Conclusion
We must get to know Jesus more deeply. We must realize the truth that the knowledge
of Jesus Christ is the most valuable (Phil. 3:8). Jesus is the Word made flesh
(Jn. 1:14). Jesus, who became the
“Word,” is self-existent (Exod. 3:14) and was with God the Father, and this
Word is God (Jn. 1:1). God the Father, Jesus the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit are one (Trinity God). The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has the attributes
that only God has, and also does what only God can do. The Bible says that God the Father,
Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God and are all equal, and that God
is one. In other words, the Bible says
that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three persons and one
God. Jesus, “the Word” God, the perfect
God without beginning, the perfect man, the eternal man, was conceived by the
Holy Spirit and became “flesh” (man) through the virgin Mary, the descendant of
a woman. Its purpose is to dwell among
us, to be a mediator between God and us, and to be a peace offering. Therefore, Jesus, the Word became flesh, had a
beginning (birth) and an end (death) on this earth. The purpose is to make us, who have a
beginning and an end on this earth, who are spiritually dead and eternally
dead, become eternal people who live forever in the eternal kingdom of heaven,
where there is no beginning and no end. Therefore,
we must have confidence that the Word became flesh. We must live a victorious life in which we
fight and overcome spiritual warfare with the power of God by faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the perfect God, perfect man, and eternal man. And we must imitate Jesus and live a life of
service. We live a life of service, but
like Jesus, we must live a life of service that can support our lives. In other words, we must serve until death like
Jesus (Phil. 2:8).
Matthew
20:28 says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This word refers to the suffering of
Jesus Christ in a broad sense. Jesus
Christ became a man and suffered while he lived on earth for 33 years. The suffering of Jesus is not only the death
of the cross at the age of 33, but also suffered when He was young. In other words, when Jesus was young, He
experienced a life of refuge (Mt. 2:13-18).
The reason Jesus, who came to this earth to die at God's appointed time
(Gal. 4:4), fled to Egypt was because God's appointed time to die was not yet
come. During his 33-year life on earth,
Jesus often fled and hid Himself, because the time for his death appointed by
God had not yet come. Then, Jesus died
at the time appointed by God (Rom. 5:6).
But before that, Jesus said that He would die in Jerusalem, the place
appointed by God (Mt. 16:21). Jesus not
only said that the place where He would die was Jerusalem, but also said, ‘He
must be raised up on the third day” (v. 21).
In other words, Jesus prophesied that He would be resurrected on the
third day after His death. Then, in the
process of fulfilling the prophecy, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, suffered, and
prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:39-46): “Abba, Father, … everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mk. 14:36).
Jesus prayed very fervently (Lk. 22:44). He prayed until Heavenly Father answered (Mt.
26:42, 44). After receiving an answer to
His prayer, Jesus boldly went out against the evil horde that came to capture Him
and His 11 disciples (Mt. 26:46). The
Lord's amazing power (authority) appeared (Jn. 18:4-6). In this way, after Jesus prayed in Gethsemane,
when a large crowd came to arrest Him, He was able to escape. But He did not escape and was captured. And Jesus was tried by Pilate, the Roman governor
(Jn. 18:28-19:16). Pilate, knowing that
Jesus was innocent (Jn.:18:38; 19:4, 6), tried four times to let Jesus go, but
failed (19:12; Lk. 23:23). So eventually,
he sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Then
the chief priests had two other criminals [the two vicious robbers (Mt 27:38,
44; Mk 15:27)] go to Golgotha with Jesus. The reason was to let the crowd know that
Jesus was the same person as those two robbers.
And Jesus was crucified with two robbers, and then passers-by, along
with the chief priests, the scribes, and elders, insulted and mocked Jesus. Why was crucified Jesus ridiculed, mocked,
and insulted? It was because of our
sins. Jesus suffered all the ridicule,
mock, and insults we deserve. Jesus said
seven words on the cross: (1) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing” (Lk. 23:34), (2) “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me
in paradise” (23:43), (3) “Woman, behold, your son!” (Jn. 19:26), (4) “Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani” (this word means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me”) (Mt. 27:46), (5) “I am thirsty” (Jn. 19:28), (6) “It is finished” (v. 30),
(7) “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk. 23:46). After Jesus had thus spoken His seven words, He
was crucified and died. Jesus, who died
and was buried for our sins according to the Scriptures, rose again on the
third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). “But we do not want you to be uninformed,
brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the
rest who have no hope. For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have
fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say
to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord” (1
Thess.4:13-17). In this way, Jesus, who
came to this earth at God's appointed time (Gal. 4:4) and who died at God's
appointed time (Rom. 5:6), will return to this earth at God's appointed time (1
Tim. 6:14-15). Jesus, who came to this
earth to fulfill God's will, fulfilled God’s will at God's time. We, too, must imitate Jesus and do God's will
in God's time.
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