When Jesus Learned He Was God

Biblegems #253

Question: At what age did Jesus understand His identity as the Son of God?When did He know that He was the Messiah?

The Bible says little concerning Jesus’ childhood. Extra-biblical texts claiming knowledge of his childhood are unreliable.[i] The Bible does shed some revealing light, however.

Jesus was human, like us in every way, “yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15). As an infant, he did not understand his identity as God incarnate. This ignorance of his divine nature and messianic role was a temporary choice made in heaven, a choice to strip himself of such divine qualities as omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence:

         Phil. 2:6-7  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

          

Jesus matured gradually. At the age of twelve it was said:

         Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.     

Unlike other children, Jesus’ unique nature as the virgin-born Messiah of Isaiah 7:14 had been revealed to his earthly parents:

         Matt. 1:20b-23  …what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

They knew he was the Son of God and eternal King of Kings:

         Luke 1:31-33  “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Jesus grew up hearing of the angel visits to his parents, and later to the shepherds in Bethlehem. He heard the story of the Wise Men from Persia and saw the carefully preserved treasures they had brought.

And as Jesus learned to read and understand the Scriptures his mind awakened to the words he himself had given to the prophets from heaven—prophecies of his birth, death, resurrection and return in glory. Reading Scripture triggered his memories as God prior to his human incarnation, memories that would then guide him throughout his adult life. For, as he reminded the two disciples on the road to Emmaus just after his resurrection:

         Luke 24:25-27  He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

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[i] Several non-canonical documents contain fanciful legends about Jesus’ infancy and early childhood. Most were composed between the second and seventh centuries, A.D.: “The Infancy Gospel Of Thomas,” “The Infancy Gospel Of James,” “The Syriac Infancy Gospel,” “The Infancy Gospel Of Matthew” and “The History Of Joseph The Carpenter.”

UNFAIR GABRIEL?

Biblegems #210

Question: Why did Gabriel punish Zechariah for disbelieving his message about Elizabeth getting pregnant in her old age, yet did not punish Mary for disbelieving his message that she would conceive a child as a virgin?

The two examples of Gabriel’s apparent contractor behavior are both found in the Gospel of Luke:

         Luke 1:18-20   Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.  And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

And:

         Luke 1:34-35  “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”

First, it is important to recognize that Gabriel’s role is simply that of a messenger. Everything he communicates to both Zechariah and to Mary comes from God, not himself (Lk. 1:19).

Second, the very fact that the two conversations with Gabriel are presented back-to-back shows that God wants us to see how He responded differently to Zechariah and Mary. They are examples for us in how we respond when God speaks to us.

The truth is, Zechariah did not believe the message delivered by God’s angel Gabriel:

         “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Lk. 1:18).

Translated more literally, his question reads: “Against what am I to know this?” In other words, “What evidence do you have to convince me this is true?” Zechariah did not trust the message. Beyond that, he did not trust the messenger Gabriel. He did not believe his was experience was real, so Zechariah demanded that Gabriel prove himself.

Compare this with Mary’s question: “How will this be…since I am a virgin?” (Lk. 1:34) In other words, “How will this happen—what process will get around the fact that I am a virgin?”  Mary did not doubt she was actually speaking with an angel, nor did she doubt that what the angel said would come to pass. She was simply curious as to how God was going to get around the normal process involved in conception.

Now, you and I might feel a bit sympathetic toward Zechariah—that perhaps nine months without being able to talk was a bit harsh on God’s part. After all, conversations with angels are not exactly an everyday experience! But God obviously expected Gabriel’s appearance to be proof enough of his reality and the genuineness of his message. You can almost hear the offense in Gabriel’s voice that Zechariah doubted him and demanded a sign: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news” (Lk. 1:19)!

The problem is this—Zechariah, a religious leader, was considered “righteous” in his lifestyle (Lk. 1:5-8). Yet when God showed up in the presence of an angel Zechariah did recognize Him! He was typical of many in his day (and ours) who live a clean, religious life but who do not really know God Himself. They live by “works” rather than by “faith,” and therefore demand proof when confronted with God in the spiritual realm. This is what grieved Jesus so much as He sought to open the eyes of the spiritually blind:

Luke 11:29   As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

Well, for you and me the sign God promised—the sign of Jonah—has been given! Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God sacrificed His life on the cross, taking the punishment for the sins of the world upon Himself, and God raised Him from the dead!

Do you believe?

The Virgin Birth—Myth Or History?

Biblegems #168

Question: How can we know if Jesus’ prophesied virgin birth and the whole nativity story really took place, or if it is only a myth like the stories of Hercules, Osiris and other ancient legends as claimed by Atheists?

The term “myth,” by definition, does not automatically mean “fiction” or “non-historical.” According to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary[i], “myth” typically refers to stories that claim to be historical accounts describing the interaction of natural and supernatural beings, events, etc. That means that some stories labeled “myth” may be grounded in history, while others are total fabrications.

Those who claim that the virgin birth and other miraculous accounts in the Bible are myth are misusing the term to mean non-historical stories born of human imagination. The real question should be, “Is the account of the virgin birth historical or fictional?”

Fortunately, Christians have no reason to be ashamed of the biblical record of Jesus’ nativity and divine nature. Unlike the fables of Hercules and others of the Greek-Roman myths, Jesus’ birth is authenticated by an impressive volume of historical evidence. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke were written specifically to provide historical verification and eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. The birth accounts especially are enveloped in historical details: the genealogies, the reign of Caesar Augustus and king Herod, the tax registration[ii], the personal accounts of Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters passed on to Jesus’ disciples, the eye-witness accounts of the shepherds and the magi…the list goes on and on.

         Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote to an audience of people who were contemporaries of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. If the historical details of their accounts were fiction, their contemporaries would know. The Gospel writers were not interested in starting a new legend; they were as amazed as everyone else by the events that had taken place in their own lifetime. They wanted to ensure for future generations an historically verifiable account, knowing full well that people would want to distort the truth and question Jesus’ historicity :

         2Pet. 1:16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

The biblical account of Jesus’ birth is a fact of history, as is Jesus’ life and ministry, His death, resurrection and ascension. Historical accuracy was important to the Gospel writers, three of whom, including John, were eyewitnesses:

         John 20:30-31 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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[i] M-w.com

[ii] Bible Gems #19, 44, 129, 164, 166, 167

Was There Really A Virgin Birth?

Biblegems #166

Question: I’ve heard people say that the Hebrew Bible does not use the word for “virgin” in Isaiah’s prophecy quoted in the New Testament in reference to Mary. Is this true?

Isaiah 7:14, written about 740 years before Jesus’ birth, reads: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” When we fast-forward to Jesus’ birth, Matthew recorded in his Gospel how an angel announced to Joseph that his fiancé Mary would bear a child conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20-21). Matthew then tells the reader that this virgin conception was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

In the English translation both Matthew and Isaiah appear to be in perfect agreement. Some claim, however, that Matthew’s quote, which comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, misrepresents the Hebrew word “almah.” They claim that “almah” means a young woman of marriageable age, not “virgin.” Their argument is that Isaiah never intended to mean that a virgin would get pregnant and bear a son.

The word “almah” in Hebrew, like so many words in any language, can carry a variety of meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. The word “cool” in English for example can refer to the temperature in a room, or it can mean “great!” or “terrific!”—depending on the context. One meaning does not fit all uses.

The dictionary definition of “almah” means a “young woman” who is sexually mature and able to bear children. While the word could technically be used of a married or sexually active woman, the reality is that of the nine times it occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament “almah” is never used that way (see Gen. 24:43; Ex. 2:8; 1Chr. 15:20; Ps. 41:6; 68:26; Prov. 3:19; Song of Sol. 1:3; 6:8).

The context of Isaiah 7:14 itself shows that Isaiah wanted to highlight this “almah” as distinct. She is not a woman that one would expect to be pregnant. It is the very fact that she will conceive a child that makes her special and unique, even as the child she will bear will be special and unique.

It’s important to remember as well that it was Jewish scholars in the area of Alexandria—about 100 years before Christ—who translated the Hebrew Bible into the Greek form that Matthew would later quote from. These scholars understood their own Hebrew word “almah” to mean “virgin,” and translated it accordingly.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth demonstrates again God’s great desire to inform mankind of the plan He has put into place to rescue us from the path of destruction brought about by sin. His love, grace and forgiveness are available to all who put their trust in Jesus, the Savior born of the virgin Mary, even as God promised long ago.

         John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Merry Christmas!