top of page
Search

Jesus - The Supernatural Prophesied Messiah?

Writer's picture: Grantley MorrisGrantley Morris

Jesus:

The Supernatural Prophesied Messiah?

 


A Fresh Look at Messianic Prophecies

 

Creative writing makes this a quick, easy and entertaining read. I use creativity like gunpowder to shoot rock-solid biblical truth into your heart. My goal is to take what might otherwise seem dull theology and make it gleam until you see how exciting spiritual truth really is.

 

The narrative opens with Thomas disputing the disciple’s claims that Jesus had risen from the dead. If you want to go straight to where it discusses Old Testament pointers to Jesus’ death and resurrection, click here.

 

The room was stuffy, smelly and dingy. It was crammed with people.


‘I’m telling you, Jesus is dead. D-E-A-D,’ he spelt out, ‘and dead men stay dead.’

 

‘Oh, Thomas, you’re not still going on about this are you?’

 

‘Yes, I’m going on about it! It’s a full week since you claim you last saw Jesus. Isn’t it about time you all came to your senses? And especially you, taxman. John floats around with his head in the clouds and Peter’s got a mouth big enough to swallow anything, but I expected more of you, Matthew. I always thought of you as a hard-nosed facts and figures man, and here I am, still waiting for you to ditch your ghost story and snap back to reality.’

 

‘Thomas, these eyes saw him,’ said Matthew, pointing to his eyes. ‘With my own ears I heard him as we spoke with him for perhaps thirty unforgettable minutes!’

 

‘Oh, sure! He walked right through a locked door!’

 

‘That’s a breeze compared to opening that tomb from the inside. No human could do that.’

 

Thomas looked at Matthew hopefully. ‘Now you’re talking, taxman! At last you agree that we’re talking impossibilities here. I tell you, I was really worried about you!’

 

‘Thomas! The body’s gone – despite all those guards. How – and why – would anyone steal his body?’

 

Another man spoke, ‘And the grave clothes were removed and left behind, neatly bundled up. Who in their right mind would take such care – with the guards there and everything?’

 

‘We’ve seen him, Tom,’ said another, ‘and we spoke with him – in this very room.’

 

‘An apparition – a vision!’ Thomas snapped back.

 

‘We all simultaneously had the same hallucination?’ asked Matthew incredulously.

 

‘Well . . . . mass hysteria!’

 

One of them, chest out, moved closer to Thomas, ‘Oh, I’m emotionally unstable am I!’ His voice was raised. ‘I’m a blubbering nut-case?’

 

Thomas, seemed a little nervous about this man’s aggression. ‘Well, not exactly hysteria, James – sort of auto-suggestion.’

 

James, prodding Thomas on the chest with his finger, said, ‘I’ve got a suggestion for you, egghead!’

 

Was James one of the ‘Sons of Thunder’? I wondered. Part of me wanted to rush off and bury myself in a Bible for a few moments to find out, but I was too enthralled to dare blink an eyelid, much less look in a book, even if I had one.

 

‘Cool it, James,’ ordered Matthew, ‘it does sound incredible.’ A few moments later he added, ‘But Thomas, it’s not just us who saw Jesus, the women –’

 

‘Women! Those emotional wrecks couldn’t see for tears!’

 

One of the women, hands on hips, moved closer, and in a sarcastic, indignant tone said, ‘Well, thank you!’

 

‘They touched him, Tom.’ Matthew was calm. ‘They held his feet.’

 

‘Yeah? Did you touch him?’

 

‘N . . .  no – but I saw his wounds.’

 

‘He breathed on me,’ said another.

 

Matthew’s eyes lit up. ‘Yes, that’s right. I felt his breath. He told us about God’s Spirit and breathed on us. Hallucinations don’t breathe.’

 

‘What about when he walked with Cleopas and his wife to their house in Emmaus?’ the woman said.

 

‘Sure! Walked seven miles on feet that had had nails driven right through them!’

 

A couple of the people groaned. Matthew shook his head. ‘But Jesus is healed,’ said another. ‘He’s risen!

 

‘Rubbish!’ said Thomas.

 

‘Jesus broke bread with them,’ said the woman.

 

‘And he ate with us,’ added Matthew.

 

‘Look, you can talk till you’re blue in the face –’

 

Matthew, looking around the room, said, ‘Where’s Peter? He’s unusually quiet!’ He beckoned to the burly man, ‘Hey, mouth!’ When Peter came close, Matthew put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. ‘Set this guy straight, will ya? Explain the new understanding of the Scriptures Jesus has given us.’

 

‘Hey, before you do,’ said a man, ‘new thoughts have been spinning round my head lately. Can I try them out on Thommo?’

 

‘Go for it, John!’ said Peter.

 

‘The way I see it, the whole sacrificial system instituted by God has death and resurrection built into it.’

 

‘Eh?’ said Thomas.

 

‘Well, take the Day of Atonement,’ continued John. ‘Two goats are chosen. They’re innocent. They have done nothing to contribute to human sin, yet one is slaughtered for our sin and afterwards the other is presented alive before the Lord for our atonement. We need a substitute who will die in our place, but after that sacrificial death we need a living substitute to complete our cleansing from sin.’

 

‘Then there’s the ceremonial cleansing of a leper. Two clean birds are taken. One dies and its blood is poured out. The living bird is dipped in this blood and then released, bearing the marks of recent death upon its wings. Is it just me? That sounds like death and resurrection to me. And only after both the death of the bird and the release of the living one can the now-cleansed leper join God’s people.’

 

Thomas looked at Matthew. ‘What’s he raving about?’

 

‘The sacrificial system foreshadows Jesus because Jesus is the final – the ultimate – sacrifice.’ said Peter.

 

‘How dare . . .’ Thomas was getting flustered, ‘that’s blasphemy! Human sacrifice! Scripture categorically forbids it. It’s an abomination to God!’


‘That’s because anything worthy of sacrifice must be without blemish. Except for Jesus, all humans are defiled by sin and so their sacrifice would be a senseless waste of human life and an insult to the holiness of God. But Jesus was unlike any other human – perfectly sinless. A normal human sacrifice –’

 

‘A normal human sacrifice! I can’t believe I’m hearing this! Ghost stories are one thing, now you’re talking like pagans!’

 

‘For centuries God has been preparing his people for this event. Scripture over and over shows that human sacrifice is a concept close to the heart of God,’ continued Peter.

 

‘Oh, come on!’

 

‘Who asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac? Satan? Pagans? It was God’s idea.’

 

‘You can’t bring that up! The Lord planned all along to stop Abraham from going through with it. He intervened and Isaac lived.’

 

‘And after Jesus’ death,’ said Peter, ‘God intervened and Jesus lives.’

 

Oh!’ uttered Thomas in disgust, or maybe frustration.

 

‘You can squirm as much as you like, Thomas, that whole episode was initiated by God. Isaac was God’s chosen through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed. He inherited God’s promise to Abraham that people would be blessed or cursed, depending on whether they blessed or cursed him. In Abraham’s mind Isaac was already as good as dead when he set off on his divinely led journey to sacrifice his son and it was not until three days later God delivered Isaac back to him – three days , Thommo – just like Jesus was dead three days before resurrecting. And Isaac even carried the wood for the sacrifice like Jesus carried his cross.


‘You’re out of your mind!’ protested Thomas! ‘Next you’ll be claiming that Joseph was dead in his father’s eyes and then symbolically came back to life!’

 

‘Well – er um – that was different!’

 

Thomas looked smug.

 

‘But Joseph’s father really did think he was dead, Pete,’ Matthew looked puzzled, ‘and in his eyes it really was as if he’d returned from the dead.’ His voice trailed off.

 

‘And, like Jesus, Joseph was the beloved son,’ chimed in John. ‘And he was rejected and shamefully treated by his brothers, like Jesus was rejected by most of his brethren.’

 

‘And, like Jesus, Joseph ended up ruler and savior of Egypt and saved Israel and other nations, mused Peter. ‘Maybe this is more than a coincidence . . .’ Peter was becoming animated again. ‘Thanks, Thommo, I think you’re on to something!’

 

‘Oh, man! I was pointing out how crazy you are seeing death and resurrection everywhere!’

 

‘Well, like it or not, it’s there in the Word of God, isn’t it? said John. ‘And what’s circumcision if it isn’t the shedding of human blood to seal a divine covenant?’

 

‘This principle is woven into the very fabric of creation,’ added one of the women. ‘Our Creator made us so that the binding covenant of marriage is sealed through the shedding of virgin blood.’

 

‘And the new covenant the Master spoke about during the supper we had just a few days ago could only be sealed by the shedding of innocent human blood,’ said Matthew.

 

‘What about God’s ruling on anyone guilty of manslaughter?’ Peter asked. ‘They are confined to the city of refuge, unable to leave year after year, until the high priest dies. Nothing but the physical death of the high priest can secure their pardon.’

 

‘And Jesus is our high priest, whose death –’ the woman began.

 

‘You’ve flipped!’ said Thomas. The woman fumed.

 

‘What about in Elisha’s day when Moab was attacked.’ Peter clearly loved telling a good story. He quickly had everyone’s attention and loved it. ‘The king of Moab knew there was no escape. He was surrounded, hopelessly outnumbered and the invading army was closing in for the kill. In desperation that pagan king grabbed his firstborn son,’ Peter seized one of the disciples and acted it out, ‘and slaughtered the lad before the eyes of the enemy, then used that boy’s carcass as a sacrificial offering. Suddenly, all the invading soldiers lost interest in fighting and left in peace. The Moabites were saved.’

 

Thomas retorted, ‘The army withdrew in disgust, horrified at such a godless act.’

 

‘Maybe so, but it worked. Countless lives were saved because of a ritual human sacrifice.’

 

‘Oh . . !’ said Thomas, with obvious disgust.

 

‘Haven’t you ever puzzled over why the Lord recorded that incident in holy Scripture? Was it because he planned to one day sacrifice his own Son so that multitudes would be saved?

 

‘And remember how Jesus spoke about the sign of Jonah and applied it to himself. When Jonah was in the fish’s belly, Scripture speaks of him being in the realm of the dead, and after three days he emerged alive and because of that thousands of people were saved from God’s judgment.

 

That’s just like Jesus rising from grave after three days and saving from God’s judgment all who believe in him.

 

‘And then there’s Isaiah’s ‘Man of Sorrows,’ wounded for our transgressions; made an offering for sin.’

 

‘That’s referring to our nation!’ protested Thomas.

 

Others groaned. Some shook their heads. ‘But it says this ‘Man of Sorrows’ was righteous!’ said one.

 

‘Isaiah said there was no deceit in him,’ said another.

 

‘Israel wasn’t innocent!’ added the first.

 

‘Even if Isaiah were referring to Israel,’ continued Peter, ‘– surprisingly innocent Israel – it’s still human suffering and death as an offering for sin.’

 

‘And the ‘Man of Sorrows’ really dies!’ said John. ‘Isaiah says he was cut off out of the land of the living. He poured out his soul unto death. He made a grave with the wicked, it says, and with the rich in his death. But then it says he shall prolong his days.

 

‘If that’s not death and resurrection of a sinless human for the forgiveness and salvation of God’s people, I don’t know what it is!’

 

‘Yes, Tom, explain that!’ said James.

 

‘And what about that Psalm that begins “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” added Peter. Who’d ever have thought those words would apply to Jesus and yet they’re the very words he uttered on the cross.


‘Exactly!’ Thomas looked as if he was about to score a point. ‘Each of us had such high hopes about Jesus and now they’ve all come crashing down. As gut-wrenching as it is, we have to face reality.’

 

‘Tom!’ Peter’s voice was raised. ‘You’ve forgotten the rest of the psalm. Yes, it starts off disastrously and gets even worse.’ Peter was calmer now. ‘God has answered others, but not him. He feels like a worm – not even human. He’s scorned, mocked, insulted and despised by people who surround him like bulls. All his bones stick out and are out of joint. His strength is dried up. He’s consumed by thirst. He’s in the dust of death. His hands and feet are pierced. They divide his clothes by casting lots. Didn’t all this happen to Jesus?’ Then Peter’s voice dramatically raised, ‘But the Psalm ends triumphantly!’

 

‘Lots of psalms end triumphantly!’ protested Thomas.

 

‘Yes, because ultimately, God wins!’ Peter was getting excited.

 

‘But not by raising dead prophets back to life!’ declared Thomas. ‘Have you forgotten that psalm of David where he declares God won’t let his body decay? David’s body did end up decaying – we’ve both seen his tomb!

 

‘But what if, under the inspiration of the Spirit, David was speaking not of himself but prophesying about his holy descendant, Jesus? And then there’s that marvelous Scripture –’ said Peter.

 

‘Ah! I’ve had all I can stomach, Rockhead! Scripture calls human sacrifice an abomination and that’s the end of the matter.’

 

One of the women raised her voice, ‘Thomas Didymus, you’re stubborn, conceited –’

 

‘And have the brains of a mud brick!’ added John.

 

The others cheered.

 

James, with his thumb and index finger close together, put them under Thomas’s nose. ‘And you’ve been about this close to having your head –’

 

‘James!’ chided one of the women.

 

‘How could the death of animals remove our guilt?’ asked Peter. ‘Sure we desperately need a substitute, but it’s humanity that’s sinned. It’s humanity that faces the death penalty. And no-one who himself is under the death-sentence could bear the penalty for someone else. Earth needs a sinlessly holy human willing to trade places with sinners. How could anyone or anything be an effective intermediary between God and man except Jesus, the sinless sacrifice?’

 

The others cheered and clapped. ‘Good on ya, Rock!’ said one.

 

‘You tell him, mouth!’ said another.

 

‘What’s happened to you lately? pleaded Thomas, scanning faces, hoping for a some sort of support. ‘We used to be able to talk. Now you’ve suddenly become know-alls.’ There was silence for a few moments. ‘Look, you’ve been under a lot of stress, you had your hopes –’

 

‘So we’re all grief-stricken fools then?’ said James. ‘We’ve cracked? Is that it?’

 

‘We can’t tell the difference between a ghost and a real person?’ added another.

 

‘Or in three days we forgot what Jesus looks like, and confused him with someone else – someone who not only looks exactly like him and has his voice, but someone with his wisdom and gentleness and mannerisms?’ said Matthew.

 

Peter said, ‘Or we’d been on a drinking binge when we thought we saw Jesus?’

 

‘Yeah, Thommo,’ James was getting worked up again, ‘just what are you accusing us of?’

 

‘Look! I told you before and I’ll tell you again: unless I hold him with these arms, put my finger in the holes in his hands and put this fist in his wounded side, I’ll never believe!’

 

Suddenly, Jesus was in the room. There was no sound or movement; no opening of doors or crashing through walls; no gradual materialization. One moment that part of the room was empty; the next blink Jesus was there. My heart pounded in shock, and yet there was something about it that seemed almost natural. Maybe it was my flitting from place to place – all over the universe for all I know – that created this sense of it being natural for someone to suddenly appear. Thomas had been standing fairly close to the wall, facing inward, in eye contact with the others. Jesus had appeared behind, and just to the right of him. Thomas continued talking, oblivious to what had just happened. ‘I’m not into distorting the holy Word of God. I’m not into superstition. I’m not into emotionalism. I’m not into making a fool of myself –’

 

Most of the rest were as wide-eyed as me, staring straight at Jesus. A couple motioned to some others, speechlessly drawing the attention of those who had not been quite looking in Jesus’ direction. Thomas, mystified by their behavior, turned to see what everyone was staring at. For a long couple of seconds he was expressionless. Then, reaching over, he gingerly touched Jesus.

 

‘It’s . . .’ But that is all he could get out. He fell in worship at Jesus’ feet. The others giggled.

 

‘Thomas,’ Jesus placed his hands in front of Thomas’s face, ‘put your finger in these holes. Put your hand in my side.’

 

‘Jesus, my Lord and God!’ gasped Thomas.

 

There was a reverent awe for several minutes, then Jesus, a big grin on his face said, ‘Let’s have something to eat!’

 

Everyone suddenly came alive. Some laughed. Some cheered. Some come up to Jesus and joyfully embraced him. Some shook his hand. Others slapped his back.

 

Jesus took some food, had a bite and with the remainder still in hand said, ‘You’ve heard my teaching. You’ve seen my miracles. You’re witnesses to my victory over death. I now appoint you to go to the ends of the earth, telling everyone, so that they, too, may believe and have eternal life.’

 

4 views

Recent Posts

See All
Not to be sold. © Copyright, Grantley Morris, 1985-1996, 2011, 2018 For much more by the same author, see www.netburst.net. No part of these writings may be sold, and no part may be copied without citing this entire paragraph.
bottom of page