(Continued-Chapter XII-The Atonement)

2. King Messiah, The God-Man

While Matthew and Luke give the birth narratives, John implies this historical fact as we shall see in the following quotation.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 the same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. 9 There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world. 10 he was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. 15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said He that cometh after me is become before me; for he was before me 16 For of his fullness we all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (John 1:1-18).

This prologue is one of the profoundest pieces of literature to be found anywhere. A world of information is contained therein. I can, however, because of lack of space, call attention to only certain outstanding facts mentioned in this marvelous utterance.

From verse 1 we learn that the Word was in the beginning with God and that He was God. But, according to verse 14, this Word became flesh and dwelt among us. In these two verses we have the whole story of the incarnation of the pre-existing Word. Who was this Word historically? None other than Jesus of Nazareth. This position is evident from John 1:29: "On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!"

John, who wrote later than the other evangelists, assumed a knowledge on the part of his readers of the information concerning the virgin birth as given by Matthew and Luke.

In order that we might appreciate the Lord Jesus properly, let me call attention to a few salient points in this marvelous passage of Scripture. He existed in the beginning--in the eternity prior to the creation of the universe. He was in closest association with God and in fact was divine--in every sense of the word. He was the Creator of the universe (vs. 3). In Him was life and light. All living things owe their existence to Him. He was the light shining in the darkness of the ages past, but men were unable to apprehend Him (vs. 5). As a herald announcing His coming, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus (vs. 6). It was evident from his testimony that he himself was not the one for whom the Jews were looking. He simply came in order to bear witness of the light. This Word, according to verse 8, was the true light who lights everyone coming into the world. Though He was here, performing His divine mission, the world did not know Him (vs. 10). He came to His own--the Jews--but they who should have recognized Him did not (vs. 11). Nevertheless, to those who did see and believe in Him, and who did accept Him, He gave the right or privilege of becoming sons of God (vss. 12,13). In verses 14-18 John, following the law of recurrence, spoke of the incarnation by stating that the Word--the Eternal Son of God--became flesh and dwelt among us. This declaration simply affirms that He entered the human realm and appeared as a man. Before the Apostle John could finish his statement regarding the Lord, he interjected the thought that he and others associated with Jesus had beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. By this statement John wished his readers to know that he was not following any cunningly devised fables or traditions of men but was simply stating that which he knew to be an actual fact. Verse 15 refers to the ministry of John the Baptist who pointed people to Christ as the Lamb of God.

Again, John gave his testimony by saying that he and others had received of Christ grace for grace--grace upon grace. Law, he asserted, came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The evangelist concluded his prologue by affirming that no man had seen God at any time. Nevertheless, "the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (vs. 18). The correct reading of this last statement is, "God only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared him" (vs. 18). Jesus of Nazareth was God only begotten, appearing in the flesh with the message of reconciliation for lost humanity.

The Apostle Paul gave us a wonderful description regarding the twofold nature of the Lord Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:5-11:

5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

From this passage we learn that Christ existed in the form of God but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant. He was in the form of God because He was God. My watch is a watch because it is in the form of a watch. My knife is a knife because it is in the form of a knife. Christ was God because He existed in the form of God, possessing all the divine attributes. Nevertheless, He laid aside the glory which He had with the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:5) and took the form of flesh in order that He might redeem man. In laying aside His glory which He had with the Father, we are to remember that He did not divest Himself of His essential nature, because that would be an impossibility. He was as much God after He entered the human form as He was before.

Another marvelous picture of the pre-incarnate Word is found in Colossians 1:14-18:

14 In whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins; 15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

It is in Jesus Christ our Lord that we have our redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He was the image of the invisible God and the first-born of all creation. He was the first-born, not in the sense that He was created, but in His having the preeminence above all others; for such was the position of the first-born. He could not be, as some have supposed, the first-born in the sense of being created, because He is the very image of God himself. By Him all things have been created; and by Him all things hold together. Only Deity could accomplish these things. Many are the passages which show the twofold nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. But these are sufficient to show that He was actually the God-man.

3. The Four Accounts of the Life and Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth

According to the law of Moses every matter that came up for investigation in the courts of Israel was to be substantiated by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15). This wise and just regulation seems to have set the precedent for the establishing of facts by the testimony of competent eyewitnesses. Of course if there were more persons qualified to testify to the truth of a given fact, they were not excluded from giving their evidence. In keeping with this custom, God has given us the testimony of His servants who have written accounts of the life of Jesus which have been preserved to us today, and which are for our instruction. On account of the space limits of this volume I cannot go into the discussion of the credibility of the testimony afforded by the four evangelists. These data await the publication of the fifth book of my "Messianic Series," which is to be entitled: Messiah: His Historical Appearance. The first three New Testament books--Matthew, Mark, and Luke--are called the Synoptic Gospels, since they together give a brief outline of His life, deeds, and teaching. These records, as an examination of them will show, lay the emphasis upon what He did and taught.

At the same time they assume, from beginning to end, His divine-human nature. For instance, there shines forth His eternal, divine glory in Matthew 11:25-30 and Luke 10:21,22. We see that, in these quotations, He claimed to be on an equality with God, inasmuch as He asserted that no one understood the infinite Father except Himself, and no one could understand or comprehend Him except God the Father.

The divine consciousness of Jesus is also reflected most clearly in the "Sermon of the Mount," recorded in Matthew, chapters 5-7, and in Luke 6:21-49. This message might properly be called His manifesto. Great crowds were attracted by His teachings and His miracles. It is quite evident that many people entertained hopes that at that time He would overthrow the Roman power and set up a temporal kingdom in Israel. The country was all astir with such messianic expectations. In order that the people might see the principles for which he stood, He delivered this matchless, marvelous message, which is without equal from every point of view. As we shall presently see, the "Sermon on the Mount" is Jesus' interpretation of Psalm 37 and re-interpretation of the law. In order therefore to understand it, we must first take a glance at the law and then at Psalm 37.

Let us remember that Israel accepted the covenant of works at Mount Sinai (Ex., chaps. 19 and 24). According to the law cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things contained therein. "Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them. And all the people [of Israel] shall say, Amen" (Deut. 27:26). As time passed, however, laxness and indifference gripped the nation. Influences from foreign countries began to be introduced. There was an ebb and flow in the national life. In the days of David the situation was such that he had to interpret the law to the people, which thing he did in Psalm 37. The wicked appeared to be prosperous, whereas the righteous had more difficult times. David therefore urged them not to fret themselves because of evildoers. On the other hand, he exhorted them to trust in Jehovah and to do good, to dwell in the land (Palestine, the land granted Israel by the Lord), and to feed upon His faithfulness. They were to delight themselves in God and commit their way to Him. He assured them that, if they would trust in God, He would bring his promises to pass in their lives. Moreover, he assured them that the Lord would make their righteousness to go forth as light and their justice as the noonday--a promise of the messianic kingdom (Isa. 62:1-12). Continuing his exhortation, he urged them to rest in Jehovah and wait patiently for Him. The plea, "wait for Jehovah," is an echo of the promise that the Lord would come and dwell personally in Israel as her King. David referred to this hope in verses 7,9, and 34. To those who wait for Him, the writer promised that they with the meek, should inherit the land of the fathers. Throughout the passage he spoke of the righteous and the perfect and contrasted them with the wicked.

By these few facts gleaned from this psalm, it becomes immediately apparent that David was simply expounding the message of the law under which Israel was living. She was to trust in God, leaving everything to Him, dwelling in the land, living upright, honorable lives, and awaiting His coming in the person of King Messiah to adjust all wrongs and to establish the reign of righteousness upon the earth. From this we see that David laid emphasis upon the spiritual aspect of the law and held out the messianic hope to Israel.

When one studies this psalm closely and then examines the "Sermon on the Mount," one will see that our Lord, figuratively speaking, went in the same groove as did David. He laid the emphasis upon being right with God and taking the correct attitude, just as the psalmist did. This fact is seen in the Beatitudes.

Lest any of His hearers might conclude that He intended to set the law aside, the Lord Jesus assured them that everything spoken by Moses and the prophets would be fulfilled to the very letter.

With this assurance He therefore insisted that those who wished to enjoy the kingdom of heaven concerning which He was speaking must have a righteousness superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees of that day. Religion for them, as we learn from various sources, consisted largely of the punctilious observance of ceremonies and rites. This kind of living, insisted our Lord, is not acceptable to God. One's righteousness must be of a different kind and of a higher type than theirs. "For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). This verse can appropriately be called the text of the Master's remarks on this occasion. In developing this theme, He called attention to statements appearing in the law, and others that had been taken from it but had been misinterpreted. For instance, He discussed the command not to kill, as found in the Decalogue. He then went beneath the prohibition of the overt act of slaying and showed that real murder is in the heart--in the intentions and the motives that dominate the life. One can therefore be a murderer without taking the life of another.

He also called attention to the prohibition against committing adultery--the actual command given by the Lord God of Israel. Then He showed that a man is guilty of this sin if he looks upon a woman to lust after her. In this way He went behind the overt act and traced adultery to the realm of the spirit and the lustful nature. These instances suffice to illustrate the point.

The reader must note the fact that Jesus quoted what God said and then alongside it placed His own utterances. His teachings do not supersede or abrogate the divine declarations of the law but supplement and fulfil them. "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished" (Matt. 5:17,18).

In confirmation of this position I wish to call attention to what Jesus said on this point at the very end of His public ministry. "Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do ye not after their works; for they say and do not" (Matt. 23:1-3).

Thus Jesus was not an anarchist; neither was He opposed to the former revelations which God had made through Moses and the prophets. His teachings supplement the earlier revelation and go to the very depths of truths involved in the law of Moses.

When He finished His message, the multitudes were astonished, "for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes" (Matt. 7:29). Never had His auditors heard anyone speak with such authority, positiveness, and finality. In laying His teaching beside that of the Almighty--supplementing the law with His own utterances--there are reflected His divine consciousness and His being on an equality with God. We cannot escape this conclusion.

The teachings of Jesus in the "Sermon on the Mount" thus brought the law to finality. In following His instructions, men will be fulfilling the law and not abrogating it--even though they might not observe its outward ceremonials. "Do we then make the law of none effect through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31)

In delivering this message, Jesus was simply giving a re-interpretation of the law, parallel to but far in advance of Psalm 37. The people therefore were not to expect Him to establish the Millennial Kingdom at that time, but were to live as David instructed in Psalm 37 and wait for the establishment of the kingdom. This position is confirmed by our Lord's teaching found in Matthew, chapter 13. Here He gave the seven parables of the kingdom of heaven, the first of which was that of the sower who went forth to sow seed. The last one was that of the dragnet. The former, when properly studied, is seen to refer to Jesus and His beginning to sow the seed of the kingdom. The latter sets forth the consummation of the Christian Era. The five parables intervening between these unfold the progress of the kingdom of heaven during the present dispensation. This position is in perfect harmony with the teachings found in other passages. As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem for the last time before His death, the people thought that He intended then to establish the Millennial Kingdom. In order to disabuse their minds of that error, He spoke the parable of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27). Thus the disciples were, by implication, urged in the "Sermon on the Mount" to get right with God, to continue in His fellowship, to dwell in the Land, to do good, and to trust in Jehovah, waiting for Him to fulfill the promises found throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.

Although the Synoptic Gospels laid emphasis upon what Jesus did and taught, there are clearly reflected in them both His messianic and His divine consciousness. On the other hand, John the Apostle, who wrote the Gospel bearing his name, laid the emphasis upon what Jesus was--namely, the God-man. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, who generally selected incidents and teachings of Jesus as He ministered to the great masses in the rural districts of Palestine, John chose his material from certain discussions which Jesus had with the religious leaders at Jerusalem. The principal facts of His life and teachings had already been set forth thoroughly by the writers of the Synoptic Gospels. Their testimony was adequate for the purpose for which it was given. It was therefore necessary only to supplement this material with a record of the speeches of Jesus and the discussions which He had had when He was at Jerusalem during the feasts--and with some other vital material. It is true that chapters 1 and 2, which give and introduction to our Lord's ministry, are and exception to the rule just stated. Of course John's account of the events of the last week is matchless. The world has been immeasurably enriched by this record of the gospel.

I am thoroughly aware of the critical position which places the composition of John in the second century. The late dating of this book is done in the interest of the rationalistic regarding the miraculous. But positive manuscript evidence supported by patristic writings is absolutely against this view and places the date of its origin in the latter part of the first century. When compared with the Johannine Epistles and the Book of Revelation, it is seen to be by the same author who, according to the authoritative tradition of the church, was none other than John the Apostle. He was well qualified to record these matchless discourses of our Lord through which shine most gloriously His divine and messianic consciousness.

a. Matthew

According to the predictions found in the Old Testament, which we have already studied, the Jewish nation was expectantly looking forward to the appearance of their Messiah who was to be born of a virgin, and who was to be of the Davidic line. Matthew, writing for the Jews, naturally traced the regal line of the house of David from Abraham to Jesus. As has been noted, the Hebrews always reckoned the progeny from the father and never from the mother. There is no exception to this rule in the Old Testament. An examination of all the facts in connection with the genealogy by Matthew shows that he was giving the regal lineage of our Lord from the standpoint of Joseph who was supposed to be the father of Jesus, but was not. Here is his statement: "... and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). The language is clear and decisive. Had he intended to convey the idea that Joseph was the father of Jesus, he would have so stated as he had been doing in recounting the ancestors of Joseph. The fact that he declared that Joseph was the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, shows that he did not wish to convey that idea but wanted to avoid such an impression. Joseph was simply the foster father of Jesus. Luke presents the situation thus: "And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph ..." (Luke 3:23). Through Mary Jesus was a descendant of David. He was thus of the royal lineage. Through Joseph, His foster father, He had a legal right to the throne of Israel, since Joseph was also a descendant of David.

Following this genealogical table, Matthew presented the circumstances connected with the birth of Jesus. He did this by calling attention to the fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was espoused to Joseph at the time the Holy spirit came upon her and engendered Jesus. Moreover, Matthew quoted the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14 concerning the virgin birth of the Messiah and declared that this passage was fulfilled in His birth. This was to be expected. My reason for making this assertion is that the prophet foretold the miraculous conception and virgin birth of the Messiah: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14).

Daniel had shown (chap. 9) that Messiah was to be cut off and have nothing 483 years after the return from the captivity. Since the Word of God cannot fail, He of course had to be born before the expiration of the 483 year period. There was a group in Israel which was looking for the fulfillment of these predictions¹. Matthew affirmed that these prophecies (Isa. 7:14; Dan. 9:26) regarding Messiah were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the only Hebrew who lived in this period of Israel's history and who could be considered for a moment as the legitimate candidate for the messianic office and honors. Since the prophecy had to be fulfilled at that time, since there was no one else whose birth could be considered as the realization of this prediction except that of Jesus of Nazareth, and since all the evidence that He was its fulfillment is absolute and positive, we cannot avoid the conclusion that He was and is the Hebrew Messiah, who entered the world as foretold by the prophets. The complete and overwhelming evidence for these positions is presented in Messiah: His Nature and Person; Messiah: His Redemptive Career, and Messiah: His First Coming Scheduled.

While the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Jesus is sufficient alone to establish Him as the long-expected Messiah, this conclusion is not left unsupported, but is confirmed by all the facts which are presented in Matthew's account of the gospel.

John the Baptist, of whom Josephus speaks kindly in his Jewish history, heralded the approach of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 3:1-12). Matthew recounted in the following paragraph John's having baptized Jesus as King of the Jews. In chapter 4 he set forth vividly and graphically the temptation of the King of the Jews. In Chapters 5-7 he presented the "Sermon on the Mount," which properly is termed, "The Manifesto of the King of the Jews." The credentials of the King are set forth in the form of the narration of miracles (chaps. 8 and 9), which Jesus performed. In chapter 10 we see the announcement by the twelve disciples of the approach of the kingdom of heaven. The parables of the kingdom are given in chapter 13. In chapters 21 and 22 we see the King of the Jews going to Jerusalem for the last time--at the Passover at which He was executed. We hear His denunciation of the Jerusalem authorities in chapter 23. In chapters 24 and 25 we have His prophetic discourse. In chapters 26 and 27 appears the record of the tragic death of the King, but in chapter 28 we have the account of His glorious resurrection.

Throughout this record Matthew assumed on the part of his readers a knowledge of and an unquestioned acceptance of the Old Testament as the revealed Word Of God. He presented Jesus of Nazareth as being of the royal lineage and heir to the throne of His father David. He also recognized Him as "the son of man," which appellation is doubtless an echo of Daniel 7:13,14. Our expression, read in the light of this prediction, is seen to be a messianic title. An examination of it as it appears in the Synoptic Gospels confirms this position.

The Book of Matthew is a literary unit. It is just the type of book that would be written by a Jew of the first century to his brethren to prove that its hero, Jesus of Nazareth, was and is the Hebrew Messiah. The force of the evidence is accumulative. The implications of the miraculous conception and virgin birth are confirmed by the material in the subsequent discussions of the book. Only by arbitrary and uncritical methods, suggested by a preconceived theory can one dissect this book, cutting out those portions that do not accord with the reader's theory. Since it is a literary unit, it must be accepted as such, or rejected entirely as false. To be more specific, one cannot accept the "Sermon on the Mount," as is generally done even by the most advanced rationalistic critics, and remove or reject those portions where the miraculous elements shine out most strongly. If one accepts as true this Sermon, in which are reflected the messianic consciousness of Jesus and of His being on an equality with God, one cannot consistently eliminate any other portion of the book because of its narrating the miraculous. One must therefore either reject the whole book as a pure fabrication, or one must accept it as a genuinely authenticated, inspired document of recorded, historical facts. Only the ultra radical rationalists have got the consent of their minds to go to such extreme limits. These critics can dispose of the evidence only by denying the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth himself and by manipulating the facts of the record and of the times to fit into their preconceived ideas and beliefs.

To my Jewish friends, let me say that we have in the gospel according to Matthew an authentic account of the life and labors of Jesus of Nazareth, your Messiah and Savior. In this connection let me also say that the Hebrew people of the first century were thoroughgoing Trinitarians. This fact is seen from the teaching of Moses and the prophets and from the midrashic literature coming from early centuries of the Common Era. For further proof of this position reread Chapter IV of this volume. Also consult my book, The Eternal God Revealing Himself to Suffering Israel and to Lost Humanity. For additional proof, see the small booklet The Great Mystery: or How Can Three Be One? by Rev. C. W. H. Pauli. The trinitarian position was assumed by Matthew as being the belief of the Jews for whom he wrote.


Footnote:

¹ 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law, 28 then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29. Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord,
    According to thy word, in peace;

30. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31. Which thou has prepared before the face of all peoples;

32. A light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    And the glory of thy people Israel.