Was the baby in the manger really Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the promised Saviour?
One Christmas, researchers went into a shopping mall to sound out the opinions of the public.
Among Christmas shoppers interviewed was one lady who said…
“I love Christmas—the family time, the peace and goodwill bit. I just don’t believe in all that Jesus stuff.”
Is what she called “that Jesus stuff” a myth or the truth?
Was the baby in the manger really Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the promised Saviour?
Let’s weigh the evidence.
Evidence #1 What the Bible prophets said about the Messiah
[ NOTE: This post is intended to be a brief overview of the evidence. So we have not included Bible references throughout. But in the downloadable notes (link below) we have added substantial extra notes at the end, to back up the statements made here regarding fulfilled prophecy.]
Hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus to Earth prophets made over 300 predictions in meticulous detail, concerning the promised Saviour.
The Birth of Messiah
The prophets declared:
- He’d be born to a virgin
- King David would be among his ancestors
- Although there were a number of villages called Bethlehem, the specific Bethlehem of Messiah’s birth was named– Bethlehem Ephrata.
The Ministry of Messiah
Many expected the promised Saviour to come in military power, but prophets predicted that he would…
- Preach and teach
- Care for the poor and oppressed
- Heal the sick
All this Jesus did!
The Death of Messiah
The prophets also predicted in detail the manner of his death. They said …
- That he would be treated as a criminal
- That his hands and feet would be pierced
- That they would share out His clothes and gamble for them.
- That he’d be buried in a rich man’s grave, although he had no property of his own.
All this was predicted hundreds of years before it happened!
The Resurrection of Messiah
It was also predicted that the true Messiah would come alive again, that the grave would be empty and his body would not decay.
Jesus Christ was seen alive after the resurrection by hundreds of people.
For more details about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, go to our series on the Evidences of the Resurrection.
Evidence #2 What Eyewitnesses said about the Messiah
The disciples knew Jesus was the Messiah
Peter said that they themselves were eyewitnesses of many of the events they described. (2 Peter 1:16) They had heard Jesus teaching and saw his miraculous power at work.
In addition, Luke’s comment shows that if they hadn’t seen something themselves, they fully investigated the accounts of other eyewitnesses, and recorded only what was proven to be true. (Luke 1:1-3).
Evidence #3 What God declared about Jesus
The meticulous Dr Luke records that at the baptism of Jesus those looking on actually saw the Holy Spirit, descend bodily like a dove upon Jesus – signifying him to be no ordinary person, but the Son of God.
Those who were there at the baptism heard the Father declare from heaven:
“This is My beloved Son. I am well pleased with him. Listen to him”!
Evidence #4 Christ’s enemies
We should also consider the actions of Christ’s own enemies, when weighing the evidence. Did anything they did or say confirm that Jesus was the promised Messiah?
Religious Leaders
At the Cross, Mocking Religious leaders shouted out: “If he is God, Let him save himself!”
Hundreds of years before, it had been predicted that these very words would be used against the coming Messiah.
At Calvary, the behaviour of Christ’s enemies was proving him to be the promised Saviour.
The Roman guards at the tomb
While they may not themselves have had any opinion one way or another about Christ, they were working for his enemies and they were witnesses to the resurrection.
On the resurrection morning the Guards at the Tomb saw
- An earthquake
- The stone rolled back
- An angel
- The empty tomb
But when they told the authorities, they were bribed (Matt 28:12-15) by religious leaders.
They were told to lie about the resurrection by saying that they had all fallen asleep on duty and that the body had been stolen.
This should have carried the death penalty. So admitting to this, and still being alive to tell the tale, is very suspect.
It proves that the authorities were covering up the fact of the resurrection.
Evidence #5 Transformed lives
Many people, both down the ages and also today, tell their stories of how Jesus has totally changed their lives. Such radical transformations are evidence that Jesus is who he said he was.
Some have been …
Healed physically
When she was 50, Lin was told that she would need two new hips. She walked with sticks and could not stand upright. Painkillers gave no relief.
One night at a church service she was prayed for. Suddenly all the pain of years left her and she stood tall again. In an instant God had healed her!
Catherine has also experienced God’s healing touch several times: an extremely painful back problem, bleeding from the ear, and IBS, to name only three conditions radically healed by God, and verified by doctors.
Both Catherine and Lin had this in common – at the time of their healing they had an overwhelming sense of the loving presence of Christ,
which was far greater than their awareness of healing.
Set Free from Phobias
A phobia is an abnormal and irrational fear that rule the life
We personally know several who have been wonderfully set free from phobias. Here are just two:
Fear of heights
One lady we know had an abnormal fear of heights but is now able to appreciate the city panorama seen from the top of a very high tower in London. Now she can also appreciate the view of God’s creation from the top of a high hill. She says that the devil had robbed her of that joy, but now Christ has given it back to her.
Fear of flying
A guy we know had a fear of flying. As a businessman, he had to fly in connection with his work, so this was serious. But after being prayed for in the name of Jesus, he was set free. He can now enjoy a coffee and the view…at 30 thousand feet!
Set Free from Addictions
We know many people who have been freed from addictions that have ruled their lives and they have been transformed through the Lord Jesus Christ!
Some from Tobacco, others from Alcohol and still others from Drugs.
Jesus Christ has awesome power to deliver a person from addiction!
Total Freedom
So people have known total freedom – from also sorts of burdens, and from the damaging effects of traumatic events. Some have come from a place of very, very deep need.
And the power of Jesus Christ has set them totally free!
Peace
Despite stress and turmoil, uncertainties and problems, young and old have experienced the peace of God that has carried them through.
The greatest peace, that of having our sins forgiven, through trusting in Jesus, has transformed countless lives. That’s wonderful evidence of the reality of the living Christ.
A Missing Piece
You may remember or have heard of Evel Knievel. His life illustrates the condition of many people who have yet to find peace with God.
He had achieved great material success, with his dare-devil motorcycle stunts.
(Image Public Domain)
His goal in life was to get pleasure and accumulate possessions. Towards the end of his life he realised that something was missing, and he called out to God to help him.
Speaking at his public baptism, shortly before he died, Evel told his story. Here is part of what he said:
“I said [in my book] I’ve had a life better than any king, any president or any prince. Hog wash!
I didn’t have Jesus Christ in my life. I [only had] the diamonds, and the gold, and the racehorses, and the women, and the booze.
I want to tell you something, I’d been a sinner. You’re looking at a real sinner, but not anymore. This is the biggest step that I have ever taken in my life.
You’ve got to believe. Oh, you’ve got to believe in Jesus Christ…[It is] a wonderful feeling to say, ‘I have a real God that I can believe in.’”
Through the message of the Bible, this man’s life was completely changed. He found in Jesus Christ the piece – and the peace – that was missing from his life.
You can see Evel testifying at his baptism in this YouTube video.
Overwhelming Evidence that Jesus is the promised Saviour
The weight of evidence is overwhelming. Here it is summarised:
Prophets—the tiniest details of their predictions concerning the coming Saviour were fulfilled in Christ.
Eye-witnesses— told it exactly as they saw and experienced it
God’s declaration —that Jesus is his Son, the promised Saviour
Christ’s enemies—fulfilled prophecy, proving Jesus to be the Saviour
Transformed lives— are evidence today of the power of the living Lord Jesus Christ, to save, heal, help and deliver.
All types of evidence – And it all stacks up!
The baby whose birth we celebrate truly was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Promised Saviour.
And he came to earth so that each of us could know him personally, as the awesome God and yet our closest Friend.
And that’s no myth!
A Free PowerPoint Presentation
A free PowerPoint covering all the teaching in this post is available for you to download. With 35 slides it covers all 5 areas of evidence that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the promised Saviour. It is colourful and well illustrated.
Jesus the Messiah – Myth or Truth : PowerPoint Presentation
There are also full Presenter’s notes, which will enable you to share this teaching with others.
Jesus the Messiah – Myth or Truth : Presenters notes
At the end of these notes we have supplied extra details on the subject of prophecies concerning the Messiah and how they relate to Jesus Christ. These have been extracted from one of our other teaching series which you will find In the post entitled Fulfilled Prophecy in the Bible. There you can access the full teaching on fulfilled prophecy, together with PowerPoint and script, so that you can make the presentation to others.