Introduction

Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of Mary, the son of Adam, the Son of God, is undoubtedly the most influential and famous person who has ever lived.  It is unlikely that anyone alive today, past the age awareness, has not heard his name.  This cannot be said of anyone else.  

There are two reasons this is true.  First, over one third of people on this planet believe he is the only person who has risen from the dead to never die again.  Secondly, after his ascension back to Heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to his followers, keeping the memory, purpose and plan of his life front and center in the World’s narrative.

His significance is felt in all aspects of our lives.  He is present in our art, music, conversation, schools, government, health care, relief organizations & ethics.  The way women are viewed, the way we look at marriage, family & social issues e.g. slavery, the sanctity of life and care for the poor and less fortunate have all been focused in our World by the life he lived and the legacy he left.

But his significance reaches infinitely farther than just his effect on our culture and world-view.  That is because as the Son of God, he revealed the very nature of God to mankind. 

You see, all men intuitively understand that there is more to our experience than what we can see, hear, taste, smell & touch.  In the amplified words of Solomon, he has set eternity in our hearts, (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  We perceive something greater than ourselves at work in the Universe as design screams at us from all directions saying there is a God.  But God is outside of our five senses, so without his help we cannot experience him, we can only speculate about him as has been done throughout the ages.  Men have always been very adept in making God after the image of beasts and birds and after the image of men & women.  But, in the fullness of time, Jesus arrived and made known to us the true nature of God.  As He told his disciple Phillip, and by extension us, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” (John 14:8).  

Along with revealing the nature of God, Jesus showed us the heart, plan and will of God.  The Bible’s most famous verse states this clearly;

For God so loved the world (heart), that he gave his only begotten Son (plan), that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (will). John 3:16 (italics added)

But in this, the critical thinker sees a problem.  That is, God is holy & we are not!  The Bible states, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).  It goes on to state that the wages of sin, the result of sin, is death, (Romans 6:23).  Thus, God had to give his Son as ransom for the bad choices we make on a day to day and hour to hour basis.  He had to do the second part of the famous verse because of the first part.  That is, because of his great love for us.

Jesus Christ came to die!  He did not come to make sick men better or bad men good; he came to make dead men alive!

Businesses & organizations often have a Mission Statement.  It’s not a bad idea for people too.  I have one.  As a physician it goes as follows, having three bullet points.  Love God & my neighbor wholeheartedly, become more like Christ & help people medically & spiritually.

Jesus has a Mission Statement too.  It is found in Matthew’s Gospel.

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Matthew 18:11

He came to seek & save the lost!  If he did nothing else for us, that would be enough.  For we were dead, headed for death & destruction and he reached down and rescued us.  We were the unfaithful and runaway bride that he just couldn’t live without!  He gave it all, went to Hell in our place, to bring us back to him.  For this I am truly grateful!

But along with this great salvation comes one very important stipulation.  We must receive that salvation, we must choose it.  He does not force it upon any person.  The Bible clearly teaches that an individual’s salvation is a choice that each must make, that each must act upon. 

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

It is a door that all who would, must open.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

In this we come to the second reason for his visit to us.  That is, he came to live beautifully!  He came to reveal our need for a Savior.  The people on the Titanic were not scrambling for the lifeboats until they realized the ship was going down!  So it is with us, we don’t see our need for a Deliverer until we see how far short we are from his beauty & holiness. As the Great Physician, he came to heal us, he came to teach us, he came to show us the way.

Indeed, Jesus is the greatest of all teachers, philosophers, gurus and religious leaders.  That’s because, unlike all others, his words have life!  John, in opening his gospel calls Jesus the Word, the Logos.  The essence of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

Jesus and God’s Word, unlike any other writings, are inseparable.  God’s Word, the Logos, is alive.  I know this is a difficult concept but the Bible nonetheless teaches it, so, I choose to believe it.  Later on, in the Revelation, we again see Jesus with his title of the Word of God.  (Revelation 19:13)

So, when we have words from Jesus, we need to grasp that we have something eternal, dynamic & other-worldly.  Something that we should pay attention too!

Unfortunately, sometimes when I read the Bible though, I miss the tone of Jesus’ message.  Maybe you do to.  Sort of like reading a text message from someone.  Are they being funny, sarcastic, playful or harsh?  Without the body language, that twinkle of the eye or the tilt of the head, their message can be blurred and misinterpreted.  Often this has happened with Jesus’ words.

Take for instance, the many times Jesus has what may seem as severe interactions with the religious leaders of his day, the Pharisees.  We know that Jesus acts in love, as God is love (1 John 4:8), so, how do these uncomfortable interactions jell with our Lord’s character and personality?  Think of it this way, filling in the tone.  He is love, so if his words seem unkind, they are still given in love.  In the Pharisees’ case, the Teacher’s arguments to them were like a three-year intervention!  They had destructive attitudes and beliefs they were not even aware of which needed to be shaken up.  

Filling in the tenor needs to be done, and I will endeavor to do so, whenever we consider words from Jesus.  We need to understand his personality.  We need to stop reading the Gospels like a text message.  

Generally, when people are asked about the personality of the greatest One who has ever lived, they will speak of his wonderful compassion, love and humility.  But how often do people appreciate his other great personality traits which are ever present in the Gospel narratives?  His characteristics of wit, playfulness, steely resolve, scandalous freedom, disruptive honesty, passion and beauty among others.  This is what we must seek out.  We need to stop thinking of Jesus as a two-dimensional historical figure but as the three-dimensional life force that he is!

Lastly, a point needs to be made concerning our Lord’s most famous teaching method.  That of parabolic teaching.  Jesus is known for his many wonderful and timeless Parables.  Stories that paint a picture in a way that mere lessons could never do.  Earthly stories with heavenly meanings. 

But parables can also be hard to understand.  Why would Jesus use a teaching method that often can fly over our puny little brains, leaving us none the richer?

Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah words as being fulfilled in his preaching in parables.  Let me show you. 

Therefore, I speak to them in parables; because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand.  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah… Matthew 13:13-14

And he (God) said, Go, and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Isaiah 6:9 (italics added)

You see, Jesus being the Logos could blow away every human with the power and persuasiveness of his words.  But that is not what God wants in his children.  He desires us to love him and not be “forced,” so to speak, to choose him.  He does not want us to be obligated to believe truth without loving him.  Love requires a choice and thus he will not manipulate people into loving and following him.  There is a tension present, a fine balance that God maintains between keeping His presence evident, yet subtlely masked, so that people who want to believe have the ability to do so while people who do not want to follow him will also be free to make that poor choice.  What it comes down to really is, who is on the throne of my heart?  Is it me, or he!  When I am on the seat of power, death is the result, but when he is allowed to reign, life and peace are the end.

So, let’s study & examine the parables & teachings of the Great Physician.  Lessons for life, prescriptions for life!  Let’s look at his words, unmasking them, so to speak, letting them move us with the power & potency of the Logos.