Jesus Christ, the Father’s perfect likeness!
He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty Hebrews 1:3 ISV.
In times past God hid himself from men. He clothed his glory and brightness with clouds and chose to dwell in a Temple made with hands, hidden in the Holy of Holies. No man could look upon him as he truly is and live. Only Moses was allowed to see his back parts while hiding in the cleft of the Rock. (Jesus)
This man Jesus lived a normal life, called the carpenter’s son by the locals. We know through God’s word that he had brothers and sisters who had no idea who he really was but Mary and Joseph knew and they treasured this secret in their hearts. There was an ongoing lingering suffering that they both experienced because of those who knew that Mary was with child before they were joined together as man and wife. Jesus also had to bear this false gossip that was repeated by the evil Pharisees one day after he had rebuked them. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” John 8:41 NASB.
Obviously they had heard about this through the gossip from the people that knew Mary and Joseph and used it to insult Jesus, thus calling him falsely one born through sin.
It was at the wedding in Cana that his ministry began and his glory displayed by changing water into wine, a “New Creation”. That miracle symbolized the greater miracle of being Born Again, a New Creation by God himself, born from above as Jesus told Nicodemus the Pharisee.
The disciples and the masses had no idea of who this man from Galilee was but they knew God was with him by the great miracles he performed. Even a Pharisee acknowledged that a man could not do these signs and wonders except God be with him? If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. John 9:33 KJV.
This was said after Jesus had opened the eyes of a man born blind. I always loved reading how Jesus spat on the ground, mixed the dirt and spittle together and put it in the blind man’s eye sockets; do you really understand what he did? He displayed the power he used in creation, he created NEW EYES! God created man from the dust of the earth. We are composed of organic matter which is found in the ground along with water, when Jesus mixed the two together he made new eyes! (All things were created by him and for him)
When these things took place his brothers at first *mocked him but later we learn that he saved them also. The Bible tells us that they were his half-brothers/sisters, having the same mother but different Fathers; he was born from above through the Holy Spirit and they were born from below through Joseph. Jesus revealed his glory on the** Mount as God the Word in human flesh. He is Emanuel, God with us and all of the fullness of the God dwells in him! (The brightness of God was seen shining through his flesh on that Mount) This is why when asked to see the Father, Jesus replied; how long have I been with you and you don’t know me, when you see me, you see the Father also. He is our God walking with his people and after his resurrection actually dwelling in them as he had promised from his word in the Old Testament and confirmed in the New Testament.
Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 2-Corinthians 6: 16 NASB.
So now we see clearly that Jesus is the second Adam and the perfect likeness of God as we read in the Book of Hebrews. Sinless in his flesh God himself dwelling in him, hidden to eyes but revealed through his words and works. How marvelous that God himself would eat drink and walk with his created men and women. As the Apostle John wrote that they had seen his glory and his humanity and how wonderful that we believers are in his family as his own children by adoption. This should bring praise and adoration of our Lord and Savior Jesus on this day as well as every day.
*For even his own brothers did not believe in him. John 7: 5 NIV.
**As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Matthew 17: 2 NLT.
Some have twisted God’s word by denying that Jesus had brothers and sisters by saying that the word’s reference to them was of those who followed him, this is ridiculous because his followers did believe in him and his brothers were in the house with him when they mocked him. The word declares them as “His own brothers”. After the birth of Jesus Mary and Joseph had more children, son’s and daughters. This came as God blessed their marriage, the wife with many sons was a sign of blessing in the eyes of the Jews. As today, children are gifts from God. It is always wise to rightly divide the word of God and it comes with a warning in the Book of Revelation that those who add or “Twist the word” as we are told in the New Testament will suffer dire consequences! Revelation 22: 18
Author Ken
March 2014