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CHRIST, JESUS (Gr. Iesous, for Heb. Jeshua, Jehoshua, Joshua, Jehovah is salvation; Heb. mashiah, Gr. Christos, anointed).
I. Comprehensive Life and Work.
The various "I Am" sayings of Jesus assert his absolute existence (John
8:58). Scripture affirms his preexistence in terms of fellowship with the
Father (1:1), glory (17:5), and designation in advance as the Savior of
the world (1 Peter 1:20). All things came into being through him (John
1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:2) and in him continue to have their cohesive principle
(Col 1:17). The manifestations of God in the OT are apparently connected
with the preincarnate Christ. When Isaiah glimpsed the glory of God, he
was seeing Christ (John 12:41). Moses and the prophets spoke of him (Luke
24:27, 44; John 5:46), with special reference to his sufferings and the
glories that would follow (1 Peter 1:11). The OT abounds with predictions
about Jesus (Gen 3:15; Deut 18:15, 18; Pss 2, 16, 22, 110; Isa 7:14; 9:6,
7; 42:1-4; 52:13-53:12; 61:1, 2; Jer 23:5-6; Mic 5:2). As though in anticipation
of the Incarnation, the Son of God showed himself at times to the faithful
in visible form as the Angel of the Lord or the Angel of the covenant (Gen
18:1-19:1; Judg 13). He came in the Incarnation to reveal God (John 1:14,
18), to redeem people from their sins (Mark 10:45), and to relate sympathetically
with their needs (Heb 2:17-18). Today the God-man is in heaven, representing
the saints before the throne of God (Heb 7:25; 1 John 2:1). By the successful
completion of his work on earth he is exalted to be the head of the church
(Eph 1:22; 4:15) and by the Spirit directs the life and service of his
saints on earth (Matt 28:20). One purpose of the Incarnation is reserved
for his second coming. His kingly rule will then be introduced following
his work as judge (Matt 25:31-34). This future coming is one of the major
truths set forth in the epistles (Phil 3:20-21; 2 Thess 1:7-10) and is
the leading theme of Revelation. After the millennial kingdom, Christ will
enter with his people the blessedness of the eternal state, which will
be unmarred by the inroads of sin or death.
II. Earthly Ministry.
The long-heralded Christ came in the fullness of time (Gal 4:4). God
providentially supplied the proper background for his appearing and mission.
The birth of the Savior was natural, but his conception was supernatural,
by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18; Luke 1:35). Augustus was one
of God's instruments when he ordered a universal enrollment for taxation,
making possible the birth of Jesus in the place appointed by prophetic
announcement (Mic 5:2; Luke 2:1-7). The shepherds, by their readiness to
seek out the babe in the manger and by their joy at seeing him, became
prototypes of the humble souls in Jewry who in coming days would recognize
in Jesus their Savior. An intimation of Gentile desire to participate in
the Christ may be seen in the coming of the Magi from the East. In the
scribes we see the leaders of a nation refusing to receive him when he
came to his own. Christ was not merely a messenger of God, like the ancient
prophets, but rather the eternal Son of God now clothing himself with human
nature, yet free from any taint of sin. He had a divine and a human nature
united in one person. The boy Jesus grew in body and advanced in knowledge
and in the wisdom that enabled him to make proper use of what he knew.
The scriptural accounts emphasize his progress in the understanding of
the OT and affirm his consciousness of a special relation to his Father
in heaven (Luke 2:49). At his baptism Jesus received divine confirmation
of his mission and the anointing of the Holy Spirit for the fulfillment
of it. By the Baptism he was fulfilling all righteousness (Matt 3:15) in
the sense that he was identifying himself with those he came to redeem.
Closely related to the Baptism is the Temptation, for it also includes
this representative character. The first Adam failed when put to the test;
the last Adam succeeded, though weakened by hunger and harried by the desolation
of the wilderness. Jesus overcame Satan's temptations, refusing to be moved
from a place of trustful dependence on the Almighty (Matt 4:7, 10). The
public ministry of Jesus was brief. Judging from the number of Passovers
(John 2:23; 5:1; 6:4; 13:1), the period was somewhat in excess of two years
and possibly more than three. The Synoptists put chief stress on Galilee,
along with visits to Tyre and Sidon (Matt 15:21-28), Caesarea-Philippi
(16:13ff.), the Decapolis (Mark 7:31; cf. also Mark 5:1-20), Samaria (Luke
9:51-56; 17:11), and Perea (Mark 10:1). John, however, emphasizes Judea.
During his Galilean mission, Jesus made the city of Capernaum his headquarters,
conducting tours to outlying towns (Mark 1:38, 6:6; Luke 8:1). His healings
and exorcisms were tokens of divine compassion and signs the Promised One
had come (cf. Matt 11:2-6; Luke 4:16-19). Jesus' message was "the kingdom
of God," the rule of God in human life and history. The kingdom was both
future (Matt 25:31ff.) and present (Luke 11:20). This last reference connects
the kingdom with the activity of Jesus in casting out demons. To the degree
that Jesus invades the kingdom of Satan in this fashion, the kingdom of
God has already come. Doing the will of God was the mainspring of Jesus'
ministry (Matt 6:10; 12:50; Mark 14:36; John 4:34). Entrance into the present
aspect of the kingdom comes through faith in the Son of God (John 3:3,
5, 15, 16). Much of our Lord's teaching was conveyed through parables,
usually comparisons taken from various phases of nature or human life.
"The kingdom of God is like. . . ." This method of teaching preserved the
interest of the hearers until the spiritual application could be made.
The ministry of the Savior was predominantly to the multitudes during its
earlier phase (Matt 4:17), but much of Jesus' last year of ministry was
given over to instruction of the twelve disciples whom he had chosen (16:21).
They understood Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God (16:16), but they
were quite unprepared to receive his teaching on the suffering and death
that his earthly life would involve (16:21-23). In contrast to the Twelve
in their attitude to Jesus are the scribes and Pharisees. They were shocked
that he would declare men's sins forgiven and claim a special relation
to God as Son that others did not have. Because tradition meant more to
them than truth, they stumbled in their apprehension of the Christ of God.
In the end they plotted with their opponents the Sadducees in order to
do away with Jesus. Even as Christ was engaged in teaching his disciples
from the days of the Transfiguration on, he was ever moving toward Jerusalem
to fulfill his course at the cross (Luke 9:51). In those latter days some
stirring events were unfolded--the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the
cleansing of the temple, the institution of the Lord's Supper, the soul
conflict in the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrest and trial, the Crucifixion,
the Resurrection, the appearances, the Ascension into heaven. In the Cross
man's day erupted in violence and blasphemy. In the Resurrection God's
day began to dawn. It was his answer to the world and to the powers of
darkness. In it Christ was justified and his claims illuminated.
III. Names, Titles, and Offices.
Jesus is used mostly in the narratives of the Gospels, and only rarely
does it appear in direct address. It means "Savior" (Matt 1:21), being
related linguistically to the Hebrew name Joshua. Christ, meaning "anointed
one," is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Our Lord uses
it of himself in Luke 24:46. "Christ" was also used as a personal name
(Mark 1:1; John 17:3). The prohibition (Matt 16:20; Luke 4:41) against
making Jesus known as the Christ during the days of his ministry was to
prevent the people from expecting him to be a political Messiah who would
gain their national freedom. Only once does the name Immanuel ("God with
us") occur with the conception of Jesus (Matt 1:23). Jesus was often called
the Nazarene because of his years spent in Nazareth (Luke 24:19). When
Jesus referred to himself, he most often used th title Son of Man, occasionally
stressing his humanity, but mainly pointing to his transcendence as a heavenly
figure (Dan 7:13; Luke 22:69-70). By using this title publicly rather than
Messiah, Jesus was able to avoid suggesting that his mission was political
in nature, and instead could put into the title his own content. One of
the most familiar designations for Jesus is Son of God. Only in John's
Gospel does he use it of himself (John 5:25; 10:36; 11:4). But elsewhere
he uses its equivalent, the Son (Matt 11:27). Rather frequently in the
course of his ministry Jesus was addressed as Son of David (Matt 21:9;
Luke 18:38), a distinctly messianic title pointing to him as the One who
fulfilled the Davidic covenant. A few passages proclaim outright that Jesus
is God (John 1:1, 18 [some manuscripts]; 20:28; Rom 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb
1:8). No term is more expressive of the faith of early believers in Jesus
than Lord (Acts 2:36; 10:36; Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 8:6; 12:3; Phil 2:11). It
denotes the sovereignty of Christ and his headship over the individual
believer, the church as a body, and all things. Some titles pertain to
the mission of Christ more than to his person. One of these is Word (John
1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1), the revealer of God, who discloses the nature and
purposes of the Almighty. Christ is also the Servant (Phil 2:7; cf. Matt
12:17-21; Mark 10:45), the Savior (Luke 2:11; John 4:42), Lamb of God (John
1:29, 36; 1 Peter 1:19; cf. Rev 5:6), the High Priest (Heb 9:11-12), the
Mediator between God and men (1 Tim 2:5), and the Last Adam (1 Cor 15:45;
Rom 5:12-21). This list of names and titles of Christ is not exhaustive.
IV. Character.
Certain ingredients of character deserve special mention, but it cannot
be said that he was noted for some things above others, for this would
involve disproportion and would reflect on the perfection of his being.
He had integrity, courage, compassion, humility, and sinlessness. V. Influence.
A life so brief, so confined in its geographical orbit, so little noticed
by the world in his own time, has yet become the most potent force for
good in all of human history. When he comes into someone's heart by faith,
he creates a new point of reference and a new set of values. Sinners feel
the touch of Christ and are never the same afterward. In a more general
sense, Christ has mightily affected society in its organized state. He
has taught the world the dignity of human life, the worth of the soul,
and the preciousness of personality. Under Christian influence, the status
of women has steadily been improved, slavery has been abolished, children
are recognized as a primary responsibility for the lavishing of love and
care, and governments and scientific groups have been stimulated to social
service. The arts owe their sublimest achievements to the desire to honor
the Son of God. Moralists and philosophers, even when they lack faith in
him for the saving of the soul, often acknowledge him as the one great
hope for mankind.
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Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
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