Jesus was, and remains, quite an enigmatic figure. He seemed to be a walking contradiction – rejecting the long-held traditions of Judaism in favour of standing up for the downtrodden, the rejects, the grubby social underbelly which respectable people would have nothing to do with. And on top of all that, He claimed to be … God, which is what, in the end, got Him crucified.
These days, we can look back at all that He said and did through remarkably accurate, well attested to, and well-preserved historical records – the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – to see how amazing He was when He walked the dusty roads of first century Israel.
And so billions of people down through the ages have chosen to follow Him, to be called “Christians”, to believe that He is who He said He is, the Son of God. And countless among them have suffered for His Name.
People say, “I want to be like Jesus.” Great, but remember, Jesus had a Judas, Jesus had a Gethsemane, Jesus had a crucifixion. Jesus was reviled, rejected and crucified.
Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve followers went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. He said, “I will hand Jesus over to you. What will you pay me for doing this?” The priests gave him 30 silver coins. After that Judas waited for the best time to hand Jesus over to them.
So you want to be like Jesus, eh? Are you ready? Because He Himself promised it’s going to cost you. If they persecuted Him, they’ll certainly persecute you.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.