Why Jesus Had To Come To Earth and Stay For So Many Years
by Missionary Bill
If you are like me and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as he is described in the Bible, than you might be interested in knowing why it is that he had to come to Earth and stay here for so many years. If all he had to do was fulfill Old Testament prophecies about himself, find disciples, appoint apostles, teach them the new covenant, explain God's Plan of Salvation and die on the cross to pay for the sins of humans, couldn't he have just come for a very short period of time to accomplish those things?
When Jesus visited the Earth, he fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies regarding the birth, life and death of the Messiah. His miraculous birth is described in the King James Version biblical book of Isaiah, chapter seven, verse fourteen: " Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
His bodily appearance, life filled with troubles and ultimate rejection by most people that lived during the time of his sojourn here on Earth was described in several Old Testament books including the KJV biblical book of Isaiah, chapter fifty-three, verses one to three: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Even if we consider all of the prophecies concerning the birth, ministry and death of the Messiah on Earth, he still didn't need to stay here for thirty-three years to fulfill those things. And I often wonder why he chose to be born, instead of just appearing somewhere as a full grown male. After all, if the Old Testament prophecies hadn't predicted a virgin birth, wouldn't the sudden appearance of a man who was able to perform supernatural acts be just as miraculous? Why stay among humans so long? Like everything else that he did, I believe that Jesus chose to stay on the Earth as long as he did for our good, not his.
The Bible explains his actions in the King James Version New Testament biblical book of Hebrews, chapter two, verses three to eighteen: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."
The Son of God took human form and lived on Earth for thirty-three years so that he could experience, first hand, the things that we experience during our lifetime. He was born, grew up and died with a human body. He knew hunger, starvation, pain, rejection, homelessness and all the things that are part of the human experience for better or for worse. This allows the Lord to understand our prayer requests. He has literally been there, done that or saw it all happen first hand.
One of the accusations often hurled at our beloved Savior was that he was constantly in the company of sinners and those who were most despised in society. The Bible states in the King James Version New Testament book of Matthew, chapter eleven and verses sixteen to nineteen: "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John (John the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."
Jesus answered such an accusation in the King James Version New Testament book of Matthew, chapter nine and verses ten to twelve: "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."
Jesus likened SIN to a sickness and described himself as a Physician. He knew the people that needed him most were not those who thought themselves to be rightous, but admitted sinners who understood how others felt about the things that they did. The King James Version Old Testament biblical book of Isaiah states in chapter sixty-four and verse six: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
No matter how we try, we all sin at one time or another. The King James Version New Testament biblical book of Romans states in chapter three and verse twenty-three: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" That's why we needed for the Son of God to be born as a human, live a perfect (sinless) life and die for our sins as a substitute for us. Otherwise, we would go to the same place that the Devil will go to. The King James Version New Testament biblical book of Matthew states in chapter twenty-five and verse forty-one: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
In fact, we know that many people have already gone to Hell and others are headed for eternal torment at this moment. The King James Version Old Testament biblical book of Isaiah states in chapter five and verse fourteen: " Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it." Hell has gotten bigger by virtue of the numbers of people going there every day.
However, the death of Jesus on the cross allows an escape clause for people. They do not need to go to Hell. The King James Version New Testament biblical book of John states in chapter three and verse sixteen: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We're told how to accept that free gift from God in the King James Version New Testament book of Romans, chapter ten and verse nine: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (from Hell)."
A simple prayer to God to accept Jesus is all that is required. Something like this: "Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I accept the death of your Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross as payment for my sins. Please save me from Hell. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus." If you pray that prayer, you can know for certain that if you died right at this moment, you would be with Jesus. Our Savior made this very promise to one of the thieves that were crucified next to him on the cross after that man admitted his sin and confessed his belief in Jesus.
The King James Version New Testament biblical book of Luke tells this amazing story in chapter twenty-three and verses thirty-nine to forty-three: "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
The death of Jesus saves the people who seek him from Hell. However, it's also important to remember that his Life allows him to understand the trials and tribulations that we go through each and every day. He not only answers the prayers of sinners seeking redemption through the shedding of his blood on the cross, but he also answers the prayers of those who have already accepted him as Savior. The King James Version New Testament biblical book of First Timothy, chapter two and verse five states: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" The fact that he is referred to as a man in this verse reminds us that, although he was God come in the flesh to save sinners, he also lived as a man and can fully understand and comprehend our human needs.
Jesus understands what we face each day of our lives. He faced many of the same situations or saw others that experienced the same things that you might be going through at this very moment. More importantly, he is ready, willing and able to help. The King James Version New Testament biblical book of Hebrews, chapter four and verses fourteen to sixteen explains this promise very clearly: " Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
If you need help now, seek Jesus. Don't think of God as your last resort, think of him as your first and most important resource. God loves you and wants to help. He wants to save sinners from Hell and help Christians (those who have already accepted Jesus as their Savior) to live their lives in a fulfilling manner. Jesus stated in the King James Version New Testament biblical book of John, chapter ten and verse ten: "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Come to Jesus for your salvation and, then, for present and reliable help in time of need.
>
