“Just as ID cards have specific, nonnegotiable criteria set by the government, there were clear, nonnegotiable traits outlined in Scripture for the Messiah. If someone asked you to give Jesus a messianic TSA PreCheck, would you be confident you could screen him properly? Could you demonstrate, beyond question, that he is the real Messiah?”- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
In Chapter 6 (“The Messiah They Predicted”) of The Missing Messiah, Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore wryly observe that, in this era of REAL IDs, proving your identity is not for the faint of heart. So, Kyle and Mark ask, why such intense scrutiny?” Because, in our AI age, digital doppelgangers lurk around every corner.
Consequently, identity matters more than ever. Hence, here’s the sobering truth. When the stakes are high, casual identification fails to do the job. Therefore, the authors wonder, how much more important is it to confirm Jesus’ identity as the true Messiah?
In addition, Kyle and Mark point out, all the “big boys” of the early church made a point of showing Jesus as the Messiah. Take:
- Peter – the main goal of his first sermon centered on proving Jesus was the Messiah. To do so, Peter demonstrated how Jesus fulfilled the necessary conditions of Old Testament prophecy.
- Paul (aka Saul) – as Kyle and Mark note, while still dripping wet from his baptism, he set out to prove that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. As Acts 9:22 reports: “Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”
- Apollos – Mark and Kyle stress that Apollos turned biblical prophecy into a master class in messianic validation. That Apollos “vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate” (Acts 18:28).
Today’s question: If someone asked you to give Jesus a messianic TSA PreCheck, could you screen Him properly? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “LinkedIn profile, FBI background check”