Jesus

-return to blog- • -return to wiki-

I will put enmity between you and the woman, / and between your offspring and her offspring; / he shall bruise your head, / and you shall bruise his heel.” - Genesis 3:15

The gospel of God was promised by God beforehand through His prophets in the Scriptures. His Son is descended from David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection according to the Holy Spirit. (Romans 1:2-4)

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for his name's sake among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:-5-6)

Old Testament References

  • Luke 24:44 (spoken by Jesus to his disciples) - Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
  • John 5:39 - You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Davidic Covenant

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:16)

Genealogy

(Matthew 1:1-17)

Life

Jesus was born in a village in modern-day Palestine to lowly Mary and ordinary Joseph, and he was a carpenter in Nazareth without title or wealth despite descending from David. He began his ministry at 30, and it lasted 3 years until his crucifixion. He was condemned under Roman law. (Hillsdale College - Ancient Christianity)

What comes out of the mouth defiles a person

The Pharisees and scribes criticized the disciples for breaking the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands when they eat. Jesus said they break the commandment of God for the sake of their tradition. God commanded us to honor our father and mother and that whoever reviles them must die, while the Pharisees say you need not honor your father if you say, "What you would have gained from me is given to God." They hypocritically worship Him while teaching as doctrine the commandments of men. Jesus proclaimed then explained to Peter that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, since it is eventually expelled. It is what comes out of the mouth, as that proceeds from, the heart. Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander defile a person, not eating with unwashed hands. Every plant the Father has not planted will be rooted up, and the blind leading the blind will fall into a pit.

(Matthew 15:1-20)

Jesus heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman with great faith

Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon where a Canaanite woman came out and cried for mercy from the Son of David, as her daughter was severely oppressed by a demon. Jesus did not answer her, and His disciples begged him to send her away. He said He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She knelt before him asking for help. He told her it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs, but she said even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. Jesus said her faith is great, and her daughter was healed instantly.

(Matthew 15:21-28)

Jesus heals crowds and feeds them before sailing to Magadan

Jesus went on to the Sea of Galilee and up on the mountain to sit, while great crowds gathered the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and others at His feet. He healed them, and the crowds wondered and glorified the God of Israel.

Then Jesus called his disciples and said He had compassion on the crowd for having nothing to eat after being with Him three days. The disciples asked how to get enough bread in such a desolate place, and Jesus found they had 7 loaves and a few small fish. He took them, gave thanks, then gave them to the disciples to distribute. All 4000 men besides women and children ate to satisfaction, and 7 baskets full of the broken pieces were left over. He sent away the crowds, got in a boat, and went to Magadan.

(Matthew 15:29-39)

Literary Form

Technically, the Gospels are an expanded hero story. They consistently keep the focus on Jesus, and their narrative purpose is to tell the story of the teaching and deeds of Jesus. The plot is not single but episodic, and the organizing principle is loosely chronological. The majority of the text is devoted to Jesus' three-year public ministry, and a fourth is devoted to the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Jesus makes claims that conventional heroes do not make: possessing the power to forgive sins, that He will lay down His life for the salvation of His followers, that He will rise from the dead, and that He is the light of the world. His deeds of power transcend hero stories.

The combination of forms is without parallel. Equal space is given to what the hero said and did. Within the narrative framework are continuous examples of common genres like parable, drama or dialogue, sermon or oration, and saying or proverb. Narrative subtypes abound: annunciation and nativity, calling or vocation stories, recognition stories, witness stories, pronouncement stories (in which a saying of Jesus is linked with an event that correlates with it), miracle stories, and passion stories.

Revelation also contains the ingredients of a hero story. It is about Jesus Christ in His conquest and includes elements of war, kingdom, supernatural scenes, and destiny.

(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. The Bible as Literature by Leland Ryken, Page 124-125, 131-132)

Second Coming

When?

See the day of the Lord article for when Jesus will return.

What will happen?

Through Jesus, God will bring with him those who are asleep. The Lord will descend from heaven with a cry of command, the voice of an archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then the living will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. He will come on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)

The Lord Jesus will kill the lawless one with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)