“How do you KNOW Jesus was and is the Son of God?”
All throughout the gospel records, Jesus urged his followers and listeners to believe in HIM, not just in his teachings. All that Jesus did and said pointed to his identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, and to the purpose for which He came to earth. There are only 3 different ways to interpret this: 1) He was not who he claimed to be and his teaching were the ramblings of a lunatic who sincerely thought he was God [and wasn’t]; 2)his teachings were the words of a liar who knew he wasn’t God [but said he was]; or 3) He was who He claimed to be—the incarnate Son of the one and only creator of the universe, the one who said , “I am the Lord and there is no other.” Can we prove he was really who he said he was? YES! Jesus did not make His claims without also providing evidence. More over, the evidence He provided is so overwhelming and compelling that it ought to fill our hearts with awe and wonder at the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Imagine agreeing to meet someone you’ve never seen before at a large convention center. As you make plans over the phone, you decide how you will recognize him/her. What would you ask? (What will you be wearing? A blazer. What color? Blue Where will you be waiting? Near the north entrance? What if I can’t find you? I’ll wear a nametag. Etc….)
Now imagine God devising the plan to send His only Son to earth to be born as a human infant. He wants His people to know Him, so He spells out the ways to recognize Him.
He will be an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham. (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16)
Narrow that down? A descendant of Isaac, not Ishmael. (Genesis 21:12; Luke 3:23-34)
Still too broad? Born from Jacob’s line (Numbers 24:17, Luke 3:23-34)
More? From the tribe of Judah… (Genesis 49:10, Luke 3:23-33)
Still not sure you’d find him?
Family line of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, Luke 3:23-32)
AND from the house of David (Jeremiah 23:5, Luke 3:23-31)
AND for extra measure, he will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1)
How will we know which baby born in Bethlehem?
He will be preceded by a messenger who will prepare the way (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:1-2).
He will begin his ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:12-17)
and will teach in parables (Psalm 78:2, Matthew 13:34-35),
performing many miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6, Matthew 9:35).
Okay, that helps! “Wait”, says God, “I’m just getting started!”
He will ride into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:2, Luke 19:35-37)
AND will appear suddenly and forcefully at the temple courts and zealously ‘clean house’ (Psalm 69:9; Malachi 3:1; John 2:15-16).
In ONE day no fewer than 29 specific prophecies were fulfilled, and these were written at least 500 years before his birth!
1. He will be betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Matthew 26:49)
2. The price of his betrayal will be 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:15)
3. His betrayal money will be cast to the floor of God’s temple (Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:5)
4. His betrayal money will be used to buy the potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13; Matthew 27:7)
5. He will be forsaken and deserted by his disciples (Zechariah 13:7; Mark 14:50)
6. He will be accused by false witnesses (Psalm 35:11; Matthew 26:59-60)
7. He will be silent before his accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12)
8. He will be wounded and bruised (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 27:26)
9. He will be hated without a cause (Psalm 69:4; John 15:25)
10.He will be struck and spit on (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67)
11.He will be mocked, ridiculed, and rejected (Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 27:27-31 and John 7:5 and 48)
12.He will collapse from weakness (Psalm 109:24-25; Luke 23:26)
13.He will be taunted with specific words (Psalm 22:6-8; Matthew 27:39-43)
14.People will shake their heads at him (Psalm 109:25; Matthew 27:39)
15.People will stare at him (Psalm 22:17; Luke 23:35)
16.He will be executed among sinners (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38)
17.His hands and feet will be pierced (Psalm 22:16; Luke 23:33)
18.He will pray for his persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38)
19.His friends and family will stand afar off and watch (Psalm 38:11; Luke 23:49)
20.His garments will be divided and won by the casting of lots (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)
21.He will thirst (Psalm 69:21; John 19:28)
22.He will be given gall and vinegar (Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34)
23.He will commit himself to God (Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46)
24.His bones will be left unbroken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:33)
25.His heart will rupture (Psalm 22:14; John 19:34)
26.His side will be pierced (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)
27.Darkness will come over the land at midday (Amos 8:9; Matthew 27:45)
28.He will be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
29.He will die 483 years after the declaration of Artaxedrxes to rebuild the temple in 444 BC (Daniel 9:24)
AND in addition:
On the third day after his death, he will be RAISED from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31), ASCEND to heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9), and be SEATED at the right hand of God in full majesty and authority (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3)
What extraordinary lengths God went to in order to help people identify and recognize his only begotten Son! Jesus fulfilled hundreds of major Old Testament prophecies—all of which were made more than 400 years before his birth. This makes a very compelling case for the diety of Christ. And I didn’t even mention the fact that his method of execution—crucifixion—had not even been heard of when the prophecies were made!
Still skeptical? Let’s talk probabilities and statistics.
Professor Peter W Stoner, in an analysis that was carefully reviewed and pronounced to be sound by the American Scientific Affiliation, states that the probability of just EIGHT prophecies being fulfilled in one person is 1 in 1017 (that’s 1 in 100, 000,000, 000, 000, 000).
Need a visual for that? If you were to take 100, 000,000, 000, 000, 000 (that’s 1,000 trillion) silver dollars and spread them across the state of Texas, they would not only cover the entire state but would also form a pile of coins two feet deep! Now, take one more silver dollar, mark it with a big red X, toss it into the pile and stir it thoroughly.
Now, blindfold yourself, and starting at El Paso on the western border of the state, walk the length and breadth of it—from Amarillo in the panhandle to Laredo on the Rio Grande all the way to Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico, stooping just once along the way to pick up a single silver dollar out of that 2 foot deep pile. Take off your blindfold and look at it. What are the chances that you picked the marked coin? The same chance that one person could have fulfilled just eight prophecies in one lifetime!
Jesus Himself pointed out that His actions, the miracles he performed, were evidences that He is God’s son. (John 10:25, 38)
Who else but God has the mastery Jesus demonstrated over the human body, weather, gravity, and even death itself? Who else but the Incarnate One could do these things:
· Calm a storm (Matthew 8)
· Make a mute person speak (Matthew 9)
· Feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14)
· Cast out demons (Mark 5)
· Walk on water (Mark 6)
· Bring sight to the blind (Mark10)
· Curse a fig tree (Mark 11)
· Foretell the future (Mark 14)
· Heal a paralyzed man (Luke 5)
· Raise a boy from the dead (Luke 7)
· Heal incurable hemorrhaging (Luke 8)
· Cleanse lepers (Luke 17)
· Turn water into wine (John 2)
· Make the lame walk (John 5)
· Forgive sin (John 8)
· Raise a man from the dead (John 11)
Jesus gave His life so that we can be saved. Then He was resurrected--conquering hell, death, and the grave once and for all. All this so that we can live in heaven with Him--if we choose Him as our LORD and SAVIOR.
"He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." Matthew 28:6 (ESV)
PRAISE GOD!! Have a blessed Easter as you celebrate the RISEN LORD!
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