Jesus The Person

My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Isaiah 53:2-3

One of the great things about God is that He wants us to know Him. Not just know about Him, but, to know Him. Obviously as human beings we are defined by the laws of the universe within which we exist and it’s impossible with our finite limitations to fully understand an eternal being with infinite power over time and space. Thus we debate and argue over who or what God is, or if we even believe in Him in the first place. But for those who do, God gave us the Bible. He allows us a glimpse into who He is and how He thinks and what He wants.

When we take a look at Jesus within the pages of His Word we can visualize to some degree what he looked like as a man. We know that he was born in the middle east so he would have the physical characteristics of a middle eastern man. We know that his dad was a carpenter and it’s reasonable as the oldest son in his family to suggest that he had some training as a carpenter. We don’t know much about his childhood except that at the age of 12 he already had a firm command of Old Testament Scripture; he amazed the scholars and teachers of the law with his knowledge even as a kid. We also know that even in his youth he either fully knew what his purpose was or he had a really good idea. He told His mom that his priority was to be about his Father’s work, and it wasn’t Joseph or carpentry he was talking about.

As an adult we know that he didn’t own anything significant. He made the comment to his followers that he didn’t own a home or even live in one. His skin would have been dark toned, not only due to his gene pool, but because he spent the majority of his time outside. His feet would’ve been deeply calloused from walking town to town. He apparently was no GQ model either. The description in Isaiah 53 says he wasn’t attractive. I’m not sure if this hurts his feelings or not, but, it’s what the Bible says. We know that sometimes he slipped out of sight in the middle of crowds so he just looked like any ordinary first century middle eastern guy.

The Bible doesn’t go into a lot of detail about what Jesus looked like primarily because it’s not important. What is important is who Jesus is, what he did and why. And this is what we’re going to focus on this morning.

There may be some here this morning who are wondering why it’s important to even to know this, or maybe you have had conversations with people who want to know more about Jesus. Anytime I talk about faith I like to start by discussing why it’s important to believe in Jesus.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” We need to have faith that God exists before we can sincerely seek him. In Hebrews 4:12 God tells us that the Word is alive and powerful. I want you to take a look at your Bible, or if you are reading on your smart phone or other device, hold it up. Would you refer to the book or device in your hand as alive and powerful? These are inanimate objects. How can a book be alive and powerful?

These Scriptures teach that without faith we cannot please God. We also know that the Bible is living and powerful. And we’ll discover why in just a moment. With this power you hold in your hands, you’re going to examine the most important person who has ever graced this planet. Introduce yourself to the One who will one day see you face to face and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

So who is Jesus?

Let’s read John 1:1, 14-17

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. So the Word became human[d] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.