Jesus remains the Central Figure in history; and the ESSENTIAL person in the Christmas story. And, as evidence of Personality exists in its Influence on other personalities, Christ’s birth outclassed every other historical person. He has positively influenced billions throughout time—and shall throughout eternity.
Consider a few examples, not in chronological order. John the Baptist. Six months the Master’s senior, and a relative through Mary, John clearly understood, and as joyfully accepted, his subordinate role John 3:27-30. God sent him to identify the One who was to come. Two of his disciples heard him call Jesus the “Lamb of God.” They spent the day with him at his invitation and left convinced of his Messianic calling 1:35-41. That interview prompted Andrew’s testimony to his brother Simon John 1:40-42. The next day Jesus recruited Philip, who witnessed to Nathaniel, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law…Jesus of Nazareth….John 1:43-45. Note: the initial impression Jesus made on the first five disciples—John’s brother James must have been an unmentioned believer Acts 1:21—focused on his Messianic identity, far less than John’s insight, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29. Further, Philip’s faith in Jesus remained anchored in his Messianic calling—which never demanded Deity in Jewish theology. For when Jesus spoke of his ONENESS with God, John 14:1-4, neither pessimist Thomas nor “black spiritual hole” Philip understood. Thomas with, “We can’t know where you’re going”…and Philip with, “Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” John 14:5-8. Only Nathaniel, the original skeptic of Jesus as a Nazarene, leaped in one step beyond Christ’s Messianic calling to Oneness with God John 1:49. None of them understood when Jesus said he alone had opened renewed communication with God that Jacob’s experience had only symbolized Genesis 28:10-22. To this day Christian discipleship usually proves patiently incremental, not wildly full-blown. Patiently incremental being the best kind. However, and the point of the blog, how could John the Baptist have gone so far beyond all five original disciples, then relapsed into a conundrum, asking, “Are you the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else? Luke 7:19. End Part I
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