91. LET YOUR EYES BE OPEN!What would Jesus tell you, if you had a private conversation with him?
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When you were a child, did you ever have a hero or someone you wanted to be like when you grew up? Maybe you had dreams of being a world leader, a famous movie star, or a powerful businessperson. Many young people want to be a champion athlete. They put posters on bedroom walls showing their sports hero in some moment of victory or achievement imagining it will be them someday.
But how often do we see pictures of sports heroes or movie stars practicing long hours so they can be the best in their eld? Rarely do we see a leader and think of him/her studying all-day and night in a library or working fourteen hours a day in a menial job. Some- times we hear the story of a successful person's early struggles, but most of the time we forget how hard these great leaders, sportsmen, businesspeople, and celebrities worked to be successful.
In this lesson we will see that Jesus had to suffer before he was glorified. In fact, it would have been impossible for him to be glori ed without suffering. We will also learn that there were lots of eyewitnesses to both his suffering and resurrection, before and after the fact. To introduce our topic, consider the following story.
Gürsel looked over his son Selami's shoulder at the computer screen to see what he was so intently looking at. Selami had opened a website showing videos of Naim Süleymanoğlu's career as the king of weightlifting.
"What are you looking at Selami?" his father asked.
Ten year old Selami didn't look up from the screen and said, "Wow Dad, Naim Süleymanoğlu is not only a legend in weightlifting, he is Turkish!"
"That's right son. Look over to the left at the list of his accomplishments."
Selami looked at the list. Naim Süleymanoğlu became the rst weightlifter ever to win three gold medals in the Olympics, first in Seoul (1988), then in Barcelona (1992), and finally in Atlanta (1996). He broke 46 world records and is the second of only seven lifters to ever clean and jerk three times his bodyweight.
"This is so cool, Dad. Watch this video as he wins medal after medal. Look how the people are cheering for him!"
The father and son sat enthralled as they watched a video of a million Turks gathering in Istanbul to greet Naim after he won the Olympics in Seoul.
"Wow, Dad, I want to be a champion like Naim!" Selami said. "You need to get busy son!" his father shot back with a smile. "What do you mean, Dad?"
"Look at this other website."
His father navigated to a website about Naim's training.
"Look here. Naim was lifting weights 6 days a week for a total of 22 hours a week when he was only 10 years old. At the time, he was lifting close to 10,000 kilos per week. In 1981 when he was 14 years old, every week he lifted 20,895 kg in classical lifts and 18,870 kg in assistance exercises. The following year his intensity grew with his age and he worked out three times a day four days a week, and twice a day two days a week. That year he worked out 500 times for a total of 1180 hours. He was doing exercises that totaled more than 39,000 kilos per week. That's not easy son. That is a hard, disciplined life. He also suffered a lot personally.”
“In the early 1980's in Bulgaria, Bulgarian nationalism was high and ethnic Turks were being forced to deny their culture and ethnicity by accepting Slavic names. Violence against Turks was very high. His neighborhood became a battleground. The communist regime tried to make his success as a weightlifter an example of successful "Turkish assimilation." But while in Australia, Naim Süleymanoğlu defected from Bulgaria and eventu- ally came to Turkey. The Turkish government realized his dream of competing in the Olympics as a Turk by paying Bulgaria one million dollars to release him. Those certainly weren't easy days for him I am sure."
"What I am saying, son, is that while it takes talent to be a great athlete, it also takes grueling hours of hard work. People tend to focus on the fame and the glory, but for the athlete, it is a culmination of years of, well, suffering. There are no easy roads to being a famous athlete."
Jesus achieved the greatest victory that anyone can attain; he was victorious in the battle with sin. No one shares the championship crown with him. He is the only one who did it. Even though Satan tried to get Jesus to sin, he couldn’t.
When we think of Jesus' victory as Messiah, we need to remember that he paid a big price for that victory. Jesus was tested to the point of death by cruci xion and through it all he completely submitted his will to the Father’s. No one in the history of the earth has ever submitted to God’s will like Jesus did. The Old Testament prophets wrote a lot about the suffering that the Messiah would go through in order to achieve this victory. Unfortunately that aspect of the Messiah's experience went unheeded by the Jewish people and when the Messiah Jesus came and suffered, they would not believe it. They didn't want to believe it! They wanted a hero who was all victory and no suffering. But most great victories involve a price. For Christ that price was suffering and death.
There were eyewitnesses to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus just as there were eyewitnesses to Naim's victory in Seoul. There were also millions who watched Naim’s victory on television. When Naim stood on the podium, he could not hear the television viewers’ cheers. But they were still eyewitnesses to the event. Did you know there were some other surprising witnesses to Jesus suffering and death? To begin learning who those "other" witnesses were, let's read about Jesus’ encounter with two people after his resurrection in Luke chapter 24 verses 13-14:
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Have you ever walked along the road from the city to a village? The sun is hot on your face, there is no cloud in the sky. You kick a stone and it pops up a cloud of dust when it lands. As your mouth gets drier and it becomes hard to even speak, you wish you had some cool water. As far as you can see in front of you there is only asphalt. Twelve kilometers is a long way. It can seem like forever if there is no one to talk with. But when there is an interesting conversation, time can y by. Jesus was about to shorten their trip dramatically. Let’s continue reading in Luke chapter 24 verses 15-24:
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were re- strained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 "When they did not nd His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
Wow! The conversation wasn't about the price of cucumbers or whether it would rain next week. It was on the greatest news of the day and indeed of all time. The story was that Jesus of Nazareth was alive! But had he not been cruci ed in front of hundreds of wit- nesses? Everyone saw him die. They all saw the blood owing from his shredded, beaten back and nail pierced wrists. They witnessed the Roman guard drive his spear into Jesus' side. They saw the blood and water drain from the hole. There was no question about it. Jesus had died.
Let's read Jesus' response to them in Luke chapter 24 verses 25-27:
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
What? When did the prophets say that the Messiah would suffer and afterward enter into his glory? Jesus added that Moses and all the prophets wrote things concerning himself. What might Jesus have told them? What passages of scripture and which prophets mentioned him?
Surely Jesus would have started in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, after Adam and Eve sinned. God knew that the serpent, Satan, had enticed Eve to sin. As a consequence, He said to Satan,
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."73
Perhaps the disciples were looking down, thinking deeply as Jesus recited that familiar text. Suddenly the light came on in their minds (perhaps jeton dustu) as Jesus explained that the Messiah was the seed of the woman, the one bruised by Satan. The Messiah would have to suffer to gain victory over the serpent. It said so in the rst few pages of the Bible! They must have said to themselves,
"Why didn't we see that before? It was right before our eyes! We know that text!"
Then their thoughts turned to Christ hanging on the cross with nails in his hands and feet. They must have asked themselves,
"Could it be true that when Jesus was hung on the cross he fulfilled that prophecy? If so, how would a crucified Messiah bruise Satan's head, that is destroy him? The Christ would be dead!”
Before their question was answered perhaps Jesus reminded them of the time that Abraham was about to offer up his son as a
sacrifice. God stopped him and provided a ram in his son's place.74 Abraham had said to his son,
"My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."75
Maybe Jesus tied this in with what John the Baptist had said:
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"76
The story of Abraham offering his son was a foreshadow of an even greater event! God would offer His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world! The disciples looked at one another in amazement. They had never heard things like this before. The Rabbis had never explained the scriptures this way.
Maybe Jesus smiled to himself as he saw the excited looks on their faces. There was more to come! Perhaps he retold the story of the Exodus and how the destroying angel passed over the houses of those who by faith had killed a Passover lamb and put the blood on the doorposts of the house.77 Those lambs were symbolic of the true lamb, Jesus, whose blood takes away the sin of the world and pro- tects us from eternal death. Jesus had to have asked them,
"Isn't the book of Leviticus and the entire sacrificial system based on the principle that only blood sacrifice can atone for sins? Don't all those sacrifices, just like Abraham offering up his son, point to the suffering of the Messiah as a sin offering? Why else would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?"
Then appealing to their logic in a more precise way, Jesus probably told them Daniel’s prophecy about the Messiah:
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a ood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and of- fering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."78
The Messiah would be cut off on behalf of others and he would cause the sacrificial system to cease! Jesus, as the fulfillment of all the sacrifices, brought the necessity of animal sacrifice to an end. The disciples' worldview would have been shattered. Hadn't they been taught all their lives that the Messiah would be glorious and powerful? Jesus could read the shock in their faces. But he didn’t stop talking. Most certainly he shared the crown of all prophecies written by the prophet Isaiah concerning the Messiah’s suffering:
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men;"79
"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satis ed. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors."80
The scenes of Calvary ashed like lightning through the disciples' minds. Death. Transgressors. It was just as Jesus was describing from the Bible. The Messiah would die like a criminal. They saw it with their own eyes! Prophecy was ful lled! Jesus really was the Messiah after all! Their confusion turned to joy because they understood that their hope in Jesus was never in vain. It had to happen that
way! The Messiah's death paid the sin debt. But wait. Where was the new era of everlasting peace, righteousness, and glory? When would it come and how could the Messiah be its leader if he was dead? Jesus would have then reminded them of a psalm written by
King David:
"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."81
The Holy One, that is the Christ, would rise from the dead even be- fore his body decomposed. He would not stay in the grave. The disciples would have looked at each other and remembered the women who said that Jesus was alive. What if they were right? What if the Messiah had risen from the dead as the scriptures were saying? Un- able to contain their excitement, they wanted to interrupt and ask questions. What about the glory of the Messiah? When would that be? Perhaps Jesus raised his fingers to his lips as if to say,
"Hold on, the answer is coming!"
Maybe Jesus reminded them of one of the quotes given above.
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high".82
Somehow the Servant, the same Servant that would pour out his soul unto death for the sins of all mankind, would also be exalted. The prophet Micah also prophesied this hundreds of years before Jesus lived:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."83
Jesus would have explained that the coming Ruler of Israel would come out of Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah. Maybe the disciples looked puzzled and asked themselves,
"When did Jesus become the ruler in Israel? He didn't rule, he died."
The disciples hadn't arrived in Emmaus yet nor had they found answers to all their questions. The road was long, but Jesus was lead- ing them step-by-step. Most likely he showed them a prophecy written by Zechariah:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."84
Can you imagine Jesus saying to them,
"Do you remember when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the week before he died? The people were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!’"85
Perhaps the disciples blurted out,
"When would Jesus the Messiah take the throne?"
Of course, Jesus would have answered with a promise that God made to king David:
"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."86
One of David's descendents would have an eternal kingdom, not a temporary one like other kings. The prophet Isaiah repeated this promise:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."87
Jesus would have followed up this quote with another question, "What descendent of David has had an eternal kingdom?"
Once again, Jesus would have answered the question with two more prophecies. This first would have been from Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1-10:
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 6 " The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. 10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the peo- ple; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."
King David's father was Jesse. So once again there was a prophecy about a descendent of David obtaining an eternal kingdom. The disciples knew it would be eternal because the wicked are slain and the world is free from violence and death. Jesus would have pointed out to them that the Branch would have the Spirit of the Lord upon him and judge the earth with justice, including the Gentiles. Jesus would have then lled in the picture with the following prophecy in Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1-4:
1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking ax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be dis- couraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law."
Suddenly through the haze of the setting sun these two men could see Emmaus and started to understand the meaning of the scrip- tures more clearly. The Branch and the Servant do the same things. They are one and the same person! We know the Servant is Jesus because he is the one who suffered and died for the sins of the world according to the prophet Isaiah.88 So Jesus will be glori ed and inherit the earth as his kingdom. When he inherits the world as his kingdom a new order will be set up and the wolf will lay down with the lamb. There will be no more death! There will be no more crying! There will be no more wicked people. Evil will be destroyed! This is the eternal kingdom, and Jesus will be its ruler forever! He is the Servant who suffered. He is the Branch who is the king. Jesus said all this succinctly when he said,
"O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"89
The disciples were most certainly jumping with every step as they heard the truth about the kingdom. They had no weariness in their muscles from the long road. Their hearts pounded and smiles were on their faces. Their journey seemed shorter than normal. If they could only have more time to talk and ask questions! Let's read what happened next in Luke chapter 24 verses 28-35:
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
Jesus appeared to his disciples numerous times after his death. It was a testimony to the truth of the resurrection. But for Jesus, the greatest testimony of his resurrection was not his physical presence among those who witnessed his death. You may say,
"What could be more convincing than that?"
Personal eyewitness is important. But people can be deceived. Peo- ple can spread lying reports. People could say,
"Jesus didn't really die." They could say,
"It wasn't him on the cross."
Jesus did not want the testimony of his resurrection from the dead to be based on personal testimony alone. He spent time with two disciples opening their understanding to an even greater witness, the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus taught his disciples to trust them and rely on them. Every true prophet agrees with the previous prophets forming a train of truth. God preserved them as an uncorrupted source of truth. Jesus wanted the faith of his disciples to be based on the unchanging word of God revealed through the prophets. He wants our faith to be based on the Bible’s testimony. In some ways it's like a signature circular. Consider the following story.
Erol went down to the notary of ce with Levent, the representative from his accountant. It wasn't all that sunny but he wore his sun- glasses to hide the concern in his eyes. He was opening a market on one of the main streets in Erzincan. The economy had been fairly stable the last few years but there had been some scary changes lately. The dollar shot up and he knew what that meant, inflation. Would he be able to pay the rent? It was his rst business venture and he was nervous at every step. What other unforeseen dangers lay lurking around the corner?
Levent was taking Erol through the procedures of opening the busi- ness. Erol didn't know what all the papers were that the official was shuf ing back and forth. He watched as the of cial pecked away at the keyboard with amazing speed and accuracy, all the while using only his two index ngers. Erol hoped it would end soon as they breathed in the heavy smoke lingering in the air. He looked up at the no-smoking sign and sighed to himself, “Why don’t people follow the rules?”
The official startled Erol when he said, "Sign here and here and here and here, three times each."
"Wha... what? Oh! O.K. What am I signing?" he asked to the official.
Levent cut in and said: "This is a signature circular (imza sirküleri)."
"What is it for?" asked Erol.
"We need you to sign the paper many times to register your signature. Every time you sign the paper it is slightly different, but there are elements in your signature that are uniquely yours. Unfortunately, there are people who might try to pose as you and do official business in your company’s name. By comparing one of your signatures to the ones on this circular, officials can determine if the signature in question is really yours. You need to present this paper when you sign up for electric or water service and other official business in your company’s name. This helps protect you and your business from fraud."
All the papers were piled up and one by one they were stamped what seemed like a million times. Then the papers were taken to the chief notary who authorized each one with his own signature. It took a long time, but when they were done, the paper sure looked
official! Erol hoped that all that effort would protect his company from fraud.
The Bible is somewhat like a signature circular. Each signature on the circular is slightly different but carries essential characteristics of the signatory. Each one of the prophets who wrote the Bible wrote in their own style. But since the Spirit of God inspired all the prophets, their writings contain God’s message, just expressed in different ways through the individuality of the writer.
Jesus explained that all of the prophets had written about the Mes- siah. We saw a few examples of that in this lesson. Although their writings differ in style and sometimes they used symbolic writing, we see that they were writing about a Messiah who would suffer, die, and be glori ed with his own kingdom. Someone may try to spread lying reports or make false scriptures, but when we compare them to the Bible, God’s signature circular, they prove to be false. How do we know? They don't carry God’s message of salvation that points to Jesus as the Savior who would die for the sins of the world and be glori ed with an eternal kingdom. If the reports don't agree with that they are a false signature!
Jesus wanted the disciples' faith to be grounded in the signature circular, the Bible. That way when hearsay, false reports, and false holy writings appeared they would be aware of the fraud.
There were many witnesses of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. There were the 11 disciples and their companions. There were these two disciples on the road to Emmaus. But the greatest witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus and to his role as Savior of all mankind were the prophets. We just compared the writings of several proph- ets and saw that their message concerning Jesus was the same. No one could have forged so many witnesses over hundreds of years to the point that their testimonies agreed. Shall we be as Jesus said, "foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken" or shall we receive the truth and be obedient to it?
Discussion Questions
1. Naim Süleymanoğlu is one of the greatest weightlifters of all time. What do you think made him want to train so hard while maybe
his friends were out having fun? Do you think it was worth the effort for Naim?
2. Jesus suffered greatly on the cross. What was the bene t of that suffering? Do you think it was worth it to him?
3. Erol learned at the notary of ce that people with bad intentions could pretend to be him. Was the signature circular a good
protection? Why?
4. Why would someone want to say that Jesus didn't really die? What would you say to them if they asked you if Jesus really died?
73 Genesis 3:15
74 It is interesting to note that the ram’s head was stuck in the thorn bushes. Before he was cruci ed, the Roman soldiers pressed a crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head.
75 Genesis 22:8
76 John 1:29
77 Exodus 12
78 Daniel 9:26, 27
79 Isaiah 52:13, 14
80 Isaiah 53: 11, 12
81 Psalm 16:10
82 Isaiah 52:13
83 Micah 5:2
84 Zechariah 9:9
85 Matthew 21:9
86 2 Samuel 7:12, 13
87 Isaiah 9:6, 7
88 Isaiah 52:13,14 and 53:12
89 Luke 24: 25, 26
But how often do we see pictures of sports heroes or movie stars practicing long hours so they can be the best in their eld? Rarely do we see a leader and think of him/her studying all-day and night in a library or working fourteen hours a day in a menial job. Some- times we hear the story of a successful person's early struggles, but most of the time we forget how hard these great leaders, sportsmen, businesspeople, and celebrities worked to be successful.
In this lesson we will see that Jesus had to suffer before he was glorified. In fact, it would have been impossible for him to be glori ed without suffering. We will also learn that there were lots of eyewitnesses to both his suffering and resurrection, before and after the fact. To introduce our topic, consider the following story.
Gürsel looked over his son Selami's shoulder at the computer screen to see what he was so intently looking at. Selami had opened a website showing videos of Naim Süleymanoğlu's career as the king of weightlifting.
"What are you looking at Selami?" his father asked.
Ten year old Selami didn't look up from the screen and said, "Wow Dad, Naim Süleymanoğlu is not only a legend in weightlifting, he is Turkish!"
"That's right son. Look over to the left at the list of his accomplishments."
Selami looked at the list. Naim Süleymanoğlu became the rst weightlifter ever to win three gold medals in the Olympics, first in Seoul (1988), then in Barcelona (1992), and finally in Atlanta (1996). He broke 46 world records and is the second of only seven lifters to ever clean and jerk three times his bodyweight.
"This is so cool, Dad. Watch this video as he wins medal after medal. Look how the people are cheering for him!"
The father and son sat enthralled as they watched a video of a million Turks gathering in Istanbul to greet Naim after he won the Olympics in Seoul.
"Wow, Dad, I want to be a champion like Naim!" Selami said. "You need to get busy son!" his father shot back with a smile. "What do you mean, Dad?"
"Look at this other website."
His father navigated to a website about Naim's training.
"Look here. Naim was lifting weights 6 days a week for a total of 22 hours a week when he was only 10 years old. At the time, he was lifting close to 10,000 kilos per week. In 1981 when he was 14 years old, every week he lifted 20,895 kg in classical lifts and 18,870 kg in assistance exercises. The following year his intensity grew with his age and he worked out three times a day four days a week, and twice a day two days a week. That year he worked out 500 times for a total of 1180 hours. He was doing exercises that totaled more than 39,000 kilos per week. That's not easy son. That is a hard, disciplined life. He also suffered a lot personally.”
“In the early 1980's in Bulgaria, Bulgarian nationalism was high and ethnic Turks were being forced to deny their culture and ethnicity by accepting Slavic names. Violence against Turks was very high. His neighborhood became a battleground. The communist regime tried to make his success as a weightlifter an example of successful "Turkish assimilation." But while in Australia, Naim Süleymanoğlu defected from Bulgaria and eventu- ally came to Turkey. The Turkish government realized his dream of competing in the Olympics as a Turk by paying Bulgaria one million dollars to release him. Those certainly weren't easy days for him I am sure."
"What I am saying, son, is that while it takes talent to be a great athlete, it also takes grueling hours of hard work. People tend to focus on the fame and the glory, but for the athlete, it is a culmination of years of, well, suffering. There are no easy roads to being a famous athlete."
Jesus achieved the greatest victory that anyone can attain; he was victorious in the battle with sin. No one shares the championship crown with him. He is the only one who did it. Even though Satan tried to get Jesus to sin, he couldn’t.
When we think of Jesus' victory as Messiah, we need to remember that he paid a big price for that victory. Jesus was tested to the point of death by cruci xion and through it all he completely submitted his will to the Father’s. No one in the history of the earth has ever submitted to God’s will like Jesus did. The Old Testament prophets wrote a lot about the suffering that the Messiah would go through in order to achieve this victory. Unfortunately that aspect of the Messiah's experience went unheeded by the Jewish people and when the Messiah Jesus came and suffered, they would not believe it. They didn't want to believe it! They wanted a hero who was all victory and no suffering. But most great victories involve a price. For Christ that price was suffering and death.
There were eyewitnesses to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus just as there were eyewitnesses to Naim's victory in Seoul. There were also millions who watched Naim’s victory on television. When Naim stood on the podium, he could not hear the television viewers’ cheers. But they were still eyewitnesses to the event. Did you know there were some other surprising witnesses to Jesus suffering and death? To begin learning who those "other" witnesses were, let's read about Jesus’ encounter with two people after his resurrection in Luke chapter 24 verses 13-14:
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Have you ever walked along the road from the city to a village? The sun is hot on your face, there is no cloud in the sky. You kick a stone and it pops up a cloud of dust when it lands. As your mouth gets drier and it becomes hard to even speak, you wish you had some cool water. As far as you can see in front of you there is only asphalt. Twelve kilometers is a long way. It can seem like forever if there is no one to talk with. But when there is an interesting conversation, time can y by. Jesus was about to shorten their trip dramatically. Let’s continue reading in Luke chapter 24 verses 15-24:
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were re- strained, so that they did not know Him. 17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?" 18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 "When they did not nd His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
Wow! The conversation wasn't about the price of cucumbers or whether it would rain next week. It was on the greatest news of the day and indeed of all time. The story was that Jesus of Nazareth was alive! But had he not been cruci ed in front of hundreds of wit- nesses? Everyone saw him die. They all saw the blood owing from his shredded, beaten back and nail pierced wrists. They witnessed the Roman guard drive his spear into Jesus' side. They saw the blood and water drain from the hole. There was no question about it. Jesus had died.
Let's read Jesus' response to them in Luke chapter 24 verses 25-27:
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
What? When did the prophets say that the Messiah would suffer and afterward enter into his glory? Jesus added that Moses and all the prophets wrote things concerning himself. What might Jesus have told them? What passages of scripture and which prophets mentioned him?
Surely Jesus would have started in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, after Adam and Eve sinned. God knew that the serpent, Satan, had enticed Eve to sin. As a consequence, He said to Satan,
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."73
Perhaps the disciples were looking down, thinking deeply as Jesus recited that familiar text. Suddenly the light came on in their minds (perhaps jeton dustu) as Jesus explained that the Messiah was the seed of the woman, the one bruised by Satan. The Messiah would have to suffer to gain victory over the serpent. It said so in the rst few pages of the Bible! They must have said to themselves,
"Why didn't we see that before? It was right before our eyes! We know that text!"
Then their thoughts turned to Christ hanging on the cross with nails in his hands and feet. They must have asked themselves,
"Could it be true that when Jesus was hung on the cross he fulfilled that prophecy? If so, how would a crucified Messiah bruise Satan's head, that is destroy him? The Christ would be dead!”
Before their question was answered perhaps Jesus reminded them of the time that Abraham was about to offer up his son as a
sacrifice. God stopped him and provided a ram in his son's place.74 Abraham had said to his son,
"My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."75
Maybe Jesus tied this in with what John the Baptist had said:
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"76
The story of Abraham offering his son was a foreshadow of an even greater event! God would offer His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world! The disciples looked at one another in amazement. They had never heard things like this before. The Rabbis had never explained the scriptures this way.
Maybe Jesus smiled to himself as he saw the excited looks on their faces. There was more to come! Perhaps he retold the story of the Exodus and how the destroying angel passed over the houses of those who by faith had killed a Passover lamb and put the blood on the doorposts of the house.77 Those lambs were symbolic of the true lamb, Jesus, whose blood takes away the sin of the world and pro- tects us from eternal death. Jesus had to have asked them,
"Isn't the book of Leviticus and the entire sacrificial system based on the principle that only blood sacrifice can atone for sins? Don't all those sacrifices, just like Abraham offering up his son, point to the suffering of the Messiah as a sin offering? Why else would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?"
Then appealing to their logic in a more precise way, Jesus probably told them Daniel’s prophecy about the Messiah:
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a ood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and of- fering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."78
The Messiah would be cut off on behalf of others and he would cause the sacrificial system to cease! Jesus, as the fulfillment of all the sacrifices, brought the necessity of animal sacrifice to an end. The disciples' worldview would have been shattered. Hadn't they been taught all their lives that the Messiah would be glorious and powerful? Jesus could read the shock in their faces. But he didn’t stop talking. Most certainly he shared the crown of all prophecies written by the prophet Isaiah concerning the Messiah’s suffering:
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men;"79
"He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satis ed. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors."80
The scenes of Calvary ashed like lightning through the disciples' minds. Death. Transgressors. It was just as Jesus was describing from the Bible. The Messiah would die like a criminal. They saw it with their own eyes! Prophecy was ful lled! Jesus really was the Messiah after all! Their confusion turned to joy because they understood that their hope in Jesus was never in vain. It had to happen that
way! The Messiah's death paid the sin debt. But wait. Where was the new era of everlasting peace, righteousness, and glory? When would it come and how could the Messiah be its leader if he was dead? Jesus would have then reminded them of a psalm written by
King David:
"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."81
The Holy One, that is the Christ, would rise from the dead even be- fore his body decomposed. He would not stay in the grave. The disciples would have looked at each other and remembered the women who said that Jesus was alive. What if they were right? What if the Messiah had risen from the dead as the scriptures were saying? Un- able to contain their excitement, they wanted to interrupt and ask questions. What about the glory of the Messiah? When would that be? Perhaps Jesus raised his fingers to his lips as if to say,
"Hold on, the answer is coming!"
Maybe Jesus reminded them of one of the quotes given above.
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high".82
Somehow the Servant, the same Servant that would pour out his soul unto death for the sins of all mankind, would also be exalted. The prophet Micah also prophesied this hundreds of years before Jesus lived:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."83
Jesus would have explained that the coming Ruler of Israel would come out of Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah. Maybe the disciples looked puzzled and asked themselves,
"When did Jesus become the ruler in Israel? He didn't rule, he died."
The disciples hadn't arrived in Emmaus yet nor had they found answers to all their questions. The road was long, but Jesus was lead- ing them step-by-step. Most likely he showed them a prophecy written by Zechariah:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."84
Can you imagine Jesus saying to them,
"Do you remember when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the week before he died? The people were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!’"85
Perhaps the disciples blurted out,
"When would Jesus the Messiah take the throne?"
Of course, Jesus would have answered with a promise that God made to king David:
"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."86
One of David's descendents would have an eternal kingdom, not a temporary one like other kings. The prophet Isaiah repeated this promise:
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."87
Jesus would have followed up this quote with another question, "What descendent of David has had an eternal kingdom?"
Once again, Jesus would have answered the question with two more prophecies. This first would have been from Isaiah chapter 11 verses 1-10:
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. 3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 6 " The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. 10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the peo- ple; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious."
King David's father was Jesse. So once again there was a prophecy about a descendent of David obtaining an eternal kingdom. The disciples knew it would be eternal because the wicked are slain and the world is free from violence and death. Jesus would have pointed out to them that the Branch would have the Spirit of the Lord upon him and judge the earth with justice, including the Gentiles. Jesus would have then lled in the picture with the following prophecy in Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1-4:
1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking ax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be dis- couraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law."
Suddenly through the haze of the setting sun these two men could see Emmaus and started to understand the meaning of the scrip- tures more clearly. The Branch and the Servant do the same things. They are one and the same person! We know the Servant is Jesus because he is the one who suffered and died for the sins of the world according to the prophet Isaiah.88 So Jesus will be glori ed and inherit the earth as his kingdom. When he inherits the world as his kingdom a new order will be set up and the wolf will lay down with the lamb. There will be no more death! There will be no more crying! There will be no more wicked people. Evil will be destroyed! This is the eternal kingdom, and Jesus will be its ruler forever! He is the Servant who suffered. He is the Branch who is the king. Jesus said all this succinctly when he said,
"O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"89
The disciples were most certainly jumping with every step as they heard the truth about the kingdom. They had no weariness in their muscles from the long road. Their hearts pounded and smiles were on their faces. Their journey seemed shorter than normal. If they could only have more time to talk and ask questions! Let's read what happened next in Luke chapter 24 verses 28-35:
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. 30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
Jesus appeared to his disciples numerous times after his death. It was a testimony to the truth of the resurrection. But for Jesus, the greatest testimony of his resurrection was not his physical presence among those who witnessed his death. You may say,
"What could be more convincing than that?"
Personal eyewitness is important. But people can be deceived. Peo- ple can spread lying reports. People could say,
"Jesus didn't really die." They could say,
"It wasn't him on the cross."
Jesus did not want the testimony of his resurrection from the dead to be based on personal testimony alone. He spent time with two disciples opening their understanding to an even greater witness, the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus taught his disciples to trust them and rely on them. Every true prophet agrees with the previous prophets forming a train of truth. God preserved them as an uncorrupted source of truth. Jesus wanted the faith of his disciples to be based on the unchanging word of God revealed through the prophets. He wants our faith to be based on the Bible’s testimony. In some ways it's like a signature circular. Consider the following story.
Erol went down to the notary of ce with Levent, the representative from his accountant. It wasn't all that sunny but he wore his sun- glasses to hide the concern in his eyes. He was opening a market on one of the main streets in Erzincan. The economy had been fairly stable the last few years but there had been some scary changes lately. The dollar shot up and he knew what that meant, inflation. Would he be able to pay the rent? It was his rst business venture and he was nervous at every step. What other unforeseen dangers lay lurking around the corner?
Levent was taking Erol through the procedures of opening the busi- ness. Erol didn't know what all the papers were that the official was shuf ing back and forth. He watched as the of cial pecked away at the keyboard with amazing speed and accuracy, all the while using only his two index ngers. Erol hoped it would end soon as they breathed in the heavy smoke lingering in the air. He looked up at the no-smoking sign and sighed to himself, “Why don’t people follow the rules?”
The official startled Erol when he said, "Sign here and here and here and here, three times each."
"Wha... what? Oh! O.K. What am I signing?" he asked to the official.
Levent cut in and said: "This is a signature circular (imza sirküleri)."
"What is it for?" asked Erol.
"We need you to sign the paper many times to register your signature. Every time you sign the paper it is slightly different, but there are elements in your signature that are uniquely yours. Unfortunately, there are people who might try to pose as you and do official business in your company’s name. By comparing one of your signatures to the ones on this circular, officials can determine if the signature in question is really yours. You need to present this paper when you sign up for electric or water service and other official business in your company’s name. This helps protect you and your business from fraud."
All the papers were piled up and one by one they were stamped what seemed like a million times. Then the papers were taken to the chief notary who authorized each one with his own signature. It took a long time, but when they were done, the paper sure looked
official! Erol hoped that all that effort would protect his company from fraud.
The Bible is somewhat like a signature circular. Each signature on the circular is slightly different but carries essential characteristics of the signatory. Each one of the prophets who wrote the Bible wrote in their own style. But since the Spirit of God inspired all the prophets, their writings contain God’s message, just expressed in different ways through the individuality of the writer.
Jesus explained that all of the prophets had written about the Mes- siah. We saw a few examples of that in this lesson. Although their writings differ in style and sometimes they used symbolic writing, we see that they were writing about a Messiah who would suffer, die, and be glori ed with his own kingdom. Someone may try to spread lying reports or make false scriptures, but when we compare them to the Bible, God’s signature circular, they prove to be false. How do we know? They don't carry God’s message of salvation that points to Jesus as the Savior who would die for the sins of the world and be glori ed with an eternal kingdom. If the reports don't agree with that they are a false signature!
Jesus wanted the disciples' faith to be grounded in the signature circular, the Bible. That way when hearsay, false reports, and false holy writings appeared they would be aware of the fraud.
There were many witnesses of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. There were the 11 disciples and their companions. There were these two disciples on the road to Emmaus. But the greatest witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus and to his role as Savior of all mankind were the prophets. We just compared the writings of several proph- ets and saw that their message concerning Jesus was the same. No one could have forged so many witnesses over hundreds of years to the point that their testimonies agreed. Shall we be as Jesus said, "foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken" or shall we receive the truth and be obedient to it?
Discussion Questions
1. Naim Süleymanoğlu is one of the greatest weightlifters of all time. What do you think made him want to train so hard while maybe
his friends were out having fun? Do you think it was worth the effort for Naim?
2. Jesus suffered greatly on the cross. What was the bene t of that suffering? Do you think it was worth it to him?
3. Erol learned at the notary of ce that people with bad intentions could pretend to be him. Was the signature circular a good
protection? Why?
4. Why would someone want to say that Jesus didn't really die? What would you say to them if they asked you if Jesus really died?
73 Genesis 3:15
74 It is interesting to note that the ram’s head was stuck in the thorn bushes. Before he was cruci ed, the Roman soldiers pressed a crown of thorns onto Jesus’ head.
75 Genesis 22:8
76 John 1:29
77 Exodus 12
78 Daniel 9:26, 27
79 Isaiah 52:13, 14
80 Isaiah 53: 11, 12
81 Psalm 16:10
82 Isaiah 52:13
83 Micah 5:2
84 Zechariah 9:9
85 Matthew 21:9
86 2 Samuel 7:12, 13
87 Isaiah 9:6, 7
88 Isaiah 52:13,14 and 53:12
89 Luke 24: 25, 26