Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay Frank D. Felker Grand Canyon University: BIB 354 June 26, 2011

Jesus: God, Man, and Ministry

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay The entrance of Jesus of Nazareth into the world of man marked the beginnings of an

answer to an age old mystery of the Old Testament. For a thousand years, and more, the prophets had been telling of Mashiach, or the Messiah. This Messiah was supposed, by the Jews, to have a twofold Ministry: (1) A redeemer/restorer of the nation of Israel and (2) He was expected to usher in a universal righteousness and to gain atonement for sinful mankind. He was to be a King/Priest. Actually, there was a third part to the ministry, and this third part was the ages old mystery; the salvation of the Gentile nations by, up to the time of the beginning of the New Testament, a solely Jewish God, YHWH or, as He titled Himself, I AM. To ensure success of His mission, as the Messiah of the salvation of mankind, it was absolutely necessary for prophetical accuracy and demonstrably Messianic attributes in order to leave no doubts as to His nature as Messiah. Birth of Jesus as Messiah In exploring any subject, it is always best to begin at the beginning. The story of the ministry of Jesus the Christ would, of course, begin with his birth. The Old Testament prophets had some very definite ideas about the birth of the Messiah; the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14); He would be a descendant of David (Jer. 23:5, 6; 33:15, 16); and the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2). It would be necessary that these prophesies be fulfilled in order to claim to be Messiah. (Clarifying Christianity [SM], 1998) God did not have to present His Messiah in this fashion: He could have descended from heaven as a little, fresh, baby God, just made, and plopped down on earth.But He did choose to do it that waythe normal, human way. Aside from the divine conception, He came the same say we all do: through pregnancy, labor, birth, infancy.And that fact elevates not only all humanity, but especially all womankind. (Mary and the Flabbergasting Fact, 2004)

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay All conditions for the birth of Mashiach are fulfilled in the nativity narratives of the New Testament (Matthew, the first and second chapters & Luke, chapters one and two. Stein, in his text, Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ, calls the allusions to the virginal birth in

New Testament Scripture as; quite tenuous and could easily be explained differently. (p. 64). These different explanation, however, are not an option for the Christian of faith. The faithful Christian accepts these scriptures as true and the word of God. The Baptism of Divine/Man Why would the Messiah desire, much less need, baptism? He is by definition the Son of God. For Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice He must be the perfect man. In all sacrifices God required a spotless lamb, without blemish. John the Baptizer was offering symbolic cleansing of sin unto repentance through confession. Jesus had no sin that needed confessing. Paul wrote, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteous of God. (II Cor. 5:2, NIV) What Jesus did have, was the desire and the need to relate to man as fully human, and to relate to man as fully God. When Jesus had convinced John to baptize Him in front of, and as, other mortal men; God wrenches the heavens at Jesus baptism just as God tears the curtaina tapestry of heavenat Christs death: beloved son of God, named and claimed at baptism and at death. (Presa, N. D., et al, 2008) He thus expresses His dual nature in one explicit action, His baptism. Jesus has expressed His dual nature and God has validated Jesus positional place in His kingdom as His own Son when Jesus came up from the water after His baptism; And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17, NKJV) Yet there was still one, final verification necessary before His mission could commence. The Temptation of Jesus as Man

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay The Temptation of Jesus has been a controversial subject for Christian and skeptic. Some

Christians will ask the question, Why? and most skeptics will say, So what! To the Christian, Jesus is the Son of God, He is God, and so what would be the purpose of His temptation? The question is not whether or not He is God but, rather, is He fully man? Is He Impeccable? In other words, is He capable of sinning? This is the principle question. If Jesus is not capable of sinning, He would not be able to demonstrate His obedience unto death and the sacrifice would be hollow, of no efficacy for salvation. The world had been lost into sin by the failings of one, once perfect, man, Adam. Now, salvation rested on the shoulders of another perfect man, Jesus. Could He resist the temptation where Adam could not? Immediately following His Baptism, Jesus departs for the wilderness for His final trial of discovery. We are faced with two unique situations, posed in contrast to one another. Adam is in a garden, Jesus in a desert, a great and terrible wilderness. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and is weak, hungry, and dehydrated. Adam, on the other hand, is fit and strong, and his food is plentiful. In partial defense of Adam, his temptation is the initial seduction in the history of men. Jesus opponent, however, has had thousands of years to practice beguilement. (Johnson, Lewis S., Jr. [paraphrased], 1966) In Matthew 4:1-12, we are told graphically of Satans attempts to bend Jesus unshakable obedience. Jesus is offered all that this world has to give of pleasure and power. Satan was not posturing or making false promises. All these things were his to giveand he would have given them had Jesus weakened. Was he tempted to accept these bribes? Of course He was tempted. Jesus knew the offers were real and nothing, on this earth, would ever compare. Thank God, for our sake, He withstood. Conclusion: the Beginning

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay The Messiah had arrived. He came forth according to Scripture and had shown His credentials. Prophesy was rapidly unfolding, barging forward into history, as if they were enormous waves, crashing onto the beaches of time. Jesus ministry had just begun but its ending at the cross, in a few short years, was as sure as night following day.

Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me. And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. (Luke. 24:44-45, NKJV)

References Clarifying Christianity (SM), 1998, Messianic Properties, retrieved, June 18, 2011, from, http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/m_prophecies.shtml.

Module 1Jesus: Both Human and Divine Essay Holy Bible (2005), Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Holy Bible (2002), Scofield Study Bible, NKJV, New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Johnson, S. Lewis (1966), Temptation of Christ, Biblotheca sacra, 123(492), 342-352, retrieved, June 26, 2011 from EBSCOhost, http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu

Mary and the Flabbergasting Fact, (2004), Christian History & Biography (83), 6, retrieved, June 26, 2011 from EBSCOhost, http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu Presa, N. D., Wendel, V. S., Thorpe, D., Stevens, R., & Wezeman, P. (2008), 11 January 2009 Baptism of Jesus, Homily Service, 42(1), 87-96, dol: 10.1008/07321870802424666, retrieved, June 26, 2011, from, EBSCOhost, http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu Stein, Robert H. (1996), Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, USA