What He Taught About God
Into a world dark with misunderstanding about the person and character of God, Jesus came to set things straight, by His life and by His word. Coming from the very essence of God, He brought a revelation of God that could not be improved upon. In the past, the prophets had spoken about God; but now, "in these last days," God was speaking "by his Son . . . through whom he made the universe" (Heb. 1:1, 2, NIV). Through Jesus, in other words, we have the ultimate disclosure of the Supreme Being.
What is Jesus saying about God in following passages?
A critical test of the decency of any society, ancient or modern, is the value it places upon the most vulnerable of its members; and there is none more vulnerable than children. Jesus' regard for these tender ones must have come as a breath of fresh air to those poor mothers two thousand years ago when He vigorously defended their children's right of access to Him, when He made time in His hectic calendar for these tiny tots, time to touch them and to bless them.
God is like that, Jesus' action said. He cares for the children and, by extension, all who are vulnerable and exploited. He is the God of the underdog. As He sat there with these little ones looking into His face, Jesus must have thought of what we call "the Slaughter of the Innocents" by Herod on account of Him (Matt. 2:16-18), and the bloody edict of an ancient pharaoh against all Jewish male infants (Exod. 1:15, 16). Jesus came to model a God who was the complete antithesis of these murderous psychopaths.
From what you have read above, what picture of God does Jesus present? How have you experienced these aspects of God's character yourself? Even more important, how well do you reflect those aspects of His character in your own life?
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