Our sense organs 45

A very special man:
Jesus
Today many people ask -
who is Jesus?
Sixty thousand biographies have been written
about Jesus Christ. No other historical person has
been portrayed as frequently as He. Napoleon
Bonaparte (1769 – 1821) said that people will for
ever speak of Jesus, and many will die for Him.
“But well after I am gone, nobody will speak of me
(Napoleon), nor would they die for me anymore.”
Nobody had to die for Jesus; He has never asked
that of anybody. But it is true that, nevertheless,
thousands and even millions of people willingly
sacrificed their lives for Him. They only had to
utter one word of retraction to be set free. But
they remained faithful and accepted death rather
than to disavow Him. They did this because they
loved Him; never were they coerced.
Napoleon’s soldiers were forced to die for him,
but today nobody would even consider dying for
Napoleon. The historian Kenneth Scott Latourette
came to the conclusion:
“As the centuries pass the evidence is accumulating
that, measured by His effect of history, Jesus
is the most influential life ever lived on this planet.
That influence appears to be mounting.”
(American Historical Review, LIV, January, 1949).
Is Jesus the Son of God?
Consider the following verdicts:
1 God: When Jesus was baptised, a voice sounded
from heaven. It was God Himself Who said:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased” (Matt 3:17). God refers to His Son, so He
must be Jesus’ Father. On the mountain of the
transfiguration God repeated this assertion:
“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
(Mark 9:7).
2 Peter: He was a follower of Jesus and observed
everything closely. He knew all the deeds of
Jesus, all his words, his way of life, and his dealings
with people. When Jesus asked this disciple
who He was, Peter replied: “You are the Christ,
the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16).
3 A Roman centurion: A Roman centurion was
in charge of the crucifixion of Jesus. He had travelled
widely in the great Roman empire, which
extended from England to North Africa, and from
Spain to the Orient. He had fought in many battles,
and was often in charge of crucifixions, the
horrible and extremely painful Roman method of
execution. Time after time it ws the same: persons
nailed to a cross started to curse and scold. They
accused those who brought them. It was always
a scene of horror, groaning and agonised anger.
For the first time in his life he now experiences
a crucifixion where everything is different. No evil
words come from the Man on the cross, no reproach
or accusation. On the contrary: He prays
for the spectators. This is all the more astounding,
since the people are still mocking and taunting
Him. His response is quite different to that of any
other person. He calls on God, praying: “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are
doing” (Luke 23:34). The centurion also hears Jesus’
barely comprehensible promise to the criminal who
has confessed his guilt: “I tell you the truth, today
you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The
centurion pays close attention to every word of
this Man in the middle, and comes to the conclusion:
“Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matt 27:54).
For Christians the double name Jesus Christ is
the briefest declaration of faith, since it means
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