Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Wednesday, 15 February 2023 13:42

Behold the man -1
Pilate hardly knew what to do with Jesus, and quite seriously neither do the majority of people today. “Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!” (John 19:5).
God gave the world all the proof that should be needed that He is indeed the Son of God by raising Him from the dead. Yet, there are unbelievers. Not only are there some who deny He is divine, there are also those who admit He is the Son of God, but who merely give lip service to most of what Jesus has to say. We should be overwhelmed into absolute submission as we behold the wonder and the amazement of this man called Jesus. He had such a lowly, background, no earthly things we call great. He wrote no books, and was not schooled in the major learning centers of the day. Yet His name has been proclaimed all over the world throughout the centuries.

John the Baptist gave a description of Jesus that befits His tender nature as well as the role He was to play. “Behold, The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John’s description of Jesus as a lamb reflects that He was a sacrificial lamb that was offered for our sins. But the lamb was also a lion (of the tribe of Judah–Rev. 5:5). He was courageous! A conqueror! “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

What do you see when you look upon Jesus as revealed in His Holy Word? For one thing, John saw one who “standeth…among you” (John 1:26). Christ has always been there. He was in the beginning at the creation. He was with the apostles, and he’s with us today. Jesus declared, “Lo, I am with you alway.” He is near to everyone of us. We have a friend who will never forsake us.
The two men on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:16-31) failed to recognize Jesus. They remind us that to many He is Risen But Not Recognized. Their failure is so symbolic of our spiritual blindness that keeps us from seeing Him. It is important that we define the things that might keep us from seeing Jesus, and remove them from a position where they can blind us. The veil that covers our eyes must be removed.

The reactions of others who saw Jesus serve to remind us that we should be in awe of His presence. Thomas declared “My Lord, and my God!” The Roman soldier proclaimed “Truly this was the Son of God!” Some of us react with shame. Some of us don’t like to admit to our friends that we love Jesus. Some react by sleeping in on Sundays, laughing during the Communion Service, acting as though we don’t owe Him anything.

We need a reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus. Because Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. Fear grips the heart of those who lose focus. Fear cripples. There is strength in drawing near to the Lord. We honor Jesus not just by singing “Silent Night.” We honor Jesus by living for Him who died for us!

The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.

-Terry Broome