Surely you have heard of Jesus of Nazareth as described by the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Never in the history of humanity has there been a life like that of Jesus. He went about doing good for everyone He encountered. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and taught all those who were ignorant of God. For His innumerable kindnesses He was repaid with rejection, physical abuse, and death by crucifixion. However, none of this treatment surprised Him, for it had been the plan of God all along for these things to happen so that He could be raised from the dead three days later – demonstrating not only the enduring nature of His love for us, but also the indestructibility of His power.
Before ascending into heaven, the resurrected Jesus appeared to His followers in multiple and convincing ways, commissioning them to go into all the world bearing witness to what they had seen and heard. That testimony, recorded two thousand years ago, and preserved in what we call the New Testament of the Bible, is still valid today…and will be for all eternity. He loves you and me. There is no human being whom He does not love, no human being for whom He did not die. This is what the apostles’ testimony emphatically declares.
The life that Jesus lived (and this is an amazing thought) had been predicted hundreds of years in advance by multiple authors in a variety of ways throughout the documents we call the Old Testament of the Bible. In fact, over a thousand years elapsed between the time that the first and last of Israel’s prophets wrote of Him. (Moreover, promises were made concerning Him even thousands of years before any part of the Bible was first written.) Although He was given many titles in both testaments, it is the title of “Messiah” that is most immediately significant. This word means “Anointed” and refers to Israel’s expected King who would bring righteousness and peace not just to that nation but to all nations. This word was translated into Greek and subsequently into English as “Christ” – and thus we call Him Jesus Christ.
The reason that the life of Jesus Christ was so different from that of any other person, and so particularly described well in advance, is that He was God while we are human. Stated another way, He was sinless while we have sinned. His sinlessness, however, did not lead Him to avoid us. Rather, it led Him to walk among us and show us how we ought to be living and treating one another: that is, with love. This same Jesus is reigning as God over heaven and earth even now, and He desires to forgive you of your sins and show you how to live with the same motivations He had. Turn your heart to Him today and every day; He will see and hear. He will forgive you, and then guide you through your conscience. You do not need anyone else to show you how to live…but you do need Him. Let Him bring His righteousness and peace to your heart.
The Duty of a Man 