The Bible The Lord Jesus And You

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Four Witnesses ‑ One Story

 

Secondly, the four gospels do not each tell a different story. They generally agree in the records they present. Indeed, the harmony between them would be very surprising if they had been written from memory only. There are minor differences in the way issues are related. Any apparent discrepancies can normally be resolved fairly easily.

 

It should be noted that the writers do not all set out to give a diary of Jesus’ life. They assemble material and arrange it to suit the aim of their work. They do not always place events in order. Jesus must often have repeated parts of his preaching at various towns. Sometimes he slightly altered his message for different audiences. This could also account for small differences between the gospels.

 

The gospel writers had nothing to gain in what they wrote. They had a great deal to lose. We may therefore safely depend on their work as true. The gospels are a very reliable account of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

 

The book of Acts was for a long time criticised by scholars. It was felt to be inaccurate in some of its detail. One example of this was the word used by the author to describe the rulers of Thessalonica.

 

This city was visited by Paul when Luke was with him. Luke calls the men in charge “Politarchs”. The words is translated “rulers” in most English Bibles. This word does not seem to have been in use in other places. Experts felt that Luke had made a mistake or had made this up.

 

Subsequent discoveries proved the writer right! Pillars at Thessalonica since discovered by archaeologists use this same word. On them are inscribed the names of some of the politarchs. Luke knew his stuff! He was there. He had first hand information as he claimed. Acts too is a reliable history book.

 

What about the Old Testament, though? Surely there must be room for error in records which date back so far? How can we be certain that these histories have not been coloured by national prejudice or forgetfulness? Wouldn’t inaccuracies result from the repeated hand copying of Bible manuscripts?

 

The Bible Weathers The Storm

 

Criticisms of this kind were very fashionable a few years ago. The assumption was often made that the Bible couldn’t be right. With a superiority unbecoming to men without proof, scholars claimed they knew better.

 

Many of their attacks have not stood the test of time. The spade of the archaeologist has often proved them wrong. Fresh discoveries have justified the Bible. Yet the damage done by such criticism has never been fully repaired. Such criticism undermined faith in the Scriptures which for many has never been restored. It has left a hangover of suspicion. Today the average man and woman feel that the Bible cannot be true.

 

This is sad and unfair. There are plenty of things we may not understand. There are some we cannot yet explain. But there is nothing that has proved the Bible to be untrustworthy.

 

It is always tempting to assume that we are wiser than past generations. Certainly there have been many technical advances in our day which were undreamed of by our great grandfathers. But we should not be too hasty to make

assumptions about the ignorance of others.

 

For example, it used to be thought that writing would be unknown to Abraham who lived around 2000 BC. For a long time, no writing as early as that was known. Scholars claimed that this cast doubts on the first books of our Bible. They were written by Moses much later and must have relied on hearsay. No written records would have existed.

 

This ignores the fact that the words are God’s. He guided Moses. Even when no man was around at creation, God knows exactly what took place. If we accept that the Bible is God’s book, we shall believe that it is right.

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Written in Clay

 

In any case, the theories about writing have also now been shown to be in doubt. Important discoveries in 1976 at a city once called Ebla show their weakness. It had been thought that Sumerian was the oldest known language. However, the language on thousands of clay tablets at Ebla is very like Hebrew. The tablets also contain Sumerian writing and many other languages.

 

The Sumerian is an early semi‑pictorial form of language. However, the Hebrew‑type language is far more developed. It is known as a syllabic cuneiform script. These clay tablets date to just before the time of Abraham. They prove that writing was possible prior to the days of Abraham. They also prove that it was a more advanced kind of writing than had been imagined.

 

Criticisms have been levelled against the Book of Daniel similar to those about Luke and Acts. These too have been shown to be unfounded. What is now known of those times tends again to show that the Bible was right all the time.

 

At one stage it was even doubted that Babylon ever existed. It is a city mentioned many times in the Bible, but it had never been located. Unlike Jerusalem or Egypt, Babylon was totally unknown. Was it pure fabrication, imagination of the writers run riot?

 

It is no surprise that Babylon’s existence should be in doubt. God Himself had decreed that it would be destroyed AND never rebuilt:‑

 

“‘It shall be inhabited no more for ever, Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbouring cities,’ says the LORD, ‘So no‑one shall reside there, Nor son of man dwell in it.’” (Jeremiah 50:39‑40)

 

Now this is most unusual. Most cities are built again on top of their old sites. Babylon was not:

 

Today its whereabouts are known. Some details of its former glory have been gleaned from the works of historians. We now know a little about its fortifications. We know that a chariot and four horses could turn on the top of them. We know a little about its hanging gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. From what has been dug up we may piece together something of the days when it throbbed with life. But there is no city to visit. There is only a spot in the desert where it once was.

 

Not only was the Bible correct in its mentions of Babylon. It very accurately predicted its destiny, too!

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Carefully Copied

 

Despite such discoveries there remains a question mark in the minds of many about the Bible’s accuracy. Before the invention of printing, scribes copied the manuscripts by hand. It was a laborious task. They took great care. They would count the letters per line and the lines per page. Their reverence for the word of God was such that they were anxious to make no mistakes. How successful they were was shown by the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.

 

A Cave at Qumran

 

Many are now familiar with the way in which they were discovered. An Arab boy idly tossing a stone into a cave near Qumran heard it break something. Investigation revealed stone jars in which were stored scrolls. Some of these scrolls were of books of our Old Testament.

 

The importance of this find is not so familiar to most people. It is this. Prior to this discovery, the oldest manuscripts from which the Bible could be translated were known as the Masoretic Text. They dated back only as far as 916 AD. That was almost a thousand years after the Lord Jesus Christ and around 1,500 years after many of the prophecies were first given.

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls are almost a thousand years older. They date back to about 100 BC. That means that they were in existence in the time of Jesus Christ. They were the Scriptures with which he was familiar.

 

Most important of all is the fact that these scrolls vary little from the Masoretic Text, The differences that do exist are minor. They do not generally alter the sense of the message. One thousand years of copying and handing down was suddenly put to the test. Yet the alterations that had occurred were few and of little consequence.

 

Recently I was reading through the preface of a modern translation of the Bible. It stated that the few manuscript differences there are should not be allowed to “overshadow the overwhelming agreement” there is between these ancient records.

 

The evidence is that we have a Bible we can rely on.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 11

 

I SUPPOSE all children go through a period of contrariness. We went through such a stage with our daughter. She argued with everything. Whatever was said, she would listen carefully and then begin, “Ah but ...!”. At one stage we even began to call her Arbutt!

 

Perhaps you are thinking that some people never grow out of their argumentative stage! Certainly we humans display some very contrary attitudes at times.

 

For example, the Bible contains no commandment to remember the birth of Jesus. Yet every year, thousands of people in many lands keep Christmas, They regard it as celebrating Christ’s birth.

 

On the other hand, Jesus gave a very clear command that his disciples should remember his death. He gave them bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood. “Do this in remembrance of me,” he said. Yet far fewer people remember his death. Easter is much less celebrated than Christmas. Communion services are not regarded as especially important by the majority. Regular attendance at such occasions is made by a tiny minority.

 

Full of Contradictions

 

Some say that the Bible itself is full of contradictions. If pressed, they are often unable to supply examples. Yet the idea seems to exist that the Bible argues against itself. Nothing could be further from the truth. The internal harmony of this Book of Books would be utterly amazing if the author were human.

 

Of course, there are things which are sometimes hard to grasp. A great deal then depends on how we approach the Bible. If we come convinced that it is wrong, we may well find things to support that point of view. Preconceived opinions are easily fuelled. If, however, we come determined to let the Bible tell us, we shall find many a problem resolved.

 

It will be helpful to illustrate this with an example.

 

Written Over The Cross

 

One of the most common “contradictions” I have heard concerns the cross of Christ. Over it was placed a sign. It was the custom to put on such a sign the criminal’s name and the charge against him.

 

Matthew’s gospel says that: “They put up over his head the accusation written against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

 

Mark says: “The inscription of his accusation was written above: The King of the Jews”.

 

Luke tells us: “an inscription was written over him in letters of Greek, Latin and Hebrew: This is the King of the Jews:”

 

The gospel of John says that: “The writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews:”

 

It is argued that these differences are considerable. If the gospels cannot be reconciled on the actual wording of a sign, we should not trust them. If their reports are only approximately true, they are not reliable. Inaccuracy here casts doubts on other things, it is said.

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In Greek, Latin and Hebrew

 

That’s a fair comment. We need to see if these differences can be reconciled or explained in any way. Luke’s gospel provides a clue to a possible answer. He says that the inscription was written in three languages. Hebrew was the language of the Jews. Greek was the language used through most of the civilised world at that time in history. Latin was the language of the Romans who occupied Palestine at that period.

 

Perhaps this is the reason for the differences. There seems to be no doubt that Matthew wrote his gospel for the Jews. He often makes reference to the Jewish Scriptures, our Old Testament. He would probably relate what the Hebrew inscription said. Luke would more likely have translated the Greek since he wrote for non‑Jews. His gospel explains the Jewish customs and Hebrew words for its readers. No doubt the inscription would vary slightly in its wording between the different languages. That may well be the solution to the discrepancies here.

 

Seeing The Invisible

 

There are other “contradictions” levelled against the Bible too. The New Testament says that no‑one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Other verses agree with this. They describe God as the one who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man can see. (1 Timothy 6:16). But didn’t Jacob meet God? And what about Moses?

 

Jacob had spent much of his life fighting for what he wanted. He wrestled to get his own way many times. God taught him that it was not Jacob who had been successful. It is God who controls all things. Behind the scenes and unknown to Jacob, it was God who had blessed him all along.

 

To teach him this lesson, God sent an angel. It was the very night when Jacob was expecting to meet his brother Esau of whom he was afraid. They had parted on very bad terms a few years earlier. He met a man. Angels in the Bible often appeared as men. They have been mistaken for them. Perhaps Jacob thought it was Esau. He wrestled him.

 

By daybreak he knew it was no ordinary man. The angel touched the ligaments of his hip joint and made Jacob limp. Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). But this does not prove that Jacob had seen the face of God. Taken with the other Bible quotations above, it is clear that he did not. What he saw was an angel of God.

 

So it was with Moses. He had asked to see the glory of God. God’s answer was consistent with the other passages we have mentioned:

 

“‘You cannot see my face; for no man shall see me, and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:20‑23)

 

This helps us in understanding another verse. God was silencing those jealous of Moses who thought they were as good. God said that Moses was His prophet and that He would speak face to face with him. Obviously this expression is not to be taken literally. In view of what we have said it must be a way of describing the intimacy between God and Moses. God spoke with him as a man speaks with his friend.

 

There are doubtless many more “contradictions” of which the Bible is supposed to be guilty. Some are not contradictions at all, but problems. Some are imagined. Some are easily resolved, others are more difficult.

 

These two that we have looked at are fairly representative. One is from the Old Testament and one from the New. They illustrate the point that, with willingness, the difficulties can be resolved. It is not necessary to regard such problems as insurmountable. It is not right to suggest that they prove the Bible untrue or unreliable. It is not wise to allow them to undermine our faith in the Bible.

 

The real difficulty is “Arbutt”! In this writer’s experience, the “Ah but ...” is usually an excuse. It comes from those who are looking for a way out.

 

It is accepted that there are a few genuinely worried by things they cannot explain. There are some sincerely concerned by verses that do not seem to square with others. But most of those who talk to me about “contradictions” are not like that. They have realised that the Bible makes demands. They have begun to feel the obligation of admitting its claims. They are trying to run away and need reasons for doing so. They want to be able to blame the Bible for their unbelief.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 12

 

MORE than a thousand people jostled for the exits. Many appreciative murmurs were heard as to the excellence of the lecture. The speaker had clearly delighted his audience.

 

This was puzzling. It was plain that the lecturer had been in command of his subject. He was obviously a brilliant scholar and an able chap. Much of what he had said, however, had been beyond my grasp. His vocabulary left me wanting a dictionary. I could not keep up with some of his arguments.

 

I began to wonder about my own intelligence. Was I really so stupid? Had all these people been able to follow the lecture? Was I the only on left behind in my ignorance.

 

I questioned one or two about the evening, It quickly became apparent that I was not alone. Many of them had not understood it all either. In fact, some of those moving towards the doors were declaring their simplicity too. “Wasn’t it good?” the said, “right over my head”!

 

It’s a bit like the king’s new clothes. Do you remember the children’s song about the king’s invisible suit? No-one wanted to look foolish by admitting they could not see it. It was the naivety of a little boy who revealed the truth that the king was in the nude!

 

It is sometimes like that with things scientific. No-one likes to admit their ignorance. Instead we look up in admiration to those better qualified. We respect the educated and feel sure they must be right. It sounds good even if it is over our heads!

 

Blind Chance

 

Sadly, all too often, it is true that many of us are “blinded with science”. The nudity of the theories is not exposed. Evolution is such a theory. If carefully examined, it has little to recommend it. It is bankrupt for ideas in piecing together how our world might have come into existence.

 

It suggests that the world has developed by chance. Yet it leaves many gaps. It supposes a long line of coincidences leading from one sort of creature to another. Yet it is quite unable to account for the many links between them that do not exist.

 

Today’s theories began life in Darwinism. That set out to provide an alternative to creation by God. It began from a standpoint of unbelief in Genesis. The theory has been built on from there.

 

Created or Evolved?

 

It has been bolstered up by various “finds”, usually of parts of animals. The dating of these finds has cast doubts on a literal acceptance of Creation story. In disputing the idea of creation in six days, many have dismissed the complete story. That is called “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”!

 

From this vantage point evolution has been widely taught. It has often been presented as fact. It has found its way into schools and into the minds of schoolchildren. However, it acceptance by so many does not make it true. It is still theory.

 

The situation has been made worse by compromise. Well‑meaning religious people have tried to meet the evolutionist half‑way. They have suggested that God was the force who set in motion the process that others call evolution.

 

This will not do. It dilutes the simple teaching of the Bible. The things that God made did not develop gradually over thousands of years. Each one was a specially made creation.

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Real Science

 

Science is good. The manipulation of scientific facts by biased unbelievers is not good. Science has at present no facts which disprove the Bible’s claims.

 

Even from a common sense point of view evolution has nothing in its favour. I have a piano in my home. It works when someone presses the ivory keys. They, in turn, raise little wooden hammers covered with felt. These strike wires stretched tightly between metal pins on a sounding board. The wires have to be of different lengths and thicknesses in order to make all the various notes.

 

The piano did not come into existence by accident. It was carefully thought out and designed. It has no doubt been improved from the design of earlier pianos. In this sense it has developed. But no improvement has taken place without someone being responsible for it. The developments have also been thought out and planned.

 

This is true of anything that is made. Where there is design there has to be a designer.

 

Occasionally my car breaks down. I would be a fool to put it in my garage and hope it gets better. Cars do not repair themselves. If they need attention, someone who knows about such things has to attend to them.

 

The theory of evolution makes no more sense than that. Yet thousands accept it. They believe that somehow, sometime, somewhere, the odds were such that it must have happened. They believe it happened not just once but time after time after time after ...

 

Sight, language, man’s ability to reason, his sense of beauty, his reproductive system are all miracles in themselves. Such things could not all have happened by accident. Nor could the accident then have been repeated over and over ad infinitum. They are things that betray design. They are perfectly fitted for a particular purpose. Awareness of them should make us question further. Admiration should lead us to want to know more. The planner, designer, builder of things so fantastic ought to arouse our interest and awe.

 

The Bible says:‑

 

“For since the creation of the world his (God’s) invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they (men and women) are without excuse…” (Romans 1:20)

 

This means that there are things about God which are normally invisible. These are such things as His power and Godhead. Even these invisible things can be seen! They can be “seen” by being understood through things that God has made.

[Resource Manager]

“When I Consider The Heavens”

 

Nature can teach us that there is a God. It shows a powerful force that has created. That same force keeps things going. It sustains. Wherever we live, nature’s evidence of God is close by. In the window box or the garden; town centre landscaping or countryside; household pets or birdsong outdoors, there is a witness. It speaks of design, order, beauty, power and precision.

 

This evidence for God leaves us with no excuse. We ought to be finding out about Him. Nature can help us so far. It cannot tell us what God wants from us. That’s where we need the Bible. The Bible tells us why God made the earth.

 

Of course, it can be argued that no‑one knows what happened at creation. No‑one was there to see it. The answer to that objection is that God knows what happened. He told Moses. Moses wrote it down in the book of Genesis. There are scientists who accept this and believe in God. Even unbelieving scientists agree that Moses has the order right. The chance of his doing this accidentally are put at nearly one in 40 million. That suggests to me that Moses did not guess. He knew!

 

It seems harder to accept the theories of men than the simple statement of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

 

Creation is not the only Bible story people doubt. There are plenty of other examples of the “king’s new clothes” syndrome. People have accepted the word of others they felt should know. Or they have assumed that people speak with more authority than they do.

 

Myths or Reality

 

In this way there have arisen countless myths about the Bible. Nowhere does the Bible say that there were three kings who visited Jesus shortly after his birth. The ark was not a boat. It was not designed to sail, only to float. Angels appear as men and don’t have wings. The Bible does not contain the phrase “immortal soul” anywhere. It is not the Bible’s teaching that money is the root of all evil. The Bible says that it is the love of money which is at the root of so many troubles.

 

Once again reliance on what others say proves to be a mistake. Popular opinions, even the teaching of those who should know, are no basis for faith. There is an urgent need for personal seeking to find what is true and what is false.

 

And this is a matter of life and death.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 13

 

I CAUGHT my breath sharply. Had I heard that correctly? “Adolf Hitler did more for the cause of Zionism than almost any other individual”? The one who master­minded the atrocities against 6,000,000 Jews? The man behind the gas chambers and concentration camps of Europe?

 

Yet the more I thought about it, the more I could see what was meant. It is all part of an amazing 20th century miracle.

 

The Bible had always said that there would come a time when the Jews would return to their land. It seemed impossible. Jerusalem had been destroyed as long ago as the year 70 AD. In AD 132 it was ploughed exactly as Israel’s own prophets had said would happen (Micah 3:12). Since that date there had been no Israeli nation.

 

The Ubiquitous Jew

 

There were Jews in almost every country of the world. They were proverbial of sharp practice and making money. This too was exactly what the Bible had foretold (Deuteronomy 28:37).

 

Even so, the idea that they might again become a nation was rarely entertained. Many said that God had cast them off forever. They claimed that God no longer had a purpose with the Jew. Prophecies which spoke of their return were given another meaning. People said that they were about Christians. They tried to apply them in a spiritual way. They said they referred to God’s people in any century, not just to Jews. Some still hold that view today.

 

Others could see that was not right. Speaking of the nation before its destruction prophets made the matter clear:‑

 

“So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries;.. But I had concern for my holy name... Therefore say to the house of Israel... I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:19‑24)

 

Passages like this do not refer to one nation being scattered and someone else being gathered. It is those same ones who are scattered that God is regathering. He is to bring them to their own land, the one they had before.

Even when it seemed least likely, some believed this. I know of those who, in the mid nineteenth century, looked forward to it happening.

[Resource Manager]

Lost Nations ...

 

Any other nation deprived of their land for so long would have disappeared. Scattered among the nations Philistines, Babylonians and a host more have died out. They are no longer identifiable. By all the laws of reason the Jews ought to have been assimilated. The fact that they were not is amazing. Nineteen hundred years later, they were still easily recognisable.

 

Just before the turn of the century Zionism began to take off. A man called Theodore Herzl wrote a book which moved many Jews to think about their homeland. Soon there was a movement to obtain a national home for the Jews. At one stage Herzl was in favour of accepting land in Uganda. That year he died. The Zionist Congress overturned his decision. The Jewish home had to be in Palestine. That was one more in a whole line of remarkable events.

 

Desert to Vineyard

 

Palestine was a desolate country at that time. Desert, barren rocky wastes and uncultivated swamps were typical of most of the land. Changes were on the way, however. The prophet had said:

 

“The desolate land shall be tilled... So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’” (Ezekiel 36:34‑35)

 

Today the produce of that land is everywhere in shops. Reclamation, irrigation and cultivation have wonderfully transformed much of the land. It boasts production levels now that were undreamed of 150 years ago. It is another miracle.

 

The next link in this chain of events was in 1917. Then the British Government had a mandate from the League of Nations for the control of Palestine. Lord Balfour’s Declaration permitted Jews to return to Palestine. The prophecies were beginning to take shape.

 

Dry Bones

 

Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones was once the subject of a music hall song. The bones were scattered along the valley floor. They were “the whole house of Israel”. “They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ “ (Ezekiel 37:11). The bones then began to join together. They formed skeletons. In vision they became people. Then God’s spirit made them live. God said:

 

“Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:12)

 

Even until half‑way through this century the land was known as Palestine. Today it is again called Israel.

 

Jeremiah too had spoken of the return:

 

“‘Behold, I will send for many fishermen,’ says the LORD, ‘and they shall fish them: and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.’” (Jeremiah 16:16)

 

The Balfour Declaration was not mightily successful. Jews went back in relatively small numbers. Ones and twos, handfuls only, scraping a living and finding it hard. It was like fishing them from the nations.

 

Then came Hitler, hunting the Jews from pillar to post. He forced them to flee. They were glad to return to their land for refuge. They went back by the boat load, hundreds and thousands of them. It was in this way that, without knowing or wishing it, Hitler supported the Zionist cause. He was responsible for the return of more Jews to Palestine than any other person. He was fulfilling Bible prophecy.

[Resource Manager]

Jesus’ Parable of the Fig Tree

 

Jesus too spoke of the time when the Jews would become a nation again. He used the fig tree as a symbol of Israel. During his ministry he cursed a fig tree for its barrenness. Later he taught that the fig tree would one day bud and sprout leaves again.

 

In 1948 the State of Israel came into being. Against all the odds and many enemies, the nation was born. This too was a miracle. Despite the declared intention of her Arab neighbours to drive her into the sea she stubbornly remains.

 

This is an extraordinary sequence of events. It has led some to say that tomorrow’s news is in the Bible today. It is no wild claim. The Bible is still coming true before our eyes. What happens in the Middle East is important. Israel is important as God’s witness. God has made an example of them for good or bad. Their story is proof of His control. It shows that He is active amongst the nations today.

 

Now, I am not pro‑Israel in any political way. It does not make one pro‑Jewish just seeing these things happen. The fact that they have happened does not prove that Israel is a Godly nation. It does not mean that God approves of what Israel does.

 

Indeed, God has shown that Israel has yet to suffer for its pride. Much of what it has worked hard to build up will be wrecked. It has not been built in God’s strength. The nation must yet be humbled. Ezekiel said:‑

 

“‘Not for your sake do I do this,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!’” (Ezekiel 36:32)

 

Jeremiah said:‑

 

“‘For my eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from my face, nor is their iniquity hidden from my eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin…’” (Jeremiah 16:17‑18)

 

God is fully aware of what they are like. However, He has not finished with them. The Bible shows that they still have a part to play in His purpose. Paul said that Israel had been “hardened in part”. This has allowed the Gentiles to know the gospel. Then he says:‑

 

“And so all Israel will be saved... Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:26‑29)

 

A book as up to date as this deserves closer attention.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 14

 

GRAIN ships from the continent were docked at London. Their cargo was not all it purported to be, however. There was contraband hidden amongst the supplies of wheat.

 

It was 1526 and the illegal goods consisted of copies of the New Testament. Church and state held a stranglehold over the minds of men and women. They did not wish the Bible to be read. They did not wish their false teaching and wicked practices to be exposed.

 

These copies of the New Testament were in English. The common people would be able to understand them. Soon they would read the Bible for themselves for the first time. They would observe how different its teaching was from what they had been taught. Consequently the new books were banned. As many as could be found were burned. Sometimes those selling them, or even possessing them, were burnt too.

 

This is just one aspect of a fascinating story. The translations of the Bible available today are the end of a long line of events.

 

Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. It was the language of the Jews. By the time of the apostles, however, a translation had been made into Greek. We call this the Septuagint because it was made by seventy scholars. The New Testament writers were familiar with this translation. They quoted from it in their preaching. The New Testament was also written in Greek.

 

Translations were later made from the Greek into Latin. The best of these was done by a scholar named Jerome at the end of the 4th Century. Latin was the language of the Romans whose empire stretched across most of the known world. However, Latin died out soon after the Roman Empire. For hundreds of years, there were no Bibles in the languages commonly spoken. These were the dark ages. Very few had the opportunity of learning to read or write.

 

There were others who were not slow to take advantage of this situation. Corruption spread fast. Sometimes it was deliberate. Wicked men saw ways of making money by misleading and terrorising ignorant people. Sometimes it was sheer apathy that led to wrong practices. Sometimes there were genuine misunderstandings in communication that twisted the message.

 

A Bible for the Plough Boy

 

John Wycliffe was anxious that men and women should have the Bible in their own tongue. He translated into English from the Latin. His was the first complete Bible in English in 1384. The printing press had not yet been invented, however. Wycliffe’s Bible was handwritten. Copies took a long time to produce and were expensive.

 

William Tyndale shared Wycliffe’s concern. He vowed to his employer, Sir John Walsh, “If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost”. He worked to translate the New Testament from the original Greek.

 

By this time printing was possible. It was Tyndale’s printed New Testament which had begun to arrive at London docks in 1525‑6. It was this that caused such a stir. Tyndale had been branded a heretic and forced to flee to the continent to complete his work.

 

Translation work on the Old Testament was well underway when Tyndale was betrayed. He was arrested and imprisoned. After a trial in which the verdict was a foregone conclusion, Tyndale was strangled and burnt at the stake. His dying prayer has become famous: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes”.

 

By 1535 there was a complete English printed Bible. It was the work of a man named Myles Coverdale. It relied heavily on Tyndale’s New Testament. Translation of most of the Old Testament was from Latin or Greek.

 

A friend of Tyndale called John Rogers produced a Bible in 1537. It was called Matthew’s Bible. This disguised the fact that it was largely the work of Tyndale. He had translated about one third of the Old Testament from the Hebrew before his death.

[Resource Manager]

In Every Church in England

 

By 1539 the Great Bible had been produced. This was published as the result of an injunction from the Secretary of State to the clergy. One was placed in every church. The tide was turning. Now people clamoured to read the Bible. It had often to be chained to the lectern to prevent its removal!

 

The English Bible was still not finally established, however. It see‑sawed between acceptance and rejection as different monarchs reigned. Henry VIII had broken with Rome and sanctioned the Great Bible. Then he turned tail and forbade the common people to read the Bible again. He ordered any of Tyndale’s work to be destroyed.

 

In 1547 Edward VI came to the throne. Bibles poured from the printing presses. People saved hard to be able to afford their own copy.

 

Queen Mary succeeded him in 1553 and everything changed. Bibles were removed from churches. John Rogers and others were burnt at the stake. Others, following in the steps of Tyndale, fled to the continent to continue translation and printing.

 

When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, public reading of the Bible was restored. Soon the work of those who had fled was making itself felt in a new work of 1560. It was known as the Geneva Bible. It was more compact than other Bibles. The original manuscripts had contained no chapters or verses. These were first added to the Latin Bible. Now, the Geneva Bible divided the text into numbered verses. This is a great help to referencing and finding parts of Scripture. It can sometimes be a disadvantage where no division is really appropriate.

 

The Geneva Bible also contained marginal notes and explanations of the text. Sometimes these were controversial. Bishops made a revision of the Great Bible in 1568. We know it as the Bishop’s Bible. The Geneva Bible was still the most used amongst ordinary people, however.

 

In 1604 King James suggested revising and improving the Bishop’s Bible. Many of the best scholars were employed in the work. In 1611 the new Bible was published, “authorised” by the king. Still today the Authorised Version is one of the most well‑loved of those available.

 

In 1870 it was decided to revise the version of 1611. New documents had come to light which improved the reliability of the New Testament. A number of English words had changed their meanings and spellings. In 1885 the Revised Version was published.

 

Within the last fifty or sixty years there have been many modern translations. These have tried to use the language and idiom of today. Some of these are very helpful. Others are very free translations. They use words found in only one or two manuscripts instead of taking the majority evidence.

 

All translations tell basically the same story, however. The most important thing is to read the Bible, in whatever version we have. Minor differences will be discovered as familiarity with text grows. Establishing a pattern of regular reading is of primary importance.

 

It is a tragedy to think how little read the Scriptures are today. At different stages of history men have clamoured to read them. Some have given the wages of several weeks to possess them, others walked miles to hear them. Some have risked their lives to pass them on to us, others have been tortured and burnt to death to translate them. How much value do we place on this word of God?

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 15

 

“FIND the centre line and make a cut half an inch to one side.”

 

Our local supermarket had been running a promotion on unusual fruits. The instruction came from a leaflet on how to use mangoes. Another similar cut would isolate the large flat stone. Then the leaflet suggested criss‑cross incisions in the flesh of the two halves.

 

This was interesting. We had been invited to make a trip to Trinidad and the information was sure to be useful. Some weeks later, armed with all the details, we had our first taste of the delicacy. The instructions were not quite so useful as we had expected.

 

A broad white grin spread across Helen’s face as she watched us attacking the fruit. To her it was like needing a leaflet on how to peel a potato! “I show you,” she said, and seizing a mango she swiftly sank her teeth into it! The message was very clear. The way to eat mangoes is simply to get stuck in!

 

That is what this chapter is about. I could go on writing about the Bible for a long time. The real need of all of us, however, is to get stuck in!

 

There are lots of books about the Bible. There are no books like the Bible. The Bible stands alone.

 

Read It For Yourself

 

Some folk are interested in facts and figures. I could have checked on how many chapters, how many verses, the number of words, and so on. All this may be interesting but it is really of little value. Actually getting started with reading is far more important. Just take a good bite!

 

It is not so much a question of reading as of listening. Our scriptures are the voice of God. Repeatedly in the Bible He asks us to listen to what He has to say.

 

In the early books of the Old Testament the attention of Israel was demanded, “Hear, O Israel”. In the books of poetry and wisdom God pleads that His advice should be heard: “Hear, O my son, the instruction of a father”. In the prophets are warnings, “Hear ye the word of the Lord”.

 

Through the New Testament we hear God’s word in the life and work of Jesus. “This is my beloved Son, hear him:”

 

Letting the Bible fall open at a page, making a stab in the dark, will not do. It is all the counsel of God. We need the whole of it. It deserves thought, a system, our best.

[Resource Manager]

But How?

 

Yet I am often asked: “Where should I start?” For those not used to a regular diet, some tips may be helpful. One of the gospels is perhaps the easiest place for the beginner. Mark is the shortest and one of the simplest. His record of the work of Jesus Christ takes us straight to the hub of God’s purpose.

 

The Acts of the Apostles will show how the story is taken up when he ascended to heaven.

 

At some early stage there will be need to go back into the Old Testament. Genesis is the best place to start; it lays the foundation for everything that follows. Exodus continues the story.

 

One chapter each day may be sufficient for a while. Some will want to do more. A chapter from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament side by side would then be a good idea.

 

There are a number of useful reading plans available. The publishers of this book produce one which spends a week alternately in each of the Testaments. It suggests one chapter per day for a year. It leads on to a more advanced course of three portions per day, By those it is possible to read the whole of the Bible (and the New Testament twice) in one year.

 

The introductory plan called the Bible Reading Planner and Notebook, or the follow up Bible Companion are both available free of charge. Write to the address at the end of this book.

 

Every Day!

 

Even more important than which parts to read first, however, is the method. First, make time. However busy we are, we can always make time for the things we really want to do. The Bible is the word of life. Set aside a particular time every day.

 

Be humble. The secrets of God are hidden from the proud. God loves the heart that simply wants to learn. Try and put aside the preconceptions and criticism. Let Him tell you.

 

Pray. Ask God for help in understanding what you read. Make your request a simple one, for example the words of Psalm 119:18 offered through Jesus Christ.

 

Then read. If you can read aloud, it helps. If you can read with others this is better still. Discuss what you read. Ask questions. Make notes. Sometimes you will meet chapters that seem difficult. It is important not to be put off by these. Even though you may not understand the meaning at once, keep reading. Things will be clearer as you become more acquainted with God’s word.

 

Write down problems and difficulties. Look out for other Bible readers who may be able to help you. Check what you hear and what you read elsewhere against the Bible. The Bible itself says, “Prove all things”.

 

In the last few chapters we have looked briefly at what the Bible is about. They have provided a sort of bird’s eye view of God’s purpose. Now we need to get more closely involved.

 

It has not been the purpose of this book to provide very much “evidence” for the reliability of the Bible. We have looked only at some of the more common objections to it. We have noted its internal harmony despite what is often said about supposed contradictions. Evolution has not disproved the Bible. It has merely suggested an alternative for those who want to dispose of God. In other ways science has supported the Bible. Archaeology and history have shown it to be reliable and trustworthy.

 

Most important of all, the Bible is relevant to today and today’s problems. Others have found in it the whole purpose of their existence. Some have even given their lives so that we could read and understand it. We may now have access to its wisdom, guidance and strength.

 

The Bible is a book which has many critics and few readers. It claims to be inspired, the work of God. There are good reasons for accepting those claims. By far the best way of evaluating them is by personal Bible reading. All the evidence in the world is of no use unless you are prepared to get it out, dust it if necessary, and start reading ... now!

[Resource Manager]

THE LORD JESUS

 

CHAPTER 16

 

MOST things require preparation.

 

The housewife knows only too well that the meals don’t just appear. Someone has to prepare them. Despite all the “instant” commodities and pre‑packaged goods, there is still work to be done.

 

You probably know the chap who has to work twice as hard before he can go away on holiday. By the time his holiday arrives he says he’s too tired to enjoy it. There is so much preparation, it’s just not worth it!

 

Maybe most of us don’t mind decorating, but few of us enjoy scraping off the old paper or paint. Sanding down the woodwork is a bind compared with the satisfaction of painting the door. Yet the preparation for the job is often the most important.

 

For an important event this may go on over a long period. Nothing must be left to chance. Things need to be carefully thought out beforehand. Only a lot of planning and organisation will ensure success.

 

The Birth of The Saviour

 

Preparations for the birth of Jesus Christ had been going on for a very long time. They were not the sort of preparations you or I would have made. There was no great public announcement of the birth of Jesus. There was no fanfare of trumpets to herald his arrival into the world. The birth of the most important person in the world passed almost unnoticed.

 

He was to change the course of history more than any other single individual. Yet his birth was without fuss. The Bible says:

 

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law …” (Galatians 4:4)

 

God had been waiting until everything was prepared. The conditions had to be just right. He had planned the circumstances ‑ the right time and place, the right nation and family, the right mother.

[Resource Manager]

Promises Fulfilled

 

God had made promises about Jesus from the time when Adam and Eve had first sinned. His uniqueness might have been anticipated in what God said:

 

“I will put enmity Between you (the serpent) and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

 

This child was to be “her Seed”. It was to be the woman’s descendant in a special way, but not the man’s. It would be hard to understand how any child could be born without the involvement of a man. This would be the work of God. It would be a miracle.

 

The prophet Isaiah foretold the same thing:

 

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

 

A virgin with a child and no husband would lead to accusations of illegitimacy. Joseph would be upset to find his future wife pregnant. They were engaged but not married. They had not “come together”. Joseph was disinclined to continue the relationship. It was while he was considering this that the angel reassured him. Mary had not been unfaithful.

 

“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 1:20)

 

The matter had been explained to Mary in a similar way.­

 

“Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:34‑35)

[Resource Manager]

Two Thousand Years Before ...

 

God had made other preparations for the birth of His son too. Two thousand years earlier God had made important promises to Abraham. These also concerned Christ. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had been barren. She had miraculously born Abraham a son when she was old. God had said that by that son, Isaac, Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation.

 

Then God asked the impossible. He asked Abraham to sacrifice that precious son. It was a request that seemed to make no sense, but it was a test of Abraham’s faith.

 

Abraham proved himself willing to obey God. At the end he was stopped from killing Isaac. The test had served its purpose. It had been a pointer to God’s willingness to give His only son as a sacrifice. Jesus would die for the sins of men. God made to Abraham the greatest in a long line of promises. It spoke of exactly this:­

 

“By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the sea‑shore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16‑18)

 

Many descendants are spoken of in these verses. One particular descendant is also mentioned. The King James Authorised Version makes this clear. It says: “He shall possess the gate of his enemies.” Other versions put this differently. We know the words refer to one special man, however, because the New Testament tells us so. Speaking of this same promise, it says:

 

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)

 

Jesus was the “seed” of whom God spoke. The blessing he was to bring was the forgiveness of sins. We do not have to work that out ourselves. Once again the New Testament explains the verses for us:‑

 

“You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” (Acts 3:25‑26)

 

A Special Child ‑ A Special Name

 

This is why Joseph was instructed by the angel to call Mary’s child “Jesus”. Jesus is a name which means that God saves. He is the Saviour.

 

“And she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

 

Saviour speaks only of one aspect of his work. To the name Jesus was added the title “Christ”. This is a word that means “the anointed one”. It refers to a priest or a king since they were the people anointed to office. Jesus is both of these as we shall see later. Jesus is a priest now. Jesus is to come back to reign over God’s kingdom.

[Resource Manager]

A King For Israel

 

The destiny of Jesus as king had also been prepared by God. When king David had reigned over Israel many years before, he had done it well. He recognised that his subjects were really God’s people. In a sense it was God’s kingdom which king David was looking after. So pleased was God with David’s attitude that He made promises to him:‑

 

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever... And your house and your kingdom shall be established for ever before you. Your throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:12‑16)

 

Once again we can see that this promise is about our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was to be of David’s line, God also said: “I will be his Father, and he shall be my son.”

 

The kingdom was later divided and became two kingdoms. It had many bad kings who ignored God’s laws. Eventually both kingdoms were removed by invading armies. God spoke of the end of the last of these kingdoms like this:‑

 

“thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown; Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the lowly, and abase the exalted. Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, Until he come whose right it is, and I will give it to him.’” (Ezekiel 21:26‑27)

 

God had made preparations for this to be fulfilled too. Jesus was the one with a double right to the throne. In the first place, the people of Israel were, in reality, God’s people and God’s kingdom. Jesus Christ was God’s son. He was therefore the heir of God’s kingdom.

 

In the second place God had promised that a member of David’s family would be on the throne for ever. Through his mother, Mary, Jesus was a descendant of David. Luke shows this in his gospel. Jesus had a claim to the throne in Jerusalem for two reasons therefore. He was the one foretold by the prophet “whose right it is”.

 

This destiny of Jesus was brought out in the message of the angel to Mary. In his words are incorporated the two aspects of God’s promise to David so long before:­

 

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call his name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called

the Son of the Highest

; and the Lord God will give him

the throne of his father David

. And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (The italics are mine.) (Luke 1:31‑33)

 

As a point of interest, Joseph too, the foster father of Jesus, was also of David’s family. Matthew’s gospel gives a genealogy which shows this even though Jesus was not descended from Joseph.

 

There were still other “preparations”. Joseph and Mary were residents of Nazareth, a town of Galilee in the north. One of the prophets had said:‑

 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to me The one to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

 

At the time of the birth of Jesus the Romans ruled over the Jews. They decided that all Jews must be registered in the town of their origin. We may be sure that Caesar had no interest in fulfilling the word of God, yet he did.

 

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.” (Luke 2:1‑5)

 

The timing of the birth of Jesus was important, too. The prophet Daniel had been given a vision about the coming of Messiah (Christ). He spoke of certain time periods pointing to the birth of Jesus. Luke tells us that some were waiting for this great event. Some were “looking” for redemption. Some were “in expectation” of the Christ.

 

When everything was just right, Jesus was born.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 17

 

OUR young daughter had raced on ahead. She was the first to discover that the car had been broken into. As the meaning of the smashed window and the missing handbag dawned, her eyes filled with tears.

 

People react to things very differently. Our guest, whose handbag it was, felt her mind reeling with the shock. She was grappling with the problem of what was missing and the sense of loss. Some of us felt sorrow that she should have been the one to suffer, others relief that things were no worse. Then came thoughts of the inconvenience. It would have to be reported to the police, the bank and the car insurers. Items would need to be replaced.

 

Reactions to the birth of Jesus were all very different, too. Some were concerned, others were not.

 

Mary and Joseph had made the long journey to Bethlehem under difficult circumstances. They must have wondered why there was no room for them in the town. Why had God not prepared the best possible place for the birth of His son? Jesus was born in humility and poverty, in the stable of an inn.

 

Watching On The Hillside

 

Shepherds were told of the birth. Angels informed them that Jesus was both Saviour and King. There might have been many reasons why they should not go into the town to see the babe. It was night, it was inconvenient, it was dangerous to leave the sheep. Yet they came “with haste”.

 

A few weeks later the little family visited the temple in Jerusalem. They brought the offering assigned for the poor and made a sacrifice to God. A man named Simeon was moved by God to see Jesus as the salvation God had sent. He knew that Jesus would be a light also for the Gentiles (non‑Jews).

 

Anna, an ageing prophetess, was there too. She had served God throughout a very long life. Her patience and faithfulness were rewarded. She too was glad to see Jesus.

 

Wise men came some time afterwards. Guided by a star from some distant land they made a long journey. They may have had to pass through dangerous terrain and unfriendly territory. Yet their mission was urgent, the risks worthwhile. They met the little family and worshipped the Lord.

 

Not all were so pleased to see Jesus nor so anxious to worship him. King Herod, ruling the area under the Romans, heard of Jesus through the visit of the wise men. He saw the birth as a threat to his throne. Unable to learn more from the wise men, he massacred all the boys under two in Bethlehem.

 

The chief priests and scribes knew the prophecies. They were the ones able to help the wise men to locate the babe. Yet there is no indication that they went to see Jesus. They did not go to worship him themselves.

[Resource Manager]

Theory and Practice

 

In theory they were looking for Christ. In practice they were not. Perhaps they had preconceived notions that prevented them seeing the truth. Maybe they were looking for the wrong thing.

 

The Scripture says that it is in this way that God often works:‑

 

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:26‑29)

 

There is a lesson, however, in these different reactions. The Bible shows that Jesus is to come again. It was part of his teaching that he will return to the earth in person to establish God’s kingdom. When he does we may expect to see the same attitudes again.

 

There will be people who only learn about Jesus at the very last minute. Like the shepherds they will hurry to come to the Lord before it is too late. They will put aside all the possible excuses. They will put Jesus first.

 

Others like Simeon and Anna will have been waiting a very long time. Baptised and serving God over many years, they will be rewarded at his coming.

 

Some of those who learn of Christ do so in difficult circumstances. They may be in countries behind the “iron curtain” where they cannot worship freely. Some may be persecuted for their faith. Their “journey” to Christ may be fraught with hardship and danger. Yet they regard all this as worthwhile. Like the wise men they have a compelling desire to meet Jesus and honour him.

 

Even in more enlightened countries there are those who do not acknowledge God. They will not be pleased to see Jesus. Some may openly oppose him at his coming. Their opposition will come to nothing. Jesus will destroy them.

 

Sitting On The Fence

 

Sadly there will be those who are neither for, nor against, Jesus. It is this apathy that is the worst of all. They may know about the coming of Jesus. They may have heard about his impending return to earth. Like the Jewish elders they will not have been moved by what they know. They will have done nothing about it until it was too late. They will not be with him.

 

The birth of Jesus pushed men and women into groups. His later work forced them to make decisions and own their loyalties. This is what is meant by his coming “to set a man against his father”. It is not that the Lord set out to be divisive in his work. It is rather that his work causes people to make decisions. It can often put friends on different sides of the fence.

 

We too each need to consider the work of Jesus. We too need to decide, each for himself, or herself, where we stand. To know and do nothing is the worst thing of all.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 18

 

SOME years ago I had the privilege of flying over the Canadian Rockies. The plane took off from Calgary in cloud. Soon, however, the sky cleared. The weather was beautiful and our journey westwards was breathtaking.

 

I still look at the slides of that memorable flight. The mountains were a picture of beauty. There were long ridges and folds capped with snow. They looked like so many pointed cakes with icing sugar spilling down the sides. Lower peaks were dark and barren, knife edges of rock looking uninviting and dangerous. Between them were inky black pools. Ribbons of dark turquoise joined them together.

 

No sign of life could be seen from the height we were. The whole area might well have been the domain of the brown bear alone. It was beautiful, but stark, bare and unwelcoming.

 

A few days later we were making the journey from West to East. This time, however, we travelled by train through the mountains. The picture was quite different. True, the snow‑capped peaks still peeped out at the top, but everywhere was so green. Mile after mile of thick forests lined the track. There were thousands upon thousands of trees. The sun lit up the rivers and made the water sparkle as it splashed over rocks. Sometimes it was clear as crystal. At other times it was milky white as it came from the melting glaciers.

 

The landscape was punctuated with life. There were stations, villages, timber houses, road construction vehicles. The lakes were no longer black, but blue. Often they were littered with debris from floating logs. It was the same place, but it looked so different. It was pleasant, warm and inviting. We were seeing it from a different perspective. Neither view of the area would have been quite true on its own. Each was incomplete. Our two journeys together gave us an accurate picture.

 

A Question of Perspective

 

People hold different views about Jesus Christ. Some believe that he was just a man. They would agree that he was a very good man, but nothing more. They would attribute his miracles to exaggeration by people who loved him.

 

Others in an attempt to honour Christ claim that he was God. No doubt their motives are good, but they go beyond what the Bible itself says. Neither of these views gives us a true picture. The Bible view of Jesus lies somewhere between them.

 

First, it shows that Jesus is born of God. God is his Father. He was not born in any ordinary way. We have already seen that no man was involved in his conception. Mary was a pure virgin when Jesus was conceived. The seed was placed in her womb by the power of God.

 

The Bible is most careful to describe Mary as the mother of Jesus. It is equally careful not to describe Joseph as his father. It uses phrases like, “his mother and Joseph”, or “as was supposed, the son of”. Joseph was merely a foster father.

Jesus was uniquely the son of God. He was not the son of God in the way that Adam was. He was not the son of God because God made him. He was the “only begotten of the Father”.

[Resource Manager]

Tempted Just Like Us

 

This does not make Jesus and God the same person. Jesus was not God. Jesus had one human parent, Mary. Because of that he inherited certain human traits. He had tendencies that were inherited from men going back to Adam. He had inclinations that God could not experience. God cannot be associated with sin in any way. Jesus was tested by sin. Human nature urged him to do the wrong things. Jesus resisted. He did not sin. He was sinless.

 

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

 

These temptations were real. They would have had no point if Jesus had been unable to sin. The Bible shows he had to fight to overcome them. It was a struggle, but Jesus was victorious.

 

Some have suggested that Jesus simply took on a human form. Inside he was God. He merely looked like us in order to be able to die and help us. This idea is foreign to the Bible.

 

The Bible says that Jesus was born. It was the birth of a new child, just like each of us once experienced. Then Jesus grew up, just as we do. He “increased in wisdom and stature”. It does not say that Jesus changed his form. It does not speak of a different sort of existence. That would have been a metamorphosis as when a chrysalis becomes a butterfly.

 

Jesus did not exist before his birth as a real person. There are some Bible verses which some think suggest he did. They can be read in two ways. This is because Jesus existed in the mind of God. He was always part of God’s plan. He was the centre of God’s purpose, the most important part of it. God always intended to create and send Jesus. This is what those hard verses mean. If we understand them in this way, they become consistent with the other things the Bible tells us.

 

This is not just an academic issue. It is a very important question. If Jesus was God, or an angel, he is unable to help us. He can only be of help in our temptations if he has gone through the same himself and overcome them. Yet the Bible is clear that angels cannot sin. It is equally clear that God cannot experience temptation:‑

 

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13)

 

The Bible teaches consistently that there is one God. It does not use the term “God the Son”. It is important, therefore, to see Jesus from both aspects. He is son of God. Yet he is a son of man by his birth of Mary. Both titles belong to him. This balance in his nature was vital for the work he came to do.

 

Jesus is son of God not only because he was born by God’s power, however. Sons are often like their fathers. Jesus showed the virtues and character of God. His life showed us what his Father is like. The Bible says he “manifested” God. That is why he could say, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”.

[Resource Manager]

A Constant Battle

 

Jesus was never presumptuous, however. He was always aware that he could sin. He would not allow anyone to call him perfect, or even “good”. His goodness could be wrecked by one false move. Only after he had died would his battle be over. Only when his work was completed would he be really perfect.

 

Of himself, Jesus often used the title “son of man”. This would remind him of his tremendous responsibilities. Jesus was also the first man to keep all God’s laws. He was the only one to fulfil what God had intended when He first created man. He knew God’s purpose in creation and he lived it. In this way he became the son of man. The Bible calls him “the last Adam”.

 

Psalm 8 tells of the way in which the first Adam was given domination over everything that God had made. He forfeited that rulership. Man today is not in charge of God’s creation. He can only rule it with fear and the gun. Through sin, the authority which God gave Adam was lost. His destiny was unfulfilled.

 

Through his sinless life Jesus obtained that authority and rulership. The Bible tells us so. Notice how these verses speak of Jesus being “made perfect” through the things he suffered. He was already perfect in that he had not sinned. He was not finally perfect or complete until he had died.

 

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:9‑10)

 

We shall look again at Jesus’ suffering and death in a later chapter. We must also look at the fact that Jesus is “crowned with glory and honour”. Jesus has received great honour. He shares God’s throne. He bears God’s name and titles. This is because he loved God and did His will throughout his life. He was not God, but he worked as one with God. Consequently God has exalted him to His side.

 

He has not exalted him because he was God anyway. He was not. He has exalted him because of his obedience as a son of man. Jesus has not received a glory that he formerly enjoyed. He has received glory and immortality as a gift from God.

 

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...” (Philippians 2:8‑10)

 

All men must now honour Jesus as they honour God. This still does not make Jesus equal with God. This is how Jesus spoke of the relationship between God and himself during his life:-

 

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do...” (John 5:19)

 

“I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.” (John 5:30)

 

“If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for my Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

 

Even when Jesus has finally removed all sin from the earth, he will still be subject to God. God is supreme, even when His purpose is complete. This is frequently misunderstood. So many people confuse Jesus with God. Though they are one in purpose like people getting married, they are not one person.

 

“There is... one God and Father of all, who is above all.” (Ephesians 4:6)

 

“Now when all things are made subject to him, then the Son himself will also be subject to him who put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)

 

Getting the nature of Jesus clear from the start will help us greatly to honour him as we should. It will also help us to appreciate the enormous task he has performed. It will help us be more grateful for his precious love and sacrifice.

[Resource Manager]

CHAPTER 19

 

WE were absolutely worn out. We had been walking all the morning and it was well past lunch time. The roads were dusty and hard, the weather very hot. Our feet ached and were blistered.

 

We were on the outskirts of Reykjavik in Iceland. When the bus appeared going our way we climbed thankfully aboard. We paid the standard fare and were glad to sink into a seat.

 

The bus paused a few minutes at a bus station in one of the suburbs. Then it set off on a route which, ten minutes later, brought us back to the same bus station. We remained in our seats. Almost certainly now the bus would head for the city centre. However, the bus started, and again did another short circular tour. This was now our third look at the same bus station!

 

It was then that Alex felt we should ask. The driver politely told us that we needed to change buses to reach the centre. Eventually we reached our destination safely. Our circular routes had led nowhere, though frankly we had been glad of the rest.