Why did He come?

WHY DID JESUS COME?
Reasons for the Incarnation in the Savior's Own Words

pdf (84 pages)

Dr. Paul Manuel—2014

I.	Jesus came to reaffirm the scriptures (Matt 5:17-20).	5
	Matt 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
II.	Jesus came to reach the lost (Matt 9:9-13).	10
	Matt 9:13b For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
III.	Jesus came to reject the status quo (Matt 10:34-39).	15
	Matt 10:34 Do not [think] that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law
IV.	Jesus came to rebuke the selfish (Matt 11:16-19).	21
	Matt 11: 19a The Son of Man came eating and drinking....
V.	Jesus came to rescue the perishing (Matt 20:20-28)	26
	Matt 20:28 ...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
VI.	Jesus came to represent the Father (John 8:37-42)	31
	John 8:42b I have not come on my own; but he sent me.
VII.	Jesus came to refresh the weak (John 10:7-10).	36
	John 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
VIII.	Jesus came to reveal the truth (John 18:33-38).	43
	John 18:37c for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.
	Bibliography	48
	Endnotes	49

Why Did Jesus Come? If you ask that question today, you will get various answers.

• He came to show people the right way to live.
• He came to start a new religious movement.
• He came to restore Israel's independence.

Is any of these answers correct? If you had asked that question in Jesus' day, you also would have gotten various answers.

• He came to set aside the law.
• He came to rally the righteous.
• He came to usher in a new age of peace.

Again, are any of these answers correct? Christians, of course, know the right answer: Jesus came to make atonement for sin. But is that the only answer?

To dispel some faulty notions circulating in the first century, Jesus offers his own explanation, using very assertive language ("I came to..."—or—"I did not come to..."). In this eight-week study, we will consider eight of these statements and their implications for us: Reasons for the Incarnation—in the Savior's Own Words.

In the first century, messianic expectations were high among the people of Israel. Roman rule was, at times, oppressive, and many longed for freedom from foreign domination. Long before, God had promised to send a redeemer, a messiah, who would liberate them and usher in an unprecedented age of peace and prosperity. How would such an individual accomplish this? ...People were not entirely unified in what they thought he would do. Different elements of Israelite society had different views.

• Pharisees, who saw a general decline in people's observance of the law, hoped the messiah would revitalize the importance of obedience to what God commanded.
• Sadducees, who had managed to obtain positions of influence in the provisional government, did not want to lose their status and hoped the messiah (if he was even a real person) would not upset the balance of power.
• Zealots, who used violent means to oppose Roman rule, hoped the messiah would lead them to a military victory against the foreign invaders.
• Herodians, who had found a leader in the compromising figure of Herod Antipas, hoped the messiah would recognize their choice of a Jewish king. 

Onto this confused scene comes Jesus, whose ministry of teaching and healing causes many to wonder: Is he the one? Whose hopes would he fulfill, or would he have his own agenda?

While Jesus does not declare his messianic identity openly, he does clarify what he intends to accomplish, answering for us the question: Why Did Jesus Come? Like the groups of Jesus' day, we may have different expectations. We must be sure, though, to have the right expectations, preferably the ones he gives, so over the next few sessions, we will examine Reasons for the Incarnation—in the Savior's Own Words.

There are passages where Jesus is quite explicit, stating clearly what he did or did not come to do, confirming or dismissing what others expected. Some of these statements appear in only one gospel, while other statements appear in two or three. Of the synoptic gospels, Matthew records the most such statements, so we will concentrate on them in five of our sessions. John records some others, which we will consider in three of our sessions. From those eight passages, here are the answers to our title question: Why Did Jesus Come? He came...

• To reaffirm the scriptures (Matt 5:17)
• To reach the lost (Matt 9:13b)
• To reject the status quo (Matt 10:34-35)
• To rebuke the selfish (Matt 11:19a)
• To rescue the perishing (Matt 20:28)
• To represent the Father (John 8:42b)
• To refresh the weak (John 10:10b)
• To reveal the truth (John 18:37c)

While the specific verses listed contain Jesus' actual statement, we will need to look more broadly, at the context, to understand why he said, "I have come" or "I have not come."¹

Reading the Bible is not like reading a novel, because God expects that we will learn something and that we will apply what we learn. To that end, we must ask and answer two questions:

• Concerning proper interpretation:

• What does it mean?

• Concerning proper application:

• Why does it matter?

Most of each session will focus on answering the first question, because without understanding what a passage means, we cannot apply it with any confidence. To that end, we will consider how six common principles of interpretation relating to various aspects of the context help us determine the meaning of a passage!

• The verbal context

• What words did the author choose to make his point?

• The grammatical context

• How do the words relate to each other?

• The cultural context

• What customs of the day illuminate the passage?

• The historical context

• What events were on people's minds at the time?

• The theological context

• How did existing beliefs shape people's thinking?

• The canonical context

• What does related material elsewhere in scripture say?

We will not ask all six questions for each passage, only the one or two most pertinent to our understanding the meaning.

At the close of each session, I will summarize our findings and pose an additional question to help us move from interpretation to application:

• First, regarding interpretation: Having looked at the context of Jesus' statement, why did Jesus come?
• Second, regarding application: How should that answer affect you; that is, how can you apply what the passage teaches?

For a pdf with all of the lessons (84 pages) including a Bibliography and Endnotes see here.