The Jesus Proclamation

16For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, dand sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” 18Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 19Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."
John 5: 16 - 19 NKJV

It's easy to imagine the surprise of the Jewish authorities of Jesus' day as He made that audacious claim that He was indeed the Son of God.  In fact, it is for this very reason that many of these Pharisees sought to kill Him.  How could a mere man, a mere SINFUL man be the very Son of God?  The very brashness of this man proclaiming Himself to be equal with God caused quite a stir back then.  In a similar way, it is this proclamation which receives confusion and scorn even today...from christians.  For we who follow Christ Jesus today can ourselves proclaim ourselves to be Jesus.  What?  Yes, I can already see the people lining up to condemn such a bold statement.  How could a sinful man even dare claim to be Jesus?  Such a person would have to be delusional...or lying.  Well, I'm here to tell you that I am neither.  Indeed I was once where many christians are today, believing that it is their sins which kept them from intimacy with God.  Sure, we could talk to our heavenly Father, but at the end of the day many still feel that there is a seperation between themselves and God.  However, it is throught the finished work of Christ Jesus that we not only no longer have that weight of our former sins to drag us down but that Jesus Himself is in us today {Romans 6: 6 - 11}.  This is the Jesus proclamation.  When Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the very Son of God He stepped on more than a few toes and pre conceived notions.  For the people of His day, it seems that God and man simply could not exist together.  Indeed, the Jewish temple of God had a place called the Holy of Holies where only the high priest was entitled to venture into.  So it was that each year on the day of atonement that the priests would enter into this Holy of Holies seeking repentence for the sins of the people.  God on one side...sinful man on the other.  This was just how things were done.  The sinful condition of mankind had yet to be dealt with.  That was the purpose of this Son of God, to reconcile Gods children to Himself once again.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

For those who would scoff at the very idea of a man being jesus I present to you the Jesus proclamation spoken by the apostle Paul in Galations 2.  As Paul tells us, it is no longer he himself who lives, but "Christ lives in me!"  Whoa!  Now, those very same christians who scoffed at a sinful man being Jesus might look a him and say, "Well, that's Paul."  My response to this would be...and your point is?  Paul was not just proclaiming Christ in himself but for all believers.  We today can make this very same Jesus proclamation.  Dennis and I have a dialogue where we will refer to one anothe as Jesus, and he's right!  However, it has taken me some time to come to the point where I can make my very own Jesus proclamation.  Yes, I still struggle with this bold statement, but I realize the truth of the proclamation of Christ in me...of BEING Jesus.  It is indeed a weighty thought, that I could be Jesus.  However, it is no different than it was for Paul himself.  I find it hard to get into just how we got to this point from sinful man to being Jesus without receiving correction from Dennis, so I will just say that it is my BELIEF that for our sin nature to be eradicated that it had to be put to death.  This is indeed what Christ came to accomplish {Romans 6: 6 - 11}.  Agian, it is Paul who tells us that it is our "Old man" sin nature which has been done away with.  Therefore, the sin which once occupied us has been replaced with...Jesus.  The Jesus proclamation.  If only those old Pharisees could hear me today I would be just another heretic.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

~Scott~