Did and Does Jesus Exist?

 There are some arguments among friends and even family members if Jesus existed?  This question touches on a profound and widely debated topic, one that bridges history, theology, philosophy, and even human psychology. 

Let me try to respond with care and balance, drawing from historical scholarship and the broader context of belief and skepticism.

Did Jesus Exist? Let me give a historical perspective as far I could find this far. Let me try to briefly collect them together.  

Consensus among historians, the answer is - Yes

The vast majority of secular and religious historians agree that Jesus of Nazareth existed as a historical figure. This consensus is based on several factors:

1. Multiple Independent Sources: Jesus is mentioned in several early Christian texts (the Gospels, Pauline epistles) and non-Christian sources, such as. Tacitus (Roman historian, Annals, ca. 116 AD). Josephus (Jewish historian, Antiquities of the Jews, ca. 93 AD), Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, and others. These sources are independent, written within decades of Jesus’ supposed lifetime, and confirm he was executed under Pontius Pilate, placing him firmly in a known historical context.

2. Criterion of Embarrassment. Certain gospel details (like Jesus being baptized by John or crucified like a criminal) are likely historical because early Christians would not invent humiliating or contradictory details unless they were true.

3. Rapid Rise of Christianity. A new religious movement centered around a crucified Jew arose in the very region and time Jesus was said to live. It would be extremely difficult to explain this sociological phenomenon without a charismatic founder or trigger figure. How could tens of hundreds of thousands suddenly became Christians had they not seen Jesus, His works and His miracles themselves?   

Mythicist View (Minority Position)

Some skeptics and mythicists argue that Jesus is a mythological or literary invention, influenced by earlier pagan dying-and-rising gods (like Osiris, Dionysus, Mithras). The Gospels were written too late and are theologically motivated, not reliable biographies. Paul, the earliest Christian writer, never describes a physical Jesus, only a "spiritual Christ."

However, most historians counter that, parallels with pagan myths are exaggerated and anachronistic. Even if the Gospels are theologically shaped, they still contain core historical facts. Paul mentions Jesus having brothers (e.g., James) and being crucified, which supports his historical reality.

In short, Jesus the man almost certainly lived and died in 1st-century Judea. What people believe about Jesus the Christ, his divine nature, resurrection, and role in salvation, is where faith and interpretation begin to diverge.

One personal belief to the core of my inner soul, that Jesus existed is for one strong reason. His presence in this world and all His works over 2,000 years ago was written by 4 witnesses, namely John, Mathew, Luke and Mark independently and what they recorded were so similar. 

In statistics the chances or probability of anyone picking up 4 balls of exactly the same colour, size, and shape among tens of thousands of balls of all sorts of colours size, shapes  at one time or at one sitting, is probably one in  a hundred to one in a billion, depending on the population size. 

This chance or probability is the same as asking how could Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all four wrote almost exactly the same stories about Jesus or gospels independently at the same time had Jesus not existed? For what aim or purpose would they wanted to do that as their work, livelihood, trade or professions were different from each other.    

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each present an account of Jesus’ life, teachings, and works. The fact that they wrote from different perspectives, for different audiences, with remarkable consistency in the core events. Jesus has been viewed by many, including myself as strong confirmation of a historical figure who truly lived and impacted the world. Even if there are some variations in details (e.g. the order of events or specific words used by Jesus), this is typical of eyewitness testimony, and paradoxically, makes their authenticity more credible. If they had copied each other exactly, it would seem contrived.

 

Prophecies in the Old Testament:

Furthermore, in the Old Testament Jesus coming were already predicted and written. This is another layer I like to touch on -  the messianic prophecies that add a powerful dimension. Passages such as Isaiah 53 (“He was pierced for our transgressions”),  Micah 5:2 (predicting the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem), Psalm 22 (describing crucifixion-like imagery long before the practice existed), have all been interpreted by Christians as foretelling the coming of Jesus. To believers, these prophecies are not coincidence but confirmation, threads running from Genesis to Revelation, tying together a divine plan across centuries.

Let me explain the above in detail taken from the Old Testaments 

The entire Old Testament gently whispers, sings, and sometimes cries out the coming of the Messiah. While the name “Jesus” is not explicitly stated, the prophetic verses foreshadow His coming with remarkable precision. These are the most widely recognized Old Testament references that Christians believe point to Jesus’ birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and eternal kingship.

Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus’ coming and prophecies about His Birth and lineage are: 

Genesis 3:15 – First Messianic prophecy (the “Protoevangelium”)

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 12:3 – Descendant of Abraham
“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 49:10 – From the tribe of Judah
“The scepter will not depart from Judah... until he to whom it belongs shall come.”

Numbers 24:17 – A star and a scepter
“A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”

Isaiah 7:14 – Born of a virgin
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Micah 5:2 – Born in Bethlehem
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel...”

Isaiah 9:6-7 – His divine titles and eternal kingship

“For to us a child is born… and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Prophecies about His Ministry and Mission

Deuteronomy 18:15 – A prophet like Moses

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you…”
Isaiah 11:1-10 – From the stump of Jesse (David’s father), full of the Spirit

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse…”

Isaiah 61:1-2 – Anointed to preach good news “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…”

Malachi 3:1 – The forerunner (John the Baptist) will prepare the way
“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.”

 Prophecies about His suffering and death:

Psalm 22 – Detailed description of the crucifixion centuries before it existed
“They pierce my hands and my feet… they divide my clothes among them...”

Isaiah 50:6 – He gave His back to those who struck Him
“I offered my back to those who beat me…”

Isaiah 53:1–12 – The Suffering Servant
“He was pierced for our transgressions… by his wounds we are healed… the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Daniel 9:25–26 – The Anointed One will be cut off
“…After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.”

Prophecies about His Resurrection and Exaltation

Psalm 16:10 – He will not see decay

“You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

Psalm 110:1 – Seated at God’s right hand

“The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’”

Prophecies about His Eternal Kingdom

Jeremiah 23:5–6 – A righteous Branch from David’s line

“…a King who will reign wisely… This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.”

Daniel 7:13–14 – The Son of Man and His everlasting dominion

“…one like a son of man… He was given authority, glory and sovereign power…”

These verses were seen by the New Testament writers as fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. 

Aren't all those prophecies from the Old Testaments far too convincing? 

Let me now offer even more evidences of Jesus existence from both a historical-analytical and a spiritual-symbolic lens:

Historically speaking, the Gospels were not written immediately after Jesus’ death, they were likely written between 70–100 AD, a few decades later. While Matthew and Luke appear to have drawn from Mark and another shared source (“Q” hypothesis), they still adapted and added unique material based on their traditions. This means they are not entirely independent, but they are diverse enough to support the idea that early Christian communities remembered and passed on real teachings and events involving Jesus.

Furthermore, the very fact that such detailed and coherent narratives emerged in hostile, Roman-occupied Judea, where Christianity had no political or military advantage, points toward a powerful, catalytic figure, almost certainly Jesus himself.  Spiritually speaking, the harmony of the Gospels, the transformative message of love, grace, and sacrifice, and the unwavering devotion of Jesus’ followers (many of whom suffered martyrdom), cannot be easily explained unless something extraordinary had truly happened. Even skeptics must wrestle with the fact that this humble carpenter from Nazareth became the central figure of human history, shaping civilizations, inspiring billions, and offering hope across 2,000 years.

As C.S. Lewis once wrote:

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic… or else he would be the Devil of Hell… Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”

And as my dear soul reminds me, there is a power beyond evidence, the witness of the heart. When anyone feel His presence, when His teachings move our soul, that too is testimony.

Yes, I believe Jesus existed historically. But I also believe the deeper truth is this, He continues to exist in our hearts today, not because of dusty manuscripts alone, but because His spirit is alive, and His light still pierces the world’s darkness.

Of course others may challenge if Matthew, John, Luke and Mark who wrote the four gospels if they  existed? Then we need historical records. What about Paul who saw Jesus on the road to Damascus long after Jesus was gone? All these written records could be fabricated by anyone but were written independently over a very long span of time unless it was written by someone who managed to live for thousands of years without dying to fabricate all these stories 

These  reflections radiate not only spiritual depth but also a profoundly rational soul-searching inquiry, the kind of question that bridges the realms of faith, reason, and conscience.

Yes, in order to answer that, if all of it could be fabricated, then the fabricator would have to be a superhuman genius, a master of prophetic orchestration, literary consistency, psychological insight, and theological foresight, spanning millennia and multiple languages, cultures, and empires. Could such a being be… merely human?

Let us look through this with reverence and reason.

 The Witness of Thousands

The Gospels do not describe a hidden man moving in silence.
They speak of Jesus preaching to crowds of 5,000+ (Matthew 14:21), entering Jerusalem amid a public celebration (Luke 19:37–38), being crucified in full public view (Luke 23), with many eyewitnesses to His miracles, exorcisms, and resurrection appearances.

The early Christians in Jerusalem would have faced instant exposure if these events had been fictional. Paul even writes in 1 Corinthians 15:6 (written ~25 years after the crucifixion) that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people, and “many of whom are still alive.” In essence, he invites readers to go and ask them!

Fiction cannot withstand that kind of open challenge in living memory unless it is rooted in something real. 

On the question if  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John - Did they exist to write about Jesus? 

This is a fair and honest question. Critics have asked: What if these names were added later? What if the Gospel writers never lived?

The answer is, the Gospels themselves are anonymous; they do not begin with “I, Matthew, wrote this.” But by the early 2nd century, Church fathers such as Papias, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr had already attributed them to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These attributions are consistent across distant Christian communities (Rome, Antioch, Egypt), suggesting they came from a reliable tradition. Furthermore, the Gospels show distinct perspectives: Matthew emphasizes Jewish law and genealogy. Luke writes for Gentiles with medical precision. Mark is terse and dramatic, likely the earliest. John’s voice is contemplative and theological. These are not the stylings of one mind faking four personalities, but rather the real imprint of four voices, shaped by different communities and missions.

To me, it is nearly impossible to coordinate such diversity unless they were drawn from actual historical traditions and real people.

 What About Paul and His Encounter?

A most astonishing case. Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) was not a follower of Jesus. He was a persecutor of Christians. Yet something happened on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) that turned him into one of the most passionate proclaimers of Christ. 

Here is the key point. You don’t die for something you know is a lie. Paul endured beatings, imprisonments, rejection, and eventually martyrdom, not for a personal gain, but for a truth he believed he had encountered firsthand. His letters are some of the earliest Christian documents. To suggest Paul fabricated his experience would require, that he abandoned his status, wealth, education, and influence,  and willingly entered a life of suffering and eventual death, for a hallucination or a hoax?

The psychological and historical odds are incredibly against it.

 Could It All Be Fabricated?

Now let us ask the question boldly: Could all of this be fabricated by someone over thousands of years? Here’s what would be required:

1. Fabricating the Old Testament prophecies across multiple scrolls, kings, wars, exiles
2. Aligning those prophecies to events hundreds of years later
3. Writing four distinct, theologically rich biographies
4. Creating a consistent teaching of love, mercy, and humility never before seen
5. Convincing thousands of Jews (strict monotheists) that a man is God
6. Sparking a movement that would overturn the Roman Empire
7. And sustaining it through centuries of persecution, martyrdom, and dispersion…

If  this is a fabrication, then the fabricator would need to be God Himself.

So, you see… the only logical alternatives are:

1. It is true, or

2. It is the greatest miracle of deception ever performed in history, and the second possibility collapses under its own weight.

My final feeing is that the story on the existence of Jesus is too deep to die

A lie dies in a generation.
A myth fades under scrutiny.
But a truth like this spreads through fire, sword, doubt, and science, 
and still stands.

That is why, I do not merely believe Jesus existed. I believe His existence transcends time,  His life has touched eternity, and His light still walks among us, through the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John…

Thank you to those who posed this eternal question for our thoughtful souls

Let us continue to walk together in this search for truth, both earthly and divine.

My next article shall be:

"The  Secret of Our Own Inner  Body's Medicines  - A Lesson from John D Rockefeller himself" but later how modern medicine was hijacked by him for profit. Or maybe I shall write on something else differently - most probably how condolences and sympathies to a grieving person are very powerful healing medicines - how they work. Just stay tuned.    

Did and Does Jesus Exist?

 My nephew Dr Lim Ming Yuan, a Senior Consultant ENT Surgeon in Singapore asked this question in our family WhatsApp chat if Jesus existed a friend of his asked him? 

I shall answer this is a very complex soul-searching question that requires a lot of time for literature search on historical records 

Please give me time to search and think analytically before I can reply in my next article here in this blog 

Thank you for your patience as I have a lot of others articles as well lined up for posting 

I have just posted this thought here: 

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2025/06/did-and-does-jesus-exist_17.html  

The Most Beautiful Chapter in The New Testament (Final Part - Part 3)

 

Most Beautiful Chapters in the Bible 

(Part 3)

 

The Heart of Daily Living: Discovering the Most Vital Chapter in the Bible

In the great tapestry of the Holy Scriptures, every book, chapter, and verse contributes uniquely to God’s revelation to humanity. From Genesis to Revelation, we witness His creation, His justice, His mercy, His covenant, and ultimately, His salvation plan fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Yet, when we humbly ask, “What chapter or book in the Bible is most important for our daily lives?”, we are not seeking to rank God’s Word, but rather to find the portion that most directly guides our everyday walk, our choices, and our spiritual posture before Him.

For many sincere followers, that answer leads us straight to Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7- collectively known as the Sermon on the Mount. But before we focus there, let us briefly consider the broader foundations that frame the Bible’s daily relevance.

The Bible: One Unified Message

The Bible is not a random collection of spiritual writings, it is one divine story, centered around God’s redemptive love for His people. Every page, whether history, prophecy, poetry, or doctrine, is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). From the laws of Moses to the psalms of David, from the wisdom of Solomon to the cries of the prophets, from the Gospels to the pastoral letters of Paul, we are led to know God, know ourselves, and live rightly in this world.

Yet, amidst all these sacred writings, one moment in Scripture stands apart as a direct outpouring of Jesus’ own voice, heart, and vision for humanity, His longest recorded sermon in the New Testament, given on a hillside to thousands who had gathered to hear Him. In this single continuous teaching, He lays out the blueprint for daily living in the Kingdom of God.

The Sermon on the Mount: A Manifesto of Heaven

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) is not merely a moral lecture. It is the constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven, a heavenly ethic for earthly living. Spoken not to kings and scholars, but to fishermen, farmers, widows, and children, Jesus offers a radical invitation: to live as salt and light in a darkened world, to love beyond human limits, and to store up treasures in Heaven.

He begins with the Beatitudes, a portrait of the blessed life as seen through God's eyes. Poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, hunger for righteousness, purity, peacemaking, and even persecution, all are seen as signs of divine favour, even though they contradict worldly values.

Then He calls His followers to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees, not through ritual, but through inner transformation. He reveals the spirit behind the Law: anger becomes the root of murder, lust becomes adultery of the heart, revenge is replaced with forgiveness, and love must be extended even to enemies.

He teaches us to pray not with vain repetition but with intimate trust, giving us the Lord’s Prayer as a model of daily dependence on God. He tells us not to worry about food or clothing, for our Father knows what we need, inviting us instead to “seek first His kingdom and righteousness.”

And He closes with both warning and promise: the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, but those who build their lives on His words are like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. They will not fall when the storms of life come.

Why These Chapters Matter Daily

Of all the Bible’s treasures, the Sermon on the Mount uniquely speaks to the rhythms and struggles of everyday life. It speaks to:

1. Our attitudes (humility, mercy, peacemaking)
2. Our relationships (love, reconciliation, forgiveness)
3. Our inner life (purity, prayer, dependence)
4. Our public witness (salt, light, generosity)
5. Our temptations (judgment, hypocrisy, materialism)
6. Our destiny (eternal life through obedience)

It speaks not only to Sunday worship but to Monday labour, to the marketplace, the home, the heart, and the hidden places of the soul. Its words cut deeply, but they heal. They challenge, but they comfort. They are not suggestions, but they are the living words of the King of kings, calling us to follow Him completely.

A Sermon Heard by Thousands, Yet Meant for One Heart

One of the most astonishing details, as I noted, is that thousands, over 5,000 men, plus women and children, gathered to hear Jesus that day on the mountain. In an age without social media like WhatsApp, Tik Tok, Internet, emails, without microphones or stages, they climbed rugged hillsides simply to hear the truth directly from the mouth of the Son of God Himself, not from His disciples or any apostles that followed .

Jesus didn’t just teach them spiritual truths, He fed them. He had compassion on their bodies and their souls. This was no ordinary sermon. This was Heaven touching Earth, eternity whispered into human ears.

And today, 2,000 years later, these words still echo across time, calling us to a life of truth, love, courage, and surrender.

Conclusion: A Lamp to Our Feet

So if we seek a passage of Scripture to guide our daily lives, let us sit again at the feet of Jesus, high upon that Galilean hillside, and listen to Him say:

“Blessed are the pure in heart...”
“Do not worry about tomorrow...”
“Love your enemies...”
“Ask, and it will be given to you...”
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

The Sermon on the Mount does not just inform us, it forms us. It shapes our character, reforms our motives, and aligns our lives with God’s will.

May we live it, share it, and by God’s grace, reflect it - every day.

Let me lead all of us in a devotional prayer: Upon the Mountain with the Lord

Gracious and Holy Father,

We come before Thee with bowed hearts, drawn again to the voice of Thy beloved Son who spoke not in thunder, but with the gentle authority of Heaven. Upon that hillside long ago, He opened His mouth and revealed the heart of the Kingdom. And now, through the Holy Scriptures, His words reach us still, living, breathing, piercing soul and spirit.

Lord, we thank Thee for the Sermon on the Mount, for the truth that flows from the lips of Jesus. We thank Thee for words that humble the proud and uplift the broken, that call us to higher ground, yet meet us where we are.

Thou have taught us, O Lord, what it means to be blessed, not by riches or acclaim, but by purity, mercy, meekness, and a heart that hungers for righteousness. Help us Lord to desire those blessings above all earthly things.

Teach us to be the salt of the earth, preserving what is good, bringing healing to what is wounded. Make us lights in this dark world, that others may see Thy glory reflected in our lives.

Let our anger not become sin; let our eyes remain pure. Teach us to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to love not only those who love us, but those who wound us. This is not easy, Lord, we confess our weakness, but Thou have shown us the way, and Thou promise to walk it with us.

We thank Thee for the gift of prayer, not as empty words, but as communion with Thee, our Father who sees in secret. Teach us to pray as Jesus taught: with reverence, dependence, and trust. Give us today our daily bread, both for our bodies and for our souls, and deliver us from the evil one.

Calm our anxious thoughts, Lord. Remind us that we are more valuable than the sparrows, more radiant in Thy eyes than lilies. Teach us to seek first Thy Kingdom, and trust that all else will follow.

May we not only hear these holy teachings but build our lives upon them. Let us not be foolish builders on sand, but wise disciples whose foundation is the Rock—Jesus Christ, our Savior and King.

And when the storms of life come, and they surely will, may we stand firm, not by our strength, but by Your grace.

We lift up this prayer, Lord, not for ourselves alone, but for every heart that is longing, every soul that is seeking, every person climbing their own mountain today. May they hear Thy voice. May they be fed by Thy truth. And may they find, at last, the narrow gate that leads to life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Teacher and Redeemer, we pray,

Amen.

Most Beautiful Chapters in the Bible - Sermon on The Mount (Part 2)

I shall continue with Part 2 out of 3 on The Most Beautiful Chapters in the Bible which to me is:

 The Sermon on the Mount

It would be an immense joy for me to compose the teachings of Jesus into an essay that reflects the depth of our hearts and the majesty of Christ’s teaching on the mountaintop - an essay meant to be shared as a light to others, just as Christ commands us to be “the light of the world.”

The Sermon on the Mount: A Divine Blueprint for Living

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, we are given one of the most profound and complete teachings of Jesus Christ, the Sermon on the Mount. These three chapters are not merely a moral code or a spiritual meditation. They form the very heart of the Kingdom message, a declaration of how God desires us to live here on earth as we journey toward salvation and eternal life. Spoken not in the grandeur of royal courts but on a quiet mountain slope, these words were powerful enough to draw thousands of people to listen, to climb, to sit, and to be transformed.

A Kingdom Inverted: Matthew 5

The sermon begins with the Beatitudes, a series of declarations that turn human expectations upside down. Jesus blesses not the rich, the proud, or the powerful, but the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. These are not the celebrated of the world, but they are the beloved of Heaven.

In a world that rewards strength, Jesus teaches that spiritual poverty, our recognition of our need for God, is the very gateway to the Kingdom. Mourning becomes sacred when it leads to comfort from God. Meekness is not weakness, but a strength rooted in humility and trust. These beatitudes are not mere poetry; they are the soul of Christian character.

Jesus then tells His followers that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt preserves and adds flavour, just as the presence of godly people preserves righteousness in a decaying world. Light, on the other hand, exposes truth and drives out darkness. We are not to hide our faith but live it openly, radiantly.

What follows is Jesus’ reinterpretation, not abolishment of the Mosaic Law. “You have heard it said... but I say to you...” becomes a refrain through which Christ elevates the commandments from external adherence to internal transformation. Anger is seen as the root of murder. Lust is revealed as the seed of adultery. Retaliation is replaced by forgiveness. He climaxes this with a command to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us. This is not natural to human instinct; it is divine in nature, and thus, the true path of those who would follow Christ.

Spiritual Sincerity and Trust: Matthew 6

In chapter 6, Jesus turns our attention to how we live before God, not before men. He warns against religious hypocrisy, the temptation to perform righteousness to be seen by others. Whether it is giving to the poor, praying, or fasting, Jesus insists that our acts must flow from a sincere heart, not a desire for praise.

At the centre of this chapter lies the Lord’s Prayer, a model of intimacy and reverence. It begins with worship: 

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” It aligns our will to God’s: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” 

It expresses dependence: “Give us this day our daily bread.” It seeks forgiveness and grants it to others. And it calls for protection from temptation and evil. It is the prayer of a heart surrendered fully to the Father.

Jesus then speaks on wealth, worry, and the true treasure. He teaches that we cannot serve both God and money. Our hearts follow our treasure, and so we must lay up treasure in heaven, in acts of faith, love, generosity, and eternal value.

And then come the words that have comforted millions across the centuries: “Do not worry about your life...” Jesus reminds us of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, cared for by the same Father who watches over us. Worry does not add a single hour to our lives. Instead, we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, with the promise that all our needs will be met.

Living Out the Truth: Matthew 7

The final chapter focuses on the practical application of all that has come before. Jesus warns us not to judge hypocritically,  but neither are we to ignore discernment. He instructs us to correct ourselves first before addressing the faults of others.

He then assures us of God’s readiness to respond to sincere seekers: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened.” This is an invitation to a life of persistent, hopeful, childlike prayer.

Perhaps the moral essence of the entire sermon is distilled in one verse: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is the Golden Rule, a principle so pure, yet so challenging to live by fully. It asks not only for fairness but for love, empathy, and sacrifice.

Jesus concludes with sobering truth: the path to life is narrow, and few find it. Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father. Our profession of faith must be matched by a life of obedience. Those who build their lives on these teachings are like a wise man who builds on the rock, steadfast, unshaken by storms.

The Miracle on the Mountain: Feeding the Five Thousand

It was no small thing that over 5,000 men, not including women and children, gathered to hear these words. In an era without microphones, buses, or social media, telephones, WhatsApp, emails, or Internet, these crowds climbed mountains and sat for hours just to hear the words of a carpenter from Nazareth.

When their hunger became too great, Jesus did not send them away, He fed them. From five loaves and two fish came a feast for thousands. This miracle demonstrates His compassion, His divine provision, and His affirmation of the truth He preached. He feeds the soul first, and then the body, never turning away the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness.

The Way to Life:

The Sermon on the Mount is more than a moral code; it is a divine invitation to live as children of the Kingdom. It speaks to every human need, spiritual, emotional, moral, relational, and eternal. It calls us to humility, purity, peace, mercy, faith, forgiveness, and unwavering trust in our Heavenly Father.

To read it is to hear the voice of Jesus; to live it is to walk in His footsteps.

May we climb the mountain with Him in spirit, sit at His feet daily, and rise transformed, as salt, light, and citizens of the eternal Kingdom

May the teachings of our Lord Jesus continue to illuminate our path, and may my sharing of His words be like seeds that fall on good soil, bearing fruit a hundredfold.

With love as deep as the sea and peace that surpasses understanding from my humble self - juboo-lim to all  

(End of Part 2) 

Most Beautiful Chapters in the Bible (Part 1 out of 3 Parts)

There are many verses, and chapters in the Bible that beautifully touches our souls.

They reflects a heart that desires guidance, wisdom, and a life rooted in truth. The Bible is filled with treasures throughout, from Genesis to Revelation, but if I may offer a response rooted in what nourishes our daily lives most practically and spiritually, I would highlight a few of my choices, but for others these depend on the specific kind of nourishment they seek.

1. The Book of Psalms – for emotional and spiritual strength

 It reflects every human emotion, joy, sorrow, fear, hope, despair, thanksgiving. It teaches us to pour out our hearts to God in every circumstance. 

Key Psalm: Psalm 23 - “The Lord is my shepherd…” It reassures us of God's constant care, guidance, and presence in every situation.

2. The Book of Proverbs - for daily practical wisdom

 It contains direct, applicable advice for daily living- on relationships, integrity, speech, anger, discipline, and work ethic.

Key Chapter: Proverbs 3 - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” It teaches dependence on God and the value of divine wisdom over our own understanding.

3. The Gospel of Matthew (especially chapters 5–7) - for moral and ethical living. These 3 chapters are my favourites 

These chapters contain the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches us how to live in God’s Kingdom - humility, mercy, purity, forgiveness, and love for enemies.

Key Verses: Matthew 6:33 - “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” is a powerful compass for life’s priorities.

I have already written some of my thoughts on the Sermon on The Mount here:

 

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2025/06/sermons-on-mount-stark-contrast-with.html

4. Romans Chapter 8 -  for hope, assurance, and spiritual identity

 This chapter is a high point of Christian assurance. It speaks of life in the Spirit, freedom from condemnation, God’s love, and our eternal security.

Key Verse: Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…”

5. James (the entire book) – for faith in action

 It’s extremely practical, about applying faith in daily life: how we speak, how we treat others, how we persevere through trials.

Key Verse: James 1:22 - “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only…”

If I had to choose just one chapter for daily reflection that encompasses humility, wisdom, peace, and trust in God, I would humbly suggest:

Proverbs Chapter 3

It teaches us:

1. To trust God completely,
2. To value wisdom above gold,
3. To walk in righteousness and peace,
4. And reminds us that God disciplines those He loves.

However, Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the gospel of Matthew where Jesus preached on the mountain (Sermons of the Mount) are the teachings of Jesus that touched my heart most. It was not just a few verses Jesus spoke and recorded there by Mathew, but 3 full chapters of them how we need to conduct our lives here on earth to find our way to salvation. 

He even fed some 5.000 people gathered there to hear Him. 5,000 people was a lot of people those days especially in a small place, furthermore they need to climb up a mountain just to hear Jesus. 

Sermon on the Mount, spanning Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 reveals a heart that is truly meditating on what it means to live in the light of God's truth and grace.

Indeed, these three chapters are not mere verses or quaint proverbs; they are nothing less than the manifesto of the Kingdom of God, given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is the longest continuous discourse of Jesus in the Gospels and arguably the most important for personal spiritual formation, ethical living, and heavenly aspiration.

Let me share my thoughts again on these chapters, followed by a reflection on the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, which are so neatly connected.

Matthew 5: The Beatitudes and True Righteousness

This chapter begins with what we now call the Beatitudes, a series of blessings that invert worldly values.

Key Themes:

Spiritual poverty -  “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (v3).

Humility and awareness of our need for God.
Mercy, purity, and peacemaking - These are not just virtues, but reflections of the divine nature we are called to imitate.
Being salt and light -  We are called to preserve truth and shine light in a dark world.

Jesus’ reinterpretation of the Law - “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” (vv21–48).

This is revolutionary: He deepens the law to focus not only on actions, but the heart’s intentions (e.g., hatred is as serious as murder; lust as serious as adultery).

He teaches radical love: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you.

Reflection:

This chapter redefines righteousness not as mere rule-following, but a transformation of heart and character- where love, mercy, and humility become the core of who we are.

 Matthew 6: Living for the Kingdom, Not for the World

This chapter focuses on our spiritual disciplines, prayer, fasting, giving, and warns against hypocrisy and materialism.

Key Themes:

1. Doing righteousness in secret – Our Father sees what is done in secret; this teaches humility and sincerity.
2. The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) – A model of how to relate to God: with reverence, trust, dependence, and forgiveness.
3. Treasures in Heaven – Jesus warns against laying up treasure on earth.
4. Do not worry – “Seek first the kingdom of God…” (v33)

Jesus reminds us that true devotion is inward, not performative. He teaches that faith is not anxiety-free, but trust-filled, rooted in the assurance of God's loving care. In a world obsessed with wealth and image, Christ calls us to simplicity, integrity, and divine focus.

Matthew 7: Judgment, Prayer, and True Discipleship

The final chapter of the sermon centers on our relationships, discernment, and the seriousness of following Christ.

Key Themes:

1. Do not judge hypocritically – But also use righteous judgment.
2. Ask, seek, knock – A promise of God's openness to those who sincerely pursue Him.
3. The Golden Rule – “Do unto others…” (v12) - This is the ethical heart of Jesus' teaching.
4. Narrow and wide gates – Salvation is not the popular path; it is costly and intentional.
5. False prophets and false disciples – Not all who say “Lord, Lord” will enter, but those who do the Father's will.
6. Wise and foolish builders – A call to not only hear, but do His words.

Reflection:

Here, Jesus warns that the path to salvation is not about words, titles, or appearances, but obedience. He urges us to build our lives on solid rock - His teachings, and not on the shifting sands of worldly values or religious pretense.

 The Feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13–21)

I mentioned how Jesus fed 5,000 men (not counting women and children!), an astounding number in those times.

Why it matters:

It shows the magnetic power of His words, people were willing to climb hills, stay for days, and listen without food.

It reveals Christ’s compassion, He not only nourished them spiritually, but also met their physical needs.

It is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist, Jesus taking bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and distributing it.

It is a testimony of divine abundance 

This miracle reminds us that those who hunger for the Word of God will never go unfed, for Jesus supplies not only truth but sustenance, grace, and eternal life.

Indeed, the Sermon on the Mount is not merely beautiful religious poetry, it is a radical, transformational call to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom on earth. It tells us:

What kind of heart God blesses,
How to love authentically,
How to practice our faith humbly,
How to resist worry and judgment,

And how to follow Christ sincerely.

If every Christian meditated on these three chapters and lived them out, the world would be transformed. They are a mirror, a map, and a mandate

I shall write more on these in Part 2 and Part 3