2nd & Wallace
church of Christ
201 W. Wallace
P.O. Box 501
San Saba, TX 76877

“The Sealy [TX] News” October 4, 2002

...the Bible tells me so:

Powerful Tales: Jesus the Christ

Rocky Whitely, preacher, Sealy church of Christ

There are many great names that appear in our history. We remember the stories of George Washington, Betsy Ross, Lewis and Clark, Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale and John F. Kennedy. Space prohibits me from mentioning other important people.

On September 11, 2001, one name will stand out more than others. All the passengers of United Flight 93 heroically sacrificed their lives in preventing their hijacked plane from reaching its target, Washington, D.C. However, we will all remember the name of Todd Beamer. His words, “Let’s roll,” are forever etched in our minds and hearts, and in our national psyche.

Israel’s heroes are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, David, and more. But Israel’s story continued on from ancestry to slavery to exodus to conquest to kings to exile and, finally, to restoration. Yet, Israel’s story seems to conclude on a sad note. Ezra’s prayer ends with these words, “Because of our sins, its [that is, the Promised Land’s] abundant harvest goes to the kings You have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress” (Nehemiah 9:37 NIV). The distress would continue until the coming of Elijah the prophet (see Malachi 4:5-6).

When Jesus came, expectations ran high for the end to Israel’s story. The Jewish leaders queried John the immerser as to his identity. They were looking for the Christ, for Elijah or for the Prophet (John 1:19-25). Later Philip ran to get his brother, Nathanael, and said, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45).

Jesus’ story, Paul told in brief in his letters. He wrote:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“But we preach Christ crucified…” (1:23; see verse 13)
“The message of the cross” (verse 18; see verse 17)
“Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5; see Colossians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 11:26)

The relationship between Jesus’ crucifixion and His lordship begins to be explained in the resurrection following His death. Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” (15:3-5; see 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10)

Jesus obviously did not speak English, though we are unsure whether He spoke Greek or Latin. However, He was a Jew who grew up speaking Aramaic like so many Jews in Judea, Samaria and Galilee. We see glimpses of Jesus’ very words in Mark’s account of His life. When Jesus resurrected the daughter of the synagogue ruler, He “took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’)” (5:41). In healing a man afflicted with deafness and muteness, Jesus “looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’)” (7:34). From the cross, Jesus cried out, “‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ ” (Mark 15:34).

Paul, in expressing our relationship with God, echoed the words of Jesus as we call our Father, “Abba” (see Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Also, he used the Aramaic, “Marana tha,” in 1 Corinthians 16:22, which means, “Come, O Lord!”

Of the few hymns of the early Christians that appear in the New Testament, an important hymn is Philippians 2:6-11. Paul wrote of Christ Jesus,

“Who, being in very nature God, / did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, / but made Himself nothing, / taking the very nature of a servant, / being made in human likeness. / And being found in appearance as a man, / He humbled Himself / and became obedient to death— / even death on a cross! / Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place / and gave Him the name that is above every name, / that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, / in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, / to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:6-11)

Like Hebrews 1:1-4 and 1 Timothy 3:16, Paul in Philippians 2 described Jesus preexistence, His incarnation (including death) and His exaltation.

Nevertheless, with such brief introductions to the life of Jesus, how does the story get fleshed out, that is, told in full? The answer is simple. The accounts of the life of Jesus as found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John fill in the details of His story: His preexistence, His incarnation, His ministry, His death, His resurrection and His exaltation.

The gospel accounts give us the information we need to know to recognize who and what Jesus is, even though they do not try to tell us every detail of Jesus’ life (see John 21:25). We understand why Jesus died for our sins. We realize that He must be Lord of our lives.

In fact, many problems for Christians find their answer in the death and exaltation of Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Romans 15:1-3). For example, Paul pointed to the origin and true meaning of the Lord’s supper as the answer to selfishness in the Corinthian congregation (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Why is immersion so critical in Christianity? This action symbolizes, not our reception of the grace of God, but the heart of the good news of Jesus (Romans 6:5). As we go into the water and come up out of it, we participate in His death, burial and resurrection (verses 3-11). God pronounces “Forgiven” for all of us who have accepted Jesus in baptism (see verses 7 and 11).

What words from Jesus’ story are immortalized in your life? Is it, “Father, forgive them”? or, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”? or, “He indeed is the Savior of the world”?

Please, make Jesus your Lord and Savior, not just today, but every day. Only you can answer the question: “How will Jesus’ story be written in your life?”

Personal note from Rocky: I close out three years of writing, “…the Bible tells me so.” I begin my preparations to move to Abilene at the end of the year. My prayer is that, as I complete my master’s degree this spring at Abilene Christian University, God will allow me to teach New Testament Greek to undergraduate Bible majors at A.C.U. in the fall of 2003.

Thank you for your prayers and your readership. All of my articles appear on the internet at my web address, http://www.sansabachurchofchrist.org.

May God bless you all richly as you study and obey His word. Rocky.

...the Bible
tells me so:
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2nd & Wallace
church of Christ
201 W. Wallace
P.O. Box 501
San Saba, TX 76877

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Rocky Whitely