Jesus: the Basics, talk 1: Jesus Lived

 

1. What we know about Jesus: Luke the Historian (Luke 1:1-4)

What do we know about Jesus? Why is it important? Christianity is definitely not a religion. A religion can live, have followers, enforce moral demands even if there was no history to it. From traditional religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Islam to modern “religions” such as Food Craves, Wall Street, Apple Co. - all can have followers, objects of worship and desire, and all call on followers to stalls, festivals and flagship  stores for communion. All function as religion for our heads, hearts and wills but they can be separate from history; in fact it doesn’t matter what time in history they appear, so long as they are appealing and work for the worshipper, then they have their “truth”.

That’s not Christianity. Christianity relies on Truth. Christianity is basically about Jesus, whether He truly lived, truly died, truly rose and appeared to all and will truly come back again. From the Old Testament longings [predictions] of Jesus, to the actually comings and going of Jesus, Christians depend on externally verifiable events, not wishy-washy “spiritual sounding” principles. Because it is not a religion, not something that you and I take on, like a lifestyle choice, or a passion for living, or a set of moral principle. Christianity and Jesus is about externally verifiable events actually occurring in history and their effect on our lives. Christianity is not something that we act on but something that acts on us! It’s not something that I take-up but something, if true, will, ought and must change me.

That’s why I’m preaching on the Basics. That Jesus Lived, that He Died, that He Rose and appeared for all to see and that according to God’s word He will come back again. If He didn’t live, died, rise and will not come back that we have all believed in a lie and none of the claims of truth of Christianity will work. If people can prove, beyond reasonable doubt that in history Jesus did not live and do all the things I shall demonstrate form Luke today, then you should not have even come today, I have wasted your time, and don’t come back next week, because if Luke is not history, then there is no significance as there is no truth, and we should just all go eating (Food Crave), drinking (Oktober Fest) and fast-car driving (Motor show) and immerse ourselves in Games (Starcraft and Civ V).

So what do we know and where do we get our Jesus from? I am asking you to read Luke the Historian. You say: Hey isn’t he biased? Is he a converted Jew? How can he be telling the truth? Let me ask you a couple of questions in reply: have you read Luke? What parts of Luke does not correlate with what we know of Israel (Galilee, Judea, Samaria) under Roman occupation and rule of the Emperor Augustus? What do mainstream historians think of Luke as History?

Let me start from some historical critics of Jesus, and see what we learn about Jesus and what early Christians believe about Him. The point is that these are not friends, but sometimes enemies and haters of the early church. Like them, you need not believe the significance of the events, but at least suspend your prejudice and understand that even enemies close in time to the actual events, understood what Christians held to be true.

Thallos AD 50 in Histories - Eclipse at time of Jesus’ crucifixion

Tacitus AD 56-120

Christians derived the name from a man called Christ, who during the reign of Emperor TIberius had be executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. The deadly superstition, thus checked for the moment, broke out afresh not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but also in the City of Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world meet and become popular.

Pliny AD 61-113

The sum total of the guilt or error was no more than the following. They had met regularly before dawn on a determined day, and sung antiphonally a hymn to Christ as to a god. They also took an oath not for any crime, but to keep from theft, robbery and adultery, and not to break any promise.

Josephus AD 37-100

(18.63-64)

At This time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people who received the truth with pleasure. And he gained a following both among many Jews and among many of Greek origin. He was perhaps the Messiah-Christ. And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so. For they reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. And up until this very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has not died out.

see also (20.200)

Talmud AD 100-200

(baraitha Sanhedrin 43a-b)

On the eve of the Passover Jesus was hanged (on a cross). For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘He is going forth o be stoned because he has practised sorcery and enticed and led Israel astray. Anyone who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forward in his favour, he was hanged on the eve of Passover.

see also (baraitha Shabbat 104b)

So what are mere historical events, that coincide with what Christians claimed to have happened?

Jesus was named Jesus

He public lived in Palestine during Pontius Pilate’s governorship AD 26-36

He had a mother called Mary

There is a question about how he was born

One of his brothers is called James

He was known for being a teacher, miracle worker or sorcerer

Some believed him to be the Messiah or Christ of the OT

Some believed he was a “king” in his way

The time, place and circumstances of his death

Both Jewish and Roman leadership were involved in His crucifixion

Some eclipse [or other explanation of “darkness”] around His death

Report of Jesus’ appearance to His followers after He died

A movement of worship of Jesus after his death [and reported resurrection]

We already have the framework for the whole of Jesus’ life, even if we haven’t opened the pages of the NT.

But majority of the events and the interpretation of the events around Jesus’ time were written by those close to him and those who lived, heard, saw and followed him, either in written form or in verbal form that were later collated by Gospel writers such as Luke, Matthew and John. I have chosen Luke, because it is accessible, detailed, and contain some accounts that are central to the central message of WHY Jesus lived, died and rose. And it clearly is an example of the history of the New Testament part of the Bible.

Luke is a historian. He is a doctor [and also my hero then]. He is a learned writer with exceptional grammar. He writes with so much historical reference, to time, place, events that there is no way in the world you can think he is writing myth. Avatar is a myth, Da Vinci Code is a myth, but Luke, he’s writing Truth in History. He is a Christian, who believed on account of witnesses and writings available to him. He can be you or rather, you can be like him too.

Luke 1:1-4

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 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, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

So how are you to read Luke and the other gospel writers? He firstly looked at many written sources (v.1) that was available then, though lost now, but are fortunately researched and collected by Luke so we have them in front of us in a short Twenty-Four chapters. We have an early written record of all of Jesus’ [LDR], carefully researched, from plentiful number of eye-witnesses and from reliable people by a reliable person, Luke.

[Objections: why would Luke tell the Truth? Does it benefit him and his fellow group  of believers. Answer: no, it didn’t it never did, and it still doesn’t benefit people to hold on the literal truths of the New Testament. No one risks ridicule, persecution, death, confiscation, torture. Yet this is the story of the Early Christian Church that grew despite the lack of benefit. Why, because there were externally verifiable truths independent of how they felt, desired , a truth that changed them from outside in so that they are enabled to keep holding onto Truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

[Perhaps explain the criteria of historical truth: multiple attestations, coherence, dissimiliarity, archaic style, embarrassment, memorability and date]

2. Jesus the Man and How He Lived

At the very least, Jesus was a Man. He had a birth and a childhood, which we heard read from Luke today. How did the early years of his life look like? Both Ordinary and extraordinary. From chapter 2, Joseph and Mary were simple, not rich and Mary was with child at a young age even when they weren’t married yet (2:5). Imagine having contractions, pain and no where to stay, and the only place affordable was a stable (2:7). You, Bear Gryls, etc might have done it tough, but they did it pretty tough. Jesus was born, he cried, felt cold, had to be wrapped, and needed the nurture of his parents.

But this was no ordinary birth. See what the angel said to the Shepherds about the expectation of this birth.

Luke 2:9-12

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

The expectation is that this little human baby, will grow up to be a Saviour! Someone who rescues people out of their pits, and not just a local saviour, like our own life-savers, or like a caring nurse, loving husband, or a skilled surgeon, but a global, universal Saviour. Why? because the Angel gives him the title reserved for the Universal God-Chosen King predicted [prophesied] in the OT: Jesus will be called "the Christ". [Not his last name, but a title, of Kingship, one destined to lead God’s people, His Kingdom and be a source of blessing, salvation and leadership for all peoples, even non-Jewish peoples] This is embarrassing. And that’s why I think it is most plausibly the truth of what the Angel really said to the Shepherds. Because against all human expectation, a Saviour, a King, the Chosen representative of God is a tiny, whimpering, helpless, baby wrapped in cloth in a manger. It’s too embarrassing to even be a lie or a nice-myth: it is more likely to be the truth of what they heard and later repeated to Mary and Joseph. You need not agree, but you must admit that even if they were deluded, this message was what they really heard. Hold your suspense until you see how Jesus really lived in Luke, okay?

Jesus was also an Extraordinary Child as he grew up. Here at end of Luke chapter 2, in the time of Passover [Easter Time for Jews] when Jesus was around Twelve, He engaged in amazing conversations with the leaders, the teachers at the Temple. His parents lost him, then found him after 3 days, talking to people who were way his senior, who knew all the Old Testament inside out including all the history and later expectations and prophecies of the OT. These scholars were amazed at the young child’s wisdom and knowledge of God as shown in the OT. They weren’t deluded, they really saw that this young child understood God, loved God, wanted to learn and even had answers about God. Jesus was going to be an amazing teacher Himself. Furthermore Jesus’ own words would further amaze Mary.

Luke 2:49-50 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Did that just slip by you? Luke records that even at a young age Jesus realised [this is what He himself believed and other heard him claim] He had a special relationship with God: that of Father and Son. He called the Temple, House of God in those days, “[His] Father’s House.” Did Mary wash His mouth with soap? Did the teachers around Him strike Him down [not yet], was Jesus seriously deluded. You don’t need to agree yet, but this is what Jesus, His Family and those around heard and remembered and later believed to be true: that Jesus claimed to be Son of God, not just a generic son/daughter of God is Creator and Father of all, but the particular, Son of God, who was to be Saviour of the World.

[Objections: Virgin Birth. Answer: Save for Christmas time? Save for the end Q&A]

Throughout the rest of Luke, we see many significant things that Jesus did when he lived. I want to give you a quick bird’s eye-view, then focus on one particular encounter that sums up HOW and WHY Jesus lived.

1. Jesus received Baptism for Sin by John the Baptizer (Luke 3:21-22)
2. Jesus claimed or received the title willingly “The Son of God” (Luke 3:23-38, 9:34-36)
3. Jesus is tested and tempted (Luke 4:1-15)
4. Jesus claimed or received the title willingly “Lord” (Luke 6:1-5, )
5. Jesus taught extensively, at synagogues, homes even outdoors (Luke 6:17-19)
   1. Kingdom
   2. Calling of Israelites
   3. Sin and Forgiveness
   4. Money
   5. Coming Judgement
   6. His own Death & Resurrection
6. Jesus was a miracle worker (Luke 4:14-19, then 31-42) with the prediction of the OT
7. Jesus was a friend of Sinners and Foreigners (Luke 7:36-45)
8. Jesus explained that He was the Christ or Messiah (Luke 9:18-22)

Obviously we can’t read through all of Luke today, but I have chosen just one event which I think highlights the life, teaching, work and message of Jesus the Man. Let me read for us:

Luke 19

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

HOW did Jesus live?

He always had the intention to meet the LOST. This was only one of many examples I could have picked. Zacchaeus was the top of the corrupted "MPs" in the province, yet Jesus intentionally sought after him. He didn't just pass by, he knew about, he sought, he looked at and convinced Zacchaeus to dine with Him. When you dine with someone, it means you are seeking friendship, you are offering acceptance. This is exactly what Jesus offered: to the Lost, the wicked, the hated and despised He offers friendship, acceptance, love and forgiveness.

Zacchaeus was ridiculous, but Jesus doesn’t mind, but rather actively befriends Z.

Jesus relates to the outcast, eats with them, identifies with them.

People looking from outside in do not understand WHY, therefore they judge HOW Jesus lived.

3. Why Jesus Lived: to bring Good News for all Humanity

Again Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus shows us WHY - according to Luke and I as I retell this account - WHY Jesus lived the way He did.

Luke 19: 9-10

9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Jesus Lived to Seek the Lost

The Lost is Saved: physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually [needs explaining]

The Lost, once encountered the Truth of Good News, is changed. Zacchaeus changed dramatically and immediately, because he understood the truth of the Good News.

The Lost are offered blessing according the God’s OT promise to Abraham.

Therefore: the Lost, is found, and reunites with God in His Family. This is the Good News.

But I cannot explain to you the full richness of WHY Jesus came to Live without looking at His Death and Resurrection. Because His Death and Resurrection is HOW Jesus Saves. IF there is no Death, no Resurrection, then there is no Salvation and we have wasted our time. Again, I’m telling you, Christianity depends on externally verifiable events which stand on themselves and change us, not the other way round.

You will just have to come back in the next two weeks when I go through them. But if I could take just ONE action that Jesus focussed on fully His whole life, whether he was performing miracles, teaching or befriending sinners: it would be that He lived so that He could die for Humanity and that He Rose to Life again for Humanity as Humanity’s Lord and Messiah the Christ.

4. That Jesus Lived changes Your World

I’ve hit your heads hard I hope. But you are not merely brains, as I can see you have faces, bodies, you have inner beings to which I have no access unless you tell me. So you have hearts. You also have desires, motivations and strong emotions which drive your behaviour, let’s call this “will” [I like the term “Will” ; p]

Luke is a good source, so are the other Gospels, for knowing Jesus’ life, what He did, how He lived and why he lived the way He did. You must ask yourself, for those who are not believers: is this true? Is what Luke and other witnesses and sources have said of Jesus true? NOT whether it works for you, no it probably won’t work well for you. That’s not the point. Ask yourself, is He true? Was He truly born, did He truly teach, did He truly perform those miracles, did He truly dine with sinners, did He truly live to seek and save the lost?

Is He truly the Son of God, chosen to be Saviour and does He truly reveal to us God’s own heart and mind through HIs Life, Death and Resurrection?

Friends I doubt you can answer those without a grasp of Jesus Death and Resurrection. But even coming here today, and even considering and even admitting Luke is most probably [you can’t be certain, you don’t have to be there, you don’t have to see, touch, speak, dine with Jesus] telling the Truth and only the Truth to the best of his ability along with the support of many witnesses, even just making this first step is the right step in the right direction. Come back, seek, ask and you will find.

For those of you who have believed. I want you to be comforted, strengthened, reassured. Like Luke I want you to have certainty of the things which you have been taught! Because the simple truths that you have believed were true, are true and will remain true. You need not be ashamed of Jesus, embarrassed for weird and wonderful news or fearful of scrutiny. Christianity, Jesus has been on the dock, heads have been on chopping board, bodies have been placed on stakes and light as night-time entertainment for years. You won’t get crucified literally, but you will be crucified socially, intellectually, emotionally and relationally, when you speak of the Truth. That’s for sure.

You must expect skeptics, critics and animosity. You must be prepared. You must give reasons for what you hold dear in your head, your heart and your wills because you must love your friends, your family, your mates and your enemies. We must speak the truth in love.

So HOW do we live when we are faced with the Truth of Jesus’ Life?

We are thankful, for ultimately Jesus lived to bring Good News to the Lost.

We must know the truth, understand and equipment ourselves so we may speak the Truth in Love.

 

We’ve got to love this Truth as well. What if we’ve lost it, what if there’s been great fires, or corruptions, erosions, any sort of disaster large or small that have may have denied these Gospels and NT writings? But God has been kind. We have the Truth kept for us: that we who are lost may be saved by this Truth, in the Life of Jesus.