Thursday 13 February 2014

Jesus

Jesus
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.  
Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
                                    Matthew 4:23-25
Here is something that sceptics of the Jesus can’t to my satisfaction explain.
Jesus had a three fold ministry. He taught, he preached and he healed the sick. The bible writers do not hide the fact that Jesus was someone described as teaching with authority.
His ministry took place in the synagogues on the Sabbath and in the open air during the rest of the week. He never hid for his opponents what he was saying. And meany people came to believe in him during his life time on this earth.
As for the miraculous the healing of the sick and casting out demons. If these things were untrue then the writers of the gospels are potentially the biggest liars in history.
Such lies were they exposed would most definitely have harmed the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It therefore stands to reason that they were real. That the men relaying the information had hard and fast facts that they were true.
Claims of who Jesus was can also be found in some secular documents people who were not necessarily friendly to the cause of Christianity
The earliest non-Christian reports were made by the Jews. Flavius Josephus, who lived until 98 A.D., was a romanized Jewish historian. He wrote books on Jewish history for the Roman people. In his book, Jewish Antiquities, he made references to Jesus. In one reference he wrote:
“About this time arose Jesus, a wise man, who did good deeds and whose virtues were recognized. And many Jews and people of other nations became his disciples. 
Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. However, those who became his disciples preached his doctrine. They related that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Perhaps he was the Messiah in connection with whom the prophets foretold wonders. [Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, XVIII 3.2]
I believe we can only make one conclusion as to who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus came to this earth to show all people everywhere that God loves them.
He showed this love by giving the ultimate price in human terms and going to the cross. Not only that but he did in fact raise from the dead and ascended to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God.
A place we will all one day meet him either as Saviour or Judge.
Think about it.

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