Psalm 22:7 and 8 records "All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, "He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." In the crucifixion story in the Gospels, this fulfilled and got recorded in Luke 23:35-39 thus: "And the people stood beholding,. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek and Latin, and Hebrews, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thy be Christ, save thyself and us."

Psalm 22:12 and 13 records how Jesus was beset by "strong bulls". He referred to them as "strong bulls of Bashan". This relates to the encompassing around of Jesus by his "arresters". Reading a few more verses further down the chapter reveals, from the sequence of the presentation, that this was the point at which the soldiers came to take him away, having been shown by Judas who He was.

Psalm 22:15, 16 and 17 describes the crucifixion. It is actually the sequence of the crucifixion event. Verse 15 is a reference to a combination of two particular climaxes (1) the point at which he did not give the "court" an answer. It was at this his silence that Pilate said to Him that he (Pilate) had power to pronounce judgement. At this particular point his tongue cleaved to his jaws, that is, his tongue did not move. That signalled the beginning of the judgment, and (2) the point at which he is laid down in the tomb, which He refers to as being brought into the dust of death. Verse 15 encapsulated the "flow and ebb" of the moment: the judgement and its end. Verse 16 gives a little in-depth picture of two events that took place in between the two shown in the previously discussed verse, to wit, (1) at the time of the court proceedings, He was surrounded by a gathering of the wicked (let’s remember Caiaphas at this time, as well as those that had already been bribed) and (2) what those people (the wicked) did – piercing his hands and feet. These two events took place like a seed, and covered like a pod?!? by the events in the previous verse. Verse 17 talks about the His bones. In this verse, He says "I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me. It is best viewed in the light of John 19:37 which says that "they shall look on him whom they pierced." One reference material viewed the "bones" as materials covered by the skin. The bones being God’s creation while the skin represented the covering being Christ. At the time, especially, that he hung on the cross, they stood there staring at him, this statement also came true.

Hebrews 1:1-3 is talking about Jesus. It states that "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the world of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of Majesty on high.

The text says He has a better name because none of the angels did what He did. Since angels are revered (especially as they are invisible), their names would normally have been highly respected. We are left, therefore, to imagine that the names of angels, as highly respected as they are, are still below the name of Jesus, and not even as good as the name of Jesus because Jesus name became superior to all other names. At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow.

Hebrews 1:8:12 is a quotation from Psalm 45:7 and Isaiah 61:3.

Hebrew 1:8-12 says: "But unto the Son he said THY THRONE, O GOD, IS FOR EVER AND EVER: A SCEPTRE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE SCEPTER OF THY KINGDOM. THOU HAS LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND HATED INIQUITY; THEREFORE GOD, EVEN THY GOD HATH ANOINTED THEE WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE THY FELLOWS. And THOU LORD IN THE BEGINNING HAS LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF THINE HANDS. THEY SHALL PERISH; BUT THOU REMAINEST, AND THEY SHALL WAX OLD AS DOTH A GARMENT; AND AS A VESTURE SHALL THOU FOLD THEM UP AND THEY SHALL BE CHANGED; BUT THOU ART THE SAME AND THY YEARS SHALL NOT FAIL." The old testament scriptures being quoted here is Psalm 102:25-27. It is being addressed to Jesus Christ, even though, in some semantic way, it seems to be addressing God the Father. It is being said by Saint Paul. These references are addressed to the Lord, Jesus Christ. This is being said by Holy Spirit unction.

Hebrews 1:13 is quoted from the Scripture Psalm 110:1. It says "sit on my right until I make your enemies your footstool." The amazing thing about these is that the Scriptures came several centuries before the Gospels came. Yet people who did not meet each other used the same words. This cross-reference is

Hebrews 2:6-10 Hebrews 2:6-10 says, "what is man that you are mindful of him." is from Psalm 8:5-6. 

A prominent world leader called Ghandi, in propagating his Hindu precepts lent his weight behind Christ’s own message. Ghandi described the precept, and gave its Hindu name thus: "The highest love is wherein man lays down his life for his fellow-men. That highest love is thus ‘Ahimsa’."(Manuel Velasquez, 1999). Christians already knew that their Lord and Savior said something about laying down His life for His friends. That was described as the greatest love. Jesus Christ gave his life (even unto death –death on the cross). Moses gave his life in the service of the children of Israel. Since then, people have been trying (in their own different ways) to ‘give’ their lives for their ‘friends’. However, in these days of commercialization, giving one’s life has often been fraught with capitalistic undertones, fraud and deceit.

Hebrews 3 shows that Jesus had a better glory than Moses in various ways. It referred to Jesus as the builder of the house, while Moses was the house (built by Jesus). It did this by running a parallel comparison of the two personalities (Jesus and Moses). It summarized it by saying that we are Jesus Christ’s house that He built. No matter how prestigious we could individually be, Jesus had the greater prestige because he made us (in that cooperative effort of Triune God).

Hebrews 4:14 to 5:14 shows that Jesus is a better high priest by revealing Jesus had been both in heaven and earth. The pure human priests are actually eligible to help with the priestly duties in the world, but have never seen heaven to know what it was like. Heaven happens to be where the whole ‘sacrifice’ is directed. Hebrews has shown that He who came from heaven and went back there, but felt pains and grief on earth just like the rest of us is a better high priest. He knows what the sacrifice should consist of, especially because it is unto Him that the sacrifice should go, so he knows.

Hebrews, chapter 7 affirmed that a priesthood "after the order of Melchisadek" is a better priesthood because it is the highest in any known realm. It explained that Abraham (as highly placed – and brave - as he was) gave a tenth part of his spoils of war to Melchisadek. The mere fact that Abraham would submit himself to the extent of giving out that tenth part is enough to show that whoever that priest was deserved due recognition. The priesthood of Jesus Christ was made with an oath that he will be priest for ever in the order of Melchisadek, but other priests that we know were not made with such an oath backing them up.

Hebrews 8:6 refers to Jesus’ ministry as a more excellent; so also a better covenant and better promises. This is because the first one was found to be defective. If the blood of the bulls and the ash of a heifer can make the unclean to be clean, how much more would the blood of Christ which is stainless cleanse our minds and purify us of all dead works…..

Hebrews 9:11 says Christ has a better tabernacle. It first explained that the tabernacle hitherto in use was hand-made building which provided a general place for everybody, a special place for the priests, and yet another inner place for a special priest. It then went on to explain that the tabernacle of Christ is not made with hands. By virtue of this intangible tabernacle system, Jesus could wash our sins without there being a human being to kill bulls and oxen to sacrifice..

Hebrews 9 and 10 show that Christ had a better sacrifice. This is an extensive presentation which I choose to summarize in two ways: The first is found in verses 9 through 10 of chapter 10 thus: "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second by the which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." If the first one was good it would not have been taken away. If the second one was not better than the first, it would not have taken the place of the first. The second way of summarizing this better sacrifice is found in chapter 9 verses 13 through 14 thus: "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Even though the bulls and goats have been serving this purpose for along time, a way have been found by which there would be just one sacrifice that would take care of this business once and for all. Even in the ordinary man’s world, an ‘inexpensive’ way has been found – a way that involves one time expenditure, and not recurring expenses (like the unending slaughtering of bulls).

Hebrews 12:2 calls Jesus "The author and finisher of our faith" in order to say that our faith was designed, crafted and brought to be by Jesus. The same Jesus is the only one that enables the full utilization of the faith element in us and help toward the realization the purpose of expressing that faith – just like an athlete running to brace the finishing line.

The implication of Hebrews 12:2 as well as 1:3 that Jesus "sat down" at the right hand of the throne of God is that He is the ultimate source. Again, let us quickly look at this picture from the point of view of man today. The president of the United States comes to Raleigh, North Carolina and gives specific directive as to how I should get something from Washington D.C. seat of federal government, and leaves Raleigh, only to go and sit on that seat of government. It simply means that when I go to D.C. to present my petition with the confidence (faith) in the president’s word, I might even be surprised to notice that he is the one I am still coming to. This way he is the author of what I embarked upon. He also happens to be the finisher because when I go to D.C. to finish the matter, he is the one I see there. This is just what Jesus has done: came down and handed over a better sacrifice, designed and crafted out faith, and went back to His throne, waiting for us to come for finishing which, He is going to facilitate!

Hebrews 5:8-9 talked about the perfecting of Jesus by learning obedience from that which He suffered………… Jesus (in the context) needed to be "perfected" in the sense of preparing a formula required for a particular purpose. He is a perfect being. However, the assignment he came down to perform was being performed in the form of flesh. He had to go through the ordeal of being human: the spite, the disdain, the side-long looks, the rejection at "home", all these had to be used to perfect him as human for the sacrifice that needed to be carried out.

Jesus Christ was there at the time of creation. He was part of the Godhead (the "team"), and he was, as a matter, the creator himself. All creation came through him and he is significantly different and can be identified as such anywhere, especially as he made himself available to the ordinary human eyes to see when he got born as a human child. This was seen by the writer of the book, according to his claim (which is known as true).

The testimony of John the Baptist is important to an understanding of the Christ. Isaiah 40:3-5 states the same words that John recited when the Jews sent to ask him who he was. His testimony is very important because as Isaiah prophesied several years before, so it fulfilled that John is the voice of one calling in the desert for the way of the Lord to be prepared and made straight in the wilderness to be a highway for God. This testimony is prominent in the beginning of John’s Gospel because John was getting ready to reveal, based on personal knowledge and tutelage of the Lord himself, marvelous events since the arrival on the scene of the Lord Jesus. He wanted, therefore, to draw attention first to the prophecy and revelation. Prominent among those was the fact that the spirit would descend upon Jesus like a dove. After it happened, John the Baptist clung to that evidence and testified. This way, people should not be in doubt as to the genuineness of this testimony.

Two things (about the nature of Christ) stand out chapter one of the Gospel according to John. One is the firmness or authority that He displayed in calling them to follow him. He did not go about it apologetically. He would say, "follow me", and they would, as though they were under a spell. The second thing is revealed in, for example, his telling John the Baptist’s two followers, "come and see", in giving Simon the name, "Cephas", in describing Nathaniel as an Israelite in whom there was no guile, and in patiently explaining to Nathaniel how that He saw him under the fig tree even before Phillip called him. Even though He had not preached the sermon "love one another as I have loved you", he acted it by doing the aforementioned deeds.

The miracle at Cana did not bring out in Jesus the grief and sorrow that he was going to face on his way to (as well as on) the hill "far away". Howbeit, at Cana, when the drink was exhausted, they must have felt unhappy. He brought joy to their hearts by giving them a new wine that tastes better. He gave them a lot of ‘prescriptions’ in the fifteenth chapter which climaxed in verse 11 where he then made the statement "These things I have spoken to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full." These passages show Jesus to be a meek person. He is portrayed as a Teacher, and an Example to follow. In terms of relationship between these and the prophetic word that He would be "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief", these words He had said to his disciples to prepare them for the time to come. He knew that something needed to happen in their hearts in order for them to be able to accommodate the times ahead. This is especially important because at the marriage ceremony in Cana, his mother had told his disciples to do whatever He told them to do. Now that He had given them prescriptions, he capped it up with their joy being full. He knew also that joy was the only thing required to counter the effects of the assignment He had actually come to carry out. It is true that his disciples would not as yet see the handwriting on the wall. Since He knows it, their forward preparation with the message of harboring the love of Jesus in them in order for their joy to be full became important.

"I AM", according to the reference book:

IN THE BOOK OF JOHN:In more ways than one, Jesus makes it crystal clear that he was, and is, and is to come. He made it clear that he is the one in whom, by whom, and through whom all things were made. When he asked his disciples, "Who do men say I AM?", he response to Peter’s answer that "FLESH AND BLOOD DID NOT REVEAL IT TO HIM……….." is another evidence of the fact that he is the one referred to in John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God……" Several quotations have the expression, "I AM". A look at few of them below will expand on this school.

Exodus Chapter 3: 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Leviticus 18 – 25: First two verses in chapter 18 end with the expression, "I am the Lord your God" and the last verse ended the same way. Virtually all the verses in chapter 19 end with the same expression. From chapter 20 through 25 has the expression at very strategic points, especially at the end of very serious instructions from God. A look at the names of God, especially as presented in Psalms 19:7-14 explains some salient facts about the "I AM". After describing the skies as a reflection of God's glory in the first six verses, Psalm 19 switches gears. From the sun, moon, and stars it turns to consider the beauty of God's law. Reflecting that change, the poem in Hebrew uses a different, more personal name for God. The first six verses refer to God with a general name that anyone, of any religion, might use--just like our English word God. But from verse seven on, God is called "the LORD" (a translation of the Hebrew Yahweh)--the personal name God revealed to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:15). The heavens declare the glory of God, but God's law reveals even more--his personal voice to his chosen people. He introduces himself to them by his first name, as it were.

In John’s Gospel and in Revelation, Jesus uses the phrase "I AM" in different places.

IN THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT JOHN:

4:25-26 "I am Messiah" Here Jesus reveals his nature that has to do with the work of salvation. This work had already been foretold of the prophets.

6:20 "I am here". This presents the Lord as being present. It does not only talk about his being present at the particular place he was seen but present at all time and all places.

6:35 "I am the Bread of Life" This reveals his life-giving characteristic. Accepting him and what he represents would simply mean accepting to live "even if they were dead, they would live again……."

6:48 "I am the Living Bread" In case any happens to have an interpretation that might imply that life could be found in any other than Jesus, Jesus made it clear here that this is strictly where life can be found. This is where sustenance can be found. It is in him, by him and of him that the spirit of man could be fed and life would be produced in that being.

6:58 "I am the true bread from heaven" Here he makes it clear that the source is unique. If there happens to be any bread known by any one, that bread is from nowhere else but earth. Since he is the only one that has been up there, been down here, been under this place, and been up again, and gone above to stay, the bread he represents to us is from heaven.

7:24 "I am right" (issue of Sabbath day observance) Here he is not only saying he is correct in what he is saying or doing. He is saying that he is the absolute; the appropriate; the needful. The use of Sabbath day observance is a time and place experience, and was used to bring out his right’ness’ – his righteousness, even in the midst of the Sabbath day tussle.

7:34 "You’ll come where I am" Here he is bringing out the issue of where we are supposed to be – where we are expected to be. We should desire to be at the place He is talking about. He becomes the magnet to draw us toWARD the place – Heaven. He reveals here that he is in heaven. We should desire to be in heaven – or to go to heaven because that is where he is.

8:58 "Before Abraham was, I am" He reveals his eternal pre-existence. He reveals here that he was there in operation before Abraham. Abraham, being a great, grand ancestor, was too old for the generation Jesus was talking to. If they thought Jesus was a young man, they would be getting it wrong. If Jesus was there before Abraham, then they are too young for Jesus, no matter how physically aged they might be in the days of Jesus on earth! Others are emphases. Repetition is the mother of retention. In bringing out the following, Jesus goes various different routes to reiterate his role in which he is the fullness of Godhead bodily.

8:12 "I am the light of the world" His role as the illuminator comes out here.

8:14 "I know where I came from and where I am going"
8:16 "…….I am not alone"

8:18 "I am one witness……"

8:19 "Since you do not know who I am…………"

8:21 "I am going away"

8:23 "I am from above; you’re from below"

8:23 "I am who I say I am"

8:28 "I am he"

8:38 "I am telling you what I saw"

8:46 "I am telling you the truth"

10:9 "I am the gate" (some say "door")

10:11 "I am the good shepherd

10:30 "The Father and I are one" (I am one with the Father)

10:36 "I am the Son of God"

11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life"

13:13 "I am Master and Lord"

13:19 "I am the Messiah"

13:34 "I am giving you a new commandment"

14:2 "I am going to prepare a place for you"

14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life"

14:10 "I am in the Father and the Father is in me"

14:12 "I am going to be with the Father"

15:1 "I am the true vine"

17:11 "Now I am departing the world"

18:5 "I am he (talking to the soldiers that came to arrest him)

18:37 "I am King"

19:28 "I am thirsty"

IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION:  Rev. 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, I am the one who is, who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Here he reveals that he is the ultimate power – the final arbitar.

1:11 "I am Alpha and Omega"

1:17 "I am the First and the Last, I am the living one who died." This has to do with his performance of the task. He is to be identified as the one who paid the wholesome price.

1:23 "I am he which searches the reins and hearts" Inside our minds, spirits, souls, sub-conscious, mental faculty, etc. (the world has names for this thing), Jesus proves that he is in control. He sees the flow and ebb of the unseen in humanity. The messages in Revelation tie up very neatly with those in John. A salient fact is that the same John that wrote one of the synoptic gospels hid himself in the Island of Patmos only to receive the revelations. These "I AM" usages in Revelations are therefore signs that the same person who spoke when John was young was speaking again, now that John is old.

3:11 "I am coming quickly"

3:19 "I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love"

22:7 "I am coming soon"

22:12 "I am coming soon; I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End"

22:16 "I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne; I am the bright morning star". Some texts say "bright and morning star".

22:20 "Yes, I am coming soon"

1. The seven miracles recorded by John, and their messages are as follows:

2:1-11 – He turned water into wine. This miracle was supposed to be ‘warning signal’ to the people that something new is happening in the land. Someone that can bring ‘happiness’ is in the house.

5:1-9 – He healed the sick man at the pool of Bethesda. Physical frailties can be brought under control – but it can only be by the one who made the body. The maker of the body spoke to the body and the twenty-eight year old frailties were gone!

6:1-14 – He fed the five thousand. All forms of emptiness can be taken care of by the Absolute Power. The need to fill the inside of man has been there for ages. Feeding the five thousand, therefore, shows that there is someone that has answers to any form of emptiness (beginning with the body) and therefore of the soul.

6:15-21 – He walked on the sea in Galilee. As if ‘regular’ miracles were not enough, a demonstration of an ability to walk on water is certainly noteworthy. It is as if to ask, is there anyone among you that can do this? However, this brings out the fact that logistics cannot stand between us and our God. Without a boat, help can still come to us no matter where we may be – no matter how far removed or remote.

8:59 – He passed unseen through crown in the temple. If human hands cannot hold him, then it should be clear to all that the death on the cross which was coming up in the agenda should be construed as voluntary action on the part of Jesus. They should have learned from that incident that they would not be able to hold him if he did not let them (or, better still, just hang around with them as if arrested).

9:1-7 – He healed the man born blind. Jesus had power to open a hitherto unopened eyes. Demonstration of this kind of power is weird in that a hopeless situation (in human eyes) is made to look like nothing. He showed that man’s utmost difficulties can be commuted by him. Man only needed to yield to that truth of there being such a final arbiter.

11:38-44 – He raised Lazarus from the dead. The climax of miracles – calling back to life someone who has gone under for days – is beyond human comprehension. This is a message to all and sundry to know that he who owns life is around the corner. He who owns the air we breathe can take it and or give it back to us. That person is Jesus the Christ.

The collective message in the seven miracles recorded by John is: He whois greater that Moses is here. He who is greater than Jonah is here. He who is greater than David is here. He who is greater than Sampson is here. He who is greater than John the baptist is here.

2. According to chapter 16 of John’s Gospel, the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is capable of being viewed as that of a substitute. This is revealed in the statement of Jesus, where He said if He did not depart, the Comforter would not come. This further brings out the Triune nature of the Christ. If they were two DIFFERENT persons, the Holy Spirit could come while Jesus was on earth, hence, "it is expedient for you that I go away…." It should therefore be seen as God the father, coming down visible in form of man (the Son), going back to heaven and coming down again in an invisible form (Holy Spirit). This shows how inter-twined the relationship is, and can simply again be seen as one person operating in three different offices.
3. Christ’s final prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John reveals that the glory He had with God before the world began is very important to Him. The next one is protection for all His people. Our own priorities center mostly around ourselves (individualism). We think more about our own problems and how we can get them solved. In this mode, we are unable to focus on the glory of God with which He has actually clothed his creation. We have made ourselves very important and others less important. Jesus made it the other way round, and we have to follow that pattern – to love the next person.

Isaiah’s prophecies of Jesus:

HIS BIRTH:  Chapter 7 verse 14 says, the virgin will be with a child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.* Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorest shall be forsaken of both her kings. The Lord shall bring upon thee and upon thy people and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. And it shall come to pass in that, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet and it shall also consume the beard. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep; and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land. And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.

*Isaiah 53:1-…. Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

HIS FAMILY:  Isaiah chapter 11 beginning verse 1 says there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (the branch is written with Capital Letter – proper noun); and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteous shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

HIS ANOINTING:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the good news to the meek (or the poor, in some Bibles)……….." Five ways in which people influence each other are referred to Five Types of Power. They are: Expert, Referent, Legitimate, Reward and Coercive Power. This came out of, and was "based on a discussion of social power which appears in Studies in Social Power, a work carried out by D. Cartwright (Ed.) of the Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, in 1959." (Anthony F. Grasha, 1983). All types of power shown above emanate from that given by Jesus Christ. Man has sifted and chosen the mundane part, as that answers their human questions in secular leadership. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might , the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him quick understanding in the fear of the Lord

HIS MISSION AS ILLUMINATOR:  Isaiah Chapter 9, beginning verse 2 says that the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou has multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden , and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments trolled in blood but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

JESUS AS JUDGE:  Isaiah 9 verse 7 says "of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 33:22 "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

*Isaiah 42: "Behold my servant whom I uphold: my elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgement unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgement in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

JESUS AS INTERCESSOR:  Luke 23:24 "So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he delivered Jesus over to them to do as they wished."

John 17, verse 9 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you" Verse 20 says, "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony"

1^st Timothy 2:5-6 "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time."

JESUS AS SIN-BEARER:  Isaiah 53:4-6: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all.

JESUS AS REPROVER:  *He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

* Isaiah 32: Behold a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgement. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall harken.

JESUS AS LAWGIVER:  Isaiah 33:22 "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Genesis 49:10 "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be"

JESUS AS BURDEN BEARER:  Isaiah 53:7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and judgement: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

JESUS AS LIBERATOR:  *Isaiah 61:1-4: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me: because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

*Isaiah 52:7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them who bring good news, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tiding of good, that publishes salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

JESUS AS SUFFERING SAVIOR:  Isaiah 53:3-5: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were out faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS

His characteristics are multi-faceted.

HIS FORMATIVE CHARACTERISTICS: Isaiah 53:2 "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

HIS SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS: Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Verse 9 "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth."

HIS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Isaiah 53:4-5 "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried out sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Further from verse 7-9 "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."

THE TITLES OF JESUS:  Isaiah 9 verse 6 says "for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is portrayed as the Kingly Messiah, and as the Son of David (the one who is to reign on David’s throne for ever).

1:1-16 talks about the genealogy of Christ.

1:20 "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dram, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

2:2 "Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." Verse 6 says, "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."

8:29 "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Some like Saul of Tarsus, for example, contended against this leader for a fairly long time. Sooner or later (or in due time), he came face to face with Him and bowed to the power of Jesus Christ. It is only a great leader that the person of Saul (now Saint Paul) can serve like a worthless minion. That Leader is Jesus Christ. Paul (a world-class attorney-at-law) now went to the extent of ‘sponsoring’ the spreading of Christ’s message. Paul did not have his own message. He followed Christ, even as Christ was physically absent. That is what makes a leader: that followers would be faithful, even in the absence of the leader. "Paul believed it important that the followers of Jesus be evangelists, to spread the good news of God’s gracious gift." (Craig et all, 1988).

9:27 "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed them crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us"

12:18 "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased: I will; put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles."

16:28 "Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

21:5 "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and siting upon an ass, and as a colt the foal of an ass"

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus if portrayed as a wonder worker. In paying especial attention to the amount of detail Mark reports, it is clear that Mark delved into some unusual detail concerning the miracles that Jesus performed.

In view of the detailed presentation of the miracles of Jesus Christ, Saint Mark’s verses ran up to 45, 56, and 72. Even though the Synoptic Gospels have a common feature of lengthy chapters, Mark seems to be involved in the nitty-gritty of the events. In some cases he appeared to be graphic. By doing this, some of those events because more natural to the ordinary mind than a distant story. Mark proves that he stood there to see the beginning and ending of the process of receiving miracles in the days of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel according to St. Luke, Jesus is portrayed particularly as the perfect man, and the one who came to befriend sinners.

Jesus and the sinful woman "Woman, has no man accused you? Go and sin no more"

Zacchaeus the tax collector hosts Jesus at his house.

Thief on the other tree "Today, you will be with me in Paradise"

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do"

6:37 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"

7:36,"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."

8:1-3 "and it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him. And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils. And Joanna the wife of Chuz Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him out of their substance." It is amazing that among the names mentioned was Chuza. Her husband was servant to the king who ordered the beheading of Jesus’s ‘cousin’, John the Baptist. Jesus did not let that influence his decision to heal Chuza, or to allow her participate in ministering to him in the company of Mary Magdalene.

14:3 "and Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?"

15:11 narrates the story of the prodigal son.

20:25 "And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s"

WHAT JESUS REVEALED ABOUT HIMSELF

Jesus the Christ utilized several occasions to reveal himself to his disciples. These took place sometimes openly, and at other times, behind closed doors. The occasions and things said be ‘inexhaustible’ if we are to look at everything He said about Himself. This examples below are by no means the first ones, but let’s look at them.: Jesus Christ, while speaking to his people, in Matthew chapter 7, verse 21 through 24, He made them to understand that not all that called Him "Lord, Lord," would enter in to the kingdom of heaven……… He also said that many shall say to Him "in that" day that they had prophesied in His name and have cast out devils, even performed miracles, and He would say unto them to depart from Him because He did not know them! To crown it all, He said that whoever heard His sayings and obeyed them would be likened to a wise man….. These point to the fact that He considered Himself as One That Must Be Obeyed for life to be meaningful.

He revealed that he was not caught up in worldly goods. He was not given to commercialization and capitalism. He revealed that He did not amass wealth, instead He was ready to make His followers wealthy, even as He had previously revealed through the prophet Haggai in chapter 2 verse 8 that silver and gold were His. He did not own a house, nor a car, nor fat bank accounts, yet He told the fishermen what side of the boat they should cast their nets. This further revealed his personality. The interesting part of this is that He called them "Children" from time to time. For Him to call them children (judging by the difference between His humanly age and theirs), He just got to be Ancient of Days to call Simon, Andrew, Judas and others "children". He used it to reveal that He was their Father that made them and placed them in the world. In saying that He had no place to lay His head, He referred to Himself as the Son of Man. In another development, He agreed with Peter when Peter answer the follow-up question to "Who do men say I am", that is, "But who do you say I am". Since Peter said, "You are Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God", and He said that flesh and blood did not reveal that to him, but His Father in heaven. He used that avenue to reveal yet again who He was.

When He told them that they should be perfect as their father in heaven was, He was telling them that He was perfect. This was tied together when He said "before Abraham, I was", in conjunction with the John 1:1 gospel where it was revealed that "the Word was with God and the Word was God, ………and was there in the beginning….." God is perfect. If the Word was God, and since He is the Word, then He was telling them to be perfect, even as He, their father, was perfect. They should, consequently, desire to be in the continuous refining process tending towards perfection.

When He pronounced the forgiveness of sins upon the sick, He was proving that He had the power to do such an act. Since the people know that it was only God that had the power to forgive, He used that opportunity to tell them that He was God that was made flesh, since He had the power to pronounce forgiveness of sins.

Jesus went to the house of Zacchaeus. He called Matthew to follow Him. The calling of a Federal Internal Revenue man (Matthew) to work in His ‘cabinet’ (the disciples), and the visit to the a local ‘Inland Revenue’ top notch (Zacchaeus) to eat and drink would have given Him out as what He was not (a glutton), even though he was accused as such. Surprisingly, the transformation that took place in the lives of those two people was a strong witness to the rest of the people as to who He really was. He even went ahead to make the people understand He was reason for so much joy and gladness. He warned that time shall come when He would be removed from their midst, and they would be complaining. It is clear that a wedding day is regarded as a day that belonged to the brand new couple. For Him to call Himself the bride-groom is remarkable. In our own generation, a bridegroom spends a lot of money to gather people together and celebrate his choice of a life partner. He often represents the brain behind the huge crowds seen at the wedding ceremonies. Looking at Jesus as bridegroom, therefore, makes Him a very important figure in the celebration. He sometimes also used first person singular and authoritatively explains what He is doing, what He wants to do, or what is going to happen.

One of His strong uses of first person singular comes out in Matthew 11:28 where He said "come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden………" One would probably be wondering why this man would tell people to come to Him. For Him to say it, He has the solutions to their problems in His hands. When He promised to give his people peace, He straight-fowardly said it was not like that given by the world. Now there emerged two kinds of peace, and He did not mince words to categorize His own peace as the best. He also characterized His own load as light in Matthew 11:28. He characterized his yoke as ‘easy’. I never thought any yoke could be easy, but He said He had one, and it was easy, and He gave it out as a prescription. He revealed that He had a new way of thinking that people would receive. That new way of thinking was going to make them unacceptable in some quarters, even in their own very homesteads. It did not bother Him that people would begin to disagree, even parents against their children.

Jesus did not hesitate to foretell what was going to befall him. Just as He told what happened to the children of Israel while they were wandering in the desert, so also He spoke about the future. In doing this, He revealed his omniscience. He showed He know the things that happened before He was born to earthly parents, as well the ‘birth pains’ for the end of the world.

Genesis revealed bits and pieces of the life of Christ. An example is the reference made when Jesus was portrayed as the "seed of a woman", that will bruise the head of the serpent. The prophecies fulfilled up to the tiniest details. Some of them almost went unnoticed when they fulfilled.

In Psalm, David talked about the death on the cross in which Christ was despised of men.

Isaiah’s prophecy about Christ is very extensive, and covered virtually every aspect of Christ’s experience on earth.

The things said about Jesus Christ in the scriptures saw fulfillment in the New Testament. The Old Testament books brought out parts of the experience. Isaiah rolled out a larger-than-life (and sequential) expository of the subject. He talked about the growing up like a tender shoot (the birth of Jesus). The fulfillment of the prophecies took different shapes. Let’s look at it randomly. Isaiah said he would dispense justice, and he came one day in the new testament and whipped the money-changers, overturning the tables, and letting the pigeons fly away! H took it upon himself to dispense this justice, and his presence was fearsome to the oppressors. Ultimately, his enemies would come to respect and glorify the Lord because of his fury. Somewhere in the new testament, those who came to laugh stayed to pray!

We may be surprised at Isaiah’s description of God’s Messiah as a "man of sorrows". So many of his titles express the power and majesty of his character. The necessity of this humble trait, however, becomes clear during our own moments of pain, rejection, and isolation, for then we see that he is able to identify with us. The culmination of Jesus’ sorrow came as he was dying on the cross and cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is the practical show of the description already given by Isaiah when he called Jesus man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Among the myriad of possible answers to the world’s problems stands God’s Chosen One, upon whom he has placed his Spirit. No other philosophy or teaching should command the same loyalty that we give to God’s chosen servant, Jesus Christ. He was sent to bring justice to the world and we should look to him as the ultimate answer to humanity’s problems. As his followers, we should seek to carry out his will, spreading hope and truth and righteousness to the entire earth. On the day of his baptism, John, the son of Zecharaias stood and saw heaven open and the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus like a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him." The fact that these things would happen to the glaring view of all was enough testimony.

There is no possibility of an ordinary man to fit into this scheme. There has to be divine preordination for things like this to happen. Emmanuel means "God with us". God has to be with us for manifestations such as these to be witnessed by humanity. Sampson came to rescue Israel from the hands of the Philistines. He failed. Many people came and failed. David, even though he ‘killed’ Goliath, did not fit into this preordination. The divinity of this assignment required God himself. That is why God had to come down in form of man.