Dear Christian friends:

Today Jesus is still the most famous man that ever lived. More people know Jesus and have heard about Jesus than any other man of history or who is living now. People know Jesus better than they know Washington or Lincoln or President Reagan. Although Jesus is the most famous man of any, still many people do not really know Him. There is much confusion and misunderstanding about Jesus, also among religious people. The people in our text also misunderstood about Jesus. Do we also misunderstand about Jesus?

Misunderstandings.


Many people regard Jesus only as a great teacher, not as the Savior. The people in our text were impressed by Jesus' teaching. Our text says, "The people were amazed by His teaching because He didn't teach like the Jewish law teachers, but He taught with authority." (verse 22) The Jewish law teachers always quoted so called experts omitting the Old Testament prophets as their proof and authority. They never acted like they themselves had any authority and so they seemed weak teachers to the people. But Jesus, while He quoted the The Old Testament prophets, also said, "I say unto you." Jesus acted like a prophet Himself - a prophet that God sent with God's authority. Here is a good example of Jesus' teaching: Jesus said to the people, "You have heard the old teachers say, You must not kill; and whosoever shall kill, shall be condemned. But I say unto you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be condemned. You have heard the teachers say, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: "But I say unto you; do not get revenge (Matthew 5:21-48) The people were very impressed because Jesus taught with authority. But that really did not change them or touch their hearts. Something was missing. They only regarded Jesus as a better law teacher than the Jewish law teachers.

Today many people also see Jesus as a better law teacher, one who demands more holiness than the Jewish law teachers. They even self-righteously think that they are able to keep the law well enough to please God, deceiving themselves and others. Jesus referred to such people as hypocrites.

Today also many people are impressed with Jesus' wisdom and His teaching methods. But their lives are not changed and their hearts are still cold and hard. Beware of seeing Jesus only as a great teacher! Beware of being impressed only by Jesus' authority. Jesus is something else which should really impress us and touch us.

Beware also lest you misunderstand about the purpose of Jesus' coming. One man who listened to Jesus teach that day misunderstood about the purpose of Jesus' coming. In our text we read, "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, "Let us alone; what have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Are You come to destroy us? I know You who You are, the Holy One of God." (verses 23-24) The man was right about Jesus that He is God's holy Son, the one God chose and sent into the world. But the man was wrong about Jesus' purpose in coming from heaven to earth. He thought that Jesus came to punish him and destroy him. He didn't want to have anything to do with Jesus. This is the devil's lie.

An many people in the world today believe this lie. They think that God is angry against them and waiting for an opportunity to punish them for their sins and wrongs. That is why they never come to church, and that is why they don't like ministers and never welcome the minister into their homes or clubs. These people live in fear of God and do not love Him or His ministers. They misunderstand about the purpose of Jesus' coming. The devil has done his work well. He has spread his lies about God and about Jesus to millions and millions of people on earth. Beware of the devil's lies about Jesus. Don't misunderstand about the purpose of Jesus' coming.

I have explained the misunderstandings that many people have about Jesus: that He is just a great law teacher and that He has come to punish all the law-breakers. What is the right understanding of Jesus?

Jesus is the Holy One of God as the man with the evil spirit said, but He has not come to punish us and destroy us. It is true the we deserve punishment from God. Really God should punish and destroy all us sinners in hell. All men are sinners by nature and even we Christians daily continue to sin much against God. So it is easy for the devil to tempt us with his lies, especially when we are sick or dying or have other troubles. We must remember and hear again and again the true purpose of Jesus' coming.

Jesus did not come to punish us for our law breaking, but He came to save us from that terrible punishment. He came to keep and obey the law for us in our place. God's holiness demanded that. And Jesus was able to do that because He was and is the "Holy One of God." (Matthew 5:17-18 and Galatians 4:4-5)

He also came to suffer our punishment in our place. God's justice required it. And He was able to do that because He was true Man and true God. This He did when He hung upon the Cross. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

This_is the truth about Jesus. God did not send Jesus to condemn and punish sinners, but to love them and die for them and thus to save them. Jesus is much more than a great law teacher. He is the great Law-Keeper and the great Savior! And in order to save us He became THE GREAT SINNER, because He had mercy on us and on all people and accepted our sin and or punishment. (1 Corinthians 5:21) So Jesus did not come to punish us, but to get punished Himself! We have no reason to fear Jesus or avoid Him. He loves us! He has died for us! He has suffered hell for us! He has conquered Satan for us!

This also our text shows. Jesus rebuked the man with the evil spirit, saying, "Be quiet! Come out of him." And when the unclean spirit had shaken him, and screamed, he came out of him. (verses 25-26) Jesus did not punish this man for his sins, but freed him from the misunderstanding and from Satan's control. As Jesus saved this man, so He has saved us and is able to free us from all sin and misunderstanding, giving us true saving faith.

Let us believe in Jesus our great Savior. Let us now love Him and with His power walk in the right, holy ways. We have the right understanding about Jesus and the purpose of His coming from heaven to earth. He came from heaven, to earth, so that we can go from earth to heaven. Some in our family and among our friends perhaps still misunderstand about Jesus. Jesus wants us to tell them the truth, so they, with us, can have the right understanding and have forgiveness and eternal life with us. May God help us to do this!

Amen.