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Showing posts with the label Messiah

Starting from the Cross

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The theme of fulfillment is dominant in the New Testament. In Jesus Christ, the promises of God have found their fulfillment. He is the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations but in a most paradoxical way. Peter confirmed that he was the “ Messiah ” but failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the “ Servant of Yahweh ” who came to “ bear the sins of many .” His true identity was revealed through his self-sacrificial act at Calvary.

Identified by Resurrection

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Paul began his Letter to the Romans with a lengthy introduction in which he identified himself and his mission. In doing so, he makes several declarations about the identity and victory of Jesus, more specifically, that he was “ marked out as God’s Son ” by the “ spirit of holiness ” that characterized his life, and by his resurrection “ from among the dead .” By raising him, God validated all that the Nazarene had said and done.

Spirit Baptism

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John proclaimed a baptism in water “ for the remission of sins ,” and he announced the arrival of the “ Coming One .” He was sent as the Forerunner of the Messiah as promised in the  Book of Isaiah  - “ Behold, I send my messenger before your face… The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord .” Moreover, he was the promised King of Israel who would baptize his people “ in Spirit and Fire .”

Heir of Abraham

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The Gospel of Matthew begins by declaring Jesus of Nazareth to be the “ son of Abraham .” The statement sets the stage for the theme of fulfillment threaded through Matthew’s account. The Nazarene was the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. In him, all the covenant promises have found their fulfillment. As the Crucified and Risen Messiah, he now lays claim to the inheritance of Abraham.

On the Way

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As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus queried his disciples: Who do men say that I am? At least nine times, the  Gospel of Mark  declares that Jesus was “ ON THE WAY .” His march to the City of David echoed the words in the  Book of Isaiah  applied previously to John the Baptist- “ Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare YOUR WAY .”

The Anointed One

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When an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “ conceived of the Holy Spirit ,” it indicated that something more than just a miraculous birth was about to unfold. From the beginning, the activity of the Spirit dominated the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He was “ Jesus, the one called Christ ,” that is, the “ Anointed One ,” the long-awaited Messiah of Israel.

Son of Man

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In the three synoptic gospels, the term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” According to Jesus, “ All the tribes of the Earth ” will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

Revealed on the Cross

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The Son of Man is revealed and comprehended in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies .  This theme is found several times in the  Gospel of Mark , namely, the inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until  AFTER  his crucifixion and resurrection, and most paradoxically, the first man to identify him as the “ Son of God ” was the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. His self-identification as the suffering “ Son of Man ” made him unrecognizable and distasteful to unregenerate men. He was the kind of Messiah no one expected or wanted.

Beginning of the Gospel

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The  Gospel of Mark  opens with a declaration based on passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist. It sets the stage for the Messianic mission of Jesus and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Thus, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. The Man from Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior promised by the God of Israel in the Scriptures.

The Son of Abraham

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The introduction to  Matthew  states that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham .” He is nothing less than the heir of the covenant promises made by the God of Israel to the Patriarch, the  “ Seed of Abraham . ”  His identification as the descendant of the Patriarch points to the theme of fulfillment that dominates the  Gospel of Matthew . In this man from Nazareth, all the ancient promises of God find their “ Yea, and Amen ”!