Jesus is the Key
Not only does Jesus play the central role in unveiling the plans of God, but he also is the center of all his Father’s plans, especially the redemption of humanity and the Creation. Only in him is the glory of the Creator of all things revealed, only His Son is qualified to reveal the true nature of the Living God. In the Nazarene, all the promises of God find their significance and fulfillment.
The Gospel of John presents Jesus of Nazareth as the Logos, the revelation of God that “became flesh” in the Nazarene. Yahweh made all things according to the Logos, and it has now become “flesh.” In him, the glory of God resides, and he is the true and greater Tabernacle.
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| [Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash] |
The “Law” was given through Moses, but “Grace and Truth” came to be through the “only born son” who dwells in the “bosom” of the Father, the God that “no man has seen or can see.”
Therefore, only Jesus is qualified to “interpret” all that God is. This is why he who has seen the Son has “seen the Father” - (John 1:14-18, 14:7).
GRACE AND TRUTH
As the “Son of Man,” Jesus is the “Ladder” between Earth and the “open heavens” on which angels are “ascending and descending.” He is the only means by which men and women can “come to the Father.” He is the genuine “Sanctuary” foreshadowed by the Ancient Tabernacle and the later Temple “made-with-hands” in old Jerusalem - (John 1:51, 2:17-22, 14:1-7).
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus came to “fulfill the Law and the Prophets.” He demonstrated this by authoritatively declaring the true intent and meaning of the Law - “You have heard it said to them of old… but I declare to you!” Obedience to his words decides whether one is accepted or rejected on the last day when it truly counts - (Matthew 5:17-20, 7:21-23).
In Mark, he is the “Beginning of the Gospel,” the promised Messiah who “baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” At the Jordan River, the heavens were “rent asunder” and the heavenly voice declared him to be the “Beloved Son.” At the Transfiguration, the same voice commanded his disciples - “This is my Beloved Son. Hear him!”
He is the Messiah of Israel and the authoritative “spokesman” for the Almighty, the Light and source of the Words of Life - (Mark 1:1-11, 9:7).
In Paul’s epistles, he is presented as the “Son” who came from the Seed of David, the one “who was distinguished as the Son of God by power, according to a spirit of holiness, through a resurrection of the dead.”
In him, God revealed the “mystery that has been kept hidden since times everlasting but now is made manifest” - (Romans 1:3-4, 16:25, 1 Corinthians 1:24, Colossians 1:26, 2:2).
THE MYSTERIES OF GOD
Indeed, “Christ is the mystery of God” that was “hidden for ages and generations, but now has been manifested to his saints.” The preaching of “Christ crucified” is the very “power and wisdom of God” in whom “all His promises find their yea and amen” - (Ephesians 3:8-11).
The man from Nazareth is the very “image of the unseen God.” It is from his “face” alone that men acquire the “knowledge of the glory of God.” The rituals and regulations of the Torah were but “shadows of the coming things,” but he is the “body,” the substance that casts them - (2 Corinthians 1:20, 4:4-6, Colossians 1:15, 2:16).
In the Book of Revelation, it is the sacrificial “Lamb” who alone is “Worthy” to open the “Sealed Scroll.” In doing so, he unveils and executes its contents, a process that began with his arrival on the “Throne” at the center of the Cosmos. It will consummate in the New Creation at the end of the present evil age - (Revelation 5:6-12).
The “one like a Son of Man” holds all authority, including the “Keys to Death and Hades.” He alone “opens and no man shuts.” He is the key that unlocks Scripture and reveals ALL God’s mysteries.
Thus, Jesus of Nazareth “shows us the Father,” fulfills all the promises of God, and executes the redemptive plans of Heaven for humanity. He is the very center of God’s plans and mysteries, indeed, of the Universe.
