Through Him All Things Were Made

Jesus Christ is the Master Artisan

The section on the 
nature and deity of Christ
ends with 
with another reference 
to the first chapter of the Gospel of John:
“All things were made through him, 
and without him was not anything made,
that was made.” (John 1:3)

Jesus Christ is the Maker of heaven and earth,
just as the Father is maker of heaven and earth.

300 years 
after the Nicene Creed was written,
a group of Christians rose up 
and began cutting the hands off 
the artists
who painted icons.

Today we call this the “Iconoclast Controversy.”
It was an ugly chapter in church history,
and it sadly was repeated again 
during the Protestant Reformation.

Those who believe 
that all forms of art and creation are idolatry,
fundamentally miss the heart of the matter:
The Christian is a little Christ,
and this Messiah
is God in the Flesh.
God with us.
And our Messiah is the creator of all that is, seen and unseen.
And as we transition to the section of the Creed about his life,
we shall see that the 
Incarnation changes everything.

So let’s look at this phrase:
Through Him all things were made.
Jesus Christ is the Eternal Artisan

Hebrews 13:8 tells us
“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.”

In the charismatic streams of the church,
this verse is generally used 
to win a theological argument
with people who believe 
in the false teaching called cessationism.
Cessation 
is the heretical idea 
that miracles, 
signs, 
wonders, 
and the supernatural 
all ceased 
when the Bible was completed.  
And Hebrews 13:8 rightly tells us:
Jesus Christ still heals today.

But this verse is about something much bigger.  
It’s about the nature and character of Jesus Christ.  
Before the Incarnation, 
during his life on earth, 
and now, in all eternity, 
Jesus Christ is the same.  
He never changed 
when he became a man 
from who he was before all creation.  
And the Creed says:
Through Him all things were made.
Jesus Christ, Just like the Father, is Maker.

And this comes from John 1:3:
“all things were made through him, 
and without him 
nothing was made that was made.”
Let’s define a word:
Prior to the late 19th Century 
the concept of the “artist” 
was very different from today.

There were no “artists” as we understand them.  
There were only artisans, 
and they were members of a trade.
The primary job of the master artist 
was to record historical events, 
retell stories from history 
and important cultural truths,
keep a record of collective cultural memory,
and record the images 
of important members of the community, 
like heroes, royalty, and saints.
Through painting, 
storytelling, 
song,
and theatre,
the artisan 
kept the culture alive.

As it says in Ecclesiasticus 38:34
“They keep stable the fabric of the world, 
and their prayer is the practice of their trade.”

So if the true artist stops doing their true job, 
the world goes into chaos and loses all stability.

So when you hear the word “artisan” in the Scripture,
this word means 
painter, sculptor, weaver, potter, woodworker,
writer, scribe, and a thousand other applied crafts.  
And this is the way I use the word.

So the Bible begins with God speaking the word, 
and creating all things.  
As I mentioned earlier,
the word for “call” is very important 
in the first chapter of Genesis.
And from John 1, 
we can assume that Jesus was the Word 
that was spoken in that moment.
And when Genesis 1 refers 
to “Us” and “We” in reference to God
we have to understand that Jesus 
was there with the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the source 
of every creative miracle in the Bible.
He is, and was, first and foremost creator.  
He was the Maker.

Jesus was one of the three visitors 
who spoke the word to Abraham,
and Sarah conceived.

Jesus was the one 
who led the Israelites out of bondage into freedom.

This is why when Jesus said in John 6:35 
“I am the Bread that came down from heaven”
he was setting the record straight.  
He was the source of the Manna.  
He was the bread who sustained Israel, 
so that not one of them were sick in the desert, 
and none of their shoes wore out.
They were experiencing New Covenant reality 
in the Old Covenant. 

This is why Bezalel was called in Exodus chapters 31 and 35, 
and is named the first Artisan in the Bible.

Bezalel was given an extraordinary list of gifts when he was filled with the Holy Spirit:
Etching gem stones,
hammering gold
weaving cloth,
making dyes,
carving wood,
making incense,
and the ability to teach.
This is why Bezalel could construct something
exactly as Moses saw it on the mountain.
All these things pointed to Jesus the maker of all things.
There are thousands of books about Christ in the Tabernacle.

And when Jesus took flesh, 
he learned a trade.
And he was the son of the carpenter.
He continued to be a maker in his earthly life.
The word in Greek that is translated “carpenter”
is not a builder of buildings and houses.

This is the word for “artisan with wood.”
He was a fine craftsman and spent his time 
carving utensils, 
home implements, 
fine furniture,
torah scrolls, 
spice boxes, 
and other wooden objects.

And of course,
Jesus created many things 
during his earthly ministry:
water into wine,
bread for the multitudes,
opening blind eyes,
causing the lame to walk,
the deaf to hear,
and the dead to rise.
And he was a story teller and a culture maker.
And in his death and resurrection
Jesus established a New Covenant and a Kingdom.
And Paul said that he created a new creation.
He created a new day of worship,
the eighth day.

And then before he ascended
he told us he was going to continue making.
He was going to prepare a place for us.
He is making right now as you read this.
And Hebrews tells us that this place
is the place that Abraham saw, 
all those thousands of years ago.
A city whose Master Architect 
and creative designer is God.
The words in the Greek are artisan 
and divine creative force.

And then we look at the end of the Bible, 
in Revelation 21
we see a new creation.
A city made in heaven 
of hammered gold,
and etched gemstones,
and filled with light and color
And kings from every culture will bring their glory into it.

It is the marriage of heaven and earth,
God and man.
The establishment of the Kingdom
under the rule of the King.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

In several of my books 
I talk about the shift we have made 
into the next Christian era.

And I have said that the pastor 
would no longer be the dominant leader of the church.

God is raising up artists and artisans 
who will operate in the full five-fold ministry:
Apostles 
who pioneer the Kingdom 
in every realm of the arts and creativity.
Prophets 
who reveal the true revelation of heaven 
untainted by the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Evangelists 
who declare the good news of the Kingdom 
to those who have never heard it.
Teachers 
who use their gifts to unpack Scripture 
and lead people to maturity.
Pastors 
who care for the poor, 
the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer.

And these five-fold artisans 
are being raised up 
to bring the Kingdom
and prepare the way for the return of the Lord.

As you can imagine, pastors didn’t like what I said.
And the few publishers 
and book reviewers to whom I sent my books 
either refused to publish 
or review it
or sent me full on abusive reviews.

But as I study Scripture, 
and follow these threads,
the picture 
in the original languages 
is more and more clear.
God is the artist, 
the designer, 
the Author of Beauty, 
the King of Creation,
and is preparing a thing for us
and we are his masterpiece.
We are little copies of the Icon of the Father.
God created us to be like him
and he wanted us to take a wild world
and make a Kingdom 
where we could rule and reign with him
in beauty and honor
together.

Jesus Christ was both the image of the Father,
and the creator of masterpieces--
Little reflections of him
and his kingdom.