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The Incomparable Christ

MOODY PUBLISHERS

Contents

Foreword.....................................................7Introduction.................................................13THE PERSON OF CHRIST1. The Moral Perfection of Christ............................172. The Preexistence of Christ................................273. The Incarnation of Christ.................................374. The Childhood of Christ...................................495. The Youth of Christ.......................................596. The Earthly Occupation of Christ..........................677. The Baptism of Christ.....................................758. The Temptation of Christ..................................839. The Deity of Christ.......................................9510. The Humanity of Christ...................................10911. The Manliness of Christ..................................11712. The Twofold Nature of Christ.............................12713. The Sinlessness of Christ................................13514. The Transfiguration of Christ............................14515. The Prophetic Ministry of Christ.........................15516. The Teaching of Christ...................................16317. The Humility of Christ...................................17318. The Serenity of Christ...................................18119. The Prayer Life of Christ................................189THE WORK OF CHRIST20. The Soul-Anguish of Christ...............................19921. The Trial of Christ......................................20922. The Majestic Silence of Christ...........................21723. The Atoning Work of Christ...............................225THE SEVEN WORDS24. The Word of Forgiveness..................................23725. The Word of Assurance....................................24726. The Word of Devotion.....................................25727. The Word of Dereliction..................................26528. The Word of Agony........................................27529. The Word of Triumph......................................28530. The Word of Confidence...................................29331. The Calvary Miracles.....................................30132. The Resurrection of Christ...............................31133. The Ministry of the Forty Days...........................32334. The Ascension of Christ..................................33135. The High Priestly Ministry of Christ.....................34136. The Second Advent of Christ..............................351

Chapter One

The Moral Perfection of Christ

* * *

In a letter published after his death, the poet Robert Browning cited several utterances of men of genius concerning the Christian faith, and among them was this one from Charles Lamb: "In a gay fancy with some friends as to how they would feel if some of the greatest of the dead were to appear suddenly in flesh and blood once more-on the final suggestion, 'And if Christ entered this room?' he changed his manner at once and stuttered out as his manner was when moved, 'You see if Shakespeare entered we should all rise; if HE appeared, we must kneel.'" Such was his conception of the moral glory of Christ.

A similar impression was produced on a brilliant Brahmin scholar. Disturbed by the progress of the Christian faith among his own people, he determined to do all in his power to arrest it. His plan was to prepare for widespread distribution a brochure highlighting the weaknesses and failings of Christ, and exposing the fallacy of believing in Him.

For eleven years he diligently studied the New Testament, searching for inconsistencies in Christ's character and teaching. Not only did he fail to discover any, but he became convinced that the one he sought to discredit was what He claimed to be, the Son of God. The scholar boldly confessed his faith.

The moral perfection of Christ impresses itself on the thoughtful reader of the gospels. In them the evangelists present the portrait of a Man, a real Man, who displays perfection at every stage of development and in every circumstance of life. This is the more remarkable, as He did not immure Himself in some secluded cloister but mixed freely and naturally with the imperfect men of His own generation. So deeply involved in the life of the ordinary people did He become that His democratic tendencies earned the most bitter criticism of the sanctimonious Pharisees.

And yet there was a sense in which He was so ordinary that many of His contemporaries saw Him only as "the carpenter's son," a despised Nazarene. With eyes blinded by sin and self-will, they saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him (Isaiah 53:2). To all except those with eyes enlightened by love and faith, His moral grandeur and divine glory passed unnoticed. The shallow crowds were deceived by the entire absence of pomp and show.

Symmetry of Character

The character of our Lord was wonderfully balanced, with neither excess nor deficiency. Its excellence is recognized not only by Christians but also by Jews and others of many forms of unbelief. It stands out faultlessly perfect, so symmetrical in all its proportions that its strength and greatness are not immediately obvious to the casual observer. It has been said that in Jesus' character no strong points were obvious because there were no weak ones. Strong points necessarily presuppose weak ones, but no weaknesses can be alleged of Him. In the best of men there is obvious inconsistency and inequality, and since the tallest bodies cast the longest shadows, the greater the man, the more glaring his faults are likely to be. With Christ it was far otherwise. He was without flaw or contradiction.

Virtue readily degenerates into vice. Courage may degenerate into cowardice on the one hand or rashness on the other. Purity may slip into either prudery or impurity. The pathway to virtue is narrow and slippery, but in our Lord there was no deflection. Throughout His earthly life He maintained every virtue unsullied.

In speech as in silence His perfect balance of character was displayed. He never spoke when it would have been wiser to remain silent, never kept silence when He should have spoken. Mercy and judgment blended in all His actions and judgments, yet neither prevailed at the expense of the other. Exact truth and infinite love adorned each other in His winsome personality, for He always spoke the truth in love. His severe denunciations of apostate Jerusalem were tremulous with His sobs (Matthew 23:37). True to His own counsel, He manifested the prudence of the serpent and the simplicity of the dove. His tremendous inner strength never degenerated into mere obstinacy. He mastered the difficult art of displaying sympathy without surrendering principle.

The excellences of both sexes coalesced in Him. But while possessing all the gentler graces of womanhood He could never be regarded as effeminate. Indeed, he was linked in popular thought with the rugged Elijah, and the austere John the Baptist (Matthew 16:14). There is contrast yet not contradiction in His delicacy and gentleness in handling people who merited such treatment, and the blistering denunciations He poured on the hypocrites and parasites.

Another distinctive feature is that our Lord's character was complete in itself. "He entered on life with anything but a passionless...