Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah

We have travelled a long road. We began at the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth; we saw the fall of Adam and Eve and the first promise of a Saviour; we walked with patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets; we passed through the flood, the exodus, the promised land, the exile and the return. In every episode, all the stories pointed to someone. Now we come to him: Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is not just another character in the biblical story, but the centre of all of it. After his resurrection Jesus told his disciples that all things must be fulfilled which were written “in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44).

The Word became flesh

The Gospel of John begins with words that recall the first verse of the Bible:

“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. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

John 1:1-3

The same one who was present at creation became man: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us… full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In Jesus, God did not merely send a message; he came himself. Jesus is fully God and fully man: he was born, grew up, worked, felt hunger, weariness, joy and sorrow, wept at a friend’s tomb, and at the same time forgave sins, calmed storms and raised the dead.

His birth and childhood

As we saw in the previous episode, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the days of Herod the Great, of the virgin Mary, betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David. He was worshipped by shepherds and wise men, presented in the temple, lived as a refugee in Egypt and grew up in Nazareth, where he worked as a craftsman. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

The start of his ministry

At about thirty, Jesus was baptised by John in the river Jordan. The heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove and the Father declared: “This is my beloved Son.” Then he was led into the wilderness, where he fasted forty days and overcame the devil’s temptations with the Word of God. Where Adam had fallen in a garden, Jesus conquered in a desert.

Jesus began to preach in Galilee: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). He called twelve disciples, fishermen, a tax collector and other ordinary men, to be with him and to send them out to preach. In the synagogue at Nazareth he read the passage from Isaiah about the Anointed One who would bring good news to the poor, liberty to the captives and sight to the blind, and declared: “This day is this scripture fulfilled.”

His teaching

Jesus taught as no one had taught. In the Sermon on the Mount he gave the beatitudes, taught love for enemies, prayer with the Lord’s Prayer and building life on the rock. He told unforgettable parables: the sower, the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the lost sheep. He summed up the whole law in two commandments: love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself. And he revealed who he was through a series of declarations: “I am the bread of life”, “I am the light of the world”, “I am the good shepherd”, “I am the resurrection, and the life”, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

His works

Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, the paralysed and lepers; he set the oppressed free; he multiplied loaves and fish; he walked on the sea; he calmed the storm; he raised Jairus’ daughter, the son of the widow of Nain and Lazarus. But his miracles were not spectacles; they were signs of the kingdom of God and expressions of his compassion. He touched the untouchable, ate with sinners, defended despised women, blessed children and drew near to foreigners. Peter summed it up: he “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

“Thou art the Christ”

At Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples: “But whom say ye that I am?” Peter answered: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). From then on Jesus began to explain that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed and rise on the third day. A few days later he was transfigured on a mountain before Peter, James and John: his face shone like the sun, and Moses and Elijah appeared talking with him. The Law and the Prophets bore witness to Jesus.

The last week

Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy, while the crowd shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!” He cleansed the temple, taught in its courts and confronted the religious leaders. At the last supper with his disciples, during Passover, he washed the feet of the twelve, took bread and said, “This is my body,” and took the cup saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood.” Then he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane in great anguish: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

The cross

Betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, Jesus was arrested, abandoned by his disciples, denied by Peter, tried before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate and before Herod, scourged, crowned with thorns and condemned to die by crucifixion. He carried his cross to Golgotha, outside the city. He was crucified between two criminals. From the cross he forgave his executioners, promised paradise to a repentant thief, entrusted his mother to the beloved disciple and cried the words of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Finally he said, “It is finished,” and gave up his spirit. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Everything the prophets had announced was fulfilled. He was the Lamb of God, Isaiah’s suffering Servant, “wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities”. At the cross, God’s love and his justice met:

“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.”

John 3:16

The resurrection

Jesus’ body was laid in a new tomb hewn out of rock, and a great stone closed the entrance. But on the first day of the week, very early, some women who went to anoint his body found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. An angel told them: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). The risen Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the women, to Peter, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to the eleven gathered together, to Thomas, by the Sea of Galilee and to more than five hundred brethren at once (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The disciples, who had fled in fear, were transformed into courageous witnesses ready to give their lives to proclaim that Jesus lives.

The resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith: “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain… But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 20).

The Great Commission and the ascension

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus gave his disciples the mission that gives meaning to this site and to the Church around the world:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Matthew 28:19-20

Then, on the Mount of Olives, he was taken up while his disciples watched, and a cloud received him out of their sight. Two angels told them that this same Jesus would come again in like manner. Ten days later, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, and the story of the Church began, which would carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

From creation to Jesus: everything points to him

Now we can look back and see how every episode of this series pointed to Christ. He is the Word through whom all things were made. He is the seed of the woman who defeats the serpent, the second Adam who obeyed where the first fell. His blood speaks better than Abel’s. He is the ark of salvation in the flood. He is Abraham’s seed in whom all nations are blessed, the beloved Son offered on the mountain, the Lamb God provided. He is Jacob’s ladder between heaven and earth. He is the Joseph rejected by his brothers and exalted to save many. He is the Redeemer Job hoped for. He is the Prophet like Moses and the Passover Lamb. He is the great High Priest greater than Aaron. He is the true Joshua who brings us into rest. He is the ultimate Deliverer the judges could not be. He is the kinsman-redeemer, like Boaz. He is the Anointed One Hannah announced and the King after God’s own heart. He is the Son of David whose kingdom has no end, and one greater than Solomon. He is the prophet greater than Elijah and Elisha, and greater than Jonah. He is the Good Shepherd Ezekiel foretold, Isaiah’s suffering Servant, the mediator of Jeremiah’s new covenant, the Son of man Daniel saw. He is the one who gave himself for his people, as Esther risked her life. He is the true temple, Zechariah’s humble King and the Lord who came to his temple, announced by Malachi and pointed out by John the Baptist. He is the son of Mary, the legal son of Joseph, born in Bethlehem. He is Jesus, for he saves his people from their sins.

Interesting facts

Places in the story

Your response

The whole biblical story leads to a personal question, the same one Jesus asked his disciples: “But whom say ye that I am?” Jesus did not come merely to be admired, but to be received as Saviour and Lord. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). If you want to take that step, you can read our article Have you given your life to Christ? or write to us in Request prayer. We will pray for you.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Word made flesh, Son of David and Lamb of God: thank you that the whole story of salvation points to you. Thank you for your life, your death on the cross for my sins and your glorious resurrection. I receive you as my Saviour and my Lord. Send me, as you sent your disciples, to proclaim your Gospel to the nations. To you be the glory for ever and ever. Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.