THE SCOFFER or THE JEW: THE FACE OF A SAVIOR

 By G. Grayson Tabor

 Scoff: To show one's contempt in derision or mockery. scoff stresses insolence, disrespect, or incredulity as motivating the derision <scoffed at their concerns>. jeer suggests a coarser more undiscriminating derision <the crowd jeered at the prisoners>. gibe implies taunting either good-naturedly or in sarcastic derision <hooted and gibed at the umpire>. fleer suggests grinning or grimacing derisively <the saucy jackanapes fleered at my credulity>. sneer stresses insulting by contemptuous facial expression, phrasing, or tone of voice <sneered at anything romantic>. flout stresses contempt shown by refusal to heed <flouted the conventions of polite society>. (Credit Merriam – Webster online dictionary 2008)

 

 

Jew: 1 a: a member of the tribe of Judah b: israelite2: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c. to the first century a.d.3: a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people4: one whose religion is Judaism. (Credit Merriam – Webster online dictionary 2008)

 

 

Savior: 1: one that saves from danger or destruction2: one who brings salvation; specifically capitalized : jesus 1

 

 As I sit here in my living room in Saint Georges, Delaware on September 4^th 2008 I am confronted by the turmoil of the 21^st century and I struggle to find my place. In contrast, as I type, I am plundered by the weight of my eighteen month old daughter who is only content sitting on top of daddy. The 2008 presidential election is running hot, our Russian friends are running cold, North Korea is rebuilding it’s nuclear capabilities and the threat of three hurricanes are causing the stock market to flutter like a shivering child who refuses to get out of a cold pool. The current state of the world in which we live is held captive by a haze of Islamic fundamentalism, anti-Jewish and anti-Christian sentiment – and that is just the beginning of our woes. There is, however, good news on the horizon; We Christians know this – the question is how do we deliver this news to the rest of the world and expect them to listen?

 

We make decisions of importance everyday; Decisions that pale in comparison to the decisions that were made by men two thousand years ago. We decide which house to buy, where to send our children to school or how to save for retirement. Two thousand years ago men were faced with different decisions – but fundamentally the ideas are the same – Do we choose to accept Christ or do we choose to reject him; are you for the Scoffer or for the Jew? In order to see where we are today, I wonder where we would have been two thousand years ago when we heard about a carpenter, healing and preaching, teaching and training, loving and saving. What would we have thought if we were alive back then? Would we have embraced the embodiment of a savior, or would we have seen an ancient David Koresh? For those who aren’t familiar with who David Koresh was I sense some explaining is necessary. In 1983 a disfellowshipped member of the Seventh-day AdventistChurch, David Koresh, found himself entering the compound of the Branch Davidians, a coup of expelled members of the same church. Koresh quickly accelerated the ranks to become the leader of the sect. Allegations of child sexual abuse and polygamy quickly followed; Allegations which would ultimately be the catalyst for a federal investigation. Interviews conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of ex-Davidian members indicated that Koresh had fathered as many as fifteen children with girls as young as twelve years old. Ultimately Koresh would claim himself as the Son of God – the Christ. Ten years later the world would know the name David Koresh – and for fifty-one days the country was held captive by one of the longest stand-offs in American history. Waco, Texas was forever on the map.

 

Thinking about David Koresh I can’t help but think how foolish the Branch Davidians were for falling under the spell of this fraud – but what did people think about Jesus two-thousand years earlier?

 

Let me state immediately that my intention is in no way meant to draw ANY comparisons between My Savior and the insane Koresh – except to question what my official position would have been, had I been alive two-thousand years ago. Would I have dismissed this Jesus of Nazareth as a crazy man – or would I have embraced him as did his disciples. In 2008 I can stand up and argue the case for Christ in any forum. I would defend my Savior even to death – but I wonder what my stance would have been when death was a very real possibility – even death on a cross.

 

How do we know that Jesus was and is the Son of God? How can we be sure that it was he whom the prophets spoke of? For that we must travel back in time…

 CHAPTER ONE – Genesis 

The birth of a prophecy

 In an instant of shame and bereavement; in a moment when the world was still in its infancy, a bitter betrayal was taking place in the most unlikely corner of a perfect earth.

 A woman, perfect in beauty and form, perused the grass of a perfect ground, the trees of a perfect land and the mountains of a perfect world. To her amazement her Master beheld such a love for her that her entitlement was vast; her birthright was beyond comprehension and her life was eternal. Her steps marked a path that no human footstep had ever been – like the foot print of Astronaut Neil Armstrong on the moon – a step forever frozen in time. As she walked her arms hung gently at her side, her fingers brushing the tops of fig trees and olive branches at the beginning of life and for the first time in existence breathing the first and last form of pure, unadulterated oxygen – her smile complemented only by her glowing complexion. The sound of an unlimited supply of clear water flowing uninhibited, irrigated the land in perfect order – streams from rivers the length of the earth ran across the rough edges of a trillion stones – yet to be worn smooth by years of gentle massage to come. A lion, who had yet to realize his ferocious potential and ultimate rein as king accompanied the heiress on her stroll. The beast barely gave notice as they passed a flock of unattended sheep. The sky was illuminated by our still brilliant sun – red and orange hues painted a portrait of excellence that only the creator could muster. If beauty were defined it would have been Eden.

 

In a world hidden from the human eye and seen only by the spirit of worthy men and those in the places of saints, another betrayal was taking place. These two parallel worlds – one seen and the other unseen were setting the stage for a treachery which would behold a complex enigma that our now seven-thousand year old planet would still struggle to overcome.

 

In the underbelly of the seen lay an angel once extolled by all only to find himself abhorrent due to his own selfishness and pride. A plan he devised, thinking himself beyond the logic of the creator, a plan that would succeed, most likely to his own amazement. The pride which caused his fall would be the catalyst for the world’s first sin.

 

On that day, as the woman sat in the garden – a serpent did come. On his belly he slithered about seeking her attention. Like the lion, nothing was to be feared – this the serpent knew. Enticement was his bait, temptation his snare, humanity his prize! Tactfully the serpent used a simple play on words to lure his prey into a sense of ease – and some would say equality.

 

“Has God said you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?”

 

Her reply was formidable, telling the serpent exactly what God told her. “You may eat of any tree except that which is in the midst of the Garden. You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it least you die!”

 

“You shall not surely die – but become like gods knowing good from evil.”

 

The betrayal had begun. Her decision started in motion a chain of events that introduced death to life – life to pain – pain to the world and ultimately our Savior to our cross – The very next words spoken on this matter are evidence of this.

 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." (Genesis 3:15 New American Version)

 

Behold, this is the first prophecy spoken and written of our necessity for a redeemer. This verse could clearly have been overlooked by the quick reader, but when examined closely the message reveals the Truth. Take the word enmity for a moment. A synonym for this word is hostility or antagonism. Its definition is a deep-seated dislike or ill will. God placed in the heart of all men and women an ingrained enmity, ill will, towards satan. I believe if we could quantify and title our strands of DNA we would ultimately find a strand called morality – the opposite of satan and thus indignant as the scripture implies. The scripture goes on to say that this enmity would carry on between your seed – (satan) - and her seed (Eve). This is important for two reasons; First, Jesus was a descendant of Eve as we all are – he was no different in that respect. Second, this implies that a woman’s seed alone would bare the birth of the Savior.

 

Finally God tells the serpent that Eve’s seed would bruise the serpents head and that the serpent would bruise the heel of her seed (Jesus). This implies that Jesus was going to crush satan’s head with his heal. Just as a man today can easily stomp a snake to death by crushing its skull. Jesus’ suffering would be temporary, as a pain in the heel, but satan’s would last an eternity. Jesus would be born of the seed of a woman only. There is no mention of a mans seed or the need for the seed of man. This defines the virgin birth – foretold some three-thousand years before the Savior would arrive.

 

And so death entered the world – requiring a Savior for redemption. The story could end there and we would have more than adequate proof that Jesus the Nazarene was the Christ child, Son of God. Who else in the history of the universe was born of a virgin – without the seed of a man? Was David Koresh? I think not – David Koresh was actually born Vernon Wayne Howell to a fifteen year old single mother named Bonnie Sue Clark in Houston, Texas. His father, like Christ’s earthly father, was a carpenter by trade – but that’s where the comparisons end. Koresh’s father, Bobby Howell, would later find another woman and abandon his family. Clearly this very first prophecy discounts Koresh’s claims of Christhood.