He Will Be Called the Son of God

One of the most fascinating things about the our current interest in the life and meaning of Jesus for our times is that much of what is being written comes from the State of Israel and is being written by Jews. In fact, the output of these writings  is much higher than from so-called Christian country. It is very interesting what they’re saying about Jesus.

• May Nordav, cofounder withTheodore Herzl of the Zionist movement wrote: “Jesus is a soul of our soul as he is flesh of our flesh. Who then would want to exclude him from the Jewish people.”
• Martin Buber the Great Jewish philosopher and humanist wrote: “Jesus is our older brother who cannot fit into the usual human categories.”
• Shalom Ben-Chorin writes in his book: “Brother Jesus—the Nazarene from a Jewish Viewpoint—I feel his brotherly hand which grasps mine so that I can follow him.”
• David Flusser writes: “In Jesus we have a Jew talking to Jews: from him you can learn how to pray, fast, and love your neighbor You can learn the meaning of the Sabbath and find help understanding God’s kingdom and of judgment.”

However there is a dividing line between what Jews are writing about Jesus and Christians are writing. Shalom Ben-Chorin put it this way:  “The face of Jesus unites us, Jews and Christians—but faith in Jesus divides us.” The fact is people of the Christian faith say things about Jesus of Nazareth that Jews would never say. The dividing of the faith is perhaps best illustrated in a scripture of the morning where in Luke the angel Gabriel tells Mary: “You shall bear a son and he shall be great and shall be called the son of God.”

Whatever theology one derives from the birth stories in Matthew and Luke, they speak to the faith of the early Church that shows Jesus, in their eyes, as different from anyone who ever came before, including Moses, Joshua, Elisha, and David to name a few. However, angels did not announced their birth. Shepherds and wise men did not make a holy pilgrimage to their birthplace. Genealogies were not worked out for them. John the Baptist did not precede them to prepare the way. Go through the happenings one by one that are reported from his birth and through the events of his life, you will find the events and people are all unique to him.

In fact, the whole Gospel record is written by those who believe that Jesus on earth was different from all other humans. The Gospel writer John sums it up this way (John Chapter 20, Verse 30-31): “Now Jesus did many other things in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these acts are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and the son of God, and in believing you may have life in his name.”

In spite of the criticism of the historic accuracy of the New Testament writers, the record of the life of Jesus is still far superior to any other religious founders and leaders. Most of the New Testament writers wrote in what would’ve been the normal lifespan of Jesus. Had Jesus lived out his natural life, he probably would have been living when Paul, Mark, Matthew and Luke wrote. This takes up three-fourths of the New Testament.

It is conceivable the whole New Testament was written by 70 AD. Bishop A. T. Robinson recently wrote a book to defend this thesis. He looked at Gautama Buddha and Confucius, both who lived 500 years before Christ. Nothing was written about them for 500 years after their life. Very little is known about the life of Mohammed from eye witnesses. He wrote the Koran, what we know about was written many years after he left. It takes libraries to contain the literature written in the first three centuries after Christ about the life of Jesus and the early Christian church.

It is true the early Christian writers were not concerned with history, as such. However, the story was the Medium for the Message, as John says: “I write these things and tell you about his mighty works that you might believe in him.” But, this does not take away from the veracity of the events he narrated. One further thing, historians begin at the beginning of the story of a life and try to work through subject’s history. The early church began at the other end of history. The Gospel writers lived with Jesus and experienced him personally. The followers came to believe in Jesus, because of the witness of Christ made by these writers. The early followers began with belief. Also, the Gospel writers wrote from beyond the crucifixion and resurrection. They were mediums interpreting the faith. They were speaking of what the acts of Jesus’s and the disciples meant to them.

When the Gospel writers said Jesus was sent by God, they were not saying there were two gods. They were saying instead that Jesus functioned as God, as he lived with them on earth. When they looked into the face of Jesus, they saw God. This was the God who from the beginning was known more fully than ever through the face of Jesus of Nazareth. This was the face that God chose for Jesus in this world, which was a real true and single face.

The Gospel writers said that since there is no other God than the one revealed in Jesus, Jesus is the universal witness to who God is. Yes, other humans encountered God apart from Christ—if it is the real god they encounter—but it is the reality found in the face of Jesus Christ they encounter. What happens with Jesus is therefore only from God. In the claim of Jesus, God’s claim is made known. The word of Jesus is God’s word. His will is God’s will. His action is God’s action made known in the world.

In Jesus of Nazareth, God calls humankind to the way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, but by me.” When you walk in the way of Christ, you are walking in God’s way. As the Council of Nicaea put it: “In Jesus, one true God is present—not as a second god—or demigod—but in the life of Jesus—he was really God in the present with us—in the flesh and blood—and in the sacraments of the Lord’s supper we bear witness to the presence of the living God, the body and life blood of Jesus of Nazareth.

It was with this kind of faith that the early Church looked back at the life of Jesus of Nazareth and said: “We behold his glory as the only begotten of the father.” Thus the Roman Centurion saw him die he exclaimed: “Truly this was the son of God.”  Thomas when he saw the risen Lord and was offered a chance to touch his wounds fell down in adoration and exclaimed: “My Lord and my God.”

I can illustrate this with personal experience. Once, I was crossing the old Siletz bridge at the Oregon coast at a very high tide and in a great storm. I saw the ocean nearly take to bridge away as I was crossing it. It suddenly dawned on me that I was only looking at a very small part of the ocean as it came into Siletz Bay. I thought how powerful, wild and untamed the ocean was. I had not seen all the ocean that day, but I saw the real ocean at work, and thereafter, I would know what the ocean was like.

This is what the early Church was telling us in the Gospel story. The life and love and work is in the power and face of Jesus of Nazareth. We have seen God as we see him in and in no other place.

So we come to the cradle-manger in Bethlehem. With the shepherds and wisemen we look into the face of a baby. Our faith tells us that this baby is different from any other baby born into the world. For in the life, work, word and the loving acts this one, God comes into focus for us as he does in no other way. We too kneel and worship him. Then, we go out into the world to do the loving acts in his name and tell the world about him.

In a sense we are more like the Centurion than the disciples. For we are more outsiders—unlike the disciples, we did not live with him for three years. We can only encounter the one true God in his life and ministry.  When we encounter him, we exclaim as the Roman outsider: “Truly this is the son of God!” And, we fall down and worship him.