WHOSE SON IS HE?

“What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matt. 22:42 NKJV).

While the Pharisees were gathered together to criticize the Lord Jesus, He asked them this soul-stirring question about what they thought of Christ and specifically whose Son they thought that He was. These are important questions, because what we think of the Lord Jesus Christ will determine our eternal destiny. The answer to the question “Whose Son is He?” is threefold: He is the Son of David, the Son of man, and the Son of God.

Son of David – In response to the Lord’s question, the Pharisees responded by saying that “the Christ” was the “Son of David.” However, their problem was that they did not believe the Person standing in front of them was “the Christ.” The term “Son of David” means “the Christ” is of the lineage of David and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. In the millennium, the Lord Jesus will rule from the throne of David. When the Jews stop rejecting the Lord Jesus and accept Him, Israel will then be the greatest nation on the earth and Christ will be their Messiah and King.

Son of man – Earlier in 16:13, the Lord Jesus had asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” “Son of Man” speaks of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had to be a man in order to die in our place for our sins. He could not be our substitute unless He was one of us. This makes the Lord Jesus the promised “Seed” of Adam who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15) in the ultimate victory over evil.

Son of God – The Lord Jesus Christ is also the Son of God. When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the coming of the Lord Jesus, he told her that the child would be called “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). This means that the Lord Jesus is God. It is a declaration of His deity. And although His deity has been challenged in every age, the Bible makes it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, the One who is God manifested in the flesh. This demonstrates God’s great love for man, for God sent His own Son to die for our sins. There is no equal or greater love.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Not only do we not know God except through Jesus Christ; we do not even know ourselves except through Jesus Christ!”

Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)

French Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, and Catholic Writer

Word Study

Exalts

In Luke 1:46 we read, “And Mary said: My soul exalts the Lord” (NASB).

Exalts is the Geek word megalunō (μεγαλύνω = meg-al-oo'-no). It means to make or declare great, to magnify. Metaphorically, it means to make conspicuous, to laud, to celebrate. Literally, the word means to physically enlarge, and to show great mercy to someone or to do him great kindness. In classical Greek, megalunō means to make great by word, extol, magnify. In the Septuagint megalunō means to make great. It is often used in reference to magnifying or extolling God. In the New Testament megalunō is most often used in the sense of to extol, magnify. It is to cause something or someone to be held in great esteem. Of course, we do not make God great since He is already great. We simply declare that He is great!

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isa. 44:8 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to Prov. 3:14-15, silver, gold, or rubies cannot be compared to wisdom.

Bible Quiz

How did the 2 spies escape from the city of Jericho?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: In the Book of Revelation, what are the four beasts round the throne covered in? They were covered with “Eyes in front and in back” (Rev. 4:6).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“KING OF THE JEWS”

"Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” So Jesus said to him, “It is as you say!” (Matt. 27:11 NKJV).

1. Meaning – KING OF THE JEWS speaks of the Lord Jesus as the true King of Israel. His kingdom is not of this world and His reign is a reign of truth.

2. Insights – “King of the Jews” is a Messianic title (cf. Matt. 2:2) and affirms the royalty of the Lord Jesus. The title was also used mockingly by the Roman soldiers (27:29), and as the charge posted on the Lord Jesus’ cross (27:37). While His appearance may not match His position and He was rejected by the people, it did not discredit His royalty. “Are You the King of the Jews?” asked Pilate. The Lord Jesus gave him a clear reply: “It is as you say” or “you said it.” This was no evasive answer; the Lord Jesus is indeed King.

Did You Know – Christian History

Blaise Pascal was born June 19, 1623, in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer.

Pascal grew up in Paris and was schooled at home by his father. He showed early promise: at age eight he wrote his first scientific paper; at 16 he wrote a mathematical essay that broke new ground in the field of geometry. When he was 19, Pascal invented a calculating machine, a forerunner of modern computers. At 23, he made major discoveries in physics and proved the existence of the vacuum. This paved the way for hypodermic syringes, barometers, and hydraulic devices. Pascal also came up with the mathematical theory of probability and helped shape the field of calculus. The computer language known as PASCAL was named after him.

Pascal grew up accepting the Bible as God’s word, but in a rather abstract way. Nonetheless, he lived with a sense of spiritual desperation. On November 23, 1654, Pascal’s horses bolted and plunged off a bridge. Pascal was thrown into the roadway. He saw this as a warning directly from God. That night he experienced a Christian conversion that would cause his outstanding scientific work to take second place in his pursuits. For the rest of his life Pascal carried around a piece of parchment sewn into his coat - a parchment inscribed with ecstatic phrases.

Pascal had realized that he must live primarily for God. He started out by giving much more to the poor. He closely associated himself with the Jansenists, the group of Catholics that emphasized morality in all aspects of life. In 1657 Pascal published his Provincial Letters which criticized the moral teaching of the Jesuits, the rationalism of Descartes, and Montaigne’s skepticism; and which urged a return to Augustine’s doctrines of grace. Pascal also wrote that we come to know God’s truth not only by reason, but even more through the heart by faith.

Being delicate by nature, Pascal had health issues caused by his incessant study. From the age of 17 or 18 he suffered from insomnia and acute dyspepsia, and at the time of his death he was physically worn out. He neither married nor had children, and at the end of his life he became an ascetic. Pascal moved to Port-Royal, where he continued to live until his death in Paris on August 19, 1662.

A Little Humor

“Daddy, I want to ask you a question,” said Bobby after his first day in Sunday school. “Yes, Bobby, what is it?” “The teacher was reading the Bible to us all about the Children of Israel building the temple, the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, the Children of Israel making sacrifices. Didn’t the grown-ups do anything?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ’s pardon brings the soul to heaven; Christ’s presence brings heaven to the soul!”