REFLECT

Introduction: Awkward Family Moments
Have you ever been hanging out with a friends family, a young married couple, or even maybe with your good friend and his or her boy or girl friend and you guys laughing and having a great time and all of a sudden you stumble upon a topic of conversation that brings the evening to a halt and turns these two lovable people or this wonderful family into a horde of demons and wild banshees. For instance, you are hanging out with you good buddy who just got married and his wife and you are a having a great evening, great food, and great conversation when you turn and realize that your best buddy’s 72 inch HD Plasma TV is not in it usual place of worship. This is odd to you because you remember in college that your buddy went on a 90 day fast, worked 80 hours a week..on top of finishing his second semester of organic chemistry to buy the TV so you and your boys could watch the NCAA tournament. So you harmlessly mention it . Your buddy slams down the fork and storms out of the room, his wife begins to cry uncontrollably as she continues to eat burnt chicken casserole, and you sit there feeling like a utter jerk but you don’t know why.  Little did you know that on Monday, your buddy’s wife seeking to surprise him, bought a Blue Ray disc player and while trying to hook it up he flipped it over on the floor 6 hours before the biggest football game of the year. Needless to say you walked face first into a dormant family feud, the context of which really haven’t fully grasped.

Setting The Scene
The same is true with the scene we have before us today. We won’t fully grasp the significance of Jesus’ actions unless we understand the context of the family disagreement. Last week Ricky walked us through the  significance of Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. He pointed out the fact that the miracle was to highlight the joy that Jesus would bring to his people through his death on the the cross. This week we see a drastic shift in the temperament of Jesus. On the surface it seems that Jesus is flipping out like a redneck during a WCW wrestling match. But when we understand that the motivation of Jesus’ actions are rooted in thousands of years of Jewish history, the scene makes more sense and the gospel hope Jesus offers meets us at our place of deepest need.

The Temple & The Mission of God (John 2:13-14)
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

The Passover
The Passover was the most important Jewish feast, commemorating God’s dramatic deliverance of the Jews from Egypt on the night of the exodus, when the angel of death “passed over” the firstborn in the homes of those whose doorpost had been marked with blood (Exodus 12, esp. 12:14-16). Furthermore, the Passover linked with the exodus became the supreme image of God’s grace, mercy, and commitment to the covenant He made with Abraham–the father of the Jewish people. The Passover was one of the three annual feasts that all Jewish men were to celebrate in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16). This magnifies Jesus’ actions that take place during one of the most important and highly publicized time in the life of Israel. So Jesus heads to Jerusalem during the passover and enters the temple.

The Tabernacle
In Exodus 25-31, we learn that detailed instructions were given to Moses by God for the building of a sanctuary (miqdas, “holy place” 25:8), a tabernacle (miskan, “dwelling” 25:9), so that God himself could dwell among them (sakan). The divine presence of God was not to be linked to any image because they saw “no form of any kind” when God spoke to them at Hereb (Dt. 4:14). Exodus 25 then provides the specification for the ark that was to be kept in the tabernacle and details the items which were kept near the ark, namely the table for the “bread of the presence” and the lampstand. In the OT the tabernacle and its content were specifically the symbol of God’s continued presence with his people (Nu.10:33-36; 1 Sa. 4:3-9). Since the ark was a chest that containing the tablets of the covenant (10 Commandments), it clearly represented the words of God and by extension the rule of God over the people (Ex. 25:10-22; Dt. 10:1-5). Thus the tabernacle as a whole was supposed to provide a portable expression of God’s presence with the people, to be located at the very center of Israel’s camp so that worship would be the focus of their life as they traveled for Sinai to the promise land (Ex. 40:36-38; Nu. 2). The complex sacrificial system represents the idea that his people could not relate to God on their own terms, but rather God was a King and there was protocol to entering to His holy presence.

The Temple
Just as the tabernacle played a significant role in the early history of Israel, the temple became prominent during the time of David. When the Lord anointed David as king over Israel and blessed David’s attempt to bring the ark into Jerusalem, the implication was that He was adopting David’s city as his sanctuary- the new center of Israel’s life and worship (2 Sa. 6). The temple was finally built by Solomon, but it is easy to see that while the location of the temple was now fixed, the purpose and function of the temple remained. Keeping with the tradition of the exodus God dedicated His new temple much like he did the tabernacle before (1 Ki. 8:1-21). We read that,

“When the priest withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the     priest could not perform their services because of the cloud, the the glory of the Lord filled the     temple.”

(vv.8-11; cf. Ex. 40:35-34). Solomon took this as a sign that the Lord had meant to make the temple his special dwelling and there to reveal His glory as in the tabernacle.

The Failure of Israel
Although the temple was the meeting place of God and man and the symbol of the presence and rule of God for over the people, it was not and certain unconditional. The prophets warned the people that the gift of God with them was contingent on their obedience to the covenant God made with them. If they remained disobedient to the covenant and disregarded the right worship of God then judgment would come by the hand of the Lord Himself. 1 and 2 Kings shows how the function of the temple was corrupted and diminished first by the division of the kingdom and then progressively by the failure of the leaders. When Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC and the Jews were taken captive (2 Ki. 25), this was seen by the prophets as the inevitable result of the rejection of God’s rule by his people. Ezekiel insists that the loss of the temple meant the departure of the glory of God and, with the loss of the presence of God, there was no longer blessing and protection from God on behalf of the people (Ezk. 9:3; 10:4-5; 11:23; 11:16).

Hope of a Better Temple
With the loss of the temple of God and with it the presence and provision of God their King, due to their sin failure Israel never realized or lived up to the purpose for which they were chosen by God. God’s covenant with Abraham carried with it His desire for his people to be a blessing to the nations, but instead the nation rather saw the failure of Israel and the judgment of God. Instead of being a place where the nations would be drawn to worship the one true God, Israel brought shame on God there King. Fast forwarding to the time of Jesus though the temple had been rebuilt by Nehemiah, Ezra, and was currently being rebuilt it never returned to the place it had as the place where God revealed His glory. There was great expectation that the Messiah would come establish a new temple where the presence of God would dwell and the nations would worship.

Failure & The Fornication of False Worship (John 2:15-17)
When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

The Continued Failure of Israel
So Jesus enters the temple and thousands of years of jewish failure is on display before his eyes. At first glance, two groups are portrayed as the target of Jesus’ anger: the sellers of cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers. Those who are selling animals are driven out and those who are exchanging money have their tables flipped and their money scattered. It is true that the message is one of judgement: Jesus’ anger is unleashed against those who are defiling the pure worship of God. But it is not simply the existence of selling animals and the exchange of money that Jesus has beef with.

For instance, the sale of animals was a valuable service for those who traveled to the Passover from afar, allowing them to buy their sacrifices in Jerusalem rather than carrying them for a far distance. Likewise the money changers allowed the males coming to the temple to pay the temple tax in the proper currency. So the existence of the merchants and the money changers is not necessarily the focus of Jesus’ anger but rather the primary issue was that they were set up in,  and he faults the merchants and the money changers for disrupting Gentile worship in the only place that was open to them- the court of the Gentiles- which was par for the course for Israel who made a living defaming the name of God before the nations. This is what Paul is hitting at later in the book of Romans when after he describes the self-centeredness and hypocrisy of Israel, states: “You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?  For it is written, the name of the Lord is blasphemed because of you”  which is also the consensus  of the OT prophets like Ezekiel that reminded Israel that, “His holy name was blasphemed among the nations wherever you went.”

Our Continual Failures
But before you or I look down our noses at the failure of Israel to rightly worship God or the failure of Israel to bring God glory in the midst of those who are yet to know God through the way they live their lives, let’s look at ourselves. What are some ways we dishonor the name of Jesus among those who do not know him?

I see three specific failures that we exhibit that look a lot like the failure of Israel:

1. Fashioning For Ourselves False Gods. During the exodus while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the words of God the children of Israel are seeking to confine God to something they could see and control build for themselves a false God in the form of a golden calf. I believe the underlining sin here was that the people desire to have a God that would give them license to do what ever they wish. The would rather God would bow to them than they bow to God. So they essentially wanted to be their own God. The same is true with us. Some deny the authority of God outright by refusing to accept the God the bible. We affirm the love, mercy and forgiveness of God, while denying God’s ability exercise judgement on our sin, wrath on rebellion, or His ability to condemn or sinful actions. Still others deny the authority of God subtly. We are willing to submit to the rule of God in our lives as long as it does not interfere with the way we want to live our lives. We go to church, nod our heads, say amen but outright deny the rule of in the way we manage our homes, the way we utilize our fiances and possessions, or our willingness to participate in the mission of God to reach our neighbors and friends for the sake of the gospel.
2. The Habitual Trading of God For Other Gods. The book of Judges chronicles Israel cycle of apostasy or the falling away from God. Israel, rather than worship God, would turn to other gods that would meet their temporal needs. God would send other nations to judge Israel. They would then cry out to God. God, in his mercy, would raise up a deliverer to save them, but immediately they would turn back to the other Gods. So they essentially used God. The same is true with us. We would rather have a substitute for God, little functional saviors that can meet our temporal needs. We really only run to God when the bottom drops out of our world. Relationships serve as our savior until the other person leaves for no apparent reason. Our career is our savior until one day we walk into the office, get called into the boss’ office and he cans us. Academic success serves as our savior until we don’t get into the grad school we want. When these false Gods and functional saviors don’t deliver we immediately run to God to get what we want, though what we want is anything but God.
3. Religious Arrogance & The Exploitation of Grace. Throughout the history of Israel we see that that the nation quickly forgot that their status as the people of God was not based on their own ability, greatness, or prominence, but rather the sovereign grace and mercy of God. Thus they readily use their status as the chosen people of God to exclude those who were far from God. They continually forgot that they were meant to be a blessing to the world. So they essentially disregarded the grace of God. The same is true with us. We are recipients of grace. We were all dead and rebellious toward God and for no reason God saved us. But we so quickly forget. Our friends that we use to run with we now ridicule. Our family members that we used to love we now disregard because they just don’t get it. We seek to hold people to standards we don’t keep ourselves. The worst of all we call it Christianity. This is not Christianity, it is religion. Why? Because the Christian remembers the reason that he can see the beauty of Christ is because of grace, the reason he no longer wants the same things from life is because of grace, and the reason that he can enter in to the presence of God though he is a failure is because of grace. Thus the true Christian does not look down his nose at others, but rather just as he was pursued  by grace, he pursues his friends, family, and neighbors with grace.

Jesus Seeks to Restore Right Worship
So Jesus regulates the defaming of the worship of God in the temple. Jesus’ actions could be seen as a fulfillment of the prophet Zechariah’s prophecy that “on that day there will no longer be merchants in the house of the Lord Almighty.” (14:21)  Or it calls into remembrance the words of Malachi that on the coming day of judgment, “suddenly the Lord will…come to his temple” so that the people may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. (3:1-3)
Jesus’ actions also stir the disciples’ memory of how the “righteous suffer” of Ps. 69:9, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” Jesus’ actions reflect the same “zeal” the Lord himself had for His own Holy name.” (Is. 59:17; Ezek. 39:25)

The True Temple & The Cultivation of a People (John 2:18-22)
So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

The Blindness of the Jews
We see quickly the contrast between the disciples who saw Jesus’ actions as a sign or fulfillment of Jesus’ role as the Messiah who would return the right worship of God to Israel and the Jews who blindly missed the significance of the event. The Jews had every right to demand a sign of authority from Jesus as the disciples just show that the proverbial proof was in the pudding. In this case Jesus proceeds to elaborate on the significance of the act he just performed. Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Tabernacle & John
This statement highlights the significance John places on the concept of worship in relation to the temple in his gospel.  His point is that the divine presence of God is no longer bound to certain building or geographic location. But as we learn in John 1, “the Word who was in the beginning with God and was God…became flesh” and took up temporary residence among us. This terminology is very similar to the language of the “tabernacle” in the OT.   John goes on to say, that we have seen his glory, glory as the one and only Son who has come from the Father, full of grace and truth. So John’s point is that in Jesus the glory of God has returned to the people of God. Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of God filling the restored temple is fulfilled in Jesus. God has pitched His ultimate tabernacle in the flesh of Jesus.

The Temple & John
So as we come to chapter 2 John makes it more clear that Jesus is the replacement of the temple. He is the house of prayer for all nations by nature of his death and resurrection. Jesus is the ultimate expression of the presence of God who is actually dwelling among his people. In the body of Jesus the ultimate passover sacrifice is displayed. No longer is the temple the place where the sacrificial offering for sin is made because through the death of Jesus the ultimate sacrifice was paid. What hope! What joy! What forgiveness! In one sense Jesus’ actions in the temple confront our failure to rightly worship God but in the same breath he provides the only way for us to rightly worship God. Just like the OT failures of Israel caused the destruction of the physical temple, all our sin failures caused the destruction of the true temple Jesus. Unlike the physical temple that took 40 years to build Jesus was raised in 3 days. The physical temple was destined to be destroyed again but the true temple Jesus will never be destroyed, and we have life through him.

Jesus Was Jesus Centered
One of the most interesting things about Jesus’ teachings is that he constantly talked about Himself. It is true that he talked about other things like the fatherhood of God and the kingdom of God. But, he added that he was the Father’s, “Son” and he had come to bring God’s kingdom to earth and entry into that kingdom depended on men’s response to Him. He even did not hesitate to call the kingdom of God, “My kingdom.” The self-centeredness of the teaching of Jesus immediately sets him apart from all the other religious teachers of the world. When other leaders pointed people away from themselves saying, “that is the truth,” Jesus pointed people to himself saying, “I am the truth.” You can not read the gospel and not be smacked in the face by Jesus’ use of personal pronouns. For example:

• And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35
• Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
• Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
• Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
• Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…” Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus frequently asked his followers the question, “Who do they say that I am?” He readily affirmed that Abraham (The Father of the Jewish Nation) rejoiced to see his day, and  that the great jewish prophet Moses wrote about him. In Mark 8:29, he stated that the three fold division of the OT- the law, prophets, and writings bore witness that they were “things concerning himself.” The gospel of Luke, describes the dramatic scene when Jesus visited the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth and he was given a scroll from the OT to read and he found the place in the book of Isaiah where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn…” Isaiah 61:1-2

After he was finished he returned the scroll to the attendant and sat down. All the eyes of the congregation were on him, and he broke the silence with the amazing words, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  In other words he was saying, Isaiah wrote this about me.

With such a high opinion of himself, it is not surprising that he called people to himself. Jesus did more than offer invitations, he issued commands–“come to me,” “follow me.” He promised to those who came that he would lift their burdens, satisfy their hunger, and quench the thirst of their dry souls (Matt.11:28-30; Jn. 6:35; 7:37). His followers were to believe in him and confess him before men. What is interesting is that these men recognized the right of Jesus to make such steep demands and claims. In the letters of Paul, Peter, James, and Jude they delight to call themselves his slaves. Jesus made himself the object of their faith and love. When most would say “believe in God”, Jesus said “believe in me.”  “This is the work of God,” he declared “that you believe in him who he has sent” (John 6). The first and greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Yet Jesus made the outrageous claim that men should supremely love him. Luke 14:26. In one more flash of egocentricity, Jesus predicted: “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.” Jesus saw his death and trusted in his death as a magnet and door way that would draw people in.

Jesus’ Direct Claims Of Deity
Jesus clearly believed himself to be the Messiah the OT predicted. He had come to establish the kingdom of God that the prophets had promised for hundreds of years. He assumed the title “Son of Man” which was a recognized Messianic title derived originally from the visions of the prophet Daniel and also the accepted descriptions as the “Son of God”  a messianic tittle taken from Ps. 2:7. He also interpreted his mission on earth as that of the suffering servant described later in Isaiah, who would bear the weight of the sins of people and ultimately usher in the “new heavens and earth.” Matthew 13:16  records the event of Peter confessing faith in Jesus as the Christ. Peter came to recognize that Jesus was not merely just another prophet that was pointing to something greater, but rather Jesus was the one all the prophets were pointing to. In other words, Jesus was not just another sign post but rather he was the destination all the signs were pointing to. These claims are not just in reference to Jesus’ messiahship but his deity. For example his claim to be the Son of God, described the unique and eternal relationship that with God. We see this first, in the close association with God as his Father. Even as a boy he astonished his human parents by his uncompromising desire to be about his Father’s business. And then he made such statements as the following:

• “But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” John  5:17
• “I and My Father are one.” John 10:30
• “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father..” John 14:9

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” John 14 :10, 11
We see the implication of this concept of Jesus being the Son of God in the anger of the Jewish leadership  in John 19:7,  “He made himself the Son of God.”  So close was his identification with God that it was natural to equate what people think of him with their attitude toward God. Thus:

1. To know him was to know God (John 8:19)
2. To see him was to see God (John 14:7)
3. To believe in him was to believe in God (John 12:45)
4. To receive him is to receive God (14:9)
5. To hate him is to hate God (John 12:44)
6. To honour him was to honour God (John 14:1)

There are some general claims which he made to a unique relationship to God, and also he made two direct claims. The first is in the eighth chapter of John. In a controversy with the Jews, He said; “Truly truly I say to you whoever keeps my words he will never taste death.” This was too much for his critics. “Abraham died”, they exploded, “as did the prophets;…Are you greater than our Father Abraham…? Who do you claim to be?” “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day,” Jesus replied. The Jews were confused. “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus replies with one of the most amazing statements in the NT, “Truly truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Then they picked up a stone to kill him. In the Law of Moses, stoning was the penalty for blasphemy. Why were Jesus’ words so controversial? First the “I am” claim was one of eternal existence. Secondly,  “I am was the divine name of God, revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Thus the tittle here was taken by Jesus himself. In fact, there are 17 “I am” statements in the book of John (5 direct and 12 metaphorical). The second example of a direct claim of deity took place after the resurrection of Jesus, when Thomas went to see Jesus before he would believe that Jesus was alive. Jesus showed up and told Thomas to touch him. Thomas preceded to fall at the feet of Jesus and worship him and cry our “my Lord my God.” Jesus accepted the designation. He rebuked Thomas for unbelief, not for worshiping him.

Jesus Indirect Claims of Deity
Jesus’ claims to deity does not stop at the direct claims but also the indirect claims build a lofty case for Jesus being God. On many occasions Jesus exercised function properly reserved for God. Of these I will mention four:

1. The first was the claim that he had the ability to forgive sins. On two separate occasions Jesus forgave a sinner (Mark 2:1-12; Luke 7:36-50). The first time a paralytic was brought to Jesus by his friend through the roof of a house. Jesus saw that his greatest need was spiritual and surprised the crowd by saying to him, “My son your sins are forgiven.” The second instance was a women who was known to be immoral. Jesus was eating a meal in a Pharisee’s house when she came up to him as he reclined at the table, and washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with oil. And Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” On both cases the bystanders commented, “Who is this? What type of blasphemy is this? Who can forgive sin but God only?”
2. The second claim was that he was the source of life. He described himself as the “bread of life”, “the life”, and the “resurrection and the life.” He described the dependance of his followers on him as sustenance that a vine provides to the branches. He offered “living water” to the Samaritan women and eternal life to the rich young ruler if he would follow him. He called himself the good shepherd that not only lays down his life for his sheep but gives them life. He told the people that God had given him authority over all flesh that he should give life. “The Son gives life to whom He wills.” (John 6:35; 14:6; 11:25; 15:4,5; 4:10-15; Mark 10:17, 21; John 10:28; 17:2; 5:21).
3. The third claim was that he taught the truth. It was not so much the truth he taught as it was the manner and authority in which he taught them. The people who heard him were impressed with his wisdom. Jesus’ authority was not like a scribe or even the normal prophet. Scribes never taught without quoting their authority. Prophets spoke with the authority of God. But Jesus claimed an authority of His own. His formula was not “Thus says the Lord.”, but “Truly truly I say to you.”  He did acknowledge His Father as the source but he spoke with great assurance. He never hesitated or apologized.
4. The fourth claim was that he would judge the world. This was probably one of the most fantastic statements of Jesus. Several of his parables (stories that have a deeper spiritual meaning) implied that the end of world would wait for him to return and judge. He will sit on the throne of his glory and the  judgement will be committed to him by his Father. Some will be invited to inherit the kingdom and others will hear, “Depart from me you are cursed into the eternal fire” (Matt. 25:31-46). Not only will Jesus be the judge, but criterion for judgment will be how you responded to Jesus.”He who believes in him will have life but those who do not believe are condemned already.” (John 3:16-19).

Jesus’ Dramatized Claims of Deity
Finally we have Jesus’ miracles which have been described as his dramatized claims. We will not argue the purpose and possibility of miracles. But, it is safe to say that the value of Christ’s miracles lies less in their supernatural power and more in spiritual reality. They function as parables of the acts of Jesus. This means that the sign or miracle, like a parable points to a deeper spirituality and reveals facets of the person of Jesus.

John saw this clearly when he constructed his gospel which is constructed around 7 signs that point to who Jesus is in order that you might believe in him. The first sign was the changing of the water to wine at the wedding feast in John 2. The purpose was that we would see the contrast of the dead religion of the Jews with the joy that Jesus was able to create as the Messiah. Similarly the feeding of the 5,000 illustrated his ability to meet the deepest hunger of the human heart. A little later he opened the eyes of a blind man after previously saying, “I am the light of the world.” Finally he brought a man back to life named Lazarus who had been dead for four days and claimed he was “the resurrection and the life.”

Jesus God? So What?
As think through my life and the stages that brought me to where I am at today three profound things in relation to Jesus claim of deity stand out:

• If Jesus is God then I have a tangible expression of God that meets my empirical need to know God.

When I was younger I was a skeptic and to a certain extent I still am today. I needed tangible evidence for my friends claim of God. I want to see God. So for me the notion that Jesus is God was amazing. Now I can see through the scriptures that God was one who love relentlessly, sympathizes immediately, and cares fully for all my needs. He is the God who entered into time and space and proved Himself through His life, death, and resurrection.

• If Jesus is God then I finally have someone to worship that is worthy of all my affections.

Prior to knowing Jesus I was a huge hedonist. I wanted to experience the full extent of pleasure, so I sought to fill my life with sex, drugs, and extreme things. I know now that I really was seeking to fill this deep desire to worship. I needed something that could fill my ravenous soul. The problem was everything I tried fell short and left me empty. But when I was found by Jesus, I for the first time had someone who was worthy of my deep affections. It was precisely because Jesus was God that my infinite desire to express worship was fill in Christ.

• If Jesus is God then I finally have someone that can erase my guilt and failure.

It was not to long before I relieved that I was a failure and a hypocrite. I held people to standard I could not meet myself. I sinned constantly against myself and others. I hurt people. I was selfish. I belittled the standard of God with my life. But if Jesus is God then he is big enough to bear and erase my failure through his death on the cross. He is my only hope to meet God because he is the God who met me in my deepest need.

Jesus is God… Believe by HIS grace!