Christ the image of invisible God

" Christ  the  image of  invisible God"
There are things we don’t really see but we know they are there. We don’t see the wind, we just feel it and it is enough for us to be believe it is windy. We don’t see the electricity but we know it is there after we plug something in and it works. We recognize electricity by its power  what  it  does  to the things  it goes  through.

Is there any difference with God? In the old testament we read about invisible God and  we know He is there. We read about His powerful works and miracles  that  testify about Him , we  read about  things  to come or happen  which were fulfilled  about Christ, we read about ways  how He was dealing with people, that way we can imagine  Him who He is.


Are we somehow  'deprived' of  the chance to see who God is because we don't see Him face to face like we see others? The answer is no. You can actually  'see Him' clearly in the human being in Jesus  and learn  how much He  has been  involved in people’s lives.  If you still imagine  God as a distant invisible inaccessible   ‘being’  read what  the Bible says about Jesus.
Philippians 2;6 ; ” (…) being in the form of God”  v.7. “coming in the likeness of men”  v.8.” being found in appearance of man”

Colossian 1;15  says that  ” He is the image of the invisible God the firstborn over all creation”

Hebrew 1;3  says;” The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being sustaining all things by His powerful word.”

One of the disciples asked Him one day; “Lord  show us the Father and it will be enough for us.’ Then Jesus answered; ‘ Don’t  you know me, Phillip, even after  I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father.’”  John 14;7

In the previous verse Jesus said’ “ If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”

He also said  that  “All that belongs to the Father is mine.” John 16;15  and  talking about His Father , He said

„ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.” John 17;10 . Sharing everything together  includes  also  sharing  Father’s divine  nature.  If  you  wished  to see  God dealing with people as a ‘visible being’  Jesus  is your answer.

Strong words, you might think  that is too much, Jesus  was just a perfect man.  But  His work testifies clearly  that He came from the living God;

John 14;10-11 says ”Don’t you believe that I am in the Father , and that the Father is in me? The words  I say to you are not just my own, rather it is the Father living in me, who is doing his work.”

And there is more than words but also his  great miracles. We can notice that Jesus was doing things  God Himself  only does.
Part 1
Power over the nature;  based on  Isaiah 48;13
“ My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand  spread out the heavens, when I summon them, they all stand up together.”

Was Jesus less that this?  We read in  Matthew 8;23-27 “ When  he  got into  the boat and his disciples followed Him, without warning, a furious  storm  came up on the lake, so that the waves  swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went  and woke him, saying ‘ Lord save us! We are going to drawn!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid’? Then He got up and rebuked  the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed  and asked , ‘What kind of man is this’? Even the winds and waves obey Him!”

Another story we read in Matthew 14;25-27  that “ During the  fourth watch  of the night, Jesus went out to them walking on  the lake. When the disciples  saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified .’It’s a ghost’ they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them ‘Take courage! It is  I, Don’t be afraid!”

Another story  is with  Moses and the burning bush that we know  from the Old Testament  and  then  Jesus’ power over the nature  with  the fig tree  read  in Matthew 21;18 . Jesus  says at the tree ;  ‘May you never  bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw  this, they were amazed.’How did the  fig tree wither so quickly ?’  They asked.”
Part 2
The great I Am.
Based on Isaiah 52;6 . God says;

“Therefore  my people will know my name, therefore in that day they will know that I am  who says ’ Behold, I am.’ ”

“Moses said to God; ’Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them; The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me; ‘what is His name?’  Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses; ‘ I Am who I Am.’ This is what you are to say  to the Israelites’ “I Am has sent me to you!”  Exodus 3;13

Jesus said;  “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am He, you will indeed die in your sins.” John  8;24

Based on John18;4  we read that before He was arrested He had an unusual conversation with the soldiers;

‘Who is you want? He asked

-Jesus of Nazareth, they replied.

“ I am He, Jesus said. When Jesus said “I am He” they drew back and fell  to the ground. Again He asked them. “ Who is  it you want? “And they said;”Jesus of Nazareth” “ I told you that I am He”  Jesus answered.

Didn’t they realize that they  just worshiped  God bowing  down before Jesus? They heard  God’s name that put them to the ground  but then  they looked up and saw only the person of a man  that they came after  to arrest not realizing  who they are dealing with. Their  physical eyes saw only somebody whom they hated  because he wasn’t matching their imagination of  Christ.
Part 3

Restoring things, making things out of nothing.

Based on Luke 22;49

Sometimes our blindness can be really serious. Things that are obvious to us can go unnoticed by others. When one of the disciples struck the servant of the  high priest, cutting off his right ear  Jesus  touched  the man’s ear  and healed him. Seeing this miracle those who came after Jesus  didn’t realize that  He had a power over our  human body! And they thought  He was in their hands as a helpless man…

In the other parts of the Bible we read about  Jesus’  miracles with  multiplying  bread and fish  ( Luke 9;16), and  changing water into wine  and  read in the old testament  how the almighty Father changed  rivers into blood in times of the Faro.
Part 4
Knowing peoples’ thoughts and events from their lives
Gospel of John 4;18   shows us  Jesus talking to the Samaritan lady telling her the truth about her life;  “The fact is, you  have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. You are right when you say you have no husband.”

In John 1;47 there is  a story when Jesus meets Nathanael. When Jesus saw  Nathanael approaching , He said of him, ‘ Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’ ’How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered; ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree’.

Jesus was also  talking about the  last days  and about destruction of the temple.   He  knew thoughts of doubt in Thomas while not being around. When Jesus’ disciples told Thomas ’We have seen the Lord!’ Thomas answered;’ Unless I see  the nail marks in his hands and put my finger  where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it!’ A week later  Jesus came and stood  among  them and said to Thomas: ’Put your finger here , see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him; “My Lord and my God!” John 20;25-29
Part 5
Authority of forgiving sin;
Based on Isaiah 43;25 we know that only God has  right to forgive sin.

” I am he who blots out  your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

Jesus had the authority to say the same  thing; “ But so that you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then he said to the paralytic; ‘Get up, take your mat and go home. ’ And the man got up and went home.”  Matthew 9;6 
Part 6
Power over death and life
Jesus had the abilities of  raising the dead ones to life ( Lazarus) , bringing all the sick to health and  coming back to life on the third day after his death on the cross.
In  gospel of John 10;18  we read about what He said about His life;
“ No-one  takes it from me, but I lay it down  of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and  authority to take it up.”    He also claims that His existence  goes beyond his physical body’s life.  In gospel of  John 8;58  he says;  “I tell you the truth, Jesus answered ’before Abraham was born , I am!”

Authority to give life is also shown in His words ;“I am the resurrection  and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies.” John 11;25
Part 7
Healing
Both Exodus 4;6 and  Mark 3;5  are similar ‘hand incidents’.  Jesus healing a man with a shriveled hand by telling the man to stretch out his hand and the hand gets healed immediately, and then the Lord in Old Testament saying to Moses; “ Put your hand  inside your cloak. So Moses put his hand  into his cloak and when  he took it out , it was leprous like snow. Now put it back into your cloak, he said. So Moses put his hand back into his  cloak and when he took it out , it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.”

Part 8
Judge
The list of his supernatural things can go on more and more.  And the authority of Jesus manifested in His words as a judge and to be honored on the same level as the Father; “Moreover, the Father judges no-one, but has entrusted  all judgment to the Son. That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” John  5;22  Then we  also read in Mathew 28;18 that Jesus has been given  all  authority  in heaven  and on earth.

Part 9

The First and the Last
In Revelation 1;17 Jesus refers to Himself as the First and the Last  the same way God referred to Himself in Isaiah 48;13. “ Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel whom I have called; I am He and I am the first and the last.”

Part 10
The one in the glory
Jesus is described as the one who is coming back in the glory of His Father.  As they both share everything , His glory is also  the glory of His Father;

“ For the Son of Man is going to come  in His Father’s glory with His angels .” Matthew 16;27

„ When the Son of Man  comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.” Matthew 25;31.

Part 11

The one who is separating  sheep from the goats

About Jesus in Matthew 25;32 „ All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the  people   one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on  his left.”

„ As for you my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord  says; I will judge between one sheep  and another, and between rams and goats.”  Ezekiel 34; 17

Part 12
The one who can be worshiped
Based on Matthew 4;10
“ For it is written; ‘ Worship the Lord, your God, and serve him only’.”

„ And when they climbed into  the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat  worshiped him saying; ‘ Truly  you are the Son of God.”  Matthew 14; 32-33

“ When he saw Jesus from the distance, he ran and fell  on his knees  in front of him.”       Mark 5;6

” Let’s all God’s angels worship Him.” Hebrew 1;6

Part 13

The one who is the shepherd of His sheep

Ezekiel 34;11-12: “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says; I myself will search  for my sheep and look after them. As\a shepherd  looks after his scattered flock, when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places  where they were scattered on a day of clouds  and darkness.”

In gospel of John  10;14-16 Jesus says;

„ I  am the  good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me, Just as the Father knows me  and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep  that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too  will listen to my voice , and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”