To all whose world was turned upside down October 7, 2023, there is Hope.

Who Is the Messiah?

While traveling in Israel awhile back, I had an interesting conversation with one of our tour guides. As with many guides in Israel, this man’s knowledge of the land and biblical history was phenomenal (he actually knew the New Testament better than many Christians).

At one point in the conversation, I opened my Bible and read Isaiah 53 without telling him the reference. When I finished, I asked him who he thought the writer was talking about. He replied, “He was talking about Jesus, of course. Anybody would know that.” I then asked where he thought I was reading from. He answered, “From Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, certainly.” When I told him that I had read from Isaiah the prophet, he was astounded and said, “No! Show me that!” He couldn’t believe it.

The majority of Jews today, like my tour guide, are unaware of what their own Scriptures say concerning the Messiah. This lack of knowledge has led many to reject Jesus. In the next few pages, I want to lay out the case for Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of Israel in hope that some, having weighed the evidence, will embrace Him as the only One in history who faithfully fulfills the Messianic description given in the Scriptures.

Hanukkah 2,000 Years Ago

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the [Messiah], tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe …”
–John 10:22–25

The question posed by the Jewish leaders is the question for seekers of all ages: Is Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah? To answer this, we will need to look at several things. First, the meaning of the word Messiah; second, the scriptural expectation of the Messiah, concentrating specifically on the Jews’ anticipation of the Messiah during Jesus’ time, as well as the Messianic expectation among Jews today; and finally, the scriptural portrait of the Messiah.

The Anointed One

“Messiah.” What does this word mean? Most people have heard the term even though they might not know the exact definition. Perhaps you’ve heard of someone having a “messiah complex,” or of longings from certain people for a “Messianic age” to come. If nowhere else, maybe you’ve heard portions of the great musical composition, Handel’s Messiah, performed each year at Christmastime. Anyway, the basic meaning of the word Messiah is “an anointed one.” In the Hebrew Scriptures, the term was used to describe three different categories of people. First, it described priests and kings because they were anointed with oil at God’s command. Second, it referred to the prophets because they were anointed with God’s Spirit as His chosen messengers. The third and primary reference is to the One who would come in the fullness of God’s power to deliver the people of Israel from their enemies and to establish the universal reign of righteousness from Jerusalem.

When we read the New Testament, we generally find the word Christ instead of Messiah to describe the Anointed One because the New Testament was translated from Greek, not from Hebrew. Had it been translated from Hebrew, we would read Joshua Messiah rather than Jesus Christ.

Scriptural Expectations

Throughout history, the Jews anticipated that the Messiah would come, according to God’s promise, as their deliverer. God used the Hebrew prophets to paint a picture of the Messiah so that people would be able to identify Him when He arrived.

Here’s the picture. First, the Messiah is to be a descendant of Abraham. God told him in Genesis 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

As time passed, the revelation became more detailed, and we learn that the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. Abraham had a son named Isaac; Isaac had a son named Jacob; and Jacob had twelve sons. Jacob’s fourth son was named Judah, and according to Genesis 49:10, Shiloh (Messiah) comes from Judah, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

As we delve deeper into the Scriptures, we learn that the Messiah was to be a descendant of King David. In 2 Samuel 7:12–13, God, speaking to David, says, “I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, … and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Later the exact location of the Messiah’s birth was given by the prophet Micah: “But you, Bethlehem … out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel …” (Micah 5:2). Prophesying about the same time as Micah, Isaiah declared the Messiah would be miraculously born of a virgin. He wrote, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

In Daniel’s prophecy, we are told that the Messiah would be cut off—literally, that He would be executed—and that this would occur before the destruction of the second temple. We read in Daniel 9:26, “Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” We learn from Isaiah 53 that the Messiah would suffer and die as a sacrifice for the sins of Israel and the world. Verses 8 and 10 of Isaiah 53 read: “For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people, He was stricken … Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin. …”

We are told in Hosea 13:14 that the Messiah would rise from the dead, “O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” Finally, Isaiah 9:7 says that He will reign in righteousness forever, and that “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”

These and many other passages give a detailed portrait of the Messiah. If this is the case, why did the Jewish leaders reject Jesus? Tragically, at the time of Jesus, Judaism had undergone a major transformation and was no longer the religious system that God had given to Moses. Instead, it had been greatly altered through the influence of the rabbis. In fact, because of the rabbinical revision of Judaism, certain aspects of the Messiah’s ministry were no longer seen as necessary. For example, under the rabbinical system the sacrifices were seen as more cosmetic than actually expiating sin. With this new understanding, Messiah dying as a sacrifice for sins would be completely senseless. Therefore, the rabbis overlooked this aspect of the Messiah’s mission and emphasized the only thing they believed they needed the Messiah to do: kick out the Romans and set them up as rulers!

According to ^[1]Rabbi David Rosen, the Jews of Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to bring an end to foreign oppression, to gather the Jewish exiles, and to establish an era of universal peace. In other words, they were looking for a political leader who would free them from their long history of oppression and bondage and fulfill God’s promises to the nation.

The rabbis who questioned Jesus in John 10 also envisioned the Messiah as the embodiment of all they held sacred. According to their view, the Messiah would meticulously uphold the written law and their oral tradition. As custodians of the law, they perceived themselves—as did many of the people—to be the most righteous and holy men of the nation. So in their minds, the Messiah would have been a glorified version of themselves.

Among all these misperceptions are scriptural passages that, at first glance, appear to be inconsistent with the more common Jewish concepts of the day. Some of the rabbis wrestled with these things, trying to make sense of them, and their confusion comes out in many of the rabbinic commentaries. For example, we read in Zechariah 9 about the Messiah coming humbly upon a donkey, but in Daniel chapter 7 it is declared that the Son of Man will come in the clouds of heaven. The rabbis read these different passages and thought, “What does this mean, and how could it say this here and say something different there?” One rabbi concluded that God was saying, if the people were undeserving, the Messiah would come in humiliation upon a donkey, but if they were deserving and righteous, He would come in power and glory.

The Scriptures seemed to reveal that Messiah would suffer, experience affliction, and possibly even die. But how could this be reconciled with the promise of an everlasting kingdom? As a result, one rabbi developed a two-Messiah theory: ^[2]One they referred to as Messiah ben [son of] Joseph, the other, Messiah ben [son of] David.

Messiah ben Joseph was also known as the Suffering Messiah. Yet he would not suffer in the way predicted by Isaiah—rejected by Israel and dying as an atonement for their sins—but rather He would be slain in battle fighting Israel’s physical enemies. The [later] second Messiah, Son of David, would come, and as some rabbis suggested, resurrect the Messiah, the son of Joseph. Regardless of whether or not He raised Messiah ben Joseph, Messiah, Son of David, would establish the worldwide kingdom of God.

To further complicate matters, many biblical passages that the ancient rabbis considered to be messianic have not been considered so since around the 11^th century AD. If you ask today’s rabbis, “How do you reconcile that some of your ancient and most revered rabbis understood certain portions of Scripture as messianic, but you no longer accept that interpretation today?” They will simply answer, “We base our final conclusion on majority consensus.” In other words, their logic is that the majority of rabbis do not believe those passages to be messianic, so they dismiss the fact that previous generations of rabbis did consider them so.

Which brings us to the next question: What is the messianic expectation among the Jewish people today?

Branches of Judaism

Out of the three branches of Judaism—Reformed, Conservative, and Orthodox—only Orthodox Jews believe in an actual Messiah who is to come in the future. The others look for a messianic age (an age of universal peace and prosperity) that will come through the collective efforts of humanity.

Orthodox Jews (including the ultra-Orthodox), are still awaiting a Messiah and hold to very distinct beliefs about who He is and what He will do. First, the Messiah will be a man like Moses—not the Son of God. In Deuteronomy 18, Moses said to the children of Israel, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.” Based upon this statement, Orthodox Jews are looking for a Messiah who is a man like Moses. He is not supernatural, not born of a virgin, not connected to God in any special way, and He’s definitely not God incarnate. Yet, they expect this man to bring peace and prosperity to Israel and ultimately to the whole world.

Second, if you ask an Orthodox Israeli Jew, “How will you identify the Messiah?” many will answer, “We will know the Messiah because He will help us to rebuild our temple.” I have personally been given this answer when speaking to Jews in Israel. As for scriptural criteria—the biblical description of the Messiah—it is largely dismissed as irrelevant.

Because Jews throughout the ages have consistently refused to use scriptural criteria to identify the Messiah, they have, on many occasions over the centuries, put their hope in false messiahs.

Let me give just two quick examples. Around AD 132–135, approximately one hundred years after the time of Jesus, there arose a man in Israel whom the people hailed as Messiah, believing he would finally liberate them from Roman oppression. He was given the name Bar Kochba (son of a Star); his rebellion is known historically as the Bar Kochba revolt. Of course, those who believed in Jesus knew Bar Kochba was not the Messiah and did not follow him, but most of the Jews inhabiting the land at the time embraced him and followed in his revolt against Rome. Ultimately, the Roman Emperor Hadrian crushed the revolt, leveled Jerusalem, and expelled the Jews from the land. The city was renamed Aelia Capitolina, and the land renamed Palestine, in honor of the Philistines, Israel’s ancient foes.

In 1993, as I was driving through Jerusalem, all throughout the city I saw banners that proclaimed: “Messiah is coming.” The expectation was that ninety-one-year-old Rabbi Schneerson would publicly announce that he was the Messiah. Schneerson died the next year, to the dismay of his followers. Ironically, some of them claimed that he would rise from the dead! On a more recent trip to Israel, I noticed banners announcing the expected return of Rabbi Schneerson. Astonishing! These are just two examples among many, in a long history of would-be messiahs that have come and gone over the past two thousand years. Having rejected the full picture of the Messiah found in Scripture and focusing on only one aspect of his purpose—ushering in universal peace—the nation of Israel has set itself up for deception and fallen victim to false messiahs again and again. All the while, One from among them has been embraced by untold millions globally as the true Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.

Is Jesus the Messiah?

The first thing we must ask is: does Jesus meet the scriptural criteria?

The answer is a resounding yes! In fact, He’s the only One who did, and He met it in a way that would be impossible to do today. This is another reason why the scriptural criteria are largely ignored by present-day Jews.

According to the Scriptures, the Messiah must be a descendent of David.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”
–Jeremiah 23:5

Even today, orthodox Jews agree that the Messiah must be a descendant of David. But the reality is nobody on earth can prove that they are descended from David. They might claim to be descended from David, but there is no way to prove whether or not those claims are true.

Second, the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting.”
–Micah 5:2

A Messiah born in Bethlehem is a massive problem today since Bethlehem is no longer a Jewish city. Bethlehem is presently an Arab city under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

There is also the prophecy of Messiah’s entrance into Jerusalem upon a donkey.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
–Zechariah 9:9

This prophecy tells us that this would have had to occur at a time in history when people rode on donkeys or horseback and when riding into a city as a king on a donkey would be considered an act of humiliation. In King David’s time, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey or mule (which was the case with Solomon) was not shameful; by the time of the Roman occupation, however, a king riding on a donkey would have been considered utterly degrading.

The one point that finalizes the Jewish dilemma and reveals that Jesus is the only One who meets the scriptural criteria for Messiah is that Messiah had to come before the dispersion of Judah and before the destruction of the second temple. In Genesis 49:10, as Jacob prophesied over his sons, he said regarding Judah, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah … until Shiloh comes.” The ancient rabbis agreed that Shiloh refers to the Messiah. Jacob specifically prophesied that Judah would still exist as an identifiable nation when the Messiah arrived. During the days of Jesus, Judah was all that remained of the once-great kingdom of Israel. The rest of the nation had been dispersed in 721 BC when the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom and led Israel into captivity to Assyria, from which they never formally returned.

Later, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah was taken in captivity to Babylon, but a remnant returned seventy years later, and Judah again became an identifiable nation and remained so until the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. It is important to note that Daniel prophesied during the Babylonian exile that Messiah would come, that He would be cut off, and “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:24–26).

Amazingly, the ancient rabbis believed the Messiah would come at the very time that Jesus came. You would think at some point someone would connect the dots and realize that the Messiah did come exactly when He was prophesied to come.

Jesus not only met the scriptural criteria, but He said He was the Messiah, and He said it numerous times. When the Samaritan woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming … He will tell us all things.” Jesus answered her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:25–26). When the Pharisees said, “How long do You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe” (John 10:24–25). Jesus responded to the messianic title “Son of David,” as well as affirming to John the Baptist that He was the “Coming One.”

The point that stands out above all else is that He testified under oath before the high priest that He was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. I find it absolutely amazing that Jesus stood before the Jewish high priest and the Sanhedrin and declared himself to be the Messiah, something no other person had or has ever done!

As the high priest questioned Him, Jesus stood silently while false accusations were made against Him. Finally, to compel Jesus to answer, the high priest said, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matthew 26:63). Jesus answered, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). (Note, the Son of Man is another messianic title found in Daniel 7.)

Everlasting Righteousness and Peace

As has been said, one of the major reasons Jews reject Jesus as Messiah is because of their belief that Messiah will usher in an everlasting kingdom of peace. According to the rabbis, Jesus didn’t do that, therefore He cannot possibly be the Messiah. Jesus did, however, usher in an era of righteousness and peace for people on a personal level and will in the future bring about an everlasting universal peace. Down through the ages, millions upon millions have known the righteousness and peace that comes through faith in the Lord Jesus, many of them Jews.

I was recently skimming through a book written by a Jewish believer in Jesus. In the book, the author told the story of being at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park (where you can literally stand on your soapbox and preach anything you want) sometime in the late sixties or early seventies. He related that while he was passing through the park, there was a man at Speakers’ Corner who was standing on a ladder boldly proclaiming his atheism. The atheist was mocking and ridiculing the Christian faith, and he said that it was a “fact” that even the Jews had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Essentially, his argument was that if the Jews had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, then nobody else should believe He is the Messiah. He also claimed that no Jews had ever believed in Jesus.

The author was standing in the crowd listening to this man when he suddenly interrupted and said, “Sir, excuse me, can I come up on your ladder?” The atheist said, “What? What do you mean ‘come up on my ladder?’” The Jewish man answered, “Yes, I’d like to climb up on your ladder.” The atheist said, “There’s no room up here. Why do you want to come up here?” The Jewish man answered, “I want to come up there to show that you’re mistaken, because I am a Jew, I believe in Jesus, and I believe that He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. I just thought that other people ought to see someone that you say doesn’t exist.”

The atheist came down from his ladder, and the Jewish man climbed up, and as he was speaking with the crowd, another man in the crowd spoke up and asked, “Sir, do you have another ladder?” The atheist responded, “No, why do you need another ladder?” The man said, “Because I’m also a Jew who believes in Jesus, and so is my wife, and we’d like to come up there with our friend and show you that you’re not only mistaken once, but twice.” The point is that even though much of the Jewish nation rejected the messianic claims of Jesus, many Jews have received Him—especially in the early days of the church—and many are receiving Him today.

The Suffering Servant

Every year, the Scriptures are read, in their entirety, in the synagogue. Yet one chapter of Scripture the rabbis will not allow—Isaiah 53. The reason Isaiah 53 is excluded from the annual reading is the rabbis fear that someone hearing it might be inclined to believe that it is speaking of Jesus. Of course, the New Testament applies Isaiah 53 to Jesus several times, and even the ancient rabbis believed Isaiah 53 to be messianic. It wasn’t until the 11^th century that the famous rabbinical scholar ^[3]Rashi developed a new perspective, which has held sway ever since and is the standard rabbinic interpretation. That new perspective essentially states that Isaiah 53 was not a messianic prophecy but a prophecy of the Jewish people and their suffering.

Jewish people certainly have suffered. It’s one of the great tragedies of history. Sadly, they have suffered mercilessly at the hands of so-called Christians. Nevertheless, Isaiah 53 is not speaking of the sufferings of the Jewish people and can only be misconstrued if one completely ignores the details of the text. Rashi’s justification for this new interpretation was based on chapter 53 being a continuation of the Servant Song that begins in Isaiah 49. In that passage, the prophet speaks of the servant as Israel, hence, the interpretation of Isaiah 53 being Israel. Yet, if you read Isaiah 49 carefully, you will discover that while the servant is named Israel, the task of the servant who is named Israel is to bring Israel back to God.

“Israel” was the name given to Jacob, which literally means “God prevails or governed by God.” In Isaiah 49, the person who embodies the ideal of what Israel was intended to be can only be the Messiah because He was truly the only Israelite ever completely governed by God.

To reiterate, the ancient rabbis saw these passages as messianic, but modern rabbis reject the messianic implications. Anyone who is willing to take them at face value, however, will conclude that the modern rabbis are mistaken. For those who are willing to believe, the evidence is clear, and it is available to everyone in the pages of the Gospels.

Embracing the evidence for Jesus as Messiah is not all there is to it though. You can believe something to be true yet not commit yourself to the full implications of that truth. All the time, people are coming from atheism and agnosticism to belief in God—believing that God exists—yet they are still unwilling to surrender their lives to Him. This, in many ways, is the real issue. If you become convinced that Jesus is Messiah, are you willing to surrender your life to Him? That is the question. Even as I write this, I’m thinking of the fascinating story of ^[4]Arthur Catz and his coming to faith in Jesus from a Jewish background. His experience perfectly illustrates my point. In his book, Ben Israel: Odyssey of a Modern Jew, Katz describes how after a long journey and much research, he came to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of Israel. It was while reading the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought to Jesus by the religious leaders for stoning; as he read the response of Jesus, ^[5]“he that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” Katz knew beyond any doubt that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world. Although this was an earthshaking moment for Katz, which he records so powerfully in the book, yet this was not the end of the struggle. There was still the issue of relinquishing the control of his life over to God, of receiving Jesus as Lord, and surrendering his will to the will of God. The ancient Rabbi’s said, ^[6]“The world was not created but only for the Messiah.” We are part of that world, and we were created to know, love, and serve Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Conclusion

As we look at the big picture, Jesus of Nazareth is the only man in history who meets the criteria given in the Scriptures to be the Messiah. Since there are no other candidates from the past and no possibility in the future for anyone to meet those criteria, we can honestly conclude that if Jesus is not the Messiah, there is no Messiah, and any Jew waiting for the Messiah is waiting in vain.

I conclude with the question sent by John ben Zacharias to Jesus and the response he received:

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” … “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
–Luke 7:20, 22–23

^[1] Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
^[2] Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai, 11^th Century.
^[3] Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, 1040–1105.
^[4] Jewish Marxist/Atheist turned Christian Evangelist and Author.
^[5] Gospel of John 8:1–11.
^[6] SANH 98 b.

Editor’s Note: This is from Messiah, Copyright © 2024 by Brian Brodersen.

The CGN Podcast is Back with a New Name and New Episodes!

The CGN Podcast is the official podcast of the Calvary Global Network.

Formerly known as Mission & Methods, this season on the CGN Podcast hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen are talking about what’s new at CGN, from Brian Brodersen’s changing role to ministry-related discussions about difficult pastoral transitions, evangelistic strategies, training resources, and more.

Episodes are released biweekly on Wednesdays, so subscribe today on your favorite podcast app, or listen on cgnmedia.org.

Here are this season’s episodes so far:

• Episode 1: What’s New at CGN: Brian Brodersen’s Changing Roles, Calvary Chapel Identity, & a New Initiative
• Episode 2: Navigating the Aftermath of a Pastor’s Moral Failure, & Partnering to Pastor a City – with Doug Sauder
• Episode 3: Why Being Grounded in God’s Word is More Needed than Ever – with Dan Kimball

Hi friends,

A couple of months ago, we announced our plan to reopen our CCBC campus in Europe at the Castle in Millstatt, Austria. We were hoping to be able to launch in the fall of this year, 2024.

With so many different things happening within CCBC and the need to remain focused on our main campus in Twin Peaks, California, we have decided to postpone reopening our European campus for one more year. We, of course, want to offer our students the best possible educational experience, along with the rich cultural experience offered in a place like Austria. To do that, we felt we needed more time to plan and prepare.

Please keep us in prayer as we seek God’s wisdom and timing moving forward. If you have any questions, you can reach us at castle.cccm.com.

Sincerely,

Brian Brodersen

“I am the resurrection and the life.”
—John 11:25

Jesus’ claim to be the resurrection and the life is so radical that it does not allow the hearer to hold a neutral position concerning Him. As C. S. Lewis said, there are only three possibilities with Jesus: He is a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. Any serious consideration of His words will almost certainly force one to admit, like it or not, that He is Lord.

Jesus made this statement in response to the death of His friend, Lazarus. Death is that dreaded reality that every human being hopes to avoid but can never escape. Death is humanity’s perennial enemy and greatest fear. In fact, the Bible says that people live all their lives in bondage to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15).

Actually, death was never a part of God’s original plan. It is something that came in because of sin. God had said to Adam, in the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17). Our ongoing inability to accept death as just another part of the human experience is to me a strong indicator that the biblical explanation of it is the right one—death is abnormal.

Think about it: no matter how young or old the person, no matter how sick or disabled, no matter how far removed from a person we might have been, there is a pang in our hearts when we hear of their passing. Millions were stricken with grief over the untimely death of pop star and cultural icon Michael Jackson, and, more recently, superstar athlete Kobe Bryant. Yet how many actually knew them personally? Why do people react so passionately to death? Because death is not right. It never was right. It never will be right. Nevertheless, it is.

The current death rate is staggering. Two people die every second, 120 every minute, more than 7,000 every hour, about 175,000 every day, 65,000,000 every year. “Death comes to young and old, rich and poor, good and bad, educated and ignorant, king and commoner. … The dynamic young businessman, the glamorous actress, the great athlete, the brilliant scientist, the television personality, the powerful politician—none can resist the moment when death will lay its hand upon them and bring all their fame and achievements to nothing. … Death is no respecter of time or place; it has neither season nor region. It can strike at any moment of the day or night, on land, on the sea or in the air. It comes to the hospital bed, the busy road, the comfortable armchair, the sports field and the office; there is not a single spot on the face of the planet where it is not able to strike.”^[1]

The philosopher Epicurus said, “It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we live in a city without walls.”

Are there any solutions? Is man destined to go on endlessly being defeated by death? Jesus answered those questions when He stood face to face with death and said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Just a few days later, Jesus would meet death head on Himself in fulfillment of the prophecy: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” (Hosea 13:14).

His destruction of death would come through His resurrection. Paul the apostle would later write of Christ as the one who “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

The word abolish means to put an end to. Some synonyms for abolish are: eradicate, rescind, repeal, obliterate, annihilate. Jesus Christ obliterated death! You might say, “Wait a minute. As you just stated, three people die every second. What do you mean Jesus Christ obliterated death?” There are two definitions of death—ours and God’s. Our definition of death is essentially the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. God’s definition of death is the separation of the soul and spirit from Him.

The Bible teaches that physical death is the result of spiritual death. Jesus obliterated spiritual death by bringing our soul and spirit back into conscious fellowship with God. But He also obliterated physical death by rising from the dead and becoming the first of a great multitude who will rise also. In the original order of things, spiritual death (which came through the sin of Adam) led ultimately to physical death. In the new order of things, spiritual life (which comes through faith in Jesus Christ) will lead ultimately to physical life without the possibility of death.

Again, the apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 15, that great chapter on the resurrection:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’”
—1 Corinthians 15:51–55

Taken from my book:
No Like or Equal
The Uniqueness of Jesus
Copyright © 2023 by Brian Brodersen

Reference

^[1] John Blanchard, Whatever Happened to Hell? (Welwyn Garden City, UK: Evangelical Press, 1993), 46.

Hi friends, 

I want to update you on a couple of exciting developments with Calvary Chapel Bible College.

First, I’m happy to announce that CCBC has just obtained candidate status with our accrediting agency ABHE (Association of Biblical Higher Education). That brings us one step away from being a fully accredited school. Accreditation will enable students to obtain a fully accredited undergraduate degree from CCBC which will then give them opportunities to move on to graduate level studies should they desire to do so. 

For anyone that might be unaware, we still offer a certificate program for those simply wanting to further their Biblical understanding and grow in their spiritual lives.  

The other exciting news I wanted to share is that CCBC is reopening its European campus in the fall/autumn of this year. We’ll be having a semester at the Castle in beautiful Millstatt, Austria. This one semester program can be taken as a stand-alone certificate course, or, the classes can be taken for credit toward one’s degree. Dr. Lu Wing will be leading the semester with other instructors from around Europe teaching some of the courses. This semester’s teaching will center around Leviticus and Hebrews with additional subjects offered to make this a rich and fulfilling time of spiritual growth. There’ll also be visits to some of the significant Christian history sites in Europe, as well as opportunities for outreach. It looks to be an outstanding time.

For more information, you can visit the Schloss Heroldeck website, or if you are interested in attending please fill out this interest form. 

Dates: September 16 through December 13, 2024 

Blessings,

Brian Brodersen
Pastor, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Ca

P.S. We’ve included a brief video that Lu and I recorded on a recent trip to the Castle.

For much of the culture at large, the true meaning of Christmas is almost totally lost. Most people think of Christmas sentimentally. A recent survey indicated that here in America, and I’m sure this would extend to the rest of the Western world as well, “a fewer number of people are celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday.” Of those surveyed here in the U.S., only 57 percent (down from 64 percent just 3 years ago) say they believe what the Gospels teach about the birth of Jesus. For most people, Christmas is about getting new things and spending time with family and friends. It’s not a bad thing to exchange gifts and spend time with family and friends, but if you leave Jesus out, calling the day Christ-mas makes little to no sense.

Yet even among believers, the true meaning of Christmas can often be obscured. We sentimentalize the manger surrounded by farm animals with baby Jesus in the center, asleep on the hay. But from the Biblical standpoint, Christmas is actually the fulfillment of the first phase of God’s Great Rescue Mission. If we fail to understand and celebrate Christmas in a way that overlooks or obscures that, then we have, to some degree, sentimentalized Christmas.

Seeing Christmas as God’s rescue mission, what do we see?

The Mission was Absolutely Necessary

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining” are words we have all heard and probably even sung for years. They are words that describe the human condition day after day, month after month, year after year, century after century—a pitiful situation we haven’t been able to free ourselves from even after thousands of years of attempting to do so. We had exhausted every hope of self-deliverance. We were Dead in Trespasses and Sins, Spiritually Blind, Living in Darkness, and Held Captive by Satan to do his will. To free us all from Satan’s power, one more powerful than he must intervene. As author Paul Tripp said, “Sin is so disastrous and inescapable that the only solution was for God to come and rescue us.”

Not only are we bound in sin and captives of the devil, we are also blind to our true condition. Blind to our need to be rescued. In an early episode of “The Crown” (Netflix), they portray Billy Graham’s visit to Queen Elizabeth during his 1954 London crusade.

The aristocracy, apart from the Queen, loathed the idea that this unsophisticated country boy from North Carolina would suggest that they were sinners in need of a savior. At one point, someone near the Queen spoke up, saying, “Holding a crusade gives the impression that we are no better than the pagans.” Yep, that’s how most people feel: dead in sin, captives of Satan and completely unaware of it all.

The Mission was Planned

All the way back to before the beginning of time, God, knowing that the ones he created and loved would be taken captive by the enemy, planned their rescue.

Matthew, in his Gospel, quotes two of Israel’s prophets to show that the events that unfolded in the manger in Bethlehem were happening according to God’s plan:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

“But as for you Bethlehem … too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

His coming was ordained from the days of eternity—before time.

The Mission was Costly

Mary: I wonder if we ever stop to think about the price those involved in the rescue mission paid. Think of Mary. Of course, there was the honor of being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, but not everyone believed the story of her being pregnant by supernatural means. This would cast a shadow of suspicion over her and tarnish her reputation for the rest of her life. Jewish writers would later accuse her of having an adulterous relationship with a Roman soldier. And that is only part of the cost. Think of what it was like for Mary to see her own son viciously turned on by the mob and brutally murdered by the state. As Simeon prophesied to Mary, “A sword will pierce your own soul.”

Joseph: Think about Joseph for a moment. The emotional difficulty he suffered initially upon hearing that his betrothed was with child. Surely, this would have rocked his world. It took nothing less than an angelic visitation and revelation about Mary’s condition and the child Mary would bear to bring him back to a state of peace of mind. All of this obviously took Joseph out of his comfort zone, to say the least.

God the Father: What about the cost to the Father who gave his one and only Son? The Father who sent his beloved into the world where he would be despised and rejected, mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, brutally beaten and murdered. And these are only the things we can see that Jesus suffered. God only knows all that was involved when Jesus was being made an offering for sin, as Isaiah prophesied.

God the Son: The emotional, physical, and spiritual sufferings of the Son are the price he paid to redeem us and bring us back to God. But even beyond that, what does it mean that God the Son would now and forever have His deity joined with humanity? Is there an unimaginable cost involved in that for Jesus? It seems so. We don’t know all that the Incarnation entailed, but it’s something to ponder. For all of those immediately involved in the mission to rescue the captives, there was a cost.

The Mission was Dangerous, even Deadly

The Incarnation was the first step toward the Crucifixion. And in between were many perils: Herod’s attempt to destroy Jesus as a child, the people of Nazareth attempting to throw him off a cliff, the constant plots and schemes of the religious leaders to destroy him. The mission was fraught with danger.

To save His people from their sins would require that He give His life in exchange for theirs. This is the reality of a rescue mission.

On July 4^th, 1976, the IDF pulled off one of the greatest rescue missions of modern times when a commando unit liberated 102 Israeli and Jewish victims of the terrorist hijacking of Air France flight 139, which was given safe haven at the Entebbe International Airport by Idi Amin, the Ugandan dictator. This rescue mission was known as Operation Entebbe, but later became known as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit’s leader, who was the only soldier killed during the mission—Lt. Col. Jonathan Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The rescue mission that God sent His Son on would be dangerous; it would actually be deadly. In His effort to rescue us, Jesus would give up His own life. The manger was the first stop on the way to the cross.

The Mission was Personal

He shall save His people from their sins. This is a family matter. Christmas is the story of the Father sending the Son, the Older Brother, to rescue the children who have been abducted and are being held captive by their tormentors. Hebrews so profoundly expresses this, “Since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death—that is, the devil, and set free those who were held captive all their lives by their fear of death.”

Mission Accomplished

So we see, Christmas is not mainly about gifts or decorations or food or family or friends or time off work, etc. Those are all good things, but they’re not the main thing, which is so much greater and more profound than all of those things could ever be in and of themselves. Christmas is about a loving Father who sent His Son on a mission, a mission to free us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray, a mission to provide forgiveness for our sins and to bring us into a beautiful personal eternal relationship with the One who loves us with an everlasting love, the One who has a wonderful plan and purpose for our lives that stretches beyond time into eternity.

Christmas is nothing less than God’s ultimate rescue mission!

Originally published on Feb 17, 2014

“What were we made for? What aim should we set ourselves in life? What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment than anything else? The answer to all these questions is the same: Knowing God!” (from Knowing God by J. I. Packer).

Listen to a young Charles Spurgeon on the subject of knowing God:

“It has been said by some one that ‘the proper study of mankind is man.’ I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. … No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God. … But while the subject humbles the mind it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. … the most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity. And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatary. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrows? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead” (from The Immutability of God, a sermon by C. H. Spurgeon).

There truly is no greater objective in life than knowing God, but how is that experiential knowledge of God attained?

The first question we need ask is this: Is God is willing to be known? Is God knowable in a personal sense, in the same way that we know one another? Some say, No, that is not possible. God is too great to be known by man. Deism, theism, and Islam are all views of God that put Him beyond our ability as human beings to know, at least in any personal, meaningful sense. However, the Bible presents us with a God who can be known and actually desires to be known.

Listen to God Himself speaking on the subject:

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13 ESV).

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant … I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. … for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest …” (Jer 31:31, 33-34).

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos 6:6).

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true …” (1 Jn 5:20).

So we see clearly from God’s Word itself that God is knowable.

In fact, bringing men and women into personal fellowship with God is the chief objective of the Gospel. Jesus said this in prayer to the Father, “You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:2-3).

Since God has made a relationship with Him possible, we need to be daily pursuing this wonderful knowledge.

What does that look like, you might ask? Let me suggest three things:

1. Gleaning from those who know God better than we do.

a. Get to know and spend time with older, more mature Christians. Talk to them, ask them Bible questions, ask them about their experiences with the Lord.

b. Make sure your are being taught the Word through the gifted pastors and teachers that God has given to His church for the building up of the body of Christ.

c. Read good books that will help you to better understand God’s Word and His ways.

2. Spend quality time alone with the Lord.

“When the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, one of the things it means is, now, so to speak, Jesus is loose and at large, so that anyone anywhere can enjoy the same kind of relationship with him as the disciples had in the days of his flesh. The only differences are that, first, his presence with the Christian is spiritual, not bodily, and so invisible to our physical eyes; second, that Jesus’ way of speaking to us now is not by uttering fresh words, but rather by applying to our consciences those words of his that are recorded in the Gospels, together with the rest of the biblical testimony” (from Knowing God by J. I. Packer).

3. Listen intently and seek understanding.

What do I mean by that? Reading and meditating on the Word of God.

“Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. It is a matter of talking to one’s self about God and one’s self” (from Knowing God by J. I. Packer).

This all begins with meeting the Lord.

Have you met the Lord? Jesus is the one through whom we come into this relationship with the Father. To as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the children of God. Receive Him if you haven’t. Simply ask that He forgive your sins and take charge of your life.

Are you pursuing a deeper relationship with the Lord? Are you getting to know Him better and better? The chief end of man is to know God and to glorify Him forever.

Let me end with one final quote from J. I. Packer’s Knowing God:

“Once you become aware that the main business you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord. … The world today is full of sufferers from the wasting disease known as absurdism (‘life is a bad joke’), and from the complaint (‘nothing taste’). These disorders blight the whole of life: everything becomes at once a problem and a bore, because nothing seems worthwhile. But these are ills from which, in the nature of the case, Christians are immune, except for occasional spells of derangement when the power of temptation presses their minds out of shape- and these, by God’s mercy, do not last. What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”

Jesus Revolution has taken Hollywood by storm. The Lionsgate production has broken box office records, becoming the company’s highest-grossing movie since 2019, at well above $30 million. The film is based on a true story, documenting how tens of thousands of counterculture young people (hippies) came to know and follow Jesus in the late 1960s and early 70s.

The narrative revolves around the lives of four main characters: Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney, Super 8, The Kissing Booth), Cathe Martin (Anna Grace Barlow, The Big Leap, Grey’s Anatomy), Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie, The Chosen), and Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer, Cheers, Frasier). Greg has seven stepdads and is a disillusioned 17-year-old living in a trailer with his alcoholic mother. Cathe is a young, pretty socialite type caught up in the hippie scene through the influence of her older sister. Lonnie is a charismatic hippie preacher, and Chuck is a middle-aged conservative pastor of a small church.

The Late 1960s and Early 2020s

The movie does a fantastic job of recreating Southern California culture as it was in the late 60s, with a beach concert featuring Janis Joplin and a pro-LSD sermon preached by none other than Timothy Leary. Naturally, the film has drawn in many Christians, as was expected. What was not expected? The number of non-religious people flocking to the theaters to see the movie. The reasons seem to be wide-ranging. The depiction of the times is authentic. The portrayals are non-judgmental, in that the characters are not condemned even though their lives are obviously a mess. And Jesus is seen as being outside of the “religious” context, gracious and welcoming, a friend of sinners, you might say. To be clear, no one plays Jesus in the film. But he is front and center, seen in the humility and love shown by Chuck Smith when he opens the doors of his church to welcome in the hippies and in the simplicity and sincerity of Lonnie Frisbee, the radical hippie preacher who “looks” like Jesus, at least how some people imagine him to look.

The movie might also resonate with so many because of the similarities to our current times. The late 1960s shares many parallels with the early 2020s. The social unrest, racism, riots, war, and drug epidemic destroying the lives of many young people seem very much like the messages we are seeing and hearing in our news feeds today.

In contrast, the film’s message is this—no matter how messed up, broken, empty, or hopeless your life may be, Jesus is the answer. Greg has given up hope of finding any real happiness or purpose. As a result, he decides to tune in, turn on, and drop out, like so many others. Just when things are spinning completely out of control, Lonnie Frisbee visits Greg’s high school campus and preaches a gospel message. Listening from a distance, not wanting to get too close to the Jesus freaks, Greg is intrigued. After wrestling with Jesus’ words, You’re either for me or against me, he gives in, surrendering himself to Christ. From this point forward, everything changes. Things are far from perfect (the movie keeps it real), but the big questions of life—Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?—have all been answered.

The Message of the Jesus Revolution Is for You

Maybe you have the same types of questions today. You feel that life is without purpose and without hope. This is understandable; after all, the world is in the same mess now as it was then. Why? What’s it all about? Is there any peace in the midst of this madness? Yes, believe it or not, there is! Jesus said, Come to me, and I will give you peace (see Matt. 11:28).

Like those in the film, in the mid-1970s, I, too, was a young, aimless, restless soul. I had tried everything the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll culture had to offer but still came up empty. I had even encountered a few Jesus freaks, and they were just a bit too freaky for me. Then one day, I randomly opened a Bible and read the following words of Jesus:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

These Scriptures struck a chord deep in my soul, and I accepted the invitation from Jesus to come. For me, just like many others, everything changed. My problems did not automatically go away, but the big questions, those that kept me up at night, were answered. The Jesus who saved untold thousands in the Jesus Revolution of the 1960s is still saving people today. He alone can give hope and bring real purpose to our lives. And he has a plan and purpose for your life. Receive him today, and watch and see what he will do.

On this season of Mission & Methods, hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen are interviewing some of the members of the CGN Executive Team, so that you can get to know who they are and what they are passionate about.

Nate Holdridge is the Pastor of Calvary Monterey, in Monterey, California. He is the author of several books, including his recent book: Whole-Hearted Work, which you can find on his website: nateholdridge.com. Nate is a pastor’s kid, and in this episode, Nate talks about what it was like growing up in a church planting family, and what he learned through that about how Pastors can help their children to grow up in a way that helps them love the church and follow Jesus.

Nate is also a member of the Pastoral Care and Coaching Team for CGN, and so we talk about the importance of pastoral care and sabbaticals, and how to access those resources through Calvary Global Network.

We’d love to hear your feedback on these episodes. Email us at cgn@44.229.177.13