Answers to your questions about life, religion and the Bible
Was (is) Jesus God?
Dear Father Paul: Here it is Christmas again. I am a believer in Jesus, but some of my friends are not. We frequently discuss whether or not Jesus was the Son of God, and neither side will give an inch. Is there any proof? What is the evidence, if any, that Jesus was, indeed, deity? — Denise
Dear Denise: Thank you for your question. Lots of people want to know, for sure, “Was Jesus really God?” Was the tiny baby born on what we now celebrate as Christmas, God … come down to earth to live among us as a man? Can such a fantastic story that the Bible paints really be true?
There is absolute certainty that a man the Bible calls Jesus actually lived in the first century in Palestine. But was this Jesus God in the flesh? The authors of the four Gospels … Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who all were with Jesus 24/7 during the entire three years of his ministry on earth, give extensive written first-person biographies of him. In these first four books of the New Testament the teachings, miracles and ministry of Jesus are presented in detail. In short, things are recorded about Jesus that no mere mortal man could do. In addition, the Roman historian Josephus, a pagan, who lived at the time of Jesus, writes extensively about Jesus and his exploits. Josephus’s written accounts are available to us today on Google. And ancient Persian manuscripts, recently discovered, affirm the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men following a star to Bethlehem and bearing gifts to an infant king as told in the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2.
Jesus is recorded by many witnesses as doing hundreds of signs and wonders … curing the sick, walking on water and controlling nature even to the point of calming a storm and raising the dead back to life. After his public crucifixion, death and burial he was seen alive by over 500 witnesses just a few days later as recorded in I Corinthians 15.
Besides all of these “proofs,” it is without question that Jesus (and only Jesus) was and is the personal and living fulfillment of scores — actually hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that the New Testament identifies as fulfilled in Jesus — as the Messiah … the “Chosen One” sent from God to redeem mankind from death, hell and the grave.
Here are just a few of these with the scripture(s) referencing the Old Testament prophecy of the coming Messiah given first, followed by the New Testament actual fulfillment in Jesus second:
(1) That the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 7:14 – Matthew 1:20.
(2) That the Messiah would be born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14 – Luke 1:26-31.
(3) That the Messiah would be the heir to King David’s throne: Isaiah 9:7 – Luke 1:31-33.
(4) That the Messiah would be called Immanuel: Isaiah 7:14 – Matthew 1:23.
(5) That the Messiah would as a child spend a season in Egypt: Hosea 11:1 – Matthew 2:14-15.
(6) That many children would be massacred at the time of the Messiah’s birth: Jeremiah 31:15 – Matthew 2:16-18.
(7) That a messenger would be sent from God to announce the arrival of the Messiah: Isaiah 40:3-5 – Luke 3:3-6.
(8) That the Messiah would be declared the “son of God:” Psalm 2:7 – Matthew 3:16-17.
(9) That the Messiah would be crucified with criminals: Isaiah 53:12 – Mark 15:27-28.
(10) That the Messiah’s hands and feet would be pierced: Psalm 22:16 – John 20:25-27.
And on, and on and on. Look up the scriptures yourself. As I said, there are many, more Messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus, and only in Jesus. Far too many to list here and far too many to be a coincidence.
I would be the first to admit that it is impossible to “prove” that God exists and “prove” what he is like unless he chooses to take the initiative and reveal himself. That said, it is clear to over 1.5 billion people alive on planet earth today that over 2,000 years ago, God did indeed choose to reveal himself through the birth of his son Jesus, and we celebrate his birth on Christmas.
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Do you have a question? Send your question to me at paulmassey@earthlink.net and I will try to answer your question in the paper.
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[Father Paul Massey is pastor emeritus of Church of the Holy Cross Charismatic Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. Visit our website at www.holycrosschurch.wordpress.com for more information, service times and directions.]
