of every GUILTY SINNER throughout history. There was no defence he could make because we are guilty and He took our place.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus!
More to come...