Who is Jesus?
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ. The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. As it is said “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. "My Lord and my God", Thomas exclaimed.
What he said about himself:
”If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
"The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me."
"I and the Father are one.”
"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ. The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. As it is said “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. "My Lord and my God", Thomas exclaimed.
What he said about himself:
”If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
"The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me."
"I and the Father are one.”
"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
Is Jesus God's Spoken Word?
Jesus is easy to understand on a salvation level which is good for all humanity since that is what it is all about. The most important thing we can do is to believe, follow and spread the gospel to others, and be saved by Jesus' atonement which consisted of him coming in human form, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, being put to death on a cross, raising from the dead three days later (not as a spirit creature, as some Jehovah's Witnesses would attest, but physically raising from the dead as we ourselves will in the future) and finally ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
But why? Why did it have to happen this way? Who is Jesus really? Is he an angel? Is he God? Or is he just a prophet with extreme insight? Or worst of all was he an imposter that lied about who he was?
In the first chapter of John (See Mysteries of God) there is insight given as to whom Jesus is. He tells us that he is the Word of God. The Word was sent forth from heaven to earth.
No one is able to see God and live.
Why? Because God is holy, perfect, and filled with an inexhaustable light that penetrates all matter and thought. Darkness and sin are destroyed in his presence. He is the one who created the galaxies, the limitless stretches of spaces. Dark matter. Dark energy. The planets. He fearfully and wonderfully created all of earth's lifeforms in all their beauty. All of nature's natural wonders are from God.
In all his grandeur, power, and knowledge, why would anyone think they could step foot into his presence? We forget too easily how high above us God really is.
So then, how do we communicate with God, the creator of the universe? In the past God revealed himself to the Israelites in different ways. He spoke to the people through a annual high priest that would go into the innermost room of the Most Holy of Holies within the Temple and God would reveal his plans to whoever the high priest happened to be that year.
God appeared to Abraham as three visitors appearing as men. God appeared and wrestled with Jacob as an angel. Moses spoke with God when he revealed himself through an angel in the flames of a fire.
The sacrificing of the lambs on the altar before Jehovah God was a foreshadow of things to come.
So, when the time was right, God sent forth his Son, who is God's Word. The bible says that everything was created through Jesus Christ, including everything from the beginning; atoms, gases, stars, galaxies, humankind. He sent forth his Son to earth to proclaim God's message of salvation which encompassed believing in God's Word/Jesus and to separate oneself from the "natural" world in order to be a spiritual son or daughter of the Creator.
Before Jesus, mankind did not have a true mediator between God and men. Nobody could offer enough sacrifices on the altar to forgive us and make us clean before a perfect God. Remember: God requires perfection in order for a person to be in his presence. What we needed was for God to mediate between us and him.
Since God in all his power and glory cannot come to earth without destroying us sinners he had to send forth part of himself that could speak to man.
This part of himself was Jesus/ the Word
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was truly a miracle baby. He was special and born different than the rest of mankind, though he still was fully human- able to experience pain, suffering, loneliness, and all other kinds of emotions that man feels. He struggled against the "flesh" just as we do- in every way! But he never gave in because he was perfect and born to be humanity's savior.
Jesus is far above special because he is not just God's Word anymore. He is now in the flesh, in human form, the way we look and are. He looks like us- he is human! God became human! He sits at God's right hand right now and mediates for mankind in human form- and advocates on our behalf. He has the right to do this because he suffered and died and mediates in a human body for humans. We need a human to intercede for us- one of our own kind.
Without the divine human body of Jesus there would be no mediator. A divine human mediator was needed in heaven to speak before God on our behalf. That is why Jesus had to die! He had to die and then go to heaven in human form.
And as long as we are human (forever) Jesus will be too. Although Jesus will be our high priest and will be thousands of times greater than us even though we will live in the newly resurrected, powerful, immortal human body.
Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. The bible makes it clear that Jesus is far above all angels:
Hebrews 1:4
Hebrews 1:6
Colossions 2:18
Revelation 22: 8-9
How do they reason this?
They say that Jesus is referred to as the archangel (meaning the only archangel) Michael because they say there is only one archangel who rules over all other angels because scripture talks of the archangel Michael. They attribute this high position to Jesus. They illogically compare two parts in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 12:7- when Michael and his angels fought Satan in heaven and threw him to earth.
Revelation 19:4- when Jesus comes with the armies of heaven to rid the earth of all who come against him.
First of all, Paul is called the Apostle. Was he the only one. No way! There we twelve apostles.
Jehovah's Witnesses also use 1 Thessolonians 4:16 to further their point. This verse says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with the voice of the archangel.."
If we use this same logic then the martyr Steven would be an angel as well!
Acts 6:15- "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Steven, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."
Of course everything else to do with these verses would have to be taken literally as well such as a real sword coming out of Jesus' mouth and Jesus literally stepping on grapes to make wine.
And lastly, if Michael the archangel really is Jesus the Messiah why doesn't the bible simply state it? Something to the effect of, "Jesus, otherwise known as Michael the archangel." That would be proof right there!
They say, "but Jesus was given other names as well, such as Immanuel. Therefore, Michael could be another name for Jesus."
Yet, scripture clearly states that Jesus is Immanuel. Refer to Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:8, and Matthew 1:23. Immanuel means, "God with us" and surely he was Jesus the Messiah.
But why? Why did it have to happen this way? Who is Jesus really? Is he an angel? Is he God? Or is he just a prophet with extreme insight? Or worst of all was he an imposter that lied about who he was?
In the first chapter of John (See Mysteries of God) there is insight given as to whom Jesus is. He tells us that he is the Word of God. The Word was sent forth from heaven to earth.
No one is able to see God and live.
Why? Because God is holy, perfect, and filled with an inexhaustable light that penetrates all matter and thought. Darkness and sin are destroyed in his presence. He is the one who created the galaxies, the limitless stretches of spaces. Dark matter. Dark energy. The planets. He fearfully and wonderfully created all of earth's lifeforms in all their beauty. All of nature's natural wonders are from God.
In all his grandeur, power, and knowledge, why would anyone think they could step foot into his presence? We forget too easily how high above us God really is.
So then, how do we communicate with God, the creator of the universe? In the past God revealed himself to the Israelites in different ways. He spoke to the people through a annual high priest that would go into the innermost room of the Most Holy of Holies within the Temple and God would reveal his plans to whoever the high priest happened to be that year.
God appeared to Abraham as three visitors appearing as men. God appeared and wrestled with Jacob as an angel. Moses spoke with God when he revealed himself through an angel in the flames of a fire.
The sacrificing of the lambs on the altar before Jehovah God was a foreshadow of things to come.
So, when the time was right, God sent forth his Son, who is God's Word. The bible says that everything was created through Jesus Christ, including everything from the beginning; atoms, gases, stars, galaxies, humankind. He sent forth his Son to earth to proclaim God's message of salvation which encompassed believing in God's Word/Jesus and to separate oneself from the "natural" world in order to be a spiritual son or daughter of the Creator.
Before Jesus, mankind did not have a true mediator between God and men. Nobody could offer enough sacrifices on the altar to forgive us and make us clean before a perfect God. Remember: God requires perfection in order for a person to be in his presence. What we needed was for God to mediate between us and him.
Since God in all his power and glory cannot come to earth without destroying us sinners he had to send forth part of himself that could speak to man.
This part of himself was Jesus/ the Word
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was truly a miracle baby. He was special and born different than the rest of mankind, though he still was fully human- able to experience pain, suffering, loneliness, and all other kinds of emotions that man feels. He struggled against the "flesh" just as we do- in every way! But he never gave in because he was perfect and born to be humanity's savior.
Jesus is far above special because he is not just God's Word anymore. He is now in the flesh, in human form, the way we look and are. He looks like us- he is human! God became human! He sits at God's right hand right now and mediates for mankind in human form- and advocates on our behalf. He has the right to do this because he suffered and died and mediates in a human body for humans. We need a human to intercede for us- one of our own kind.
Without the divine human body of Jesus there would be no mediator. A divine human mediator was needed in heaven to speak before God on our behalf. That is why Jesus had to die! He had to die and then go to heaven in human form.
And as long as we are human (forever) Jesus will be too. Although Jesus will be our high priest and will be thousands of times greater than us even though we will live in the newly resurrected, powerful, immortal human body.
Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. The bible makes it clear that Jesus is far above all angels:
Hebrews 1:4
Hebrews 1:6
Colossions 2:18
Revelation 22: 8-9
How do they reason this?
They say that Jesus is referred to as the archangel (meaning the only archangel) Michael because they say there is only one archangel who rules over all other angels because scripture talks of the archangel Michael. They attribute this high position to Jesus. They illogically compare two parts in the book of Revelation:
Revelation 12:7- when Michael and his angels fought Satan in heaven and threw him to earth.
Revelation 19:4- when Jesus comes with the armies of heaven to rid the earth of all who come against him.
First of all, Paul is called the Apostle. Was he the only one. No way! There we twelve apostles.
Jehovah's Witnesses also use 1 Thessolonians 4:16 to further their point. This verse says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with the voice of the archangel.."
If we use this same logic then the martyr Steven would be an angel as well!
Acts 6:15- "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Steven, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."
Of course everything else to do with these verses would have to be taken literally as well such as a real sword coming out of Jesus' mouth and Jesus literally stepping on grapes to make wine.
And lastly, if Michael the archangel really is Jesus the Messiah why doesn't the bible simply state it? Something to the effect of, "Jesus, otherwise known as Michael the archangel." That would be proof right there!
They say, "but Jesus was given other names as well, such as Immanuel. Therefore, Michael could be another name for Jesus."
Yet, scripture clearly states that Jesus is Immanuel. Refer to Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:8, and Matthew 1:23. Immanuel means, "God with us" and surely he was Jesus the Messiah.
What Jesus the Word Says
"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.
If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.
If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Jesus in the Old Testament
Job 9:33-34
If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Job 16:19-21
Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.
Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Isaiah 9:1-7
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 11:1-16
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord--
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
he wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.
He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will subdue Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
The Lord will dry up
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.
There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.
Isaiah 42:1-9
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
This is what God the Lord says--
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
“I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. ”
But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.”
And now the Lord says--
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength --
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
This is what the Lord says--
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel --
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him--
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness --
so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Job 16:19-21
Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.
Psalm 68:19
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
Isaiah 9:1-7
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 11:1-16
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord--
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
he wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.
He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will subdue Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
The Lord will dry up
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.
There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.
Isaiah 42:1-9
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
This is what God the Lord says--
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
“I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor. ”
But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.”
And now the Lord says--
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength --
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
This is what the Lord says--
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel --
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him--
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness --
so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.