All these titles for Christ, and the folks back then still didn't get it. Not even His closest friends really understood whose company they kept. One day He asked them, "Who do all the people out there say that I am?" Well everyone had something different to say. "But who do you say that I am," Jesus then asked them. I can just imagine the long pause that must have happened as the twelve looked around to figure out who was going to say something. Then Peter offered, "You are the Messiah."
You know, I wonder what Peter meant when he spoke those words - I'll bet he got the idea of a King. He probably wanted rescue from Roman rule as much as the next guy. But I have my doubts that he saw the Prophet and the High Priest standing before him as he uttered his words. Today, how deep do we allow the Christ to go with us. Are we prepared to see Him as our King, Prophet, High Priest - our Sacrifice?
Drane spends substantial time on discussing the Old Testament pointers to Christ as the Son of Man. Folks, I have trouble sometimes trouble with Daniel's prophesies sometimes; the voice can lead in many ways. But when Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man, I rejoice with great delight. No matter how you take understand what He meant by calling Himself that, it's hard to not take hope in His words: "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." One day, I don't know when, Jesus, the Son of Man, is coming back with all the authority that is His.
At times, it still seems hard to imagine that the Son of God came to earth. The very essence of God, the co-eternal presence who carefully and craftily manufactured the entirety of creation, the one whose Spirit rides these days out with me today, came to earth just to save me, you, and everyone who will come to Him from ourselves and our sin. WOWWIE! God is glorious.
Today, there are probably even more names for Jesus than there ever have been. The world in which we live is a confused and wounded place. When I read Drane, and when I think about the time, effort, and energy poured into studying this material, and in preparing to teach it, I praise God that that He has gifted us all with His grace. The Messiah, the Son of Man, the Son of God walked the earth almost 2000 years ago, He walks the earth today through you and me, and He has promised to set His feet on earth again one day when He comes to claim His kin. Call Him what you like - that's the Lord who gave His life for us - that's my Jesus.
I've always thought of Paul being a bit like the Irealites...they had God feeding them everyday, literally providing for their every need and yet they still doubted when they didn't have what they wanted/expected. Peter had Jesus with him, preforming miracles, even enabling him, a mere fisherman!,to preform miracles, and yet still he doubted when things didn't happen as he expected. His faith, doubt, rejection then reinstatement and leadership is a great encouragement to me!
ReplyDeleteLove the Wings reference...I'll see who else I can invoke as I respond to your blog!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking - the Son of Man, the Son of God, Messiah, etc...quite formal titles to what Jesus would call himself like "the bread of life, the vine, the gate, the good shepherd, the bright morning star, the Way, truth and life...etc. Do you think that the formal titles others referred to him as were so confusing/controversial that Jesus used common language/images that people of his day could relate to?
As the Newsboys would say..."Take me to your Leader!"