The Jesus Series

JESUS THE WORD (Lesson 1)

The apostle John spoke of the Word, but who is the Word? This bi-weekly Life Lines series will help you to better know the Jesus Christ of the bible.

© February 3, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

“In the beginning was the Word.” This declaration from John 1:1, predates the Genesis narrative by uncountable millennia, thus making John’s account the first words of the bible. It could truly be written, In the beginning of all beginnings, was the Word. The certainty of this is determined two verses later where we read, “All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Most commentaries say the Word is Jesus Christ, but can you be sure about it? The Bereans searched the scriptures (Acts 17:11), and if we are to prove the identity of the Word, we must search the scriptures as well. Let’s go.

Paul wrote, “I give you charge in the sight of God, who quickens [gives life to] all things, and before Christ Jesus...that you keep this commandment...until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ who, in his times, shall show who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:13-15).” Paul separates God, who has the power to give life to all things, from Jesus Christ who will show us who’s who.

John wrote about ten kings and a strange beast who will, “make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings (Revelation 17:12-14).” Now we must determine who is the Lamb.

John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).”

An Ethiopian eunuch was reading, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth (Isaiah 53:7).” Then Philip, beginning at the same scripture, taught the eunuch about Jesus (Acts 8:26-35). So the Lamb is Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Later John wrote, “his name is called The Word of God....And he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:13-16).”

Now, through this short study, we can safely conclude the commentaries are correct: the Word is Jesus Christ. Therefore John 1:1 could easily be translated, “In the beginning was Jesus Christ.”

Earlier you read that Paul separates God from Jesus Christ. John also separates the two. He said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God....The same was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2).”

But wait! John also tells us the Word was God (John 1:1). How can that be? And, as you’ve already proven, the Word is the one we know as Jesus Christ. So why didn’t John call the Word by his name?

Throughout the new testament we find references to Jesus Christ in terms we understand. We understand about marriage feasts (Matthew 25:1-13), and investing (vss 14-29). In Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23 Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed, describing himself as the farmer. So why did John call Jesus the Word?

The people of John’s day understood the Greek noun logos, translated Word, meant the spokesman. [3056] But whose spokesman?

Paul wrote, “I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (Ephesians 3:14-15).” Paul recognized God as a family name. So the Word, Jesus Christ, must be the spokesman for the family of God. And since the whole family in heaven and earth is named God, we can now understand how Jesus Christ, the Word, the spokesman, can be with God, and at the same time be God.

But there’s one more problem. If God is a family name, who is the God John spoke of when he said the Word was with God?

We look to Jesus Christ who said, “What I am telling you I do not say on my own authority and of my own accord.... (John 14:10 Amplified Bible).” He continued, speaking of his father doing the works. John 3:34 states, “For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God.” In John 17:1,5,8 Jesus prayed, “Father....I have given them the words which you gave me....” So Jesus Christ, the Word, the spokesman, was with God, the father of the God family.

Knowing all this, let’s amplify the opening verses of John’s gospel:

In the beginning was the spokesman, and the spokesman was with God the father, and the spokesman was a member of the God family. The spokesman, Jesus Christ, was in the beginning with the father of the God family (John 1:1-2).

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

JESUS THE CREATOR (Lesson 2)

The opening verse of Genesis says God created the heavens and the earth. But who really did the creating?

© February 17, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

“In the beginning of all beginnings was the Word....All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1,3).”

In the previous column you determined the Word is the one we know as Jesus Christ. Now we read he – Jesus Christ – created all things; everything.

Let’s touch briefly on what constitutes all things. The earth? Certainly. Our solar system? Definitely. On a clear night you see myriad stars against a black velvet backdrop of space. Yet they are the suns of just a few of the billions upon billions of solar systems in God’s creation.

Searching in the opposite direction, from the vastness of space to the infinite minuteness of the atom and its components, we see more of what constitutes all.

Even that, however, is not everything. In a dimension unseen by human eyes, live thousands, and tens of thousands of beings called angels, each one created by the Word, Jesus Christ.

Did Christ create the computer you’re reading this on? Or the automobiles on the streets? Or the electrical energy that drives them both? No. No. Yes. Although we speak of generating electricity, we really don’t. Jesus Christ created electricity in the beginning of all beginnings: we’ve simply learned how to harness it.

Who created the huge dinosaurs and pterodactyls of aeons gone by? And the trees to bear fruit and vegetables for our sustenance? And the animals we use for food, to work for us, and to be our pets? And who assembled all the atoms of which you and I are made? Again we look to John 1:1,3. In the beginning of all beginnings was the Word, Jesus Christ, who created all things.

Did Christ create the computer and the automobile? No. But he created our minds with the ability to design them from what he had already made.

We could go on, but we could never, as humans, comprehend all that the one we know as Jesus Christ created. However, we should, by now, have gotten a glimpse of him as the Creator. This concept, then, takes us to another beginning of which we read, “In the beginning God – Jesus Christ – created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).”

What we call the creation account is well known. We’re told that Jesus Christ created the earth, light, day and night, air, dry land, oceans, grass, fruit trees, the sun and moon, stars, birds, fish, cattle, insects, and mankind (Genesis 1:1-31).

But creation wasn’t yet complete. We read, “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made (Genesis 2:2-3).”

Because of this verse, many people believe creation took only six days. However, we must look to Mark 2:27 where Jesus told the pharisees, and us, “The sabbath was made....”

The sabbath was made for man (same verse) by Jesus’ rest on the seventh day. But the sabbath was made for yet another reason. Mark A Finley, in his book “The Almost Forgotten Day” states, “God’s seventh-day sabbath is a dynamic symbol of loyalty to, and freedom in, Jesus Christ. It commemorates the fact of creation. He made us. We did not evolve. We are His. In an age of evolution, the sabbath calls us to our roots. It speaks eloquently of our heritage.”

Jesus Christ is the creator. You’ll soon discover he is also the re-creator.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE RE-CREATOR (Lesson 3)

When was the earth created? What happened to the dinosaurs? Science doesn’t have the answers: the bible does.

© March 03, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

In the beginning was the Word.... All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1,3). The apostle Paul verified John’s statement when he wrote, “...God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9).”

As you look around you see trees and flowers, animals and people, and myriad other things no man could ever create, not even by cloning. But the things you see were not always here. Something happened between the first two verses of Genesis.

Your bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). And the earth was without form, and void (vs 2).” However, the verb ‘was’ has been improperly translated. The Hebrew word <hayah> [1961] means ‘became’, or ‘came to pass’. Therefore verse 2 is properly translated, “And the earth became without form, and void.” NIV footnote “Or possibly became

When Jesus Christ first created the earth it was magnificent. The Lord asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth...? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons [1121] of God [angels] shouted for joy (Job 38: 4,7)?” It’s unlikely the angels would shout for joy at a formless, empty chunk of rock floating in space.

When was the earth created? Ten billion years ago? Fifty trillion? Ninety quadrillion? Only God knows the answer. Science does know, however, the mighty mastodons and dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures roaming the earth were quickly destroyed by a great, global cataclysm. What happened?

A powerful cherub seems to have been the angel in charge of the earth. We’re told he was “the model of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12 NIV).” Even his name, Lucifer, reflects his beauty. It means shining star of the morning [LAT1] (Isaiah 14:12).

We further read he was in Eden, the garden of God. His clothing was made of precious stones and gold, and he may have been the originator of music. He was anointed – ordained for holy purpose. And the ground he walked on was paved with stones that flashed like fire (Ezekiel 28:13-14).

But God cannot force anyone, not even the angels, to obey him: that has to be a personal decision. His freedom of decision was misused by Lucifer. God rebuked him saying, “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you (vs 15).”

What was his iniquity? Not content with God being his superior, Lucifer attempted the coup of all coups. He said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be (like) the Most High (Isaiah 14:14).” (The adverb “like” is in parentheses because a person who attempts a coup doesn’t want to be like the president: he wants to be the president. Lucifer wanted to be the Most High God.)

His coup failed, and he was thrown out of heaven (Ezekiel 28:16-17), but not without a fight. Revelation 12:7-9 relates, “There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon [Lucifer] was cast out, that old serpent, [now] called the devil, and satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Jesus said, “I saw satan, as lightning, fall from heaven (Luke 10:18).”

Imagine the battle. Vast armies of powerful angels fighting throughout the universe. All the wars of history combined, would be a little skirmish by comparison to the cosmic war between the demonic forces of satan and the angelic forces of God. It was at this time the earth, and the rest of the universe, became without form, and void, a desolation and an indistinguishable ruin.

Genesis 1:2 describes the earth’s condition as a result of the war: “And the earth [became] without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”

Eventually, after what may have been billions of years, a new age began for the earth. The second part of Genesis 1:2 says, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Thus Jesus Christ began the re-creation of the earth.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS OR US? (Lesson 4)

The first chapter of the bible tells more than meets the eye. For instance, what was created on the fourth day?

© March 17, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey aturvey@becon.org

In the beginning of all beginnings God – the one we know as Jesus Christ – created the heavens and the earth. And the earth became formless and empty, and total darkness was on the face of the earth (Genesis 1:1-2a Author’s rendition).

In the previous episode you learned of a great cosmic war between Lucifer and the angels of God. What was once a magnificent planet became a desolate chunk of rock. After what may have been billions of years, a new age began for the earth. The second part of Genesis 1:2 says, “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (KJV).” Thus Jesus Christ began the re-creation of planet earth.

Science tells us there was at least one ice age on the earth, when the earth was frozen several miles deep. It may have taken hundreds, perhaps thousands of years for the ice to thaw. But why was it frozen in the first place, and how did the thawing take place?

The earliest chapters of the bible leave room for intelligent speculation. Would we be wrong in believing the cosmic war enveloped the earth in a cloud of space dust so dense the sun could not heat it? Would we be wrong in believing Jesus gradually dispersed the dust to allow the sun to warm the earth?

In Genesis 1:3, we’re told God said, “Let there be light.” Once the orbiting rock had warmed sufficiently to support life, the last of the space dust was blown away to allow the sun to light up the earth.

Verse 4 tells us the earth was already rotating on its axis, the same as it does today, else there could not have been periods of light and darkness. So, once the sun was able to light the earth, we arrive at the first day of re-creation: (1) And the evening and the morning were the first day (vs 5).

As we study through the chapter we realize each day of re-creation took place in a precise order. (2) On the second day the atmosphere (some versions call it the firmament) was created. Without the proper mix of oxygen and other gasses, nothing else that would be created could live.

Then came the draining of the water into the oceans and lakes, and the emergence of dry land. Without the land, where would the (3) trees and grass and herbs of the third day be planted?

Next came a special creation. Verses 14 to 18 make it appear the sun and moon and stars had not yet been created, but a review of the warming and lighting of the earth indicates otherwise. In these verses we are told the lights in the heavens were to divide day from night, for signs, for seasons, and for days, and years. (4) Thus on the fourth day God created his great calendar for mankind.

(5) There already was water for the creation of sea life, and trees to provide food and lodging for birds and insects. And there was dry land and grasses to support animal life.

The third and fifth days of re-creation bewilders evolutionists who say each day was millions of years long. Plant life will not last long without pollination. So forty-eight hours after Jesus created the plant life he created the insects necessary to pollinate it, and the birds and animals to spread the seed.

Now we come to a conundrum. Regardless of the bible version you use, verses 1 to 25 reads, “God said....” Then, in verse 26 we read, “Let us....” What gives? There are twenty-seven verses in the singular, then one verse becomes plural. Is this an error in writing? or possibly in translation? Actually it’s neither.

Recall that the Greek noun translated Word in John 1:1 means a spokesman [3056]. The Word was Jesus Christ, who spoke for his father.

In Psalm 148:5 we’re told [Jesus] commanded, and each thing was created. But in John 14:10 Jesus said, “What I am telling you I do not say on my own authority and of my own accord...(Amplified Bible).” He continued, speaking of his father doing the works. So nothing could have been created, or re-created, without his father’s say so.

The apostle Paul put it this way: “I should...make all men see what is...hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:8-9).”

In reality, then, the entire first chapter of Genesis could have been translated in the plural. It wasn’t. But man was God’s ultimate creation, and I suspect Jesus Christ wanted to be certain his father was included in the recorded glory, so inspired the sentence, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness....”

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT (Lesson 5)

The expression Lord is used hundreds of times in the old testament. But who is the Lord of the first part of the bible?

© March 31, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

In previous Life Lines columns you determined the Word of John 1:1 was Jesus Christ, and that Jesus Christ was the creator of all that exists, and re-creator of our planet. Genesis 1:2b-31 describes the re-creation story. You also determined Jesus Christ was the maker of the sabbath day (Genesis 2: 2-3).

Until Genesis 2:3 we’re told God did all the work. Then beginning in verse 4 a new expression is used: the Lord God. This follows through to Genesis 4:1, when the first woman, Eve, told her husband, Adam, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.”

So who is the Lord, the God of the old testament? We’ll look at some of the well-know stories.

King Darius had promoted Daniel, a Jew, to the prime-ministership. This didn’t sit well with the princes beneath him, so they conspired to get him out of the way by attacking him concerning the law of his God. The malefactors convinced the king to make an irrevocable decree that whoever should ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days should be tossed into the lions’ den.

That didn’t faze Daniel. He continued to pray to God as he always did. The king’s toadies wasted no time letting him know of Daniel’s disobedience, and since Darius had signed the decree he had to live up to it. So it was into a den of ravenous lions for Daniel.

You know the story. God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, and Daniel lived to hear Darius decree that the people of his kingdom should honour the living God of Daniel (Daniel 6:1-28).

More political intrigue. Daniel continued as Babylon’s ruler under King Nebuchadnezzar. His friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were promoted to the ministry of affairs of the province.

Now King Neb built a huge golden statue, and declared when the music played everyone was to bow down and worship it. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would have none of that nonsense, despite the decreed punishment by incineration.

Well Neb heard of the Jews’ disobedience, and warned them if they disobeyed again they would be cooked. Then Neb asked, “Who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands?”

No problem said the trio. Our God is able to deliver us from the furnace, and we’re not going to worship your statue.

Enraged, Neb commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. The trio was trussed up and tossed into the fire. (Neb must have thought God might be able to save the men if the furnace was heated normally, or possibly even twice as hot. But not seven times. Neb would prove himself more powerful than God.)

But when Neb looked in he saw the three men walking around, and a fourth who looked like the son of God. The whole story is told in Daniel 3:1-30.

A woman, Hannah, was childless, and prayed to the Lord for a son. When the God of the old testament answered her prayer she declared, “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside you: neither is there any rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:1-2:2).

You know the story of Jonah and the whale. Before he got dumped into the raging ocean, he told the mariners, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land (Jonah 1:9).”

And the Lord asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:3).

Recall that Darius called the God of Daniel the living God (Daniel 6:26). The author of Acts said the living God made heaven and earth (Acts 14:15). So Daniel knew the one we call Jesus Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar said he saw a fourth person who looked like the son of God. Throughout the new testament we see Jesus called the son of God (Mark 1:1; Luke 4:41; John 1:29-34; 11:27; 20:31; Acts 8:37; 9:20; Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 4:15; 5:5)

Hannah referred to her God as a rock. Jesus called himself a rock (Matthew 16:18), as did Paul (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Jonah recognized the Lord as the one who made the sea and the dry land (Jonah 1:9). And the Lord who talked with Job laid the foundations of the earth (Job 38:3).

If you’ve always believed Jesus Christ was strictly a new testament character, what you’ve just read should leave no doubt the Lord, the God of the old testament is the same one we know as Jesus Christ, and he appeared, in person, to many patriarchs of the old testament (Genesis 12:7; 17:1; 18:1; 26:2, 24; 32: 24-30; Deuteronomy 31:15; 1 Samuel 3:21; 1 Kings 3:5; 9:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1; 7:12).

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS AND SATAN (Lesson 6)

The accuser of the brethren maligns us day and night before the throne of God, but he cannot separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

© April 28, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

In the beginning the Word, the one we know as Jesus Christ, created everything, including the angels. (John 1:1-3). Among those angels was one known as Lucifer, the shining star of the morning.(Lucifer’s name as Light Bringer was recalled in the World War 2 song “Smile. Smile, Smile.” One line said, “Ain’t got a Lucifer [match] to light my fag [cigarette].”)

Lucifer revolted against God’s government, and was cast out to earth, but not without a fight. The earth he inherited after his failed coup was nothing like the one where he had walked amid fiery precious stones. He inherited a formless, empty, third rock from the sun. He also inherited a string of names meaning destroyer, worthless, adversary, and several others. BELIAL [Worthless. Hopeless ruin] Deuteronomy 13:13 / II Corinthians 6:15. ABADDON / APOLLYON [Destroyer] Revelation 9:11 DEVIL [Accuser. Slanderer] Matthew 4:1 / Luke 8:12 FATHER OF LIES / MURDERER John 8:44 DRAGON Revelation 12:7 SERPENT Genesis 3:1 / Revelation 12:9, 20:2 SATAN [Adversary] Job 2:6 BEELZEBUB [Prince of demons] Mark 3:22 / Luke 11:15 ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN Revelation 12:10 PRINCE OF THIS WORLD John 12:31 god OF THIS WORLD II Corinthians 4:4 RULER OF DARKNESS Ephesians 6:11-12.

By this time Lucifer -- we know him best as satan -- had made up his mind. God wasn’t going to get the better of him. The battle was, and still is, far from over. He appeared in the garden of Eden masquerading as a serpent. We can imagine him thinking, “If I can’t beat God in a direct encounter, I’ll do it through his puny humans.” And, as the original con artist, he conned mankind out of eternal life -- or so he thought. As we read in the new testament, his con was only temporary. Jesus Christ died to redeem us from the penalty of our sins, and was resurrected so we might, one day, have eternal life. Sorry satan, you lose, and you’ll always be the loser. Christ is the winner.

Whatever Jesus Christ is, satan is the opposite. Let’s compare the two, and see how satan evilly affects mankind.

Jesus is part of a family. Since satan can never be a member of God’s family he has continually eroded the human family by fostering infidelity, pre-marital sex, single-sex families, homosexuality, and so on. Our young people see their favourite movie idols, on and off the screen, marrying and splitting and marrying someone else. Seeing half the American marriages end in divorce must please satan immensely.

Jesus Christ is loving; satan’s mind is so filled with hate he can’t possibly express love. He even causes people calling themselves Christians to antagonize their fellow Christians, as seen in Ireland where a pack of protestants stage an annual parade to show their supposed superiority won hundreds of years ago by the edge of the sword.

Jesus is our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14), and intercedes to his father on our behalf. Why do we need Jesus’ intercession? The accuser of the brethren, satan, accuses you and me day and night before the throne of God (Revelation 12:10). Jesus knows the difficulty of being human, so can tell his father -- and ours -- “I know what it’s like, Dad. Go easy on Les. I was tempted the same way he has been lately. He wants to obey you, but he still has some overcoming to do.”

Jesus is the creator (John 1:3); satan is the destroyer (Revelation 9:11). Jesus’ word, from the father, is truth (John 17:17); satan is a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus Christ is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31); satan is a sinner (1 John 3:8). Jesus is the light of men (John 1:4); satan is the ruler of darkness (Ephesians 6:11-12). God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19:7); satan wants you to believe it was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Jesus Christ is the true light (John 1:9); satan still imagines himself as Lucifer, the light bringer, and counterfeits himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

But despite all the evil satan might bring against you and me, “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.

JESUS THE LAWGIVER (Lesson 7)

Did Peter’s vision annul the law? Does “Oysters R in season” make them fit to eat? The one who gave the law doesn’t think so.

© May 12, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

You know them: No other gods; keep the sabbath holy; don’t steal or murder. Ten in all. They’re the laws many Christians say were nailed to the cross, yet want reinstated to the walls of the justice system. They’re the basic laws the old testament Jesus gave to Israel – and to us – for guidance in our daily life. But there’s a lot of other laws in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, the two great books of the law.

Was the same Jesus, who out of pure love for you and me, suffered humility, torture, and the most heinous death ever contrived, a vindictive lawgiver just waiting for us to mess up once too often? That can’t be. Jesus said of himself, “I change not (Malachi 3:6).” Then why all those eye-for-an-eye and tooth-for-a-tooth laws of the old testament?

First it’s important to know why laws are necessary. Had Adam and Eve obeyed God, satan would have been locked up forever, and man would have lived in perfect harmony with God and his fellow man. But as long as satan is still around, influencing man to do evil, we need God’s laws to guide us.

Most new testament Christians don’t even know the laws they say were nailed to the cross. How can they? They throw away the old testament. But let’s have a short course in what the old testament law says, and doesn’t say.

Does the eye-for-an-eye law say you can poke out my left eye if I first poke out yours? Absolutely. But it goes farther than that. It’s a law of limits. One eye for one eye, one tooth for one tooth, and no more.

Jesus gave the law, but also said, “You have heard, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ However, don’t resist evil, but if someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39).” Does this nullify the old testament law? Not at all. The law is still relevant, but Christians are to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), not warmongers. It’s not the first person to strike who starts the battle, but the one who strikes back.

Jesus told his disciples, “People say, ‘Love your neighbour, and hate your enemy’ (Matthew 5:43).” Where did they get this idea? In Deuteronomy 23:3-5 Jesus instructed the Israelites to not to include Moabites and Ammonites among their number because of the way they treated Israel. Verse 6 doesn’t say to hate them, but if they are under siege, don’t go and fight for them. Somehow the command became twisted to “Hate your enemy.”

Jesus continued, “But I say, Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to those who hate you; and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).” This did not change the command regarding the Ammonites and Moabites, but revoked the twisting of scripture.

Jesus gave laws that seem inappropriate today. For instance, who leaves the city to have a bowel movement, and takes a shovel to cover it up (Deuteronomy 23:12-13)? Most people in developed countries have flush toilets. Yet it’s still an excellent sanitation law for wilderness campers, and for those in third world countries if they would follow it.

What about pork and shellfish? Didn’t Jesus change that law when he gave Peter a vision (Acts 10:9-16)? This is a matter of not reading far enough. Peter, a Jew, considered gentiles unclean and not fit to eat with, just as pork and shellfish are unclean and not fit to eat. But Peter, himself, revealed the meaning of his vision. He said, “God has showed me I should not call any man – Jew or gentile – common or unclean.” He said nothing about animals.

But did Jesus give the laws (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14) to prevent us enjoying a roast of pork? Thirty years ago eminents in the medical profession said we could prevent nearly all human diseases if we simply followed the dietary laws of the old testament. Yet most people continue eating pork chops, claiming pigs are fed and husbanded under sanitary methods today. Not the pigs I’ve seen.

And aren’t oysters OK to eat during months with an R in their name? The saying, “Oysters R in season,” doesn’t change God’s dietary laws. It only tells us there’s not as much poison in oysters during those months as there is in May, June, July, and August.

Jesus gave us the old testament laws for our benefit, and not to burden us. Remember, Jesus Christ said, “You know the commandment forbids adultery. But I tell you if you even look at a woman to desire her, you have already committed adultery with her in your mind (Matthew 5:27-28).” Many families have been destroyed because the husband couldn’t control his wanton eyes. And many men have been murdered because they dared turn their eyes to the woman of a jealous lover.

Jesus said he didn’t come to nullify the law, but to magnify it (Isaiah 42:21); to fill it to the brim (Matthew 5:17 Williams Translation). And why not? He wants the very best for you and me; satan doesn’t. That’s why Jesus gave us the law in the first place.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE YOUTH (Lesson 8)

Paul wrote about the fruits of the spirit. Jesus developed them while he was still a young person.

© May 26, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

Mary and Joseph were comfortably wealthy. Joseph was a skilled carpenter, [5045] an artist in woodworking. In the bible we read of builders of buildings, and carpenters who created the furniture and decorative appointments (2 Kings 12:11; 22:6; Matthew 21:42). Artistry, such as Joseph provided, would command an elegant income, especially when it was fabricated for the lavish buildings of the Roman command in Palestine.

Every December we see creches showing Mary and Joseph, the baby 1025 Jesus in a manger, a few shepherds, and three wise men. This is purely speculation, but I believe Mary had a midwife, and perhaps other maid-servants to attend to her needs at the nativity. Joseph likely had attendants to care for the baggage and animals on the journey from Nazareth. With such a retinue, it’s no wonder there was no room in the already crowded inn (Luke 2:7).

We’re not told how long the family stayed where Jesus was born, but Matthew 2:11 says the wise men entered a house, not a cattle shed. More evidence that the wise men should not be part of nativity scenes is Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21), and Mary’s additional thirty-three days of purification (Leviticus 12:2-4) were completed before the wise men arrived (Luke 2:22-24; Matthew 2:1-11). Almost immediately after the wise men’s visit, Jesus’ family became fugitives, having to flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s executioners (Matthew 2:13-14).

Once they returned from Egypt, and to their home in Nazareth (Luke 1:26-27; Matthew 2:19-23), the gospels record that Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him (Luke 2:40).

Learning a trade was part of every Jewish boy’s education (Smith’s Bible Dictionary: Pg 230). A Jewish proverb says, “He who fails to teach his son a trade, teaches him to be a thief.” Jesus’ education included learning Joseph’s trade (Mark 6:3).

We next see Jesus at the passover season at the age of twelve. The entourage of feast goers was likely camping for the night but, instead of helping set up camp, Jesus was nowhere to be found. Mary and Joseph searched frantically for three days before finding him amid the teachers (all my translations except KJV) in the temple (Luke 2:42-50). We can rightly wonder whether some of the teachers were among those who, eighteen years later, asked how Jesus was so versed in the scriptures, not having attended an approved rabbinical school (John 7:15). But we know after the family returned to Nazareth, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52).” Much of the wisdom he learned was from the holy scriptures (Proverbs 9:10).

As he was growing up Jesus developed love for others. He authored the adultery law (Leviticus 20:10), yet Jesus had compassion on the woman dragged before him having been caught in the act of adultery (John 8:3-11).

Although he was called a man of sorrows (Isaiah 58:3), John saw him as a man of joy (John 15:11) who encouraged joy in others (John 16:24).

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9),” and displayed an outward calm that only comes from inner peace (Luke 8:22-25).

Paul called him the God of patience (Romans 15:5). John referred to the patience of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9).

Another lesson Jesus learned through his childhood was gentleness, an attribute he later exhibited when he called little children to him (Mark 10:13-16). Another was goodness (Luke 6:9-10; John 10:11,14; Romans 11:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).

A fig tree showed Jesus’ having grown in faith (Matthew 21:18-22), as did his many miracles and good works. Yet despite his wonderful abilities, Jesus learned meekness (Matthew 11:28-30; 21:4-5), and temperance in all things.

Where have you heard these things? Perhaps in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In his youth Jesus learned and developed the fruits of his father’s holy spirit (Galatians 5:22).

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE MAN (Lesson 9)

Would you want a doctor who looks like he needs a doctor himself? Jesus was certainly not the weak little wimp many people believe he was.

© June 16, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

What is your idea of the man called Jesus? A scrawny, sad-faced individual who wore sandals and a ragged robe? A penniless itinerant who lived off handouts wherever he went? If that’s your concept of Jesus, I have news for you: he was none of the above.

Yes, Jesus was born in a stable, but why? Joseph and Mary had travelled to Jerusalem to observe God’s fall festival season. The trip was slow due to Mary’s pregnancy, and when they reached Bethlehem the inns were filled. Only one innkeeper, it seems, cared enough to offer an alternative.

But Jesus wasn’t born in a stable for his parents’ lack of money. Joseph was a carpenter, an artist in woodworking. His artistry would command an elegant income. And Jesus grew to manhood working in the trade.

Those were the days before power tools. Trees were felled by axe-wielding woodsmen, and the wood was planed and shaped by the sweat of the carpenter’s brow. When Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple, no one tried to stop him. (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-16), and no wonder. Twenty or more years of carpentry gave Jesus a muscular body that would shame the men of today.

Many pictures show Jesus as a sad-faced, sunken-eyed, sallow-complected fellow with a halo around his head. Would you choose such a person to be your family doctor? Not likely. You’d want a robust, healthy-looking doctor.

There’s an account of a man at the Pool of Bethesda. He’d languished there for years while others were healed by the water. Along came Jesus and told the man to take up his bed and walk (John 5:1-8). “Say what?” said the old man. “You’re so scrawny a stiff breeze would blow you away. And you’re telling me to get up and walk? You’ve got to be kidding!”

Well, that’s not quite the way your bible tells it. Verse 9 tells us the man was immediately made whole, and did as Jesus commanded. Bright sparkling eyes. A healthy complexion. Muscles of iron. Who could resist Jesus’ command to take up your bed and walk?

Sad-faced? Bruce Barton doesn’t think so. In “The Man Nobody Knows,” Mr Barton refers to the man by the pool, and wrote that Jesus heard the old fellow’s whining. When he asked, “Wilt thou be made whole?” the author relates, “The old man was instantly resentful....Of course he wanted to be made whole! Hadn’t he been trying for thirty-eight years...?”

Barton says Jesus knew better. Enjoying poor health was the old fellow’s profession. The story continues, “The keen eyes of Jesus saw deep into the souls of men. There was a twinkle in them now. ‘Get up,’ He said briskly, ‘and walk.’”

As Jesus and his disciples left the area, Mr Barton believes the disciples dropped back a bit and Jesus walked on alone. “Suppose they had followed closer?” he wonders. “Wouldn’t their ears have been startled by something suspiciously like a chuckle? It was a good joke on the old chap. He imagined that he’d had hard luck, but his real hard luck was just beginning...no more of the pleasure of self-pity for him...What would his folks say that night when he came walking in? What a shock to him in the morning when they told him that he’d have to go to work!”

Jesus, the man, had many more wonderful attributes -- too many to number in this short column. But we can’t leave without seeing him as firm, and decisive, yet gentle.

He was on his final trip to Jerusalem. When the disciples couldn’t find lodging in a Samaritan village, James and John wanted to call down fire and destroy the people. Lack of lodging didn’t bother Jesus, but their resentful attitude did. He told them, The Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” As the account closes we see them going to another village (Luke 9:51-56).

What a man! Healthy and strong, resolute yet gentle, insightful, patient, merciful, the list goes on.

Isaiah called Jesus a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), and so he was. But why? Verse 4 says, “Surely he has borne our -- not his -- griefs, and carried our -- not his -- sorrows.” Grief and sorrow are part of our world. But Jesus leaves us with this encouragement, “Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

What a man! Jesus of Nazareth. Truly a man’s man.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE LORD OF THE SABBATH (Lesson 10)

On the seventh day God created a day of rest and rejuvenation for you and me. And since he created it, he is also supreme in authority over it.

© June 30, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day....And on the seventh day God...rested from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it...(Genesis 1:31-2:3).

Once again we recall the God who made everything, the God who rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it, was the one we call Jesus Christ. He verified this when he told the pharisees, and us, the sabbath was made for man, and not the other way around. “Therefore,” said Jesus, “the son of man is Lord also of the sabbath (Mark 2:27-28).”

Jesus said the sabbath was made (Mark 2:27). It didn’t just happen. And it was made for a purpose. Throughout the bible, with perhaps one or two exceptions, the sabbath connotes rest, hearkening back to God’s rest on the seventh day of creation.

So the first purpose of the sabbath day is to be a weekly reminder of creation. Ben Zion Bokser wrote, “The sabbath celebrates God’s work as Creator. It opens our hearts to the vision of the world as the theatre of God’s creative endeavours. And it sensitizes us to the knowledge of our own privilege as participants in the stupendous drama of God’s creative work unfolding itself in the world.” Wow!

When God, the one we know as Jesus Christ, rested, he gave us the example that we must rest too. He emphasized this when he commanded, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work therein (Leviticus 23:3).”

Although many people believe sabbath-keeping is a burden, if Jesus were here today he would likely ask, “Since when is resting a burden?” When the Israelites were rescued from Egypt after centuries of working seven days a week from sunrise to sunset, they complained of many things, but stopping work one day in seven wasn’t one of them.

Another command from Jesus is we are to keep the sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8). The word holy carries with it the connotation of health. So the day God set aside for rest was made for the health of mankind. If we properly observed God’s holy sabbath we would rest our bodies from daily labour, rest our minds from the multitude of decisions we need to make each day, and be spiritually rejuvenated by directing ourselves toward the God who made the day sacred for our benefit.

Aside from the benefits derived from observing the sabbath day, it’s not up to us to usurp the seventh day for ourselves. Jesus specifically stated “The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God (Exodus 20:10).” It was created by him: it belongs to him. If we, as a nation, kept God’s sabbath holy, industry would shut down for twenty-four hours, all trade and commerce would come to a standstill, and families would spend the time together, rather than running off every which way to pursue their own interests. Sabbath visits to Grandma’s home would become popular again.

But God’s sabbath is not only for rest. Leviticus 23:3 states, “The seventh day is...a holy convocation; you shall do no work therein.” The Hebrew for a holy convocation means a sacred public meeting. Meeting together for worship is a requisite for everyone. By keeping God’s weekly sabbath holy on a national scale, no one would have the excuse “I have to work that day.” All the excuses would be taken away.

In his book, The Almost Forgotten Day, Mark Finley wrote, “God’s seventh-day Sabbath is a dynamic symbol of loyalty to, and freedom in, Jesus Christ. It commemorates the fact of creation. He made us....We are His. In an age of evolution, the Sabbath calls us to our roots. It speaks eloquently of our heritage.”

On the seventh day of creation God rested, and made the day holy, not for himself but for mankind. But because he created the sabbath, and we call him Lord, the one we know as Jesus Christ, is also the Lord -- supreme in authority -- of the sabbath.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE SON OF MAN (Lesson 11)

Jesus was the son of God. Why did he choose such a humble title as the son of man?

© July 14, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

Jesus was the son of God. Even the devils knew that (Matthew 8:28-29). Why, then, did he call himself the son of man? Surely the son of God is a much more prestigious title.

Indeed it is, but is that what Jesus wanted? A title that set himself above the people? Not likely.

Jesus had it made in heaven: eternal life in a perfect world; angels to attend to his every desire; not a problem; not a care. He could have stayed there and simply watched humanity destroy ourselves, and have his angels toss us into the lake of fire for our sinful ways. But he wanted better for us, so sacrificed it all for our welfare.

He could have come to earth in his glorified body (Philippians 3:21), and never had a human worry to contend with. We might say he would have lived a charmed life. However, he could also never have been our saviour.

Paul wrote, “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).” Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from our sins (1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9). But, had he come in his glorified body, no one could have killed him, and no blood would have been shed.

One might wonder why God, being perfect, would allow his son to be born as a human baby, to a human mother. Why not just plunk him down on earth as a full-grown man with a perfect mind, and let him appear on the scene at the proper time? He could have done that, you know. But we’re told Jesus had to learn to be obedient (Hebrews 5:8).

Let’s do a bit of imagining. Ezra and Levi call on Jesus to join them in a game of volleyball. Mary says, “Son, you know the rule. No playing until the dishes are cleaned and put away.” Jesus has been through this before, so he tells his friends he will join them as soon as the work is done. In this he learned a bit of obedience.

We’re also told, since he was human, he knows our frailties, and was tempted every way that we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Perhaps, in the woodworking shop, he was tempted to cut corners a bit: use a blemished piece of wood where it wouldn’t show. But, having learned obedience to the master carpenter, Joseph, he realized that would be dishonouring to his parents (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16), so he selected another piece with no flaws.

Jesus and his mother were guests at a wedding celebration in Cana. Mary told Jesus the wine had run out, but he said, “Why are you telling me? The time for me to perform miracles has not come (John 2:1-11).”

For Jesus to have been disobedient to his heavenly father, would have been sin. But, knowing Jesus’ penchant for prayer, he likely slipped away from the wedding celebrations and asked God’s advice about the wine. When he returned he had his father’s authority to begin performing miracles (John 10:25). You know the rest of the story: Jesus changed water into the finest of wines. His first miracle was performed to avoid embarrassment of the bride and groom.

All through his life Jesus was tempted the same way we are. After all, he was human, just like you and me.

He single-handedly drove the money changers out of the temple. Might he have been tempted to think, “There’s a whole gang of them, and only one of me. It’s not worth the risk.”

Time after time he put the scribes and pharisees in their place, when he could have thought, “These guys aren’t going to change, regardless of what I say. Why waste my time?”

He healed people on the sabbath days, when he could just as easily have told them to come back later. No confrontation with the priests that way.

Everything Jesus did was in obedience to his father’s command, but he had to handle it as a human, yet without sin, else he could never be our saviour. During his darkest hour Jesus was tempted to cash it all in. As a human he prayed fervently saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).”

Jesus didn’t live a charmed life in a glorified body. He lived a human life in a human body. Yes, he was the son of God, but in the humility for which he is known, it’s understandable that he should choose the more appropriate title, The Son of Man.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE ADMINISTRATOR (Lesson 12)

There’s a saying, “Something got lost in the translation.” And much can be lost in translating from one language to another. Fortunately Jesus Christ says that will all change.

© July 28, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word, and the almost-right word, is like the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

In your speaking or in your writing you have, no doubt, searched for the right word to express yourself, and sometimes had to be satisfied with the almost-right word. Seuss Geisel -- you know him as Dr Seuss -- said he once agonized three weeks over two words before he chose the right one.

In the seventeenth century a group of scholars were commissioned to translate the ancient manuscripts of the bible into what we know as the King James Version. They must have agonized over many words, one of which would be the Greek noun pneuma. There’s several variations on the meaning of pneuma, beginning with breath: hence the disease pneumonia. It can also mean, among other things, a spirit, the vital principle, mental disposition, and life.

They likely had little problem with James 2:26 which says the body without the pneuma (breath) is dead. And in Revelation 13:15, the translators knew the beast from the earth had the power to give pneuma (life) to the image of the beast. But they came to a combination of words that must have given them some wonderment. Those words were hagios (holy) pneuma.

Did hagios pneuma mean holy breath? Or maybe holy spirit? How about the holy vital principle? Or holy mental disposition? Holy life? For the most part they settled on the holy spirit.

But something else caused them some problems. Was the holy spirit a “he” as in John 14:16-17, or an “it” as in Romans 8:26? In resolving the problem they would also have to wrestle with the Roman Catholic fabrication of a trinity theory which projected the holy spirit as a third person in the Godhead, and co-equal with Jesus and his father.

David didn’t see the holy spirit as a person, but as something belonging to, or perhaps an attribute of God. He prayed, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me (Psalm 51:11).”

Isaiah relates the people of Israel rebelled “... and vexed [God’s] holy spirit. When God turned against them, the neighbouring nations asked, “ Where is he that put his holy spirit within [Moses] (Isaiah 63:10-11)?” And Paul wrote that God has given to us his holy spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8).

God’s spirit appears in many other verses in which, as a Life Lines reader stated, “...it is described as the spiritual influence, the spiritual power, the spiritual agency of the righteousness of God.”

Considering that, recall that Jesus said, “When the comforter is come, which I will send to you from the father, even the spirit of truth, which proceeds from the father, it shall testify of me.” Notice who will send the comforter, the spirit of truth, the holy spirit of God. Jesus Christ says he will send it. And he will send it from the father.

Since Jesus is the spokesman for his father, John 14:26 says the father will send his holy spirit in Jesus’ name. A spokesman is an administrator for another person, so God’s holy spirit is given by the father, but is administered by his spokesman, Jesus Christ. Jesus verified this when he said, “If I don’t go away, the comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send it to you. (John 16:7).”

Yes, Jesus Christ is the administrator of his father’s holy spirit, and he also promises he “will turn -- administer -- to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent (Zephaniah 3:9).” At that time there will be no misrepresentation of any attribute of God’s holy spirit as part of an imagined trinity. Nothing will be lost in the translation as no translation will be necessary.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS THE CRUCIFIED (Lesson 13)

He suffered through buffetings, ridicule, scourging, and crucifixion. But Jesus was not prepared for something more terrible than any of these.

© August 25, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

“Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.”...And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot (John 13:21, 26). It was the beginning of a most horrible night. One of the twelve apostles, Judas, quickly left the passover meal to consort with the priests who wanted Jesus dead.

Later, Jesus prayed desperately in the garden of Gethsemane, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I wish, but as you will (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36).” He knew the physical torture he would soon go through. But he also knew, if he backed out now he could never be our saviour, and could never return to his father in heaven.

How alone Jesus must have felt when he discovered Peter and James and John had fallen asleep while he prayed. Then, once he was taken by the blood-thirsty mob, all his disciples fled, leaving him even more alone (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).

Where they went we’re not told, but later we see Peter warming himself by the fire in the courtyard of Annas. When a young woman recognized him as one of Jesus’ followers, Peter denied knowing him, three times, even using the colourful vocabulary of the fisherman he had been (Mark 14:54, 66-72). This was the same Peter who, just hours earlier, assured Jesus he would stand by him, even to death (Matthew 26:35).

After being questioned by Annas, Jesus was dragged off to Caiaphas, the high priest, who accepted the evidence of two false witnesses, and had Jesus pummelled by those who held him.

At daybreak Jesus was dragged off to the Roman governor, Pilate, then to the tetrarch, Herod, and back again to Pilate. Symbolically washing his hands of the whole affair, Pilate had Jesus scourged, then delivered him up to be crucified (Matthew 27:24-26).

Many sermons have been preached about the severity of the scourging with a cat o’nine tails with pieces of bone embedded into the lashes, but none tells it better than Psalm 22:14-18. Listen to Jesus’ complaint: My strength is gone, like water poured on the ground; all my bones are out of joint; my heart, like wax, has melted within me; my strength has dried up like a broken clay pot; and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me.

This, of course, was just the beginning. Sometime on that Wednesday, 31 AD, Jesus was nailed through his hands and feet to a Roman cross, to suffer the most dreadful execution devised by mankind. Throughout the afternoon passers-by reviled Jesus as a common criminal deserving of death. Some, perhaps, reminded Jesus he would soon be tossed into Gehenna, the Jerusalem garbage dump, to be eaten by maggots, and burned to ashes with the two malefactors crucified with him.

Through all of this Jesus never murmured against anyone (Isaiah 53:7), even against his fellow criminal who taunted him saying, “So you’re really the messiah, are you? Well, save yourself and us (Luke 23:39).”

Despite the physical and mental torture he had to endure, Jesus ensured that his mother would be cared for (John 19:25-27), and gave assurance to the second criminal that he would, some day, be with Christ in paradise (Luke 23:43). What grace. What self-forgetfulness. What love.

Jesus’ human life was almost over. Then, about 3 p.m. he looked out and saw the most awful thing he could imagine. There, in the great expanse of space Jesus saw his father turn and flee from him, just as the disciples had fled at his arrest. In the agony of absolute aloneness, Jesus cried out, “My God. My God. Why have You forsaken me (Matthew 27:46)?” The only one Jesus had left in heaven or in earth, had deserted him, abandoned him. It was something even he could have never imagined might take place.

The terror of that moment would have been too much for a lesser man to bear, but Jesus knew, until his last thought, he had to be doing his father’s business. So he called out after his father’s disappearing image, “Father, into your hands I commit my life (Luke 23:46).” And, with that, knowing he had finished the work God had entrusted to him, Jesus breathed his last.

Why? Why didn’t Jesus simply slip off somewhere so his detractors could not arrest him? Why did he suffer the humiliation of a kangaroo court whose ends were to destroy him? Why did he allow himself to be beaten nearly to death, when he could have called twelve legions of angels to protect him? Why did he succumb to the most degrading, most awful form of death known?

Romans 5:8 gives us the answer: “God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die in our place,” even though we were worthy of the penalty of our sin, eternal death.

Thank you God. Thank you Jesus.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

JESUS OUR SAVIOUR (Lesson 14)

God so loved the world that he risked losing his only son for ever. But Jesus didn’t let him down, so for his faithfulness he became our saviour.

© September 08, 2002 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org

Although Jesus died the death of a common criminal, it was certainly not fitting that his body should be disposed of the same way. Joseph of Arimathaea had influence with Pilate, and was allowed to give Jesus a proper burial.

The first holy day of God’s spring festival season was fast approaching. It was imperative that Jesus’ body be buried before sunset, to avoid labouring on the annual sabbath.

Early in his ministry the scribes and pharisees had demanded a sign from Jesus to prove he was the messiah. His response was, “You want a sign because you are evil and won’t believe. But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah (CEV). Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:38-40).”

The crucifixion was on Wednesday. Interment was completed as the sun was setting. And for three days and three nights Jesus’ body remained in the grave. Then as he predicted, exactly seventy-two hours later he rose from the dead, and stepped into eternity.

But, what if...?

• * Jesus had prayed, “Father, I’ve decided not to go through with this.”

• * He had listened to the taunts of the criminal, and saved himself and the two crucified with him.

• * God had not given him back the eternal life he once had.

But Jesus’ prayer was, “Not my will, Father, but yours be done.” And he knew there was work yet to be done, even through the agony of death on a cross. And God did resurrect him from the dead, no longer as a human being, but in the spirit-composed, glorified body he had before he came to earth as an infant, born of a virgin whose heart was right with God. And because he carried out his responsibilities without ever giving in to sin, the man called Jesus became Jesus the Christ, the long-awaited messiah.

There’s a lot more that could be told about Jesus, but the most important is, by carrying out his responsibilities perfectly, through his death and resurrection to glory, Jesus is the saviour, not just of Christians, but of mankind.

God loves every man, woman, and child on earth, including the Hindus and Muslims and Buddhists, coloured and white, alcoholics and gamblers, homosexuals and prostitutes and, oh yes, Christians too, so he willingly gave us his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him, no matter how much of a low life they have been, and even (insert your name), need not die the second death in the lake of fire for the sins we have all committed, but that we may have everlasting life in the glorious kingdom of God (John 3:16). (Author Leslie A Turvey’s version)

Amen.

You may contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. 

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