Fully Devoted: JesusSample

Who Is Jesus? It’s been said that history is written by the winners. If that’s true, then how is it that this “nobody” from Nazareth, executed in disgrace, has left more of a mark than any king, queen, emperor, president, poet, or scientist? His critics called Him a heretic. His followers believed He was a holy man. He committed no crimes, but was crucified as a criminal. Why? Because the powers that be saw Him as a threat. He challenged the status quo. He opened people’s eyes to the reality that there was so much more to life than what they had settled for. He invited people to return to their rightful place as partners with the God of heaven and earth. He showed people what life to the full really looked like. Along the way, He assembled a team of followers, twelve male disciples and a number of women, who spent three years walking with Him, learning from Him, and being changed by Him. Everywhere this ragged rabbi went, He performed miracles, healed the sick, cast out demons, proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God, and taught the people how to live in right relationship with God and others. He gave people hope—because His people, the nation of Israel, had been waiting for the time when their God would send the Messiah, the anointed king who would deliver the Jewish people from their enemies and restore the nation of Israel to its former glory. The people wanted Him to be a conquering king. What they got instead was a suffering servant. Instead of kicking out the Romans, He was killed by them. They beat Him. Whipped Him. Spit on Him. Humiliated Him. Nailed Him to a cross. And watched Him die. The Messiah. The chosen one of God. Dead on a cross. That’s not the way things were supposed to go. By this point, His disciples had abandoned Him, and they knew it would only be a matter of time before the Romans or the religious leaders would do to them what had been done to Him. The only people still willing to properly anoint his lifeless body were some of the women who’d been following Him. When they arrived at the tomb where He was laid, something was wrong. He was not there. The stone that had sealed the tomb had been rolled away. And there was a strange man waiting for them, telling them: > “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said ...” Matthew 28:6 NIV Who is Jesus? He is the risen Son of God who stepped into the mess of creation to do the miraculous: to defeat the powers of sin and death and bring humanity back into a right relationship with their heavenly Father. This is the story the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are telling in the Gospels.  The Gospels were written to help us understand who Jesus is, what He did, and how, because of Jesus, everything has changed. His life isn’t just the turning point for you and me. He’s the turning point for all of creation. With Jesus, the time had finally arrived for the entire story to change. The Gospels are trying to help us see that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus weren’t just events in history, but they are the very pivot around which the cosmos turns. It’s through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that the rule and reign of God began to take root in history. This is the message of the Gospel, that the Kingdom of God is coming on earth as it is in heaven and everyone everywhere has been invited in. And through placing our trust in Him, we can be rescued from our sin, reconciled to God, and restored to our rightful place as partners with Him in His redemptive plan to restore creation. And that is good news. Throughout the next five weeks, we’ll walk through the life of Jesus by exploring the writings of the evangelists. Along the way, we’ll learn all about who Jesus is, why the Gospel is good news, and the part we’ve been invited to play in His mission. Journaling Questions * What in today’s reading stood out to you the most? Write it down in your journal. * In your own words, how would you describe Jesus to someone else? * What questions do you have about Jesus and the Gospels?