Even after 2,000 years, Jesus is as relevant as ever

Historical events have been recorded to provide knowledge for posterity. Once something has been documented it requires future generations to ponder the significance. At Calvary where Jesus was crucified, He said: “It is finished” (John 19:30). These words of Jesus cannot be reversed. Throughout the centuries, their implications have been diligently studied, reflected upon, commented upon, acted upon, and critiqued. Even unbelievers have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to disclaim them. Nevertheless, Calvary persists in its convictions and claims on humankind.

Whenever Jesus is mentioned, people somehow seem to know instinctively that He requires something. They just know it. An exemplification of this conviction was memorialized millennia ago in the court of a powerful Roman governor. An ironic drama unfolded where Pontius Pilate thought he possessed all authority and could do whatever he wanted with Jesus. “Do you not know,” he asked Jesus, “that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you” (John 19:10)? In the course of the dialogue, however, it was increasingly impressed upon Pilate that the person of Jesus was no mere human. Pilate conversed with the Christ who remained remarkably poised, peaceful, and who seemed to stimulate thoughts that were beyond Pilate’s schooling in Roman and Greek philosophies.

He continued to interrogate Jesus: “So you are a king” (John 18:37)? Pilate was in discovery to find out if Jesus was in fact leading a rebellion against the Roman establishment. As an experienced and shrewd adjudicator, he was expecting Jesus to beg for mercy as did every other accused. Instead, Jesus perplexed Pilate by saying, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Jesus was revealing the purpose of His mission and how it was guided by a power far greater than Pilate’s authority. Pilate’s verdict concluded that, “I find no guilt in him” (John 19:4).

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The conviction of Jesus has persevered throughout history and to this day His sacrifice for humankind remains unlike any other historical event. In his sermon, “That’s my King,” the late Rev. S. M. Lockridge captured the timeless significance of Jesus in a strikingly resonating manner:

No means of measure can define His limitless love … He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world … He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s the loftiest idea in literature … He’s the only One qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior … He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom … He’s the pathway to peace … His love never changes … You can’t get Him out of your mind … That’s my King.

More books have been written about Jesus than any other historical figure. Indeed, “He’s the loftiest idea in literature.” People remain compelled to ask as Pilate did, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ” (Matt. 27:22)? Almost every thinking person in Western thought has at one time or another pondered this dilemma.

But if Christ is so wonderful and compelling, why is He often rejected? Every epoch since Christ has been side-tracked by political and religious power grabs, by promise of enlightenment, and then by strict adherence to naturalism; and more recently, by a variety of New Age spirituality and emphases on self-improvements. All morphed into promoting the indoctrination of secular humanism, exploiting God’s common grace and suppressing “the Truth” back to Him. Western thought and culture are now a hodge-podge of an inherited fusion of confusions in regards to Christ’s earthly ministry.

Many prefer this “broad way” as it’s believed to exempt one from the Lord’s call to repentance. Jesus had encouraged His listeners to “enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction” (Matt. 7:13). Sinful behavior is hurtful to oneself and others but the allure of it continues to blindly incentivize people to reject Christ and justify it by the inherited repackaging of objections.

Perhaps the common objection today is the “evidence card,” which in light of modern scientific thought is now truly tired and tantamount to trolling. I have already addressed this abundantly in “No evidence for God’s existence? Says who?” and elsewhere. Nevertheless it’s a clever escape mechanism that can always, no matter what, deny anything that seems to reasonably support the intangibles of Christian faith. Nothing counts; nothing will ever count; anything is discounted simply by the individual’s wave of a hand. Yet people continue to resort to spirituality, meditation, and religious observances in attempts to satisfy their inherent sensitivities of God.

When genuine Christians testify to the wonderful new life found in God’s love and grace, those outside of “the door” cannot identify. In fact, the call of Christ receives cultural scoffing unlike other religious claims, because the convictions of Him are uniquely unassailable, “for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the Door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). Whoever accepts Him will “find pasture,” that is, make peace with God and know it.

Have you ever walked by an expensive restaurant where you could see through the glass the white table cloths and uniformed servers attending to the patrons? Likewise, many are looking at Jesus through the cracks of “the door.” Going through those restaurant doors and sitting down to be served a finely prepared meal by highly trained staff is a completely different experience from a passerby’s perspective. Likewise, a wonderful experience of grace and forgiveness awaits all those who study Christ and allow convictions to lead through “the door.”

Jesus “finished” His work of atonement for humankind and His accomplishment is not going away. Neither can humankind relegate it to the unknowns of a bygone era by doing what Pilate did: “He took water and washed his hands” (Matt: 27:24). Jesus will continue to spark invitations to the grace of God: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Christ will always remain fundamental to humanity’s ultimate fulfilment and peace with its Maker.