Encore Post: Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome, built a temple in honor of his Great-Uncle and father by adoption, Julius Caesar. The empire proclaimed Julius Caesar a god after his death. Augustus called himself the son of god from that moment on.
As strange as that sounds to us, many ancient rulers would call themselves the son of one god or another. The move would help cement their political power and stroke their egos. That is why no one was surprised when the Bible used that title for the people of Israel as a whole and the Messiah in particular.
What was unusual was the way that the Scripture uses the title for Jesus. Jesus, you see, is not a son of god as another way of saying he is great. He is literally the Son of God, the creator of the universe, both in eternity and in the womb of The Virgin Mary. More than that, Jesus does not claim the title himself in so many words. The Angel Gabriel gives it to Mary when he announces that she would be the Mother of the Messiah. (Luke 1:30-35) God the Father himself calls Jesus his “Beloved Son” at his baptism and the transfiguration. (Luke 3:21-22, Luke 9:28) St. Peter confessed him to be “the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) After Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, his disciples also called him the Son of God. (Matthew 14:33) An officer in the Roman Army proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54) Even Satan and his demons knew who he was. (Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 8:29, Mark 3:11)
We accept no substitutes. We worship Jesus Christ because he is the one and only Son of the Living God.
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Love your Words of Devotion brother!
May the Lord give you joy in continuing!
Bless this Christmas Season.
Excellent instruction, IMO; TYVM!
I enjoy & learn much from Mark’s gospel (This is Mark’s year to shine in the revised three year lectionary.) as it seems to me to address these peculiar times in which we live. If all you had in written form were ‘MARK;’ then, it’s clear that the message of the Messiah, & who he is, differs in ‘MARK’ from what the /believers/ of Jesus’ era had in mind as an up-side-down idea of what God intended.
I note that none of The Twelve ever twigged to who Jesus really was in ‘MARK.’ Peter’s so-called ‘confession’ is immediately rebuked by our Savior: ‘Never tell anybody that foolishness! I’m not that fellow.’ {*My paraphrase*} Peter’s idea of who the Messiah was and his program was spelled out in the next verses. Peter rejects Jesus’ teaching about a suffering & dying Messiah, & the Christ tells Satan, whom he recognizes speaking through Peter’s mouth, to get out of the way.
You rightly point out that Matthew & Luke elaborate on what Mark says plainly: only the demons and the Roman centurion @ the cross ever knew Jesus accurately! It’s a grand evangelical tool IMNSHO as it tends to avoid speculation about extraneous stuff that pops up in our feverish, foul, filthy human brains overly impressed by human logic and wisdom.
Again, excellent instruction, clear & concise! TY.