Selling Jesus Short
Part 80 - Luke 20:41-44 (ESV) - Pastor Tim Kroeker
Acts 2:36:
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
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In 1989, a man in Philadelphia purchased an old painting at a flea market for $4. He bought the painting for its frame. So when he got home, he tore the canvas away. Behind it, he found an old, folded document that he recognized as the Declaration of Independence. That was interesting, but he believed it was simply an old copy. He set it aside for a few years until a friend urged him to have it looked at by a professional.
At his friend’s insistence, the man contacted Sotheby’s, a famous auction house and authentication service. They immediately realized the folded piece of paper was an original copy of the Declaration. Only 24 were known to exist, and of those copies only three were held privately. It would sell at auction for $2.4 million.
Continuing on in our salvation story, we read that Jesus challenged his opponents’ understanding about the nature of the coming Messiah. These were scholars who knew the Hebrew Scriptures well. They were correct in their thinking that the Messiah would be a physical descendant of King David. Yet they failed to recognize his complete worth. The Messiah would not only be David’s son. He would be David’s Lord.
As both David’s son and David’s Lord, Jesus is both fully God and fully man. Most people today readily affirm Jesus’ humanity. They may even believe that he died for their sins. But, don’t sell him short. As the exalted Christ and Lord, Jesus’ value is more than you could ever imagine.
