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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Greater than a Prophet: Jesus in Contrast to Mohammed
Our New Testament reading comes from Luke chapter 10. We see our Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration. "Behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem".
Jesus was seen talking with Moses and Elias in this instance and they were talking about the death of our Lord. What was the response of Peter to this incident? Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
Peter, on seeing the glory of our Lord equated Him with the prophets, Moses and Elijah. What happened then? Verse 35 tells us, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him'. God, the Father came down to set apart His Son from the prophets.
We should understand three important truths from this passage. 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ is greater than Moses and Elijah. Our Lord, being the Creator of all things, was the Creator of Moses and Elijah.
Our Muslim friends equate Jesus with prophets who preceded and succeeded Him. However, we should remember that our Lord is the God of all prophets.
2. What did He talk with Moses and Elijah? They were talking about his death, the crucifixion awaiting Him in Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to save us from our sins and their eternal penalty. He loved us to the extent that He came down to this planet as a Human Being to go to the cross and to pay the penalty of our sins.
What a great Savior we have in Jesus? Our Muslim friends deny the cross of our Lord bases on the passages of Quran that deny the cross. But we should remember that humanity has hope only through the cross.
3. Thirdly, we should also see the witness of God the Father about God, the Son. Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of God. We should not allow our natural inclination to imagine the Son of God as a person born out of the womb of God. God the Son did not originate from God the Father, as Quran misunderstands the trinity. Throughout eternity, God the Son preexisted with God the Father. In other words, the Father and Son terminology is used only to show us the affectionate relationship between them. Jesus, God the Son is co-equal with God the Father and co-existent with Him throughout the eternity.
What a beautiful life Jesus lived in this world! In verses 51 to 56 of this chapter we Jesus dealing with the people of a Samaritan village who refused to admit Him because He was on His way to Jerusalem, a city of the Jews, with whom the Samaritans were not on good terms. When the people refused to receive Jesus, his disciples James and John immediately gave an advice to our Lord, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"
When the disciples encouraged the Lord to deal with the resisters as Prophet Elijah did, how did Jesus respond? Verse 55 informs us: But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy lives, but to save them."
For the Son of Man is not come to destroy lives, but to save them
Take a moment and contrast the life of our Lord with that of Mohammad. Ibn Ishaq, in his great biography of Mohammad tells how the founder of Islam used to respond to his resisters. Men were brutally killed, women were raped and entire villages were decimated at the point of the sword. Quran, allegedly inspired writing of Mohammad, commands his followers at least 114 times to punish or kill the people who oppose their message.
But our Lord Jesus Christ told that He came not to destroy lives, but to save them. To save us, Jesus, in fact gave His own life on the cross. He raised again and wants to save us from our sins and offer us the forgiveness of our sins and make us worthy to enter the kingdom of God.
What a blessed Savior we have in Jesus!
Jesus was seen talking with Moses and Elias in this instance and they were talking about the death of our Lord. What was the response of Peter to this incident? Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
Peter, on seeing the glory of our Lord equated Him with the prophets, Moses and Elijah. What happened then? Verse 35 tells us, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him'. God, the Father came down to set apart His Son from the prophets.
We should understand three important truths from this passage. 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ is greater than Moses and Elijah. Our Lord, being the Creator of all things, was the Creator of Moses and Elijah.
Our Muslim friends equate Jesus with prophets who preceded and succeeded Him. However, we should remember that our Lord is the God of all prophets.
2. What did He talk with Moses and Elijah? They were talking about his death, the crucifixion awaiting Him in Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to save us from our sins and their eternal penalty. He loved us to the extent that He came down to this planet as a Human Being to go to the cross and to pay the penalty of our sins.
What a great Savior we have in Jesus? Our Muslim friends deny the cross of our Lord bases on the passages of Quran that deny the cross. But we should remember that humanity has hope only through the cross.
3. Thirdly, we should also see the witness of God the Father about God, the Son. Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of God. We should not allow our natural inclination to imagine the Son of God as a person born out of the womb of God. God the Son did not originate from God the Father, as Quran misunderstands the trinity. Throughout eternity, God the Son preexisted with God the Father. In other words, the Father and Son terminology is used only to show us the affectionate relationship between them. Jesus, God the Son is co-equal with God the Father and co-existent with Him throughout the eternity.
What a beautiful life Jesus lived in this world! In verses 51 to 56 of this chapter we Jesus dealing with the people of a Samaritan village who refused to admit Him because He was on His way to Jerusalem, a city of the Jews, with whom the Samaritans were not on good terms. When the people refused to receive Jesus, his disciples James and John immediately gave an advice to our Lord, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"
When the disciples encouraged the Lord to deal with the resisters as Prophet Elijah did, how did Jesus respond? Verse 55 informs us: But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy lives, but to save them."
For the Son of Man is not come to destroy lives, but to save them
Take a moment and contrast the life of our Lord with that of Mohammad. Ibn Ishaq, in his great biography of Mohammad tells how the founder of Islam used to respond to his resisters. Men were brutally killed, women were raped and entire villages were decimated at the point of the sword. Quran, allegedly inspired writing of Mohammad, commands his followers at least 114 times to punish or kill the people who oppose their message.
But our Lord Jesus Christ told that He came not to destroy lives, but to save them. To save us, Jesus, in fact gave His own life on the cross. He raised again and wants to save us from our sins and offer us the forgiveness of our sins and make us worthy to enter the kingdom of God.
What a blessed Savior we have in Jesus!
The Christian's Responsibility Towards the Jews
Today's Old Testament devotion comes fromEsther chapter 9 and 10. The book revolves around the story of Esther and Mordecai. Haman wanted to destroy the Jewish race because Mordecai did not bow before him. Haman designed history's first holocaust of the Jews. But God used Mordecai and Esther at this crucial point to save the Jewish people. It is interesting that we do not find God mentioned in this book. However, God acted behind the scenes according to His providence and will to save His people.
Today's world is no different from Haman's world. The contemporary world is replete with Hamans who want to exterminate Jews. Persons like Ahmenijad, the Iranian President and organizations like Hamas are viciously planning to abolish Jewish people. In a world like ours, what is our responsibility towards the Jews? Every Christian woman should be like Esther praying before God for the welfare of the Jews and every Christian man should be like Mordecai striving for the beneficence of the Jewish people. That is the Christian answer to the anti-Semitism which is brewing around the world.
Today's world is no different from Haman's world. The contemporary world is replete with Hamans who want to exterminate Jews. Persons like Ahmenijad, the Iranian President and organizations like Hamas are viciously planning to abolish Jewish people. In a world like ours, what is our responsibility towards the Jews? Every Christian woman should be like Esther praying before God for the welfare of the Jews and every Christian man should be like Mordecai striving for the beneficence of the Jewish people. That is the Christian answer to the anti-Semitism which is brewing around the world.
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