{"id":2374,"date":"2025-04-20T18:42:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T17:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2374"},"modified":"2025-04-20T18:42:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T17:42:52","slug":"even-after-2000-years-jesus-is-as-relevant-as-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/?p=2374","title":{"rendered":"Even after 2,000 years, Jesus is as relevant as ever"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Cross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By\u00a0Marlon De Blasio<\/a><\/p>\n

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: \u201cIt is finished\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cDo you not know,\u201d he asked Jesus, \u201cthat I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you\u201d (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\u2019s schooling in Roman and Greek philosophies.<\/p>\n

He continued to interrogate Jesus: \u201cSo you are a king\u201d (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, \u201cMy kingdom is not of this world\u201d (John 18:36). Jesus was revealing the purpose of His mission and how it was guided by a power far greater than Pilate\u2019s authority. Pilate\u2019s verdict concluded that, \u201cI find no guilt in him\u201d (John 19:4).<\/p>\n

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, \u201cThat\u2019s my King<\/a>,\u201d the late Rev. S. M. Lockridge captured the timeless significance of Jesus in a strikingly resonating manner:<\/p>\n

No means of measure can define His limitless love … He is the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world … He\u2019s the centerpiece of civilization. He\u2019s unparalleled. He\u2019s unprecedented. He\u2019s the loftiest idea in literature … He\u2019s the only One qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior … He\u2019s the key to knowledge. He\u2019s the wellspring of wisdom … He\u2019s the pathway to peace … His love never changes … You can\u2019t get Him out of your mind … That\u2019s my King.<\/em><\/p>\n

More books have been written about Jesus than any other historical figure. Indeed, \u201cHe\u2019s the loftiest idea in literature.\u201d People remain compelled to ask as Pilate did, \u201cThen what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ\u201d (Matt. 27:22)? Almost every thinking person in Western thought has at one time or another pondered this dilemma.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0indoctrination of secular humanism<\/a>, exploiting God\u2019s common grace and suppressing \u201cthe Truth\u201d back to Him. Western thought and culture are now a hodge-podge of an inherited fusion of confusions in regards to Christ\u2019s earthly ministry.<\/p>\n

Many prefer this \u201cbroad way\u201d as it\u2019s believed to exempt one from the Lord\u2019s call to repentance. Jesus had encouraged His listeners to \u201center by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the common objection today is the \u201cevidence card,\u201d which in light of modern scientific thought is now truly tired and tantamount to trolling. I have already addressed this abundantly in\u00a0\u201cNo evidence for God\u2019s existence? Says who?\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and elsewhere. Nevertheless, it\u2019s 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\u2019s wave of a hand. Yet people continue to resort to spirituality, meditation, and religious observances in attempts to satisfy their inherent sensitivities of God.<\/p>\n

When genuine Christians testify to the wonderful new life found in God\u2019s love and grace, those outside of \u201cthe door\u201d cannot identify. In fact, the call of Christ receives cultural scoffing unlike other religious claims, because the convictions of Him are uniquely unassailable, \u201cfor there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved\u201d (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, \u201cI am the Door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and go in and out and find pasture\u201d (John 10:9). Whoever accepts Him will \u201cfind pasture,\u201d that is, make peace with God and know it.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cthe door.\u201d 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\u2019s perspective. Likewise, a wonderful experience of grace and forgiveness awaits all those who study Christ and allow convictions to lead through \u201cthe door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus \u201cfinished\u201d 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: \u201cHe took water and washed his hands\u201d (Matt: 27:24). Jesus will continue to spark invitations to the grace of God: \u201cIf anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with me\u201d (Rev. 3:20). Christ will always remain fundamental to humanity\u2019s ultimate fulfilment and peace with its Maker.<\/p>\n

Marlon De Blasio, Ph.D. is a cultural apologist, Christian writer and speaker, and the author of\u00a0Discerning Culture<\/em><\/a>. For more info about Marlon visit his blog:\u00a0thechristianangle.com<\/a><\/p>\n

This opinion, by Marlon De Blassio, Ph.D, \u00a0was culled from Christian Post<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Marlon De Blasio 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: \u201cIt is finished\u201d (John 19:30). These words of Jesus cannot be reversed. Throughout the centuries, their implications have been diligently studied, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2374\/revisions\/2375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechristian.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}