Behold The Man

BEHOLD THE MAN “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6

Pontius Pilot posed his challenge to the

belligerent mob with the words “Ecce homo!” Demanding they take notice of the high-cost already exacted upon Jesus during his brutal scourging, this trial set in motion Christ’s torturous assent to eventual crucifixion, where Jesus fulfilled the vicarious role prophesied, as God’s suffering Servant. Although two millennia have since transpired, the Christ event was so significant that virtually the entire world restarted its calendar because of it. But just who is Jesus of Nazareth, and why is his life, death and resurrection still so vital to you and me now in the 21st century? Stay with me, as we highlight three dimensions of the most notable person in history. While scholars of that era attested to a literal, historical Jesus, Scripture records that Jesus is: Creator (God)… “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). The apostle John’s meaning in this passage is hard to miss. With parallels to Genesis 1:1, John opens with an absolute reference to the beginning of the time-space-material universe, asserting that before the universe began, the Second Person of the triune God always existed. Unlike other gospel accounts that begin with Jesus’ human genealogy, in terms of His deity, He has no genealogy. And as the Father’s agent in creation, Jesus possesses all the divine excellencies, being coequal, consubstantial, and coeternal with the Father (John 10:30; 14:9). The “sonship” of Jesus helps us understand the 2nd Person of the triune Godhead; with some scholars even suggesting that submission (within the Trinity) was first manifest at the creation. Many people today don't understand that Jesus claimed to be God. They're content to think of Him as little more than a great moral teacher. But even His enemies understood His claims to deity. That's why they tried to stone Him to death (John 5:18; 10:33) and eventually had Him crucified (John 19:7). C.S. Lewis observed, "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to" (Mere Christianity [Macmillan, 1952], pp. 40-41). If the biblical claims of Jesus are true, He is God! Carpenter (Man)… “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” (John 1:14) While God is uncreated and eternal, He took on humanity (Heb. 1:1-13, 2:14-18). This reality is surely the most the profound ever because it indicates that the Infinite became finite; the Eternal was conformed to time; the Invisible became visible; the supernatural One reduced Himself to the natural. At the incarnation (God becoming man) Jesus surrendered only the prerogatives of deity but nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind. In this way, the eternally existing

second person of the Trinity accepted all the essential characteristics of humanity and so became the eternal God-man (Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 2:9). Virgin born (Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:23,25; Luke 1:26-35); the purpose of the incarnation then, was to reveal God, redeem men, and rule over God's kingdom (Ps. 2:7-9; Is. 9:6; John 1:29; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 7:25,26; 1 Pet. 1:18,19). As a result, Jesus represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness (Mic. 5:2; John 5:23; 14:9,10; Col. 2:9). As a carpenter, Jesus was known as a man’s man…One whose chosen station in life allowed Him to relate equally well to either a working man or a world ruler. In His public ministry, Jesus chose to work as an itinerate preacher whose sermons would enthrall populist rural followers, as well as enlist the secret allegiance of the 1st-century’s greatest scholars. And if there were one feature of His character that stood out most (for me), it would be His meekness—literally translated “power under control.” Jesus was appropriately gentle with the innocence of youth, assertive with jaded adults, and confrontive with hypocritical leaders. Scripture tells us that Jesus was like us in all ways (experiencing joy, weariness, hunger and sorrow), except that He was without sin. He was essentially, God’s perfect man, and man’s perfect God. Christ (the eternal God-Man)… “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to Hs own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:10-12). Jesus is the Savior, the promised Messiah. Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the Living Word of the New Testament, it should not surprise us that prophecies regarding Him outnumber all others. Many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to fulfill—such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3; 17:19); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isaiah 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet on the cross (Psalm 22:16); the soldiers' gambling for His clothes (Psalm 22:18); the piercing of His side and the fact that His bones were not broken at His death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isaiah 53:9). But the promise of His first coming had a very specific mission. The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption—through the shedding of His blood and sacrificial death on the cross. His death was voluntary, vicarious, substitutionary, propitiatory, and redemptive (John 10:15; Rom. 3:24,25; 5:8; 1 Pet. 2:24). On the basis of the efficacy of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believing sinner is freed from the punishment, the penalty, the power, and one day the very presence of sin; and that he is declared righteous, given eternal life, and adopted into the family of God (Rom. 3:25; 5:8,9; 2 Cor. 5:14,15; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18). And in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, God confirmed the deity of His Son and accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Jesus' bodily resurrection then, is the guarantee of a future resurrection life for all believers (John 5:26-29; 14:19; Rom. 4:25;6:5-10; 1 Cor. 15:20,23). Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior, who paid the penalty and died for sinners: "Christ ... died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." He alone is "our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:13). So what can we conclude? JESUS IS LORD The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority

over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." Confessing Jesus as Lord means humbly submitting to His authority (Philippians 2:10-11). Believing that God has raised Him from the dead involves trusting in the historical fact of His resurrection--the pinnacle of Christian faith and the way the Father affirmed the deity and authority of the Son (Romans 1:4; Acts 17:30-31). True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is more than simply being sorry for sin. It is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin and pursue holiness (Isaiah 55:7). Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15); and "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine" (John 8:31). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. Their faith is not genuine. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10). JESUS IS THE JUDGE All who reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior will one day face Him as their Judge: "God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31).Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." HOW WILL YOU RESPOND? Who does the Bible say Jesus is? The living God, the Savior, the only valid object of saving faith, the sovereign Lord, and the righteous Judge. Who do you say Jesus is? That is the inescapable question. He alone can redeem you—free you from the power and penalty of sin. He alone can transform you, restore you to fellowship with God, and give your life eternal purpose. Pilot's challenge is posed to you and I still today. Will you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Behold the Man, Roy J. Tanner Reference sources used in compiling this essay: MacArthur Study Bible Master's Theological Seminary Grace To You Ministries