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Storytime Tapestry Newsletter
The newsletter devoted to
spreading love and cultural awareness around the world
Christian Meditations – A
Chris Hansen Column
December 16, 2007
Historical Evidence For The
Virgin Birth Of Jesus Christ? – A Series Part 6
Christ Hansen
Isaiah predicted:
"Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to
shame." Then, seven-hundred years later, Luke records: "As the
time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." (Luke 9:51 & Isaiah 50:8.)
Some translations say, "Jesus set his face like flint toward Jerusalem." Because his final destination was heaven, He knew
He would not face ultimate disgrace. This gave Him the courage to set his
face like flint toward the hard task that awaited Him in Jerusalem! That is the kind of courage we all need.
Seven-hundred years in advance, Isaiah wrote this: (Isaiah
50:8-9.) "He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring
charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my
accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign Lord who helps
me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a
garment; the moths will eat them up." Rome found no fault
in Jesus. (Luke 23:22) The Roman empire is gone! The
temple priests accused Him. They are gone! Herod accused him.
Herod is gone! The accusers really did wear out like a garment!
Five-hundred years in advance, Zechariah predicted the
thirty pieces of silver which Judas would return. (Zechariah 11:12-13.)
Now watch how this all comes together:
"When Judas who had betrayed him saw that Jesus was condemned, he was
seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests
and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "For I
have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they
replied. "That's your responsibility." So Judas threw the
money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged
himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is
against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood
money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field
as a burial place for foreigners." (Matthew 27:3-7.) The
wicked priests who hated Jesus fulfilled the very prophecy which verified his
claims as their Messiah! Even Judas fulfilled the same prophecy!
Five-hundred years earlier, Zechariah predicted that this would happen:
"I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep
it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord
said to me, "Throw it to the potter:" -the handsome price at which
they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into
the house of the Lord to the potter." These prophecies keep weaving
thread upon thread until the cloth can not be torn by reason!
Five hundred years before Christ, Zechariah wrote this:
(Zechariah 9:9.) "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion! Shout,
daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having
salvation gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, on the foal of a
donkey." That's exactly what happened five hundred years
later. (Matthew 21) and (John 12). Huge crowds gathered to see
Jesus coming on a donkey as the prophecy said. Some hailed Him as God!
After all, hadn't he cured the blind? Hadn't He raised the dead?
Others were sure he was demon-possessed! Wasn't he filled with black
magic? Wasn't he the one leading Israel astray? Still others just couldn't decide. Who was
right? Was he God? Or was he Satan in disguise? Jesus still
creates controversy even today. Just who is he? If He is God, then
worship Him! If he is the devil, destroy him if you can! Ignore him
at your peril!
A thousand years in advance, Psalm 118:22-23 predicted two
responses to Jesus the Messiah: "The stone the builders rejected has
become the capstone; The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our
eyes." The builders were the wicked high priests. They
rejected Him. The common people thought this was indeed a wonder that He
could be rejected! John makes this point: "Now the crowd that was
with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead,
continued to spread the word." (John 12:17. These are his
adoring worshipers. These are not the ones calling for his crucifixion a
few short days later. John 12:18 also describes the ones who
hadn't quite made up their minds yet. "Many people, because they
heard that He had given this miraculous sign went out to meet Him."
Again, these also did not cry for His death a few days later. John 12:37 describes the third group who hated everything Jesus stood for:
"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence,
they still would not believe in Him." This crowd yelled
"Crucify!" while the others were still asleep after celebrating the
night before. By the time his followers were awakened by
the commotion in the streets, alas, it was too late! This third
crowd had finally gotten what they wanted! What do you want from
Jesus? Are you deciding? Are you worshiping? Do you just want
Him to go away?
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, Matthew records as follows: "The crowds that went
ahead of him and those that followed shouted "Hosanna to the Son of
David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
(Matthew 21:9.) This fits perfectly with Psalm 118:26.
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of
the Lord we bless you." These excited people were preparing to bring
Jesus into the temple and worship Him there!
Palm Sunday, as it has come to be called, was perhaps the
biggest day in the life of Jesus. Finally, He was receiving the
recognition He truly deserved. (Luke 19:40) "When He came near
the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of
disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they
had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the
Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your
disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep
quiet, the stones will cry out!","
Psalm 118:25-27 paints a glorious picture of adoring crowds worshiping Jesus at
long last.
"Oh Lord, save us; oh Lord, grant us success. Blessed is He who
comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless
you. The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine upon us. With
boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the
altar!"
You can imagine the Pharisees going absolutely crazy! The crowds were
shouting to Jesus, "Lord save us; Lord grant us success!" No
wonder the Pharisees rebuked Jesus and demanded His disciples be quiet!
God can not remain silent forever! Jesus can no more hide His glory than
can the sun at high noon! Are you carrying boughs to the horns of the
altar? Or are you demanding His disciples to "be quiet!"
"When evening came, Jesus
arrived with the Twelve. While they were reclining at the table eating,
he said, "I tell you the truth; one of you will betray me-one who is
eating with me." They
were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"
"It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into
the bowl with me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written of
him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be
better for him if he had not been born." ((Mark 14:17-21.)
Written of Him? Just where was this written? A thousand years in
advance, Psalm 41:9 records: "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who
shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me." That's exactly
what Judas did. He lifted up his heel, left the room, and turned Jesus
over to the authorities! These Old Testament prophecies are truly a
wonder! Meticulous details are foretold centuries in advance; then they
unfold like a scripted drama! Yes, God and His word can be trusted!
A thousand years in advance, Psalm 22:1 predicted just how
Jesus would feel while hanging in agony on the cross!
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Sometimes we feel
that way too. It's not a sin to feel that way. If it were, then
Jesus would have sinned! If he had sinned then he would have paid for our
sins and his own too! Then we would have had no salvation! Jesus
was able to use scripture to express his human feelings without actually
sinning. We can do the very same thing. Remind God of the
scriptures He already knows so well.
Psalm 22 was written a thousand years before Jesus was
viciously crucified. It was written three-hundred years before
crucifixion was introduced by the Phoenicians and perfected by the
Romans. Yet this psalm describes crucifixion in very graphic detail!
(Psalm 22:14-15.) "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are
out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within
me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the
roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death."
No doubt, Jesus felt as though He were poured out like water! He was
badly dehydrated. Fluids were steadily draining from Him because he had
open wounds from the savage beatings He had already endured! His bones
really were out of joint. A crucified victim first had his hands either
tied or nailed to a cross bar. Then the cross bar was hoisted up and
dropped onto a standing upright piece. This jerked the shoulders out of
joint! This also produced a terrible strain on the ribs and chest
muscles. Breathing became more and more difficult because of muscle
strain. This caused the slow and terrible build up of carbon dioxide in
the blood. This caused the heart to work harder and harder.
Finally, the combination of dehydration, suffocation, shock, and cardiac stress
would become too much for the crucified victim to endure!
Be sure and see The Passion of The Christ, if you haven’t already done so! This
film made a truly dramatic entrance On Ash Wednesday, February 25 2004. This film was a very accurate, realistic, and bloody
depiction of what Christ really had to endure for us!
Ten centuries before His crucifixion, Psalm 22:17 records this odd prophecy: "I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me." Crucifixion was put on display so
that people would stare and be afraid! That is understandable.
However, what did the prophet mean by, "I can count all my
bones?" Jesus was brutally beaten with a Roman scourge! This
was a Roman whip imbedded with heavy pieces of metal, bone, or glass!
When the soldiers were through, Jesus had His flesh so badly torn that His
bones stuck out through the wounds! Jesus could quite literally count all
His bones! His critics were more than happy to gloat over His
predicament. That too is understandable. The scourging before
crucifixion was so terrible that many victims died before they ever reached the
cross! The scourging sometimes revealed internal organs! Some
critics have suggested that Jesus lapsed into a coma, after which He revived
and was only thought to have risen from death! The combination of severe
scourging and brutal crucifixion truly makes this a leap of faith indeed!
Ten centuries in advance, Psalm 22:18 prophesies, "They divide my garments among them and cast
lots for my clothing." Jesus was a very typical Jewish man.
Men of His day and economic status owned four precious items of clothing.
An outer cloak was worn when the weather was cold. An inner tunic was
worn either indoors or when the weather was moderate. A Jewish boy's
mother would lovingly knit him an intimate undergarment. Then he took it
as a gift to remember his mother by, when he left home. Finally, he owned
a pair of sandals to protect his feet. As Jesus hung on the cross, and as
his life ebbed away hour by hour, drop by drop, the soldiers were having
fun! They were casting lots to see who would get his clothes! (John
19:23-25.) The soldiers would keep these as mementos of the prisoners
they executed. There must have been a great many conversation
keepsakes! The Romans crucified at least a hundred thousand prisoners at
the time of Jesus! They knew how to carry out an execution. It
seems highly unlikely that they would "accidentally" fail to execute
Jesus and then have him somehow revive in the tomb!
(Psalm 69:21)
Hundreds of years, in advance, Psalm 69:21 prophesied: "They put gall in
my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." Jesus was already in
severe pain from the scourging! As he staggered toward the cross site,
women showed him a small kindness. They offered him a mild painkiller
mixed in a drink. (Matthew 27:34.) This drink consisted of a mixture of
wine vinegar, and myrrh, a very bitter gall-like substance. This is in
keeping with Psalm 69:21. The gesture was nice, but it wouldn't have
helped much! Then, the Romans ripped His clothing off and no doubt
reopened his wounds. His clothes were thrown down at the foot of the
cross so soldiers could cast dice for them. The Romans did grant one
minor concession to Jewish criminals. Usually, crucified victims were
hung naked. In the case of a Jew, they did allow a loincloth! When
the end came, (Matthew 27:48) they offered wine vinegar once again. Some
have supposed that this drug somehow allowed him to lapse into unconsciousness,
which everyone thought was death. The brutality of the cross makes it
quite clear that Jesus died! Hundreds of sightings attest that he was
very much alive three days later! The disciples were instantly
transformed from cringing cowards into bold conquerors for their new
faith. Why did the disciples risk their lives? The answer is
simple. They knew what they knew! Jesus really died! Jesus
really was alive again! They saw what they saw! They
saw Him die from a brutal crucifixion! They saw Him very much alive and
well three days later! You too can risk your life! You quite
literally have nothing to lose!
Chris Hansen
chrishansen54@sbcglobal.net
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