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Living the Christian Life Magazine
Two thousand years ago a man from a insignificant Nazarene village in Palestine, shook the religious world. That man Jesus Christ captivated those who heard him. Those who witnessed his words and life tell us that there was something about Jesus of Nazareth which was different from all other religious leaders of His day. Matthew chapter seven, says –
“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes”
What made Jesus different? The attracting crowds were amazed at his provocative words and stunning deeds. His greatness was obvious to all those who saw and heard him.
Most great people eventually fade into history books, but Jesus is still the focus of thousands of books and unparalleled media controversy. Although he was an outsider with no credentials or political powerbase, within three years, Jesus changed the world for the next 20 centuries. Today His followers exist in all four corners of the world. Many millions of Christians have been martyred rather than deny Jesus Christ.
The early New Testament Church faced much persecution and many died for their faith, all of the disciples apart from John who died of old age on the Isle of Patmos. All the others were martyred. Yet the Church grew and expanded greatly. Today it is still growing at a rapid rate, despite the claims of critics that it is a dying entity.
What was it about Jesus Christ that made the difference and caused much controversy amongst the Jewish leaders? Was he merely a great man, or something more? Much of the controversy revolves around the radical claims Jesus made about himself—claims that astounded both his followers and his adversaries.
It was primarily Jesus’ unique claims that caused him to be viewed as a threat by both the Roman authorities and the Jewish hierarchy. These questions get to the heart of who Jesus really was. Some believe he was merely a great moral teacher; others believe he was simply the leader of the world’s greatest religion. But many believe something far more. Christians believe that God has actually visited us in human form. And they believe the evidence backs that up.
Although many people acknowledge that Jesus was a great moral teacher, yet when we examine the Scriptures regarding the claims He made about Himself. We have ask the question, could Jesus have been just a great moral teacher?
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has been called the most superlative teaching of human ethics ever uttered by an individual. In fact, much of what we know today as “equal rights” actually is the result of Jesus’ teaching.
One of America’s Founding Fathers, President Thomas Jefferson, revered Jesus as perhaps the greatest moral teacher of all time. In fact, Jefferson’s memorable words in the Declaration of Independence were rooted in Jesus’ teaching that each person is of immense and equal importance to God, regardless of sex, race, or social status. The famous document sets forth, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights …”
Did Jesus Actually Claim to Be God
“When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching and authority,
What made Jesus different? His’ only credentials were himself. He never wrote a book, commanded an army, held a political office, or owned property. He mostly travelled within a hundred miles of his village, attracting crowds who were amazed at his provocative words and stunning deeds. His greatness was obvious to all those who saw and heard him.