Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Thursday, 11 March 2021 08:07

Jesus Is the Son of God – Part One (Matt 27:50-54)
by Terry Broome

For centuries men had spoken of his coming. Every Jew knew of the beautiful promises regarding the Messiah and his kingdom. The prophets foretold of a new and bright day dawning upon the horizon – a day unlike any before it!! All of this centered around the person to come – the Messiah!
His coming was not like one might have expected. His birthplace was a feeding trough in a stable in an insignificant place called Bethlehem. His father was a carpenter by trade. By all appearances the family was simply another peasant family in Palestine. An unusual event involving Jesus took place in the temple when he was only 12; but, other than that, the first 30 years of his life did not find their way to the pages of the Bible.

For approximately 3 years he traveled the land, preaching his message of repentance and a coming kingdom. His ministry was marked by miracles, huge crowds, and vicious critics. His real friends were few. Finally, he was betrayed by one of his followers. He was cruelly treated by both Jewish and Roman authorities before being condemned to die. He was nailed to a Roman cross, and there he died. At his death, the Roman Centurion in charge said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Matthew 27:54 (NKJV) 54So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Some skeptics still raise the question, “Was he really God’ son?” We know that he claimed as much. Mark 14:61-62 (KJV) 61But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

In John 10:30 He declared, “I and my Father are one.” We read in John 5:17-18 17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Others also claimed that he really was God’s Son. The disciples, after He walked on the water to them, Matthew 14:33 (KJV) “…Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” Peter in Matthew 16:16 “…Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Voice from heaven: Luke 3:22 (KJV) 22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

The question really comes down to, “Was Jesus really Lord, or liar, or madman?” C. S. Lewis wrote, “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.” (Lewis, C. S., Mere Christianity, London: Collins, 1952, pp. 54–56. (In all editions, this is Bk. II, Ch. 3, “The Shocking Alternative.”)

There are only two alternatives – His claims were false or His claims were true. If His claims were false, again, two alternatives – He KNEW His claims were false or He DID NOT KNOW His claims were false. If He knew that His claims were false, then He was a liar and a hypocrite; and more, he was a fool for having died for lies! If he did not know that his claims were false, then he was either seriously deluded about himself or he was a madman.
If His claims are true, then he IS Lord! Again, two alternatives – reject him or accept him. We plan to write more on this subject next time.
The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.