Isn't this Joseph's son?
By Mr. David Zanotti
There is a school of thought that continues to attempt to erode the credibility of the New Testament by proposing the whole history of Jesus of Nazareth is a carefully crafted conspiracy. Such was the thought of the Roman guards and the Chief Priests on the morning of the Resurrection. Conspiracies, funded by grand designs and lots of money, have swirled about the Christ Child ever since. Here is a question that seems to fall out of the consipiracy basket. If this was all a conspiracy, how did the chief conspirator -- Jesus of Nazareth -- get His name? Jesus, or Johsua in Greek, and Yeshua in Hebrew means savior or deliverer. Pretty obvious link, right? Only problem is -- Jesus is His real name, His given name. He did not take this identifier at a strategic point in the adult conspiracy plot. In fact, the name was given to Him, not first by His parents, but by an angelic visit. His parents were poor "underserved" and homeless exiles. They had no means of survival let alone the fabrication and funding of an elaborate conspiracy to forward their child as a Messiah. Furthermore, His life under their care was a matter of total obscurity for thirty years. A baby does not name himself. A true Savior is not man-made. His critics could never figure out how this "nobody", the lowly son of a carpenter, could develop the power to radically change the world in which He walked. They are still asking the same questions today.
Thursday, July 22, 2010, 05:26 AM
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