A reminder for
today
But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12)
How are you, my friend? It is a little cooler today than it
was yesterday. We had a scorcher of day here in Pretoria and there was no place
in our home where I could find a little cool air. I hope the Lord blesses us
with more rain. I came across a few interesting things about Jesus and I thought
I’ll share with you.
The name Jesus appears in the Bible more than 900 times. Christ
is not actually a name, but a title. When the Bible talks about the Messiah in
the Old Testament, it is referring to the same title as the New Testament calls
Christ. Both Messiah and Christ mean anointed one. Jesus was anointed with the
power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) and was the promised redeemer. The first
promise of a redeemer in the Bible was in Genesis 3:15. The word Christ appears
in the Bible more than 500 times.
Jesus’ birthday is generally celebrated on December 25 each
year. However, the Bible does not tell us exactly when His birthday was.
Various scholars have put the Birth of Christ sometime in winter or early
spring. We celebrate His birth at Christmas, but there is no record in the
Bible of the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus. Although the date
is debated, the census mentioned in Luke 2:2 probably occurred about 6 B.C.
Taking these and other details into account, Jesus was could also have been
born between 6 and 4 B.C., but it remains speculation and we do not have the
actual date.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ second cousin. Mary (the mother
of Jesus) and Elisabeth (the mother of John) were cousins (Luke 1:36). John was
about 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). In John chapter 1 when John the
Baptist declares Jesus as the Lamb of God (v. 36) this is probably not the
first time they met. They were likely together often as children and young men
growing up.
The Trinity always works together. When the Jews escaped
from Pharaoh, detailed in the book of Exodus, Jesus sustained them in the
wilderness. This truth was revealed by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians
10:3-4: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual
drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that
rock was Christ." (NIV) This was not the only time Jesus took an active
role in the Old Testament. Several other appearances, or theophanies, are
documented in the Bible.
We know from the gospels that Jesus spoke Aramaic, the
everyday tongue of ancient Israel, because some of his Aramaic words are
recorded in Scripture. As a devout Jew, he also spoke Hebrew, which was used in
the prayers in the temple. However, many synagogues used the Septuagint, Hebrew
Scriptures translated into Greek. When he talked with Gentiles, Jesus may have
conversed in Greek, the commerce language of the Middle East at the time.
Although we don't know for sure, he may have talked with a Roman centurion in
Latin (Matthew 8:13).
No physical description of Jesus exists in the Bible, but the
prophet Isaiah provides an important clue about him: "He had no beauty or
majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire
him." (Isaiah 53:2b, NIV) Because Christianity was persecuted by Rome, the
earliest Christian mosaics depicting Jesus date from around 350 A.D. Paintings
showing Jesus with long hair were common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance,
but Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that long hair on men was
"disgraceful." Jesus stood out because of what he said and did, not
for the way he looked.
I do not know if I agree with everything, because we can only
assume some of the things stated. What I do believe is what the Bible teaches
me about Jesus and this is fact. Jesus was born from the virgin Mary and lived
a perfect life doing amazing miracles that left everyone speechless. He was falsely
accused and arrested and finally brutally beaten and crucified. He rose from
death and was seen by many after His resurrection. Jesus is the son of God and
He proved it over and over again. How much more do we need?
Lord, what a privilege we have to dig into the past and seek
to know more off you. Thank you for all that you do for us and the wonder of
your grace. Guide us through this day and keep all evil away from us. In Jesus
name.
Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
