Datfala Really Jesus

BIHAEN hem faendaot from olketa aposol bilong hem wanem nao tingting bilong pipol abaotem hem, Jesus askem olketa: “Bat waswe long iufala, iufala tingse mi hu?” Gospel bilong Matthew recordim ansa bilong aposol Peter: “Iu nao Christ, Son bilong living God.” (Matthew 16:15, 16) Olketa narawan tu garem sem tingting. Nathanael, wea bihaen hem kamap wanfala long olketa aposol, talem Jesus: “Rabbi, iu nao Son bilong God, iu nao King bilong Israel.” (John 1:49) Jesus seleva tok abaotem wei wea waka bilong hem, hem important: “Mi nao wei and truth and laef. No eniwan savve kam long Dadi bat only thru long mi.” (John 14:6) Long olketa difren taem, hem storyim hemseleva olsem “Son bilong God.” (John 5:24, 25; 11:4) And hem pruvim toktok bilong hem thru olketa mirakol and hem resurrectim olketa wea dae finis tu.

Olketa Daot wea Garem Gudfala Faondeson?

Bat, waswe, iumi really fit for trustim olketa story bilong Gospel abaotem Jesus? Waswe, olketa showimaot klia datfala really Jesus? Frederick F. Bruce wea dae finis, professor bilong Biblical criticism and exegesis long University bilong Manchester, England, hem sei: “Iu kanduit for evritaem showimaot klia full truth abaotem evri samting insaed olketa raeting bilong bifor, nomata insaed Bible or nara buk. Pipol fit for trustim man wea raet; sapos olketa pruvim finis hao hem no laea then hem luk olsem samting hem raetem mas tru. . . . Wei wea olketa Christian acceptim New Testament olsem ‘holy raeting’ hem no reason for ting long hem olsem history wea man no fit for trustim.”

Bihaen hem lukluk gud long olketa daot bilong pipol abaotem wei wea olketa Gospel storyim Jesus, James R. Edwards, professor bilong religion long Jamestown College, North Dakota, U.S.A., raet olsem: “Iumi feel sure for talem hao staka difren kaen pruv stap wea saportim truth abaotem Jesus. . . . Barava ansa for disfala kwestin abaotem why olketa Gospel storyim Jesus olsem, hem bikos hem nao barava Jesus. Long faithful wei olketa Gospel keepim gud memory wea hem leavim witim olketa follower bilong hem, hao God nao sendem hem kam and hem kasem paoa for kamap Son and Servant bilong God.”a

Lukaotem Jesus

Waswe long olketa story abaotem Jesus Christ wea no kam from Bible? Hao nao man savve judgem olketa? Raeting bilong Tacitus, Suetonius, Josephus, Pliny the Younger, and samfala nara man for raet, planti taem storyim Jesus. The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1995) sei olsem abaotem olketa: “Olketa story hia pruvim hao long taem bifor nomata pipol wea againstim Christian wei, olketa no daotem hao Jesus hem wanfala really man bilong bifor. Pipol start for daotem diswan long end bilong mek-18, insaed mek-19, and long start bilong mek-20 century, nomata olketa no garem gudfala faondeson for diswan.”

Sorre tumas, from olketa lukaotem “really” Jesus bilong history, luk olsem olketa savveman distaem haedem hu nao really hem witim enikaen idea wea no garem faondeson, garem daot, and iusles tingting. From diswan, olketa guilty long sem samting wea olketa accusim long olketa wea raetem olketa Gospel, hem nao, for formimap wanfala kastom story. Samfala laekem tumas for kasem bignem and for joinim nem bilong olketa witim niufala idea wea savve mekem man sapraes, gogo, olketa fail for lukluk gud long honest wei long pruv abaotem Jesus. Gogo, olketa mekem wanfala “Jesus” wea hem samting wea followim idea bilong olketa nomoa.

For olketa wea want for faendem hem, olketa savve faendem really Jesus insaed Bible. Luke Johnson, professor bilong New Testament and Christian origins long Candler School of Theology long Emory University, sei hao planti wea duim research abaotem Jesus bilong history no luksavve long goal bilong Bible. Hem sei hao bae hem interesting for lukluk gud long living, politik, pipol and kastom wea stap long taem bilong Jesus. Bat, hem talem tu hao for faendemaot wanem olketa savveman kolem datfala Jesus bilong history “hem no goal bilong Scripture,” wea hem nao for “story abaotem fasin bilong Jesus,” message bilong hem, and waka bilong hem olsem Man for baem bak man. So, wanem nao trufala fasin and message bilong Jesus?

Datfala Really Jesus

Olketa Gospel—fofala story long Bible abaotem laef bilong Jesus—storyim wanfala man wea barava tingim feeling bilong pipol. Wei for feel sorre and fasin for kea long pipol nao muvim Jesus for helpem pipol wea safa from sik, blind, and narafala wei for safa. (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 20:34) Dae bilong fren bilong hem Lazarus and bigfala sorre wea kasem tufala sista bilong Lazarus muvim Jesus for ‘barava feel pain and start for krae.’ (John 11:32-36) Tru nao, olketa Gospel showimaot olketa difren feeling wea Jesus garem—wei wea hem feel sorre for man wea garem leprosy, wei wea hem hapi fogud taem olketa disaepol bilong hem win, wei wea hem feel kros long olketa wea tingim olketa law nomoa, and sorre bilong hem taem Jerusalem rejectim Messiah.

Taem Jesus duim wanfala mirakol, hem evritaem mekhae long samting wea man wea kasem mirakol hem duim: “Faith bilong iu nao mekem iu kamap gud.” (Matthew 9:22) Hem praisem Nathanael olsem “wanfala really Israelite,” taem hem sei: “No eni laea samting stap long hem!” (John 1:47, Today’s English Version) Taem samfala tingse present bilong wanfala woman hem ova tumas, Jesus defendim hem and sei pipol bae rememberim story abaotem kaenfala fasin bilong hem for longfala taem. (Matthew 26:6-13) Hem pruvim hemseleva long olketa follower bilong hem olsem wanfala really fren wea kaen, ‘wea lovem olketa go kasem end.’—John 13:1; 15:11-15.

Olketa Gospel showim tu hao Jesus hem kwiktaem for luksavve long need and tingting bilong pipol wea hem meetim. Nomata hem story witim wanfala woman long wanfala well, wanfala teacher bilong religion long garden, or wanfala fisherman klosap long lake, hem kwiktaem kasem heart bilong olketa. Bihaen olketa firstfala toktok bilong Jesus, planti long olketa hia talemaot barava feeling bilong olketa long hem. Hem barava muvim olketa. Nomata pipol long taem bilong hem savve hol bak for kaban witim olketa wea garem hae position, pipol hipap raonem Jesus. Olketa laek for stap witim Jesus; olketa feel free witim hem. Olketa pikinini feel free witim hem, and taem hem iusim wanfala pikinini olsem wanfala example, hem no just mekem hem standap front long olketa disaepol bilong hem nomoa bat “hem putim arm bilong hem raonem hem” tu. (Mark 9:36; 10:13-16) Tru nao, olketa Gospel storyim Jesus olsem man wea garem fasin wea savve pullim interest bilong man dastawe pipol stap thrifala day for lisin long naesfala toktok bilong hem.—Matthew 15:32.

Wei wea Jesus perfect no mekem hem ova tumas and judgem pipol wea no perfect wea hem stap witim and preach long olketa. (Matthew 9:10-13; 21:31, 32; Luke 7:36-48; 15:1-32; 18:9-14) Jesus no askem tumas samting. Hem no putim moa hevi long pipol. Bat, hem sei: “Kam long mi, iufala evriwan wea waka hard . . . Mi bae strongim iufala.” Olketa disaepol bilong hem savve long hem olsem hem man wea ‘garem kwaet fasin and hambol long heart’; yoke bilong hem kaenfala, and lod bilong hem no hevi.—Matthew 11:28-30.

Fasin bilong Jesus showaot insaed olketa Gospel long wei wea fit for man trustim. Hem bae no isi for fofala difren man formimap wanfala barava spesol man olsem and then talemaot long fofala separate story. Hem bae hard tumas for fofala difren man wea raet for storyim sem man and givim semkaen story abaotem hem sapos man hia no really stap.

Man for raetem history Michael Grant askem wanfala kwestin for man tingting strong long hem: “Bat, hao nao evri Gospel showimaot klia wanfala naes young man wea kaban long gudfala wei witim olketa difren kaen woman, insaed diswan hem olketa wea no garem gudfala nem, nomata olsem hem no garem feeling for laekem olketa, hem feel free and no ova tumas long samting, bat evritaem hem keepim stret and faithful fasin?” Stretfala ansa hem bikos disfala man hem really stap and duim samting olsem Bible talem hem duim.

Really Jesus and Future Bilong Iu

Witim wei for storyim olketa samting wea Jesus duim taem hem stap long earth, Bible showimaot tu hao hem stap bifor olsem only-born Son bilong God, “firstborn bilong evri creation.” (Colossians 1:15) Tu thousand year bifor, God putim laef bilong Son bilong hem from heven long bele bilong wanfala young Jew girl mekem hem born olsem man. (Matthew 1:18) Long taem bilong ministry bilong hem long earth, Jesus talemaot Kingdom bilong God olsem only hope for olketa man wea safa, and hem trainim olketa disaepol bilong hem for go ahed for duim disfala preaching waka.—Matthew 4:17; 10:5-7; 28:19, 20.

Long Nisan 14 (samting olsem April 1), 33 C.E., olketa arrestim Jesus, kotem, judgem, and killim hem dae from olketa accusim hem for againstim gavman, samting wea hem nating duim. (Matthew 26:18-20, Mt 26:48–27:50) Dae bilong Jesus hem wanfala ransom, wea mekem olketa man wea biliv for kamap free from sin and openem wei for kasem laef olowe for evriwan wea showimaot faith long hem. (Romans 3:23, 24; 1 John 2:2) Long Nisan 16, Jesus hem resurrect, and no longtaem bihaen hem go bak long heven. (Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-9) Olsem King wea Jehovah markem, Jesus wea resurrect kasem full paoa for fulfillim firstfala purpose bilong God for olketa man. (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Luke 1:32, 33) Tru nao, Bible storyim Jesus olsem main wan insaed wei wea olketa purpose bilong God hem fulfill.

Long first century, staka pipol acceptim Jesus olsem datfala Messiah wea God promisim or Christ, wea kam long earth for vindicatem sovereign rul bilong Jehovah and for dae olsem ransom for olketa man. (Matthew 20:28; Luke 2:25-32; John 17:25, 26; 18:37) Anda long bigfala persecution, pipol bae nating want for kamap olketa disaepol bilong Jesus sapos olketa no sure abaotem hem. Witim strong, olketa acceptim assignment wea hem givim long olketa, for “mek-disaepol long pipol bilong evri nation.”—Matthew 28:19.

Distaem, planti million trufala Christian savve hao Jesus hem no wanfala man insaed kastom story. Olketa acceptim hem olsem King bilong Kingdom bilong God long heven, wea klosap for kontrolem full earth and evri samting long hem. Disfala gavman bilong God hem nius for hapi long hem bikos hem promisim wei for free from olketa problem bilong world. Olketa tru Christian showimaot loyal saport bilong olketa long King wea Jehovah chusim taem olketa talemaot “disfala gud nius bilong kingdom” long nara pipol.—Matthew 24:14.

Olketa wea saportim datfala Kingdom arrangement thru long Christ, Son bilong living God, bae stap for enjoyim olketa blessing. Iu savve kasem olketa blessing hia tu! Olketa wea pablisim disfala magasin bae hapi for helpem iu savve long really Jesus.

[Footnote]

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Wanem Olketa Narawan Bin Talem

“Mi ting long Jesus bilong Nazareth olsem wanfala long olketa nambawan teacher wea world garem. . . . bae mi talem long olketa Hindu hao laef bilong iufala hem missim barava gud samting sapos iu no studyim olketa teaching bilong Jesus witim respect.”​—Mohandas K. Gandhi, The Message of Jesus Christ.

“Wanfala man olsem wea barava difren from evri narawan, no miss long eni samting, barava perfect, wanfala man bat wea barava winim eni narawan, hem no wanfala giaman samting or kastom story. . . . Bae hem needim samwan wea winim Jesus for formimap wanfala story abaotem wanfala Jesus.”​—Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church.

“For tu-thri man savve mekem story insaed wanfala genereson abaotem wanfala man wea fasin bilong hem strong and naes, garem haefala mark long fasin and nambawan example for olketa man garem wan mind, bae hem wanfala spesol mirakol wea winim evri mirakol wea olketa raetem insaed olketa Gospel.”​—Will Durant, Caesar and Christ.

“Maet hem luk olsem hem hard for minim hao wanfala religion wea pipol followim evriwea long earth savve kamap from wanfala man wea no really stap, olsem idea for sellim samting, especially taem iumi tingim planti example bilong olketa really man wea trae for startim wanfala faith bat wea fail.”​—Gregg Easterbrook, Beside Still Waters.

‘Olsem man wea studyim history bilong olketa raeting mi barava sure hao olketa Gospel no olketa kastom story. Wei wea olketa raetem showimaot hao olketa no kastom story. No eni information stap abaotem klosap full laef bilong Jesus, and no eniwan wea formimap wanfala kastom story bae letem diswan for olsem.’​—C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock.

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Olketa Gospel showimaot olketa difren feeling wea Jesus garem