The Purpose of Jesus’ Coming
JESUS NEVER CONCEALED who He was, where He came from or what
He was doing down here on earth. In a previous article-- ‘’Did He Say That?”--I have mentioned that certain religious circles
assert Jesus never made a claim He was the Son of God, but I have found about
120 references in the gospels where He had referred to His divinity—directly
and indirectly. Out of them I picked out 60 of His statements and wrote the above-mentioned essay. In the following essay I am quoting ten more statements of Jesus in His
own words (with my own comments) about the purpose of His coming:
1) Matthew 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I
did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I
came to accomplish their purpose”.
The moral and ceremonial law God gave man through Moses was for
the purpose to make it possible for men to love and obey God. Law and grace
(the combination of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness) are both aspects
through which God deals with mankind. Moses emphasized God’s law and justice
while Jesus came to reveal God’s mercy, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness.
Moses was the giver of law, but Jesus came to fulfill the law. The nature and will of God that were revealed
in the law, are now explained by Jesus. He did not abolish any of the law, nor
did introduce any new ones. The religious leaders who had the opportunity to
study the law and taught it down the
centuries have wandered away from its original meaning and purpose and turned
it into a mass of complicated rules and regulations, but Jesus exposed their
falsehood and reinterpreted the law as
it applies to the common man day today. As we get to know Christ better, our
understanding of God and His laws will increase.
2) Matthew 9:13 “I have come to call not those who
think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Jesus identified Himself with the people at the bottom rung
of the society and associated freely with sex workers, tax collectors, the
handicapped and chronically ill men and women. This hurt His reputation among
the hypocritical Temple
authorities. “It is the sick who need a physician” Jesus answered them, “I have
come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they
are sinners.” Those who think they are good enough can’t be saved because
the first step in accepting Jesus and the salvation He offers is, to
acknowledge our lost state, our need for salvation. When we humble ourselves
before Him, confess our dependence on Him and place our trust in Him, He will
accept us and reward us with everlasting life.
3) Matthew 10:34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring
peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.
This statement of Jesus is frequently misunderstood by Christians
or glossed over by preachers. “My peace I give you, not the peace the world
gives,” He said in John 14:27.
Earthly peace tends to ignore the deep divide between the philosophy of the
world and Christian truth, in the interest of superficial harmony. Christian
commitment may separate friends and loved ones. If there is a family where some
are believers and others are not, sharp
conflicts between members of the family are inevitable. As we take up the cross
and follow Christ, our different values, morals, and goals will set us apart
from others. Historically, men have been always divided over the identity of
Jesus Christ. Commitment to your family is important, but commitment to the
Lord is more so. The above verse is not at variance with the truth that Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
4) Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and
save those who are lost.”
Why did Jesus have to die? Paul answers that in Romans 8:3: ‘’The law of Moses was
unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what
the law could not do. He sent His Son in a body like the bodies sinners have.
And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His
Son as a sacrifice for our sins’’. Also, see Romans 3:23 “For
everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”. Mankind was
headed towards total annihilation as a result of sin. God’s holiness
demanded that He either allow them to perish or rescue them from spiritual
death, from eternal separation from God and from hell. And in His mercy he
decided to sacrifice His son—the God-designated High Priest who carried His own
blood into the altar of Calvary and offered Himself as our sin offering once and
for all.
5) Mark 1:38 “We must go on to other towns as well,
and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”
Previous verses
say that Simon Peter and others were looking for Jesus while He was praying in
solitude. Jesus agreed that the work at hand was important and urgent, but a ministry
that was not founded on intense prayer
meant we are trying to run ahead of God. It is necessary we get our priority right,
wait on the Lord and follow the directions of the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached
about the Kingdom
of God
6) Mathew 20:28 “For even the Son of Man came not to be
served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus practiced
what He preached. When he wanted to demonstrate to them the virtues of humility,
He went and washed the feet of His disciples! He taught ‘’ the greatest among
you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who
serves”(Luke 22:26);
Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5);
“Take My yoke
upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29, 30). “Anyone who doesn’t
receive the Kingdom
of God
.
7) Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for
he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed
will be set free”
Jesus told His
disciples “everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and
in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke
24:44). When Jesus was called to preach at a synagogue at Nazareth
8) John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven to do the
will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.
Jesus did not
work independently of God the Father, but in union with Him. His purpose was to
do the will of God, not to satisfy His human desires. He emphasized on His
relationship with the ffather during His ministry. Please see John 4:34: ‘‘My nourishment comes from
doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work’’; also John 5:20
“For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In
fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this
man. Then you will truly be astonished”. God Himself endorsed this. At the
mount of Transfiguration God’s voice sounded behind a cloud saying “This is My
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him”.(Mathew 17:5). A commandment like that coming direct from the
Father God, leaves us no other option!
9)
John 10:10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and
destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
“Life is a
waste, waste” lamented Solomon “It is useless like chasing after wind”. But
Jesus came so that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. The life He gives us is
eternal, but it begins the moment you open your heart’s door to the Lord. He
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and
blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus
Christ to Himself. The life Jesus has given us is a precious gift and we cannot
to throw it away for the cheap and unworthy pleasures of the world. James warns
us “If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God”
(James 4:4).
10) John 18:37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus
responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world
to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is
true.”
Jesus summarises the purpose of visiting the earth in His human incarnation -- I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth.
Jesus’ affirmation He was a king had rattled the ruler of
the land and frightened him. That he was there to testify the truth, confused
him further, an official of the Roman government that ruled the nations through
treacheries, lies, threats and violence. He knew Jesus was speaking the truth,
but chose to ignore it and give in to the lies of His opponents by handing Him
over to be crucified.
His death brought us eternal life. “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful
nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he
forgave all our sins” (Colossians 2:13). Let us allow the Lord Holy Spirit to be
the driving force of our lives.
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