Why Jesus? What makes him...
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Why Jesus? What makes him different? How is he unlike every other person? Why
should we pay attention to him? Unless Jesus is special, there's little point in following
him. If he isn't distinct, let's call off Sunday services and seal the church doors. We can
live as we please, enjoy our greed, and fornicate without guilt. Why Jesus?
First, he produced the right credentials. Did Jesus carry a driver's license issued by the Israel DMV or the Galilee Highway Patrol? He brought far better credentials. Suppose someone predicted the family, place of birth, the lifestyle, the teachings, and details of the death of a person to be born in 3000 A.D. We document those predictions and place them in a time capsule so people who live a thousand years from now can verify them.
In Psalm 22, written about 1000 B.C., David predicted the circumstances of Jesus' death. Details included the fact that bystanders would gamble for his clothes. Later, Isaiah (9:1- 7) predicted his place of residence. Micah (5:20) forecasted Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace. We plan many events, but we can't control where we shall be born, or to whom. Few manage the particulars of their death. These predictions, all written centuries before Jesus lived, are documented. No other person's arrival on earth has been pre- announced in such a way. Jeremiah said he would come from David's family, and "This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 33:16).
First, he produced the right credentials. Did Jesus carry a driver's license issued by the Israel DMV or the Galilee Highway Patrol? He brought far better credentials. Suppose someone predicted the family, place of birth, the lifestyle, the teachings, and details of the death of a person to be born in 3000 A.D. We document those predictions and place them in a time capsule so people who live a thousand years from now can verify them.
In Psalm 22, written about 1000 B.C., David predicted the circumstances of Jesus' death. Details included the fact that bystanders would gamble for his clothes. Later, Isaiah (9:1- 7) predicted his place of residence. Micah (5:20) forecasted Bethlehem as Jesus' birthplace. We plan many events, but we can't control where we shall be born, or to whom. Few manage the particulars of their death. These predictions, all written centuries before Jesus lived, are documented. No other person's arrival on earth has been pre- announced in such a way. Jeremiah said he would come from David's family, and "This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 33:16).
