ONE OF A KIND

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:15 (NIV)

                I think we have a love/hate relationship with anything or anyone who is one-of-a-kind. On the one hand there is a desire by many people and products to stand out from the crowd. They want to be unique and not fit into any prescribed role. Those who do achieve this kind of status are applauded at first, but soon they become a target. There seems to be a propensity today toward attacking and cutting down anyone who stands out from the norm. If someone is too unique, then there most be something wrong with them. Or, if they are too unique, they make others feel inadequate, so we need to cut the one-of-a-kind down to size.

                I have been reading William Craig’s book, “A Reasonable Faith.” The (long) chapter I have been reading recently addresses the quest to find the historical Jesus. Ever since the Enlightenment, there have been those who want to cut Jesus down to size.  They claim that the Jesus of the Bible is too good to be true, too unique, too one-of-a-kind. They claim that the Jesus of the Bible is a different person than the Jesus of history. So, their quest has been to strip away all of the mythology that has surrounded Jesus and to discover the true, historical Jesus. In essence, they want a Jesus who is normal, who is just like everyone else. For some reason, they just cannot accept that Jesus is the ultimate one-of-a-kind.

                When we look at the Bible as a whole from a historical perspective, we can see that it stands up to the test of historicity. Scholars have been debating the accuracy and the historicity of the Bible for centuries. Today, more than any other time, we have access to ancient evidence that again and again validates the accuracy and historicity of the Bible. The shear number of manuscripts that date within 100 years of the originals far outstrips every other ancient manuscript. In addition, archeological discoveries have affirmed time and again the accuracy of what is recorded in the Bible.

                With this evidence in hand, we can take a better look at what the Bible has to say about Jesus. It is obvious that those who recorded the life and teachings of Jesus intended to leave an accurate, historical account. We should not be surprised that this history is intertwined with theology. Jesus’ entire ministry was theological. Jesus saw himself as the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to His covenant people. His followers came to realize the same thing. Although there were many others who claimed to be the promised Messiah, only Jesus actually fulfilled that role.

                In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses predicted that God would raise up a new prophet like Moses to lead the people. Throughout their history, the people of Israel looked for and longed for that prophet. Many arose who showed promise, yet all of them failed in the end, that is until Jesus. The prophet Isaiah described who this Messiah would be in detail. He would be both a conquering king and a suffering servant.

                The people of Jesus’ day did not believe that he was the Messiah because he did not fit their idea of a political conqueror who would free them from their bandage to Rome. At first, as Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons, the crowds were ready to follow him. But when he began to teach about the Kingdom of God and refused to be a political leader, most turned away from him.

                After Jesus’ death on a cross, his burial, and his resurrection, the eyes of his faithful followers were opened by the Holy Spirit. They realized that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah. He had fulfilled all that God had said about the Messiah. So, they began to proclaim the reality that Jesus was and is the one-of-a-kind Savior of the world.

                Jesus himself declared his uniqueness, which is one reason he was condemned. In John 10:30 Jesus made the bold statement that he and the Father were one. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he declared to Martha that "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26 (NIV) When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure, he made an even bolder claim. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)

                At the very beginning of John’s gospel, he set the stage for the uniqueness of Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-3 (NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (NIV)

                The Apostle Peter boldly stood up before the Sanhedrin, the very group that had crucified Jesus, and declared that Jesus is the only source of salvation. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)         

                The Apostle Paul, a man steeped in Jewish theology and history, boldly declared that Jesus is the unique, one-of-a-kind Messiah. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)

                The writer of Hebrews also boldly proclaimed the uniqueness. Of Jesus. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Hebrews 1:3-4 (NIV)

                The uniqueness of Jesus has withstood the test of time. Still today, many people want to cut Jesus down to size, to make him nothing more than a good moral teacher or some misguided religious fanatic. But Jesus continues to rise above the fray. He truly stands unique. There is no other religious leader like him. There is no one who has claimed what he claimed and verified it by his life and actions. There is no one who even comes close to the influence Jesus has had on human history. Jesus is truly the ultimate one-of-a-kind.