On July 06, 2000, Hugh Downs
the guest host on the Larry King Live Show lead
a round table discussion on the questions, "Who
is Jesus? And why is there such a fascination
with that question now?" Among his guests was
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Dean of Oxford L'chaim
Society. During the discussion, Boteach said,
"Jesus was a great teacher, a very ethical,
moral, human being—perhaps in our opinion, not a
prophet, but certainly a phenomenal teacher and
Christianity is a great world religion …and
while I agree he is a great light, once we say
he is the only light, this is what leads to all
kinds of spiritual racism and a division between
Jews and Christians."
Frankly, I don't believe
Rabbi Boteach when he speaks highly of Jesus and
Christianity. If he really thought Jesus was a
great teacher, wouldn't he follow His teaching?
How can he call Jesus ethical and moral and
accuse His followers of being spiritual racists
for teaching what He taught? Rabbi Boteach,
concluded that Jesus is ethical and moral and a
good teacher. How can he do that. If Jesus is
not the way, the truth and the life, as He said
He is, then He is a liar. A liar is neither
ethical nor moral. With all due respect to Rabbi
Boteach, if he ever comes to the Father it will
be through Jesus-the only light, it will not be
by any other path.
John 14:6 NASB "I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the
Father, but through Me."
JESUS
Faster than a speeding
bullet. More powerful than a speeding
locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a
single bound. He's not a bird nor plane, but the
character of Superman may be a representation of
Jesus Christ in some ways. The scheduled opening
of the latest Superman film this summer has many
people drawing a connection between the comic
book superhero who returns from a deathlike
absence to save the world, and Jesus Christ the
Savior of the World. The preview of the movie
shows the hero with his eyes closed as the voice
of his father tell him he was sent to Earth
because humans "lack the light to show the way."
The voice continues saying, "For this reason, I
have sent them you, my only son."
When Superman was first
introduced in the 1930s, he was a hero of the
New Deal, cleaning up the nation's slums and
helping those who could not help themselves.
When Superman moved to television in the 1950s,
he became a crime fighter battling urban
lawlessness. The television program of that era
portrayed Superman as an idealized father
figure.
Some people see a connection
in the names of characters. Superman's father is
"Jor-El" and his name is "Kal-El." Both names
contain "El", the name for God in Hebrew. Motion
picture images seem to support the connection.
At one point Superman sustains stab wound
reminiscent of the spear jabbed in Jesus' side,
and later he poses with his arms outstretched
resembling crucifixion. Steve Skelton, author of
a book explaining the parallels between Superman
and Jesus said, "It is so on the nose that
anyone who has not caught on that Superman is a
Christ figure, you think 'Who else could it be
referring to?'"
—http://cnn.worldnews, Jesus
Christ Superman, June 14, 2006. Illustration by
Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.
("Superman Returns" is a
Warner Brothers Film)
John 3:16-17 (NIV) ["For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did
not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him.
JESUS
In his book, America’s
Prophet: Moses and the American Story, Bruce
Feiler, makes the claim that America’s true
founding father was Moses.
Tracing the references to
Moses’ words in American history, documents, and
monuments, he builds a case that Moses was the
model that led America to her greatness and is
the model leaders should follow to get out of
the current crisis.
Feiler even makes the claim
that Moses was more important to the founding
and guiding of the American adventure than Jesus
was.
“Jesus is most certainly
present and influential in people’s lives in a
vastly Christian nation. But when it comes to
shaping the character of American self-identity,
Moses is the man.”
“Moses was more important to
the Puritans, more meaningful to the Revolution,
more impactful during the Civil War, and more
inspiriting to the immigrants’ rights, civil
rights, and women’s rights movements of the last
century, than Jesus.” He claims.
While making some good
points, the Puritans, as well as the Christian
leaders throughout history would blanche at the
thought someone thought Moses was more
influential in their lives than Jesus. While
Moses was a great leader, Jesus is the
everlasting God.
Even Moses himself would be
embarrassed to think some would hold him above
Jesus. We need to be sure and live our lives in
such a way that Jesus, not Moses, self, nor any
other mere human receives the Glory.
While Moses lived much of his
life for the people of God, Jesus gave his life
as a substitute for the sins of the whole
world.
--Book reviewed in USA Today,
October 21, 2009, p. 1d Illustration by Jim L
Wilson and Rodger Russell
Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB)
“so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL
BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, (11) and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.”
JESUS
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has always
been very open about his faith in Christ. In his
college days, he wore eye black with Bible verses
printed on them. When he moved to the national
Football League, Tebow continued to look for ways
to share his faith with fans. When Tebow was given
the starting quarterback position, a new fan item
emerged that has raised eyebrows and questions. A
new replica jersey is now available in the teams
colors displaying Tebow’s number, and in place of
Tebow’s name, the jersey reads, “Jesus.”
Some who have seen the jersey think it has gone
too far, making the quarterback out to more than
an athlete. They contend it is okay for a
Christian football player to pray on the
sidelines, wear Bible verses, or express their
faith openly. They are concerned that Tebow’s
fans are elevating him too much. Others say they
think the jersey is a good promotion of Tebow’s
beliefs because the bible challenges Christians
to be like Jesus. Pastor Marcus Buckley of
Riverside Baptist Church in Greer, Colorado
likes the idea. He said, “To me it just shows a
cultural bias against Christ and Christianity.
It’s not saying that he is Christ, it’s saying
he’s trying to demonstrate and live that out and
as Christians that’s what were supposed to do.”
--Tebow 'Jesus' Jerseys: Good Faith Promotion or
Blasphemous?;
.http://www.christianpost.com/news/tebow-jesus-jerseys-good-faith-promotion-or-blasphemous-61865;
November
15, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim
Sandell
Galatians 2:20 (GW) “I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live
by believing in God's Son, who loved me and took
the punishment for my sins.”
JESUS
A painting of Jesus Christ just
sold for a world record $450.3 million. The
painting, called "Salvator Mundi," is Italian
for "Savior of the World." Most Art critics
and historians claim it is by the Italian
Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, and
depicts Jesus Christ holding an orb.
Some
art critics; however, are disputing that da
Vinci is the artist. The value of the painting
corresponds to who the artist is, if it is not
da Vinci the painting has very little value.
However, the eternal value of the painting is
the subject, Jesus, the savior of the world.
There is no question that He is the real
thing. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.
John 18:6
(CSB) “When Jesus told them, ‘I am he,’ they
stepped back and fell to the ground.”
JESUS' INCARNATION
Our culture is in the age of the
superhero. Two of the most anticipated
movies of the 2017 season were Thor:
Ragnarok, and The
Justice League.
These movies come on the tail of the summer
box office smashes Spiderman:
Homecoming and Wonder
Woman, and the myriad of movies
and television series following the stories of
various heroes such as Flash,
The Defenders, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,
and others. With dozens of superhero movies
representing scores of heroes,
there is no arguing that our world loves its
superheroes. Why the fascination?
What is it with these characters that captures
the imagination and heart of so
many?
It is the desire for a relatable hero.
One that is like us, with the
same struggles, hardships, issues, and
shortcomings that we have. Someone able
to understand our plight, but able to do
something about it. Someone who can
feel the pains of this world, yet not
powerless in the midst of it. We long for
a rescuer and helper who is able to understand
us, to stand with us, to know
what it feels like to be us.
Christ is that perfect mediator and
rescuer. Human, to understand and identify
with everything that we encounter, yet he is
also God, able to stand above and
apart from what we face and exert his power
over it. —Jim
L.
Wilson and Phil Olson
For
we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has been tempted
in every way as we are, yet without sin.
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