The Crucified Messiah

In the Gospel of John , Jesus is the Logos, the “ Word become flesh ” in whom the “ Glory of God ” resides. He is the Greater Tabernacle foreshadowed by the Tent that Israel carried in the wilderness, the place where the Glory of Yahweh was manifested. John’s declaration anticipates his later passages that link him to the Father. Jesus is the true and full manifestation of the Glory of the Living God who created all things.

Two terms appear multiple times in the  Book of Revelation , namely, “ witness ” and “ overcome ,” themes that are closely related. Beginning with Jesus and the witness he gave in his death on the Roman cross, the Book calls his disciples to persevere in his “ testimony ” regardless of any consequences they may suffer. It is in this way that they “ overcome ” and reign with the “ Son of Man ,” as well as qualify for everlasting life in “ New Jerusalem .” Jesus himself summoned his saints to “overcome, just as I also overcame.”

Certain members of the Corinthian congregation denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection. We will be raised bodily when he “ arrives ,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the termination of Death itself.

Jesus is the only true Light of the World, shining all the brighter in the darkness - this Light means Life for the World . “ Life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ‘ Logos ,’ and this life is the “ Light of men .” It is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” or suppress it. This same “ Word ” has become the Living Word of the Father in Jesus of Nazareth. In him, the glory and life of God are fully manifested - (John 1:1).

Jesus declared that “ violent men are seizing the Kingdom of God .” Was he referring to malevolent men from the outside who attempt to take control of the Kingdom through force? Are his disciples called to “forcefully seize” the promises of and from God, or was he saying that the Kingdom must advance through forceful action? Jesus was discussing the ministry of John the Baptist, and how John was received by the Jewish people.

The  Gospel of John  identifies Jesus as the  Logos , the “ Word ” through which God made the Universe. This theme is prominent in the  Gospel of John . It builds on traditional ideas from the Hebrew Bible about how God created the world, especially life through His spoken Word. Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate expression of that Word spoken by the Living God.

The priesthood of Jesus is a key subject of Hebrews . He is the “ merciful and faithful High Priest ” who intercedes for us. The topic is anticipated in the Letter’s opening paragraph by its declaration that the Son “ achieved the purification of sins ,” and therefore he “ sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high ” as the “ High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek ” for his people.