Discussion Board Initial Post- Mariah McNamara

[mariahemcnamara]

Both “Jesus of Nazareth: Is He Really the Son of God” and “The Passion of Christ” offered great takeaways and perspectives upon reading. In the first, I loved the point made that miracles don’t prove God's existence, but assumes His existence instead. I found it interesting how Bean said the Jews had no problem with Jesus claiming to be the messiah, but that their issue was with His claim to be God.

In The Passion of Christ John Piper goes into 50 different reasons why Jesus came to die for us. I really loved the point Piper made of Jesus suffered far worse than us because He never gave into the temptations He felt on earth. As humans, we give into temptations before they reach their full potential, and by never giving into His temptations Jesus experienced them to the fullest. From Jesus’s constant suffering, He was the most empathetic person to walk this Earth. Another point Piper made which I loved was that Jesus compared Himself with the Temple because in His death He takes the place of it, allowing us to meet with god through Him now.

[danielgavin]

The Passion of Christ was my favorite book out of the two! It just went so in depth into every reason and gave me an even greater appreciation for what Jesus did, and at times want to just stop reading and worship. I never thought about the point that you mentioned about Jesus suffering far worse than us because He never gave into temptations. I know He was fully God and fully man, but the fully man just reinforces, to me, that we have authority through Him over them.

Another point I never gave much thought to was 49, so that He would be crowned with glory and honor. But I love what Piper says; "The passion of Jesus Christ did not merely precede the crown; it was the price, and the crown was the prize. And He died to have it". I don't think I've given much thought to what the passion of Christ really was until I read this. His passion was the price. I haven't viewed passion in that way before. Also, the point Piper makes about Jesus being sympathetic. Once again, I can sometimes get so caught up in the fully God side of Jesus that I forget He was fully man, and He felt what we feel. And because of that, He calls us to Him and when we're aware that He feels with us, we can come to Him boldly.