A Passion for JesusSample

Most of us will be forgotten within a generation or two. Scripture says our life is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We do not even know what tomorrow will bring. So it’s astounding to read that Jesus claimed his words would outlast heaven and earth.

Speaking to his disciples, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35 ESV).

This is not something your pastor would ever claim. These are not the words of a good religious teacher or philosopher. Again, no one else in history has ever made such enormous claims. We, like the people who heard Jesus in the first century, would be wise to ask, “Who is this?”

The Bible begins the story of Jesus by telling of his miraculous birth. But then, we learn that Jesus lived an ordinary life. He was an older brother in a big family. He grew up in a small town and never traveled very far. Jesus celebrated holidays, went to dinner parties, attended weddings, and interacted with children. People loved being around him. His three best friends were fishermen—not priests. He even worked a normal job as a carpenter.

But around the age of thirty, Jesus hung up his tool belt and began his public ministry. His life’s work became preaching, teaching, and healing people. He opened the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind. One time his friend Peter’s mother-in-law had a fever, and Jesus healed her by simply taking her hand and helping her sit up. To a paralyzed man, Jesus said, “Rise, pick up your mat and go home,” (Mark 2:11 ESV) and the man got up and walked out. The people who saw these miracles were amazed. They said things like:

• “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
• “He has done all things well.”
• “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?”

Jesus’ miracles were meant to be signs, signs that would authenticate his identity. When the crowds heard him speak, they were equally amazed and said things like:

• “Where does this man get this wisdom?”
• “What is this? A new teaching with authority.”
• “No one ever spoke like this man.”

Jesus’ words have endured through every generation. Every single week they are read, sung, prayed and preached in thousands of languages all around the globe. The words of Jesus are actively being translated into every remaining language on earth for every tribe, people, and nation. Jesus claimed what no one else would dare to claim, that his words will outlast heaven and earth.

If this is true, what will you do?