Christ the GREAT

In this era of modern marvel, most men, including Christians are in awe of the abilities of those who call themselves the greatest of all time, or the g.o.a.t. But, for those who read scripture, they can tell you that satan is often depicted as a goat that walks upright, as well as a serpent.

Recently, a retired professional basketball player spoke of the “drug-circus” that his famous “threepeating” team was when he signed on in the late-1980s. He was an amazing athlete who seemingly levitate on the court and left the masses in awe at his skill. Could one only imagine how phenomenal modern athletes might be if they lived a life free from any illicit drugs and alcohol. Little need likely would exist for the use of any performance enhancing substances, such as steroids or creatine.

Yet, the abuses of his team were not a secret for many. While working a part-time, temporary role the helped fund college in the late-1990s, the author met and conversed with a not so famous relative of one of his teammates. He said the he had met the man deemed as the greatest of all time in basketball and partied with some of this player’s teammates. He spoke more the “wildness” of the party and the athlete’s tolerance for illicit drugs than anything else. This man said that he “smoked a little refer”, but the athlete handled some the “hard stuff” and lots of it.

And, this likely is true and normal for most wealthy professional athletes, in many sports, with multi-million-dollar annual contracts which have made some billionaires over the years. Extreme wealth initially acquired in the late teens or early twenties with all the temptation found in those years of life is a recipe for trouble.

Yet, this concept of the g.o.a.t., a human man idolized for his ability and accomplishments. A man, who was not willingly crucified on a cross for the sins of others, is not innocent, and is guilty of the sin common in the life of all modern men, become the one youth and adults imitate. Yet, his wealth, fame, and “good” reputation is our desire.

The author vaguely remembers sketching this phrase in an idea journal of his while in junior high. It accompanied some sketches of automobile body designs. He was dreaming of building more efficient cars at the time the produced less pollution. And, like many youths he sought the position of a frontrunner. Outspoken, as many of his classmates would say about him, he really was not interested in mediocrity.

In fact, he has had many dreams in life that produce déjà vu moments. Occasionally, this might be only a few days after the dream was had. One of those dreams was had in high school and it concerned working with “relatives” who worked in senior management at Sun Microsystems and developing a computing language. When he shared this with his mother she was much like Joseph’s parents and brothers. Another, the occurred during high school involved building an automotive vehicle that had a projected service cycle of over thirty-five years and that only required a single initial fuel charge. He does not remember if this vehicle in his dream used shielding and large permanent magnets as the core technology for the motor or not. This was a theoretical design for an electromechanical battery that the Lord blest him with one day while he sat on the orange shag carpet in his room. It somewhat circumvents Newton's Third Law. And, it was his goal that he engineer such a long-running battery-engine when he reached graduate school, if he stayed in the field of physics. This he did not do. Life and circumstances, primarily medical malpractice, drove him away from this goal and dream.

We often admire men whose accomplishments have been noted in history. For the author, he thought the selfless work of men such as Peter Salk and George Washington Carver best showed the value of an education in the sciences. And, he sought the life of a god-fearing Christian steward who worked in the sciences. Yet, with a decade of nightlife under his belt, he not a Salk or a Carver and will never be. He mortgaged away those dreams a dollar and a drink at a time.

Yet, what is the value of earning a reputation as the greatest, if you have not learnt of him who is truly GREAT?

Christ is the Greatest. Rabbi. Exceeding. All. Times. (GREAT) A young Hebrew friend of mine would often ask questions about Christianity. She said that one could not deny that Jesus lived, since his birth records were recorded in history. And, one could not deny the he was a great and sincere teacher of the scriptures, but she said that she did not believe that he was Israel’s Messiah. So, we might have some common ground, the author shared with her this, “We cannot agree upon whether Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, but we can agree that a Messiah is coming and He is our Ever-Present Hope and Joy.”

Jesus, himself, said that all would not accept him as the Messiah.

In the following, verse 11 suggests that many will not accept Him as Lord, yet verse 14 simultaneously state the Gospel of Jesus Christ would reach the for corners of the Earth. He simply will not be accepted by all men as the Messiah.

[Mat 24:3-14 KJV] 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these [are] the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

If it were ever the case that they had or did, His Prophetic Words would be nullified as false, simultaneous proving that He was not. This is a paradox. And, it could be safely said that the Gospel of Christ has reached the Earth’s four corners.

And, as prophesied in Isaiah and stated in John, He would not be accept by all men nor many of His own, and his life would see many challenges.

[Isa 53:1-12 KJV] 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, [there is] no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither [was any] deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

[Jhn 1:10-14 KJV] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

So, it is rather senseless when Christians feel they must “make” every other person carry the same label as them. Truth be told, many of us are "Christian: in name only. Often, the bulk of our behaviors contradict His Teachings. Many who have a different faith label are a “Law unto themselves” as Paul stated in Romans below and truly more "Christian" than us. 

This does not mean that they profess the same “catch-phrases” that we Christians do, but they follow an “unseen” leading that sets them apart for a life “righteous” living. They do all the things that a God-fearing Christian would do and at times more, yet the were born with and claim a different faith label. Consider the following passages. The first are the words of the apostle Paul. The second are the words of Christ.

[Rom 2:14-15 KJV] 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

[Mat 7:21-23 KJV] 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[Mat 25:31-46 KJV] 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? 38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? 39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Yet, Jesus the GREAT was present before there was a when or a where or a then or a there. He was with the Father and the Spirit when the very foundations of the universe were laid as noted in John 1 (KJV).

[Jhn 1:1-5 KJV] 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Christ is seen as the Word as stated later in the first chapter of John.

[Jhn 1:10-14 KJV] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And, as seen in Matthew 4, a g.o.a.t has very little power of him who is G.R.E.A.T!

[Mat 4:1-25 KJV] 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left [their] nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and [from] Decapolis, and [from] Jerusalem, and [from] Judaea, and [from] beyond Jordan.

So admire Him that is GREAT and be not in awe of this world's many g.o.a.t s.