"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Hebrews 1,:1-4
Jesus is the final revelator of God. He is not just a spokesman for Him like prophets were but is the very express image of God. Everything Jesus did and taught had one goal: Make God known. Reconciling men to God had the goal of removing the limits of sin so people could know God now until eternity. All of Jesus doing on earth aimed at getting people to know God. John 1, 18 says "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him," So, it's Jesus who has made God known to us. God is Holy (1 Peter 1, 15-16) and lives in a place of unapproachable light, no man has seen or can see Him in His full splendor or glory (1 Timothy 6, 16) and live (Exodus 33, 20).
However, just as God in the past made a way for Moses to see something about Him and not die, He still does for each one of us today. In the case of Moses, God said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:21-23. In our case, John 1, 18 says that "The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." It is through Jesus that we can know God in a special manner: whoever sees the Son, sees and the Father and whoever has the Son, has the Father, and whoever does not have the Son cannot have or know the Father.
Jesus, the word (John 1, 1) became man and dwelt among us so we could see the glory of the Father and know Him without dying like God told Moses would happen if anyone saw Him. Everything Jesus did - the teachings, the miracles, the healings, the deliverance, and etc. - was with this goal in mind. For instance, The multiplication of the breads and fishes in Mark 6 is a good example that portrays this reality.
The bible says, "And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.” But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men." Mark 6:34-42,44.
One can go through this story and simply see that Jesus feed people by multiplying the breads and fishes and miss the heart or the essence of what He did as described on verse 34. it says, "And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things." Mark 6:34. Compassion was at the center of what Jesus did, and He began by teaching them, giving them understanding not by giving them bread and fish first, all because He saw they were like a sheep without shepherd. This is an answer to God's cry mentioned several times in the old testament.
In Jeremiah 23, 1-5, God said "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord . Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord . “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord . “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord , “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth." God's cry is for His people to have pastors that care for them, and to answer His own cry, He sent Jesus Christ.
Jesus, The Good Shepherd
Jesus is the descendent of David described in this passages of Jeremiah above. Luke 1, 31-33 says "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Jesus is the good shepherd that feeds the sheep, no one can know God except through Him.
John 10, 7-18 "Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus is the good shepherd sent by God to feed His own sheep, therefore, the miracle of the multiplication of breads and fishes in Mark 6 points to the main point: Jesus actions were revealing the compassionate heart of the Father, meaning revealing God. It was more than just filling people's stomach, Jesus was telling them, "Know that the Father is caring, He knows your needs and He will supply them." Jesus is the only one sent to make the Father known to man. Therefore, He said, "At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Matthew 11, 25-27.
No one can know the God or the Father, except Jesus reveal Him to him. In another words, only those to whom Jesus reveals the Father can truly know Him. However, the good news is that Jesus desires that all men know His Father, therefore He says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. If you are tired, heavy laden, go to Jesus call upon His name and He can reveal the Father to you and grant you rest.
Jesus is the special revelation of the Father to mankind. As simple as this truth about Jesus may seem is the difference between life and death, eternal life and eternal damnation, and needs to be well understood. Again, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17, 3. No one can know or go to the Father except through Jesus Christ. One day, while teaching His disciples, Jesus noticed that Thomas who had been walking with Him for years still did not understand the way to the Father. Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” John 14:5. Jesus replied to Him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7. Again, It is Jesus and Jesus alone who can make the Father known to people. Thomas was a disciple yet He did not understand this truth well. Besides Thomas, Philip also showed that he didn't know who Jesus truly was and what it meant to know the Father. Philip said, “... Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” John 14:8.
How many people today try to know God without observing Jesus and His ways? In another words, Philip was saying - Jesus we don't have to go through all this teachings and situation with you to know God, just show Him to us, don't talk about Him, show us. So, Jesus replied Philip saying, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:9-14.
My friend the way to know God is to first know Jesus and continue in knowing Him through intimacy.. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
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