Jesus, The Word Made Flesh :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: December 23, 2018December 29, 2018 by RR7

Jesus – The Word Made Flesh
“For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16).

Scripture reveals three genealogies of Jesus, and all three are important to understand. The Gospel of Matthew gives the genealogy of His stepfather, Joseph. Although Joseph wasn’t a blood relative of Jesus, he was the legal father. This means that Jesus is the legal heir to the throne of David and fulfills prophecy. In the Gospel of Luke we are given Mary’s genealogy. She was His biological mother and, therefore, the reason why He was fully human. She wasn’t of the royal line of David, but was still in the line of David.

The most amazing genealogy is found in the Gospel of John. It reveals the genealogy of Jesus as God. It’s very simple: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2).

Sin entered the world because of Adam’s disobedience, but Jesus pre-existed Adam’s fall. Because sin separates us from God, there had to be an animal blood sacrifice to cover sin, but that was only a temporary covering. The only way sin can be taken away is through the shed blood of God. Jesus was the Word. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Jesus may have been born as a baby in Bethlehem, but He existed from the beginning, and will exist eternally.

Mary was a very young woman, a virgin who was espoused to Joseph. Before they came together as husband and wife, Mary received a visit from the angel Gabriel, who told her that she would bear a son. She was confused as to how this would be accomplished because she and Joseph were only engaged and not married

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Mary was willing and the Holy Spirit did come upon her, and she conceived. I don’t pretend to completely understand how it was accomplished, but I know it happened just as Scripture records. The Old Testament prophets foretold this and Jesus fulfilled the prophecies.

At the moment a child is conceived, it’s determined if that child is male or female. It’s the father’s sperm that makes the determination. The mother’s egg contains X chromosomes but the father’s sperm can contain either an X or Y chromosome. If an X chromosome fertilizes the egg, then a baby girl is conceived. If a sperm carrying a Y chromosome fertilizes the egg, then a baby boy is conceived. The Y chromosome that passes from father to son is identical from generation to generation.

From a Biblical understanding we know that, from the time that Adam chose sin, the corrupted Y chromosome has been passed from generation to generation. A very good explanation of this is given by Doug Hamp in his video, “Corrupting the Image” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=485oBQ1TvnA.

Because Jesus didn’t have a human father, He didn’t inherit the human Y chromosome. He was fully human because of Mary, but He was fully God because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. None of this means that only men sin. All of creation fell as a result of Adam’s sin.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). When it says “…death passed upon all men,” it refers to mankind, whether male or female.

Jesus, the Word made Flesh, chose to enter His creation in order to offer salvation to all of mankind. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

Here we find another of those Greek words that we need to understand. The word “robbery” actually means something to be grasped or held onto. Jesus didn’t hold tight to being God, but willingly became one of us. In doing so, He has given us an example to follow. The example of obedience. He faced temptations but didn’t give in. Instead of being puffed up and prideful because He was God, He humbled Himself and was obedient. Obedience meant he would suffer death on the cross, but He chose to lay down His life to give us the only way to eternal life.

We need to be obedient in our walk with the Lord, which means to set aside our sinful ways and walk according to Scripture.

While Jesus walked among men He did miracles. He gave sight to the blind, He cured lepers, He cast out demons, walked on water, fed thousands of people with a small amount of food, and so much more. The people followed Him, but the Jewish leaders were against Him.

Even though we sometimes miss the point of some of the things Jesus did, the Pharisees will always give us a hint as to what was really happening. For instance, when some friends of a crippled man lowered him through a roof in order for Jesus to heal him, Jesus forgave His sins. This upset the Pharisees. “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luke 5:20-21).

Nobody but God can forgive sin, but the scribes and Pharisees weren’t looking for truth.

Another time, Jesus saw a blind man and healed him on the Sabbath. Jesus did this out of compassion, but He also made a point. Healing a man who had been blind from birth was something only God could do, but He had seemingly broken the Law by working on the Sabbath. “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them” (John 9:16).

There was division. God does not bring confusion, so if these Pharisees had just accepted the truth they wouldn’t have felt such anger towards Jesus.

As it was, they just couldn’t let go of their anger. They questioned the man who was healed and tried to make him change his story. The man knew the truth and wouldn’t give in. He was cast out of the Temple, and his life was forever changed. The Pharisees, on the other hand, continued in their anger. In the heated discussion which followed, Jesus said, “I am” many times, which added fuel to the Pharisees’ anger. They knew that the Great I Am who spoke to Moses from the burning bush was God, and in using that title, Jesus was declaring Himself to be God. Jesus ended by declaring “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).

That’s when the Pharisees became so angry that they picked up stones to stone Him. They knew what Jesus was saying. “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God” (John 10:32-33).

Oh yes, the Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus was declaring to them. Blasphemy, or declaring oneself to be God, was punishable by stoning. Jesus had declared Himself to be God.

Many people today deny that Jesus is God. If you don’t believe this important fact, then you deny Christ. After another disagreement with the Pharisees, Jesus told them “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Again, by saying “I am” (“he” was added by translators), Jesus was stating He was the Great I Am who spoke to Moses. This “discussion” went on and on. The Pharisees couldn’t accept what Jesus was saying, but Jesus continued to declare that He was God. This ended as so many discussions ended. “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:58-59).

They wanted to stone Him because of blasphemy. There are many more instances where Jesus openly declared that He was God, but the Pharisees were blind and deaf to the truth.

When the time had come for Jesus to lay down His life, He had a very open talk with His disciples. He told them what was to come and then He prayed. He prayed that God the Father would be glorified and He also spoke of His own eternal existence. “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:4-5).

When you read through this entire prayer, it will bring tears to your eyes. He prayed for the men who followed Him, and He also prayed for you. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20-21).

Jesus would soon be arrested and face an illegal trial. He would be beaten, mocked, spit upon, and crucified, but He prayed for you.

It is God’s love and desire that mankind be reconciled with Him. That’s why the Word became flesh. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

His blood, untainted by sin, would be shed to take away sin of anyone who believes.

Jesus was the Word made flesh. His blood was pure…untainted by Adam’s sin. If He hadn’t been conceived by the Holy Spirit, His blood wouldn’t have been pure. He would have been just one more person who was crucified. He wasn’t just human. He was God incarnate. The only way to gain eternal life is to believe in Him.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God breathed.

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Jesus, The Son Of Man :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: December 16, 2018December 29, 2018 by RR7

Jesus – The Son of Man
“For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16).

Jesus was and is God. He was also human. This fact can be a stumbling block for someone who is a non-believer, and even many Christians find it hard to accept. It’s a truth that doesn’t fit into our human understanding and must be accepted by faith. The more we understand Scripture, the easier it is to accept.

Scripture clearly says that Joseph wasn’t the biological father of Jesus, but Mary was His biological mother. She was as human as you or me, but God chose her for a special purpose. She was chosen to give birth to God’s only begotten Son. She must have been a special person for God to have chosen her for that unique purpose. She was young, and most Bible teachers say that Mary was probably in her early teens when she was espoused to Joseph. This was a common practice in those days.

Being espoused means that they were promised to each other; and Joseph, who was a carpenter, was busy preparing himself to provide for a wife and family. Mary, too, was preparing herself to be a wife and, one day, a mother. When all was ready for them to be married, they would come together as husband and wife. Until then they weren’t sexually active, but were committed to each other. Then the angel appeared to Mary, and her life was forever changed.

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

To a young Jewish teenager this must have been shocking to hear. Mary didn’t understand exactly how this would be accomplished, but she was obedient to God. God never forces anyone to do anything against their free will, and Mary had a choice. She chose to allow this marvelous thing to happen.

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38).

Did Mary know of the many prophecies regarding the coming Messiah? He would be from the tribe of Judah, specifically the house of David, and He would be born of a virgin. Whether she knew them or not, she agreed to become pregnant with the Son of God.

Mary was from the tribe of Judah, and we can read her lineage in the Gospel of Luke. In the Gospel of Matthew, we can read of her espoused husband Joseph’s lineage. Matthew begins the genealogy of Joseph with Abraham and shows that Joseph was from the royal line of David. Mary, however, was born to the House of David, but not the royal line. Luke begins the genealogy by saying that Jesus began His ministry at age 30, and He was thought to be the son of Joseph.

“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which is the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23).

Now this can be confusing. Matthew’s genealogy says that Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob, but Luke says it was Heli. The explanation is simple. Normally a Jewish genealogy is traced through the father, so it’s not odd that Joseph would be named instead of Mary. Heli was Joseph’s father-in-law. This is further demonstrated by the fact that, in Matthew, Joseph’s genealogy runs through David’s son Solomon, then follows the line through the generations to Joseph. Luke’s genealogy begins with Heli and runs backwards in time. Instead of Solomon and his line, Mary’s genealogy follows through David’s son Nathan.

“Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David” (Luke 3:31).

Mary was from the House of David, but not the royal line. Luke continues going backwards to Abraham, then continues back to Adam.

“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God” (Luke 3:38).

Adam was a direct creation of God, so Luke could go no further back. Because Jesus’ mother Mary was a human being who was descended from Adam, Jesus was fully human.

The fact that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth is a miracle from God. Of the many prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth, this one may be the most difficult to understand. By human terms that’s impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. Many centuries before Mary was born, there had been a prophecy of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son.

King Ahaz was a very wicked king, but God chose to speak to him through the prophet Isaiah. It wouldn’t be long until the Southern Kingdom of Judah would be taken captive, but God wanted to reveal that they would return to Jerusalem after the captivity was over. God offered Ahaz a sign, but Ahaz refused to receive it. God gave him a sign anyway. Like many prophecies, this one had both a near and far fulfillment.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Isaiah 7:14-15).

People like to say that the Hebrew word ‘almah that is translated virgin can simply mean a young woman. That’s true, but other Scripture in which the word appears refers to a young woman who has not been with a man.

Besides that, is it really any kind of sign for a young woman to give birth? A young woman giving birth is pretty common. There was a young woman in the court of Ahaz who did have a baby boy and named him Immanuel. That was the “near” fulfillment, but not the important one. The Gospel of Matthew confirms that the prophecy spoke of the virgin birth.

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Immanuel and Emmanuel both mean “God with us.” Jesus was fully God, but needed a human mother in order to be fully human. If He wasn’t both God and human, then He couldn’t have been our redeemer.

When we celebrate Christmas each year, we remember that the Romans mandated that a tax would be imposed.

“And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city” (Luke 2:3).

Both Joseph and Mary were of the House of David, so they had to leave their home in Nazareth and travel to Bethlehem. What an ordeal that must have been. Mary was soon to give birth to the Messiah, but she had to make that long journey. This seems rather cruel, but prophecy said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

It may have been a difficult journey for Mary, but she was healthy and God protected her. What rejoicing there was on the night our Saviour was born! The angels proclaimed His birth and the shepherds were the first to visit Him. His stepfather protected Him and Mary. Joseph and Mary would have children after they were married, but she was a virgin when Jesus was born.

Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of man. God entered His creation, but He entered it in the form of a human. That was because Mary was obedient. Joseph and Mary were both special people whom God entrusted with His most precious Gift. Accept that gift of grace and live with Him forever.