Partakers Christian Podcasts

Investigating Jesus - Part 24

Investigating Jesus Part 24

 Jesus - The "I AM"

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15:7-8).

Those are the seven “I AM” statements, which as well as equating Himself with God as the “I AM”, Jesus is also promoting his exclusivity as the only Saviour. He does not say I am a true vine; a way, a truth and a life. Nor does he say I am a resurrection and a life. He does not say “I am a door to life”, just as he does not say “I am a shepherd”, “a light” or “a bread of life”.

No! We investigated together that Jesus said that He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Jesus is the one great shepherd and the only door to life. Jesus is the only light of the world and the only true bread of life. As his disciples, currently in the Western world, we get shouted at and criticized for holding such exclusive views.

But if Jesus was not God and he was only one path to God, would Jesus have needed to go through the agony of the cross, as payment for the sins of the world? Of course, he wouldn’t have needed to. That he did shows that he is the only path and only means of access to God. It is only through the resurrected Jesus that salvation can be assured and then only by a childlike faith and not by any other means. That is why we should not capitulate to current trends to unite all religions, which say that all paths lead to God. Jesus Christ Himself, as we have seen, has said that he, and he alone, is the way to God and salvation is only through his work on the cross for all those who trust and believe in Him.

In the next of this series released every Sunday, we will start to look at some of the people that Jesus met during his time here on earth.

 

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Investigating Jesus - Part 23

Investigating Jesus Part 23
Who did Jesus say that He was?
The Vine

"I AM the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. (John 15:1).

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was to be a vine or vineyard. “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred? ‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: as I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem.” (Ezekiel 15:1-6).

Juxtaposed against Israel’s failure to be a vine, as we see here from our example from the book of Ezekiel, Jesus states that he is the true vine. Jesus was the reality, whereas Israel was the symbol. As the purpose of a vine is to produce fruit, the focal point is on what it takes to produce fruit (John 15:2). As Christian Disciples, we are to bear fruit by remaining close to Jesus. Why so? Because Jesus is the vine and we as His followers and Disciples are the branches.

And why is the Christian Disciple to bear fruit? As a means of bringing glory to God the Father (John 15:8) and thereby proving their Discipleship. As part of the ultimate mission of Jesus to glorify God the Father (John 12:28, John 17:4), it is imperative that Jesus’ disciples be fruit-bearers. This means that all Christian Disciple are to be his witnesses and therefore a commitment to mission and evangelisation is necessary. That is why the Christian Disciple prays in the Lord’s Prayer “your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

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Investigating Jesus - Part 22

Investigating Jesus Part 21
The Way, the Truth, and the Life

 

Jesus said to him, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6).

When Jesus issued this statement, the stress of the sentence automatically falls on the words “the way”. This is because Jesus is answering a question posed by Thomas (John 14:5). Jesus Christ has exposed the barrier of sin and death, which prevents a person from entering God’s presence. He explodes this same barrier when a person entrusts in Him for their eternal salvation. Jesus is, who he claims to be “the road that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14).

Not only is he the way, but he is also the truth and the life. All of God’s truth is embodied in Jesus Christ who, as both fully God and fully human, was also the ever-living God. Nobody can claim access to God the Father, except through Jesus Himself. Other religions and other so-called paths to God may contain some element of truth about God, but there is no other way to God but through Jesus Christ and Him alone. He is the means of access to God for all people of all cultures and all backgrounds. Jesus welcomes all people of any race, nationality or language. So that in his singular exclusive claims there is an inclusive embrace of all. As Jesus goes on to say in John 14:7, because we know Him we also know God the Father.  Do you know this Jesus personally yet?

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Investigating Jesus - Part 21

Investigating Jesus Part 21

Who did Jesus say that He was?
The Resurrection and the Life

1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:
my loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
3 ‘Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds not to rain on it.’
7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Isaiah 5:1-7

This passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah starts out as a love song between God and Israel. Israel was to be a vineyard, and despite all the love God had given tending to her, she had only produced bitter, sour fruit. This bitter sour fruit is described in Isaiah 5:8-25. Therefore, God will abandon her. So, if this vineyard is abandoned, will God raise a new vineyard?

25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ (John 11:25-27).

This exclamation by Jesus is highlight of this passage of Scripture. Lazarus has died (John 11:15) and will be raised back to life again (John 11:43-44). Why does Jesus say that he is the resurrection and the life? He is the giver of life itself. He gives eternal life to all who will believe in Him. Resurrection and life are inextricably tied together. Resurrection and life harmonize each other because resurrection precedes life and the new life of a Christian disciple is the result of resurrection. Remember Jesus’ mission was to go to his death on the cross and be resurrected three days later. Not a resurrection like that of Lazarus, who would later physically die again. No, Jesus’ resurrection, as we will look at in a later study, is one where death is ultimately conquered and Jesus has a glorious new body.

Only those who choose to follow Jesus, to be Christian Disciples by faith in the risen Christ, have new life because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death on the Cross. That is why Jesus can exclaim with authority that he is both the resurrection and the life. Moreover, this resurrected life is not just for the future but it is also for the present, and only through the risen Jesus Christ.

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Investigating Jesus - Part 20

Investigating Jesus Part 20
Who did Jesus say that He was?

"The Gate and the Good Shepherd"

 

“Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I AM the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:7-11, 14-15).

Throughout the Old Testament, God is revealed as a shepherd and his people are the sheep of his keeping. The sheep are always God’s, even though he temporarily entrusted them to people such as Moses to care and tend them. Therefore, Moses and others like him, such as the true prophets, were forerunners to Jesus. Here Jesus proclaims that he is the door or gate to salvation. It is through Jesus that salvation is found and through Him alone as the door or gate that people are led safe and sound into spiritual freedom, spiritual light and spiritual sustenance.

Unlike others who come only to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus offers spiritual safety and nourishment. Jesus does not just offer a way out, but also a way in. The security offered by Jesus is because he is always near those who follow Him. Jesus calls all those who follow Him by name (John 10:3) and they know each other.

Jesus is the great shepherd only through the sacrifice he must make for his sheep. Here Jesus is looking ahead to the sacrifice he will make on the Cross. His love for all of humanity compels Him to make the ultimate sacrifice. Just as all shepherds will endanger themselves for the safety of their sheep, so too will Jesus endure the pain and suffering of the Cross, so that people can be led into the safety of God’s kingdom. It is in this role of shepherd, that Jesus exhibits true leadership, which is self-less and sacrificial. Ezekiel 34:11 tells of God searching out for his sheep among all nations, and this is fulfilled through Jesus. Through his perfect, obedient and voluntary sacrifice on the Cross, not only will salvation be available to the Jews but also to those of other nations (John 10:16).

 

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Investigating Jesus - Part 19

Investigating Jesus Part 19
Who did Jesus say that He was?
  "Light of the World"

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’" (John 8:12).

Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the great symbols of that feast was Light. At the end of the feast, when the lights are extinguished, Jesus said that he was the light of the world. Throughout the Old Testament, light is an important symbol. There is the pillar of fire and cloud leading the nation of Israel on their journey (Exodus 13). In Psalm 27:1, the psalmist describes God as “my light”. The nation of Israel was to be God’s light to all the world.

This is clearly seen in Isaiah 49:6. Why was this to be? Israel was to be God’s light to the world), so that God would be revealed as the world’s light (Isaiah 60:19-22). By referring to Himself as the light of the world, Jesus is saying it is he who shines light into people’s spiritual eyes and gives them understanding, which in turn leads to them seeing their need of God and his ability to satisfy their spiritual needs.

We continue next week looking at who Jesus said that he was.

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Investigating Jesus - Part 18

Investigating Jesus Part 18
Who did Jesus say that He was?

We are now in Episode 18. In our last episode, we looked at who Jesus taught, and we have also seen previously what it was that he taught. Today, we start to look in more detail what Jesus taught others about Himself, and who he really was.

13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[d] Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” 1 Exodus 3:13-14 (New Living Translation)

Who has done such mighty deeds,
summoning each new generation from the beginning of time?
It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last.
I alone am he.” Isaiah 41:4 (New Living Translation)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”
57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM![k]” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple. john 8:56-59 (New Living Translation)

In John’s Gospel, John records separate statements where Jesus said “I AM”. These written statements are completely unique to the historical account written by John and they are not recorded in the three other Gospels. With these statements, Jesus is reinforcing his claims to be God. How so? Because, when he says “I AM”. Jesus is deliberately referring into Jewish history, to the time when God revealed Himself as the ‘I AM’ to Moses in Exodus 3:14 and through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41:4. That’s why in John 8:59, they picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. This was in accordance, so they thought, with Deuteronomy 13, which dictates that anyone who tries to turn people away from the living God was to be stoned to death. They knew Jesus was claiming to be the very God they thought they worshipped.

I AM the Living Bread

"I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; this bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:35, 48, and 51 (New International Version).

Three times here, Jesus refers to Himself as the living bread. By this he meant that he was the only one who could gratify the appetite and yearning of every person’s spirit. For those he was speaking to, bread was a basic staple food for living, just as it is for millions of people today. Jesus indicates when saying he is the bread of life, that he will supply all needs.

When Jesus referred to the manna in the desert (John 6:49) he talked of it being merely temporary, despite being a gift from God. He however, as the true bread of life, would give permanent satisfaction and life everlasting to all those who believe and follow Him (John 6:51). But this bread he offers, must be eaten and it must be taken up by the person wanting spiritual life. Note the inference to his impending sacrifice on the cross at the end of John 6:51. Jesus was fully focussed on His mission – the purpose of His being here.

We continue next week looking at who Jesus said that he was.
 

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Investigating Jesus - Part 17

Investigating Jesus Part 17
Who did Jesus teach?

The Gospel writers attributed Jesus as a teacher (Mark 5:35; John 7:15) despite his lack of formal requirements usually attained by rabbis. The Gospel writers also refer to Him as a prophet (Luke 7:16; John 6:14), and he was recognized as such by people (Mark 6:15; Mark 8:28). There were three main groups of people that Jesus interacted with and taught.

The Crowds: When Jesus taught large gatherings of people, it was always based on evidential facts and it was always as Luke described “good news” (Luke 4:18), because God gave it to Jesus. Crowds recognized that Jesus had a confident manner of speaking (Mark 1:22). It must be noted that in the presence of crowds, Jesus didn’t actively reveal who he was (Mark 1:44; Mark 3:11-12; Mark 9:9).

The Disciples: Many of Jesus’ recorded teachings were to his disciples, but also amid crowds, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1; Matthew 7:28). However, on more precise requirements of discipleship, or about Himself or the future of God’s Kingdom, Jesus usually only taught his disciples concerning his true identity, even though they failed to grasp it (Mark 8:27-33).

The Religious Leaders: Because of Jesus’ popularity and the activities he was involved with; the religious leaders soon took notice of Him. In all ways, Jesus respected the Law of Moses and Moses authority (Mark 1:22). However, Jesus also gave his own unique interpretation of the Law and the Teachings. So much o, that this attracted the opposition of the religious leaders who had taught a different interpretation. An example of this is in Jesus interpretation of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-38); the healings he performed (John 5:1-18); fasting and ritual cleanliness (Mark 7:1-5) and for consorting with sinners (Luke 7:34).
Jesus criticised the religious leaders for amongst other things: their lack of compassion and the weighty burdens they placed upon others (Matthew 23; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-54) These burdens and weights, which were put upon people by the religious leaders, were used as a measure of control over those people and also for the gain of the religious leaders and authorities. Alas today in the 21st century when we see even within the Church today, signs of such spiritual abuse. I know because I have met and counselled people who have been affected by abusive Church leadership.

Next episode, we will start looking at what Jesus taught about Himself and who he said that he was.

 

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Investigating Jesus - Part 16

Investigating Jesus Part 16
Jesus’ Teaching (Part 1)

What did Jesus teach?

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus appeals to the Old Testament scriptures in every facet of his teaching. We see that Jesus frequently used Old Testament Scripture in his teachings concerning morality and the Laws (Matthew 5:14-8), the historical stories (Matthew 24:27-29) and in his debates with the religious leaders.

Quite possibly, the supreme example of his teaching can be found in what we call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). Whilst mainly speaking to his disciples, he allowed the crowds to listen. In this discourse, all of Jesus’ teachings are exhibited. Key themes from the Sermon on the Mount include: a Christian Disciple’s character, influence, righteousness, religion, devotional life, ambition and relationships. We look now at just 2 topics that Jesus taught.

Firstly Regarding Himself: Whilst Jesus never directly claimed to be God, he did things only God could do. He claimed authority to forgive sins (Matthew 9:1-7). He also claimed exclusivity in being alone as the only way that a human could be engaged in an active & dynamic relationship with God. We see that when Jesus said:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

Jesus’ claim to be the prophesied and long awaited for Messiah, or Son of Man, is an appeal to Old Testament texts and their subsequent fulfilment and completion in Him (Mark 8:29-33). Primary amongst this, was his teaching that the Messiah must suffer and be glorified, which was also an appeal to Old Testament scripture (Luke 9:31; Luke 12:50; John 10:11-15).

Now secondly, regarding the Kingdom of God: Jesus preached that entrance to the kingdom of God was through repentance (Matthew 3:2) and this repentance led to a spiritual rebirth (John 3:1-8). He calls all Christian Disciples to seek it first (Matthew 6:33) and to pray for it (Matthew 6:10). But what is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God as taught by Jesus, was not a political uprising against the Romans, as thought by some people, including his disciples James and John (Mark 10:35-45). The Kingdom of God is a personal inner spiritual relationship with God as the ruler over the life of the Christian Disciple, but it is also the Christian Disciple exhibiting this relationship with God in a visible new society (Matthew 25:34; Luke 13:29). Parables such as the corn and weeds (Matthew 13:24-30) and the mustard seed (Mark 4:3-32) typify Jesus’ teaching on this.

Next episode we will look more specifically at who Jesus taught

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Investigating Jesus - Part 15

Investigating Jesus Part 15
Jesus’ Teaching (Part 1)

 
So he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. Luke 4:31-32

How did Jesus teach?

This event in Capernaum was not a one-off occurrence. Frequently the writers of the gospels remark how people viewed Jesus’ teaching as authoritative. But what was it that made his teaching authoritative? Jesus’ manner of teaching shared much in common with other teachers of 1st century Palestine. His teachings frequently included Old Testament references; exaggerated hyperbole, the telling of parables, rhythmic poetry which aided memorisation and the predicting of future events. All these were common teaching practice at the time of Jesus in both religious and secular circles.

Most of the teaching we have recorded for us in the Gospel accounts of His life, did not arise out of formal educational or religious settings but rather through personal and informal encounters, engaging with the religious leaders and the inherent need to teach his disciples. However, it is not so much his manner of teaching that created the air of authority about Him, but rather what he taught that did (Matthew 7:28-29). Saying as he often did, “But I say to you…” was in direct opposition to the method the rabbinical teachers of the day employed. This also caused astonishment and amazing from those who heard Him. Additionally, Jesus often sat down to teach, and this signifies formal instruction, as was the custom at the time.

In what ways did Jesus teach?

Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus spoke a lot in parable form. A parable is an allegory or picture story. Why did he do it this way? He did it this way, in order to get his message across completely. These parables fall into four categories:

• Society and its God: an example of this would be the parable of the sheep (Luke 15:1-7) whereby God is seen as a God of grace.
• Society and the future: an example here would be the parable of the great feast whereby the future climax of the kingdom is seen (Matthew 25:31-33).
• Society and the individual: an example of this would be the parable involving the rich fool who thought his wealth would make God love him more (Luke 12:13-21).
• Society and the community: an example here would be the parable of the Good Samaritan whereby everyone is to show love, even for their enemies (Luke 10:25-37).
  

Next week we continue looking at Jesus' Teaching...

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