Chapter 3: The Historical Jesus

  IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover:

·   How the world was prepared for the Messiah’s coming.

·   The meaning and message of the gospel records.

·   Reports of the historical Jesus in Roman and Jewish literature.

·   Archaeological evidence substantiating the Bible.

·   The origin and error of our present calendar system.

AS A RESULT, you will be able to:

·   See God’s providence in history.

·   Understand the nature and development of the written gospels.

·   Defend the historicity of Jesus.

·   Have confidence in the historical validity of Scripture.

·   Know the approximate year, date, and place of Jesus’ birth.

Key Scripture: “"So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith"” (Gal. 3:24).

Key Words: Proselytes, Diaspora

According to Paul, the law of Moses was a tutor leading to faith in Christ. In much the same way, the people of the law — the Jews — prepared the ancient world for the arrival of the Messiah and Christianity. As we have noted, the pagan world was morally degenerate and its religious institutions spiritually bankrupt. The worship of the civic gods of Rome and the mythical gods of Greece consisted of repetitious, formal rituals designed to win their favor or to magically guarantee the continuance of the Roman state. These religions lacked power to help the individual live a more virtuous life.

Judaism, however, saw righteousness and justice as essential to true religion. The cries of the Old Testament prophets to “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8) starkly contrasted with the amorality of pagan beliefs. As the moral depravity of the pagan world spiraled out of control and its spiritual darkness deepened, the contrast between paganism and Judaism sharpened. Many were drawn to its light and became converts called proselytes or “"God-fearers."”

In retrospect, it seems to have been God’s sovereign plan to seed Jews throughout the ancient world. Through forcible deportation, voluntary immigration, political inducements, and the allurement of trade, the Jews — voluntarily and involuntarily — were scattered among the Gentile nations. This scattering or dispersion was called the Diaspora. Wherever Jews settled, synagogues, religious schools, and libraries containing the Scriptures sprang up; and the influence of monotheism was felt.

Judaism brought hope in an age of spiritual pessimism. While pagan cultures mused about past “golden ages,” the Jews looked expectantly forward to the coming of the Messiah. They alone in the ancient world were optimists. After the Resurrection, the story of Jesus spread quickly from synagogue to synagogue and from new convert to new convert. Although the Jews as a nation rejected Christ’'s messiahship, the Diaspora served as a network through which the gospel message was spread across the Roman Empire.

Gospel Message in the Roman Empire

I. Historical Preparation

• • Jewish religious reform following the Babylonian captivity.
• • Diaspora or dispersion of Jews throughout the world.

II. Missionary activity

• • Winning of converts called proselytes or “God-fearers.”
• • Translation and distribution of the Old Testament.
• • Widespread establishment of synagogues.
• • Establishment of schools and libraries.

III. Religious Ideas

• • The belief in monotheism or one true God.
• • Recognition of the relationship between religion and morality.
• • A style of worship and prayer characterized by dignity, reverence and fellowship.
• • Messianic expectation; confidence that God works in history.
• • A sense of sin and a hunger for redemption.

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-30; 5:1-11; Mark 1:21-34; Matthew 4:23-25.

We noted when studying John 3:16-21 that an authentic encounter with Jesus provokes an inevitable and powerful response. Neutrality is not an option. In fact, the way people react to Jesus tells us the truth about them. It reveals how they stand with God and where their allegiance lies in the warfare between darkness and light (John 3:20-21). In this lesson we see people react in different ways to Jesus as He inaugurates His ministry. We also see Jesus responding to the needs of others. In each case, truths are revealed that can help us know both Jesus and ourselves better.

Luke 4:14-30. While speaking in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus dramatically revealed the nature of His messianic mission and its inclusion of the Gentiles. The result: the people were furious and attempted to kill Jesus. Was their wrath based simply on their hatred of the Gentiles? Or did it also have to do with the fact that Jesus was only “"Joseph'’s son"” (v. 22), a junior member of the community suddenly grown too cocky and self-inflated? In either case, the pride of the townspeople caused them to “"hate the light."” It is still difficult for us to hear God’'s word spoken through a spouse or workmate, for we often hold the familiar in contempt.

Luke 5:1-11. Here we see the reaction of Jesus'’ close associates to His character and miraculous works. They were awed not only by Jesus’ power, but also by His goodness. Characteristically, Simon Peter articulated the emotions of the group: “"Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"” (v. 8). Jesus replied: “"Don'’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men"” (v. 10). He invited them to leave behind their livelihood and follow Him. Their response was to forsake all and obey. Unlike their fellow townspeople who were acquainted with Jesus but did not know Him intimately, the disciples'’ intimate knowledge of Jesus caused them to respond with grateful obedience.

Mark 1:21-34. Jesus’ teaching at the synagogue in Capernaum, unlike in Nazareth, was met with acceptance and approval. The listeners there responded to the authority in His teaching, rather than meeting it with the suspicion bred of familiarity. The response of the honest seeker of truth to Jesus is always acceptance and joy. But there was one there whose hatred and fear of the light was so great that it caused him to scream out: “"Have you come to destroy us?"” (v. 24). Jesus banished the evil spirit as easily and naturally as a newly lit lamp dispels darkness.

Matthew 4:23-25. The crush of the crowds who followed Jesus for His healing miracles shows that Jesus’ response to human need is to help and heal.

Life Application: The treatment Jesus received from His fellow Nazarenes confirms the truth of the old adage: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Not only did Jesus’ neighbors miss their opportunity to know the Messiah intimately, but they also failed to receive His miracles. Are there people you sometimes ignore — your spouse, children, co-workers — through whom God might be speaking to you? This week try to be more sensitive to God working through these individuals.

Key Scripture: “"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"” (2 Peter 1:16).

Key Word: Gospel

The gospel (literally, “good news”) is the proclamation of what God has done in Christ. The word gospel as used in the Bible refers to who Christ was, what He taught, and what He did. The written records of Christ’s life, which make up the first four books of the New Testament, are also called gospels.

The four gospels are unique in the annals of literature. They are not memoirs, biographies, allegories, theological treatises, or literary fantasies. None of them claim to be exhaustive in their content (John 20:30). They are essentially testimonies, based on historical fact, about Jesus and the significance of His life and work. Each gospel writer addresses this subject from a different point of view. Through the language he chooses and his arrangement and selection of material, he emphasizes one or another aspect of Christ’'s work. To generalize: Matthew presents Jesus in the light of fulfilled Old Testament messianic prophecy; Mark presents Him as the dynamic suffering servant of the Lord; Luke presents Him as the universal Savior of humanity; and John presents Him as the eternal Logos, the embodiment of divine truth.

Each written gospel expresses the conviction that, through Jesus, God has broken into history in a decisive way and planted the seed of His eternal kingdom. The covenant established through His shed blood created a new community of faith— - the church— - and made it possible for us as individuals to become new creations in Him. The same Holy Spirit that supervised the writing of the gospels still supernaturally testifies to their truth. To read the gospels with true openness is to allow the Spirit of Christ to work in one'’s heart, mind, and conscience. Generation after generation of new Christians attest to the fact that the ever-living Lord continues to make Himself known through the gospels.

The Written Gospel

I. Why Christ Wrote Nothing (5 b.c.-a.d. 30)

• • The Jews already had a Bible - the Old Testament. Jesus’' mission was to fulfill the prophecies written there (Matt. 5:17).
• • Jesus wrote nothing because He was the message (Matt. 11:29; John 14:9).

II. Why the Disciples Wrote Nothing Initially (a.d. 30-50)

• • As long as Jesus was with them, there was no need to write.
• • After His death, they expected Him to return quickly.
• • As long as Christianity was confined to Palestine, the events of Jesus’ life were considered common knowledge.
• • There was a reluctance to add to the books of the Old Testament.
• • Personal eyewitness accounts were preferred to written accounts.
• • Emphasis was placed on the inner life of the Spirit, rather than the written word.
• • Reading and writing were not common skills; religious teachings were customarily passed on through oral tradition.

III. The Four Stages in Writing the Gospels

• • Historical events: the actions and teachings of Jesus.
• • Oral traditions: the eyewitness accounts of these events.
• • Written accounts: based on the oral traditions.
• • Scripture: approved by the apostles and churches.

IV. Meanings of the Gospel (“"Good News"”)

• • Who Jesus was (Luke 2:10-11; John 6:35).
• • What Jesus taught (Mark 1:15; John 15:7).
• • What Jesus did (Luke 7:20-22; 2 Cor. 5:21).
• • What Jesus suffered (Mark 10:45; John 1:29).
• • The first four books of the New Testament.

Scripture Reading: John 5:1-47.

In John 5 we hear what Guthrie calls "“the first rumblings of the storm"” that drove Jesus to Calvary (p. 82). Tension between Jesus and the religious leaders at Jerusalem emerged as Jesus exercised messianic authority in His teaching and miracle-working, and prophetically challenged the religious formalism of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees overlooked the healing miracle Jesus wrought at Bethesda and focused only on the fact that the man healed was carrying a mat on the Sabbath (v. 10). According to their law, such a serious breech of Sabbath-keeping was punishable by stoning. (See Nehemiah 13:15-22 and Jeremiah 17:19-27 for the biblical verses upon which their customs were based.) When Jesus was accused of instigating this “"crime,"” His defense was a breathtaking string of statements that repeatedly affirmed His messianic authority. He stated that, as the Son of God, He was only acting as His Father acts. While God was spoken of biblically as having rested from the work of creation on the Sabbath day, He did not cease to love or show mercy. Similarly, Jesus was free to perform acts of love and mercy on the Sabbath.

In calling God His Father (rather than "“our"” Father), Jesus implicitly claimed equality with God. He then went on to make this claim explicit. Jesus the Son can give life, raise the dead, and exercise judgment. This outraged the Pharisees, for in the Jewish mind these prerogatives were reserved for God alone (Deut. 1:17; 32:39). Jesus’ act of making the lame walk was itself a messianic sign (Isa. 35:6). But Jesus went on to identify himself explicitly as the Messiah by claiming that He was the Son of Man — the messianic figure clearly portrayed in Daniel 7:13-14.

According to Deuteronomy 17:6, two or three witnesses were required to corroborate a claim. Anticipating the Pharisees’ objections to His messianic claims, Jesus marshaled not two or three, but five witnesses on His behalf: John the Baptist (John 5:33-35), His miracles and teachings (v. 36), the Father (v. 37; cf. Matt. 3:17), the Scriptures (v. 39), and Moses (vv. 45-47). One might even say He called six witnesses, for in pinpointing the cause of the moral and spiritual blindness of the Pharisees, He called their own consciences as witnesses against them (vv. 42-44).

John presents Jesus'’ words to the Pharisees almost as if they were a counterattack. But we must not miss Jesus'’ preface to His defense: “"I mention it that you may be saved”" (v. 34). Jesus'’ mission was always uppermost in His mind. He came to offer life to the spiritually dead (v. 25), even to those who were attempting to kill Him.

Life Application: In John 5:24-25 Jesus speaks of bringing life to those who are spiritually dead. What does it mean to be spiritually dead? A modern commentator has suggested that it means one has (1) stopped trying; (2) stopped feeling; (3) stopped thinking; and (4) stopped repenting. When we lose our joy in worshiping, it means we have lost our vision of the “"worth-ship"” of our Lord. Are you experiencing spiritual deadness in your life right now? In light of the four observations above, what can you do to renew your vision and experience of God?
 

Key Scripture: “The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner” (Paul to King Agrippa, Acts 26:26).  

As we have noted, people are rarely neutral about Jesus. In the first century those who hated Jesus executed Him unjustly and then set out to exterminate His followers. Those who loved Him left everything to follow Him. Today Jesus remains the hallmark against which all human greatness is measured. Yet some perceive the purity, perfection, and authority Jesus embodied as threatening. Lawlessness, pride, and rationalistic skepticism has lead them to deny that Jesus was who He said He was — or that He even existed. Cults allege that the Bible is a flawed document and is historically untrustworthy.

Are such allegations true? The question of historical accuracy is vital to Christianity. Unlike religions such as Confucianism, Christianity is not essentially a system of ethics. It stands or falls on the truth of the claims of the Jesus of history. In this lesson evidences for Jesus supplied by pagan Roman historians will be examined. As we shall see, their testimony for the existence of the historical Jesus is irrefutable.  

Roman Records of Jesus

I. Pliny the Younger (a.d. 61-114)

• The Governor of Bithynia who wrote to Emperor Trajan, citing Christianity as a “perverse and extravagant superstition.”
• Said that pagan temple worship had declined because of the widespread acceptance of Christianity.
• Executed the faithful but was confused about the nature of their crime.
• Reported that their guilt lay in:
  • Refusing to worship the imperial statue or images of the gods.
  • Meeting on Sunday mornings and singing hymns to Christ as God.
  • Taking oaths not to commit crimes and sharing a common meal.
• Noted that they lived exemplary lives, free of fraud, adultery, theft, and dishonesty.

II. Tacitus (a.d. 55-118)

• Roman historian and author of Annals and Histories.
• Related that Nero, to exonerate himself, blamed Rome’s burning on the Christians and “inflicted the most exquisite tortures” on them.
• Recorded that “Christus” was executed by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.
• Reported that Christianity originated as a sect of Judaism.
• Said that Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in a.d. 70 in an attempt to obliterate both Judaism and Christianity.

III. Suetonius (a.d. 69-140)

• Secretary to Emperor Hadrian and author of Lives of the Twelve Caesars.
• Reported that “Chrestus” was the leader of a troublesome faction of Jews in Rome during the reign of Claudius (a.d. 49).
• Noted that Jews were expelled from Rome at this time (see Acts 18:2).

IV. Julius Africanus (Second Century a.d.)

• Preserved fragments of an earlier work by Thallus (a.d. 52), who explained the darkness that fell on Jerusalem during Jesus’ crucifixion as a solar eclipse.
• Refuted this explanation, pointing out that a solar eclipse was impossible during a full moon at Passover.

V. Archaeological Evidence

• First-century inscription found in Nazareth ordered that further removal of bodies from graves would incur the death penalty.
• Does this refer to the Resurrection or to the events of Matthew 27:52-53?  

The Messiah was to be a prophet like Moses, according to Deuteronomy 18:18-19. In chapters 5-7 of his gospel, Matthew shows Jesus to be that prophet. Just as Moses delivered the tablets of the law to Israel at the mountain (Ex. 19:3 ff.), Jesus delivered His ethical commandments to the crowds from the mountainside (5:1). Again and again He repeated: “You have heard it said . . . but I tell you.” However, Jesus’ express purpose was not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (v. 17). He explained and demonstrated a kind of righteousness exceeding that taught and practiced by the so-called experts of the Mosaic law (v. 20). Interior righteousness was necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven; an exterior righteousness consisting of works and observances would never do. Only the pure in heart would see God (v. 8).

With arresting pointedness, Jesus made it clear that the demands of God’s moral law were absolute (5:48; 6:15). It was not sufficient to refrain from committing murder; we must not hate (5:21-22). It was not sufficient to refrain from committing adultery; we must not lust (v. 28). It was not sufficient merely to seek forgiveness from God; we must forgive others (6:14-15). Human hard-heartedness had reduced the meaning of justice to that of retaliation — “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (5:38; cf. Ex. 21:24). Jesus commanded us to pass beyond retaliation to the divine perspective of reconciliation. We must love everyone, even enemies, with a love as inclusive as God’s own (5:43-48; 7:9-12). Rather than plucking out an enemy’s eyes, we must rid ourselves of our own wickedness and darkness (5:29-30; 6:22-24; 7:1-5).

How is it possible to fulfill such commandments? Only through the blessedness that comes as a gift from God. For a cup to be filled, it must first be emptied. Thus, poverty of spirit — the humility that recognizes our own spiritual barrenness — is the key to being “blessed” (5:3-10). This self-emptying expresses itself in spiritual mourning (v. 4) and hungering and thirsting (v. 6). It ends in abandoning ourselves in faith to God (6:19-21; 25-34). Only through such self-abandonment does true blessedness come. As we learn to rest unconditionally in our dependence upon God, we inherit both earth and heaven (5:5; 6:33): “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (7:8).  

Life Application: Jesus’ command to pass beyond retribution to reconciliation is a weighty and often repeated theme in His teaching. Unless we forgive, God will not forgive us; unless we imitate the Father’s openheartedness, we are no better than pagans spiritually. Are there those whom you consider your enemies? Who are they? Acknowledge your animosity, and ask God for the ability to express love to them. Do others persecute you? Pray for them and bless them. Remember: we cannot overcome evil (which sometimes masquerades as indifference) with evil, but only with good.

Key Scripture: "“After that [the Resurrection], he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep"” (1 Cor. 15:6).

In this lesson we will investigate the Jewish historical and archaeological evidence concerning Jesus. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded information about many events, persons, and places mentioned in the New Testament. The Talmud, which contains slanderous statements about Jesus from rabbinic sources, is an especially fruitful witness to Jesus. (One does not take time to slander a myth.) Although the authors of the Talmud were hostile witnesses, they admitted Jesus’ supernatural abilities. They knew His birth to have been unusual, and they testified to His claim of divinity.

Archaeology certifies Christian belief in two ways. First, it consistently validates the truth and accuracy of Scripture regarding ancient geography, customs, and politics. Second, it shows us that the belief and doctrine of first-century Christians are essentially the same as our own. Prayers inscribed within ancient tombs and confessions of faith expressed in symbols such as the fish emblem confirm that the Jesus portrayed in the New Testament was the Jesus worshiped by the early church. For them, as for us, Christ was Son of God, Savior, and risen Lord.

Historical Evidence of Jesus and Early Christianity

I. Flavius Josephus (b. a.d. 37-38)

• • An historian, Pharisee, and military commander during the war with Rome that led to the fall of Jerusalem.
• • After the war wrote The Antiquities of the Jews to inform the Roman world about Judaism.
• • Mentioned many New Testament biblical figures — Pilate, Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, Quirinius, Felix, Festus, and John the Baptist.
• • Recorded the trial and stoning of James “the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ” by the Sanhedrin under Ananias.
• • Attested to current belief in Jesus’ resurrection and messiahship.

II. The Talmud

• • The massive Jewish commentary on the Mishnah, or Law.
• • Slandered Jesus by calling Him “son of Pantera” — either the name of a Roman soldier or a corruption of the Greek word parthenos (“virgin”).
• • Referred to Jesus as “the son of his mother,” a derisive phrase suggesting illegitimacy.
• • Warned against “a man, born of a woman, who should rise up and
• seek to make himself God . . . and say that he is departing and will come again at the End.”
• • Recorded that Jesus was hanged on the eve of the Passover.
• • Told that Jesus performed miracles through magical powers (Mark 3:22).

III. Archaeological Evidence

• • Early acrostic inscriptions containing the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus as the Alpha and Omega, and the sign of the cross.
• • Emblem of the fish (Greek icthus), whose symbolism was Iesous Christos, THeou Uios Soter—“Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”
• • Bone caskets entombed in a.d. 50 and earlier bearing inscriptions
• such as “Jesus, let him arise.”
• • Recent discoveries of biblical sites such as the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2) and the Stone Pavement (19:13).

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:17-26, 33-39; 7:1-17; Matthew 9:9-13.

Luke 5:17-26. The ingenuity shown by the paralytic’s friends makes this story a Sunday school favorite. When Jesus “"saw their faith,"” He said to the injured man, “"Your sins are forgiven"” (v. 20). The scribes and Pharisees believed that none could forgive sins but God. They were correct in this belief, for all sin is the breaking of God'’s law and primarily an offense against Him. If someone collided with you on the highway and a passing motorist forgave the driver of the errant vehicle, you would consider such an act improper. To assume one of God’'s prerogative’s was more than an impropriety for the scribes and Pharisee - it was blasphemy worthy of death.

What they did not realize was that Jesus, as God the Son, was exercising His rightful authority in granting forgiveness. Perceiving their thoughts, He tried to demonstrate this by healing the paralytic. But the die had already been cast. The scribes and Pharisees could not pierce the haze of their own hard-hearted self-righteousness to discern the truth about Jesus. They ignored the moral power of His teaching and ascribed His wonder-working ability to Satan (Mark 3:20-30). Soon after the miracle at the synagogue at Capernaum, they were plotting His death (Mark 3:6).

Matthew 9:9-13. The Romans “franchised” the office of tax collector to the highest bidder within a region. These publicans were free to extort extra money from the population. They were doubly hated for their corruption and their service to Rome. In addition, Jewish tax collectors were considered ritually impure because of their constant contact with Gentiles. Matthew was just such a fellow; yet Jesus called Him to be His disciple as an expression of the mercy at the heart of His mission.

Luke 5:33-39. Jesus did not reject fasting in this teaching. (Recall Matthew 6:16-18 where He gave instructions on how to fast.) The point of tension here was the difference between the old order and the new. Entry into the kingdom of God called for a new birth (John 3:3, 5-6), not just the “patching up” of the old self. Similarly, the “new wine” that Jesus brought could not be contained in the “old bottle” of Jewish traditionalism.

Luke 7:1-17. Two miracles of Jesus are recounted in this passage. In the first, He healed the servant of a Roman centurion at the apparent insistence of some Jewish elders. Were the elders acting out of political expediency by being the centurion’s intermediaries, or did they really believe in Jesus? Was Jesus touched by the centurion’s concern for his servant— - a kind of mercy dear to his own heart? He was impressed enough to make this Gentile'’s faith an object lesson to the onlooking Jewish crowd (v. 9).

Jesus’ raising of the widow'’s son was an act full of power and pathos. Luke’'s account reads simply: “"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘'Don’t cry'"’” (v. 13). Jesus acted without hesitancy or vacillation, unconcerned about Jewish ceremonial law. The witnesses perceived clearly that “"God has come to help his people”" (v. 16).

Life Application: How many of the Pharisees'’ criticisms of Jesus would also apply to you? Would you be guilty of sharing Christian love with “"tax collectors and sinners”?" Who are the outcasts of religion or society that would fall into this category today? How can you uplift such individuals personally, socially, materially, and spiritually? A word of caution: Beware of allowing any attitude of condescension to spoil such acts of ministry.

Key Scripture: “"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and with our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life"” (1 John 1:1).

When Jesus was born, the Roman world measured time using a calendar based on the date of the founding of the city of Rome. Years were designated with the initials A.U.C., anno urbis conditae  - "in the year of the founded city."” This calendar was used for over 500 years after Jesus'’ death. In the sixth century a monk named Dionysius Exiguus suggested adopting a calendar based on the date of Christ’'s birth. After this calendar was implemented, years were designated with the initials b.c. (“before Christ”) or a.d. (anno domini - "—“in the year of the Lord"”). However, Exiguus erred in fixing the date of Christ’'s birth. As a result, our calendar is off by a few years. Fortunately, His birth year can be calculated using biblical information and secular history. In this lesson we will consider the probable year, date, and place of the birth of the historical Jesus.

Timeline of the Birth of the Historical Jesus

I. The Year of Jesus’' Birth

• • Born before Herod’'s death in A.U.C. 750 or before 4 b.c. (Matt. 2).
• • John'’s ministry began in the fifteenth year of Tiberius'’ reign (Luke 3:1-3), which probably began in a.d. 12. Thus, John’s ministry began in a.d. 26-27. If Jesus was about thirty at that time (Luke 3:23), He would have been born 5-4 b.c.
• • In the Jews’ dialogue with Jesus, they said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple” (John 2:20). Construction of Herod’s temple began in 20 b.c. If Jesus was about thirty in a.d. 26, He would have been born 6-4 b.c.
• • If Quirinius served two terms as governor of Syria, the “first census” (Luke 2:2) would have been announced about 8 b.c. Considering the necessary enrollment time, 6-4 b.c. is a likely time for Jesus’ birth.

II. The Date of Jesus’ Birth

• • December 25 was first mentioned as Christ’s birthday in a Latin chronograph (a.d. 354) and first celebrated at Constantinople (a.d. 379) and at Antioch (a.d. 388).
• • December 25 was probably chosen to displace pagan celebrations occurring on or near the same date at the winter solstice.
• • Numerological fabrication based on assumed crucifixion date of March 25.

III. The Place of Jesus’ Birth

• • Born in a stable in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7).
• • Church father Justin Martyr (c. a.d. 150) identified this stable as a specific cave in Bethlehem.
• • About a.d. 330 Constantine built a large church over this cave.
• • Justinian later added to this structure, and it remains today.

Scripture Reading: Luke 7:18-8:3.

One element of the Bible that gives it a unique sense of historical realism is its candid admission of the failures and weaknesses of its heroes. Neither Elijah nor Peter, for example, were strangers to fear or doubt (1 Kings 19:3; Matt. 26:69-75). John the Baptist, languishing in Herod’'s prison, also began to doubt. Perhaps he too failed to grasp the true nature of Jesus’ mission. Perhaps he was eager for Jesus to begin to reign with power, "“burning up the chaff" with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12). Or perhaps near death, he simply wanted reassurance that the heavenly voice that had spoken to him concerning Jesus had been real. Jesus answered John’'s inquiry, “"Are you the one?,"” by pointing to His messianic miracles (Luke 7:22). He added a message of personal encouragement to John: “"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me"” (v. 23).

Jesus'’ sympathetic and uncritical response to the doubts of John - the very one who, through divine revelation, recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God - should reassure us that God does not regard as sin our own doubt as long as we are still seeking and knocking. Instead of castigating John for his doubts, Jesus paid tribute to him. He said, “"Among those born of women there is no one greater than John.”" Yet He went on to say, “"The one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he"” (v. 28). What did this mean? The same logic expressed in Jesus’ sayings about the new and old garments and wineskins seems to apply here (5:36-39). John, as the friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29), was in some sense inferior to the bride herself, the church. John’s baptism of repentance was thus not sufficient in itself.

To those judging by secular standards, John the Baptist was a fanatic; he had a demon (Luke 7:33). To those judging by conventional religious standards, Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard (v. 34). Such was the "“wisdom"” of the "“children of the marketplace"” (v. 32). This false wisdom is sharply contrasted by the true wisdom of repentance shown in verses 36-50. Here Jesus’ experience as the guest of Simon the Pharisee is recounted. Apparently, Simon was very condescending toward Jesus. He provided none of the amenities expected of a good host, such as water to wash His feet. While Jesus reclined at the table, a woman burdened with her sins entered, washed His feet with her tears, anointed His head, and poured perfume on His feet. Simon undoubtedly looked on in disgust and derision. To him this woman was a foul sinner who could make a Pharisee like himself unclean with her very touch. And Jesus was allowing her to caress Him! Surely, Simon reasoned, Jesus was no prophet, for He could not sense “"who was touching him and what kind of woman she is"” (v. 39).

Of course Jesus did know, just as He knew Simon’'s inner thoughts. He told Simon a story that forced him to face his Pharisaic self-righteousness. Because he had never seen himself as a debtor before God, he could not truly seek - or receive -  forgiveness. He loved "“little"” (v. 47) and was full of unforgiveness for others. The woman, on the other hand, was “poor in spirit”; she mourned and was "“comforted”" (Matt. 5:3, 4). Jesus told her: “"Your sins are forgiven…...Your faith has saved you; go in peace"” (Luke 7:48, 50).

Life Application: The contrast between Simon the Pharisee and the repentant woman should warn us to beware of complacency and self-satisfaction. The sin of complacency is especially dangerous, because it locks us up in our own sins. It also radically limits our capacity to love God and others. How can we avoid self-complacency? Here are several suggestions: (1) Compare ourselves not with others, but with Christ; (2) Be aware of the needs of others and of our unfaithfulness in responding to them; and (3) Be constant in prayer, allowing God to enliven our conscience and convict us of sin.