What’s So Different About Jesus?

Text: John 7:1-53

Let’s read the whole chapter. I want to draw your attention back to verses 45-46.

John 7:45-46 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.

These officers recognized right away that there was definitely something different about Jesus. Have you ever noticed how people act when you mention the name Jesus? There isn’t a name in all of the universe that has such a polarizing effect on people. When you mention His name to just about anyone, you will either be received or rejected, praised or persecuted, cheered or chastened. In fact, you don’t even have to actually mention His name. If people even have a hint that you are representing Him, they almost don’t know how to act.

One day as we were passing out tracts, I approached a woman to hand her a tract. When she saw it, I think she immediately knew what it was that I wanted to give her. But the trouble was, she didn’t know how to act. She motioned with her hand to take it, then she quickly pulled her hand back, then she reached again, then quickly pulled her hand back and shook her head no and walked off. I don’t know if the spirit was willing and the flesh was weak or what, but I could definitely see that there is truly something different about Jesus. Let’s consider some things that make Jesus different from every other person that has ever lived.

His Virgin Birth Makes Him Different

John 7:27-29 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.

The crowd claimed to know where Jesus was from – Galilee (vs. 9). But Jesus said that there was more to Him than met the eye. He hints at His virgin birth when He states that He did not come of Himself, but He came from the Father that sent Him. Of course, He was sent from heaven.

John 10:24-25 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

One of the things that makes Jesus different from every other person is that Jesus did not have a human father. Every one of us have a human father, but His Father was God the Father.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:18-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ makes Him different. Now as I mention these points of difference, I want to remind you that a person who is truly born again will not deny these differences, unless they are a babe in Christ and just have never been taught these things.

John 6:67-69 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

To knowingly and willingly deny the virgin birth is to say that Jesus is no different than any other person. And if we believe that Jesus is not different, then we are without hope and miserable! That is what Paul said.

1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

His virgin birth makes Jesus different.

His Victorious Life Makes Him Different

John 7:19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

Another thing that makes Jesus different is that He was completely, 100% sinless. He never once sinned, ever!

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

According to Galatians 4:4, Jesus was an Old Testament Jew under the law. And yet Jesus stated that none of the Jews kept the law. This shows us that the law wasn’t given to save anyone because no-one could keep the law in the first place. No-one that is, except Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 4:15 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.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus is different because He was absolutely sinless. In fact, He could not have sinned if He had wanted to because He could not have even wanted to!

John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

This is another difference that we must believe in order to be saved and we will believe if we are saved and have been taught the truth. If Jesus had not been sinless, there would be no sinless life to offer in place of our sinful lives, which is what God requires for redemption. And that brings us to my next point.

His Vicarious Death Makes Him Different

John 7:33-34 Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.

The word vicarious means a substitute. The Pope blasphemously claims that He is the vicar of Christ – the substitute of Christ. Nobody can be the substitute for Jesus Christ. Nobody!

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

In fact, nobody would really want to be the substitute for Jesus Christ. Between the time that Jesus was with them and the time when He would return to the Father, He made a very important trip for us. He took our place and punishment in hell.

Ephesians 4:8-9 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Jesus is different because He took our punishment. He did something no one else would do. I remember many years ago when it was reported that the United States put to death the 1000th person by capital punishment since the Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that the death penalty was constitutional. There were, of course, many protesters that picketed, marched, gave speeches and rallied, but there wasn’t a single volunteer to step up and ask to take Kenneth Lee Boyd’s place in the death chamber! When was the last time you heard of someone petitioning a prison to take the place of a death row inmate? It doesn’t happen!

Romans 5:7-8 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus is different because He died for dirty, rotten, filthy, good-for-nothing, sinners like you and me! We were sentenced to death! We were on Death Row! But Jesus Christ took our place and out punishment.

2 Corinthians 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves…

That makes Him different! The one thing that sinners need to know is that Jesus already paid their sin debt for them! He has already served their sentence. They need to know that. They need to be told!

His vicarious death makes Him different.

His Viable Resurrection Makes Him Different

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Being glorified speaks of His resurrection! That certainly makes Jesus different from every other person. Notice what Jesus said about Himself.

John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

There are many that have used their own power to take their own life. But only One has ever had the power to give it back! Not Mohammad, not Allah, not Confucius, not Joseph Smith, not even Mary could raise themselves from the dead. But Jesus did and belief in the resurrection of Christ is absolutely essential to salvation.

1 Corinthians 15:14-17 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

I don’t think doubting Thomas truly got saved until after the resurrection. I may be wrong about this, but Thomas denied the resurrection until he actually saw the Lord. Not only that, but there is no testimony in the Gospels that Thomas believed the Lord until after the resurrection. Again, I may be wrong, and if I am, I am sorry about that. But this one thing is certain. When he saw the resurrected Lord, noticed what he said:

John 20:27-29 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Belief in the resurrection is essential to salvation. The self-resurrection of Jesus Christ makes Him different. And because He is resurrected, we will be also.

Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

His viable resurrection makes Him different. Let me give you one more.

His Visible Return Makes Him Different

John 7:3-4 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.

His brethren, which would have included both James who wrote the Book of James and Jude who wrote the Book of Jude, they did not yet believe in Him and they poked at Him to go and show Himself to the world. Well, one day He will.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Once more thing that makes Jesus different is that He is coming back again.

Revelation 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

There are a lot of religions in the world. They all have their gods and their saviors. They all promise something, but only one Saviour has the power to deliver on the promises.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

One day all the world will acknowledge that the true King, the true Lord, the true Master, the true God is Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Confess what? I will tell you what! Everyone will one day confess that there is something different about Jesus!