1. Time has no meaning to Jesus
According to Colossians 1, when God created the world, He created it by, through, and in Christ. This means that all time, space, and matter are all in Him. Thus Jesus is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, all at the same moment. Consequently, the crossing of the Red Sea and the consummation of the ages are all “now” for Jesus. He not only sees the end from the beginning, but He stands at the end and the beginning at the same moment. What an awesome Lord!
2. Jesus sang on the cross
First-century Jews always sang the Psalms and they were sung in their entirety. Jesus is found quoting the Psalms during His darkest hours on Calvary. In the book, we demonstrate that Jesus sang the Psalm on the cross.
3. His 12 disciples were teenagers
In the first century, when a boy reached his early teens, he became a man. Women married at around age 13. In our chapter on why Jesus chose the twelve disciples and what their purpose was, we cite renowned scholar Craig Keener, who argues that the twelve disciples were most likely in their late teens.
4. Jesus completed the story of Israel
Most Christians are aware that Jesus fulfilled certain prophecies in the Old Testament. But the fact is that Jesus not only completed the story of Israel, but He re-played it down to the details. For instance, Jesus was tested in the wilderness for 40 days just as Israel was tested in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus experienced the exact temptations that Israel experienced in the wilderness. In fact, what Jesus said to Satan on three occasions were direct quotes from Moses to Israel during Israel’s wilderness temptation. Jesus chose twelve disciples, which represented the twelve tribes of Israel. And on and on.
5. Accepting Him is a political statement
First-century Jews believed that the Messiah (which is translated “Christ”) was to rule the entire world and save them from their enemies. First-century Gentiles knew that Caesar was Lord (or Emperor) of world. He was also regarded as the Savior of the people who brought peace to the empire. Whenever a new Emperor took the throne, the Emperor’s emissaries heralded the news of the new Caesar. The word they used for this news was “gospel.” When the early Christians preached to the Jews, they announced the “gospel” that Jesus was the Messiah – meaning, He was the Ruler and Savior of the world. When the early Christians preached to the Gentiles, they proclaimed the “gospel” that Jesus was the new Lord of the world who was also the Savior who would bring peace. So saying that Jesus is Christ and Lord in the first century were high-octane political statements that resulted in riots and persecution to those who claimed
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