Who is Jesus? He has been called a mystic, a revolutionary, a legend, a troublemaker, and much more. Who is Jesus? What was He like? Do we think of Him as the child in the manger or the crucified Savior? People say lots of things about Him. John’s Gospel closes by saying the world could not contain all the books that could be written about Jesus…but Who did He claim to be?
Jesus was misunderstood by people in His day. Some saw him as a political activist; the religious leaders saw Him as a threat to their authority. Jesus asked His closest followers about this in our reading. The disciples were hearing all sorts of rumors as to who people thought Jesus really was. Some thought he was John the Baptist because of his preaching; Elijah because of His power; Jeremiah because of His compassion. To call Jesus a prophet only describes part of Who He was. He turned to His disciples and asked, “Who do you say I am?”
This is the most important question ever asked. School has started, and teachers will be asking lots of questions on tests. This is one question we can’t afford to get wrong. So let’s say someone asks you this week: “Who exactly is Jesus?” How would you answer?
John 3:16 could be translated, “For God so loved the world He gave His unique Son…” Jesus is unique among all the world’s religions because He is God-the-Son. He came to Earth to reveal God to us in human form. Jesus is God’s show-and-tell. To say that Jesus is the Word (as John’s Gospel opens) is another way of saying He is God speaking to us. We are fashioned in the image of God; Jesus is the image of God (Col 1:15). He lived the life we should have lived, and died a death we should have died. On the cross He purchased our forgiveness; He paid the ultimate price for damaged goods, and rose from the dead. He offers pardon to those who don’t deserve it. He didn’t come to judge the world but to save the world. This is true of no other religious leader, of no other religion.
In today’s scientific age, people outright reject what can’t be put under a microscope. And so they demote Jesus to a mere moral teacher. This is nothing new. The so-called “rich young ruler” of Mark 10 approached Jesus, addressing Him as a “good teacher.” Jesus stopped him, stating, “No one is good but God alone.” His point was: “Either you take Me for Who I am or reject Me; there is no middle-ground.” C.S. Lewis points out that it is “patronizing nonsense” to claim that Jesus was “a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.” Lewis goes on to state that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Who He claimed to be. There can be no neutrality regarding our response to God-the-Son.
We read in the New Testament Who Jesus is: "Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:6); "the Lord of glory" (I Cor 2:8); "the Holy and Righteous One" (Acts 3:14); "God blessed forever" (Rom 9:5); "Emmanuel, God-with-us" (Mt 1:23); "Savior" (used throughout the NT). The title “Son of Man” in our reading was a common Messianic title. And when He stated “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30), the word “one” means literally “of the same essence.” Jesus is God--fully divine, and fully human. He came to share with us the very being of God.
Though “in the form of God” (Phil 2), Jesus took on flesh, and for thirty years lived among us. God came to us in Jesus. The glory of God had a human face. The Author entered the story as one of His characters (C.S. Lewis). He suffered the limitations of humanity while retaining His deity. The Eternal Word born of the Father before time began emptied Himself for our sake and became a man! He was tempted, but did not yield to sin. When we pray to Him, He understands--He’s been there. He has experiential understanding of human suffering. He felt hunger, thirst, pain. He appeared to feel at home here, yet He was clearly not at home. Because He walked this earth, He is approachable; He is what the author of Hebrews calls our “sympathetic High Priest.”
When I’m sick, I want a doctor who understands what it’s like to be a patient. Because Jesus came as a man, never again would we be able to say, “God, You don’t understand; You don’t know how hard life is. You don’t know what it’s like to suffer as I’ve suffered. You don’t know what it’s like to face death.” Jesus did not need to experience life to understand us, but because He lived, we understand that He knows what it’s like to live here. Jesus didn’t protect Himself from pain. He felt the pain of nails and the pain of rejection; He felt it all--for us. Jesus reveals a God who loves us and who comes in search of us.
Pontius Pilate was confused and troubled by Jesus. He concluded that Jesus posed no political threat to Rome, even though Jesus claimed to be a King, but one whose Kingdom was “not of this world.” In the end, Pilate the skeptic blindly decided that truth was unknowable, even though he was looking at Truth standing before him, in the face.
Some doubters and skeptics have come to faith by studying the evidence, the historical record, and by discovering how Jesus continues to transform lives by His power. But for some, no evidence seems good enough. This “don’t convince me with the facts” mentality is alive and well. For instance, an Iranian cleric recently proclaimed the Holocaust as “superstition,” in spite of the fact that eye-witnesses are still around to testify to the truth of this horrific event. I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul who stated there were over 500 people who saw the resurrected Christ. He was implying, “If you don’t believe me, ask them!” How much evidence do you need? For some people, no amount will suffice because they’re determined to doubt.
Peter’s confession (16) is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Christ, which means “the anointed One” (Christ is His title, not His last name). Peter understood what many did not; there was no single unified view of the Messiah in the first century (NT Wright). Peter was with Jesus; he heard Jesus teach and heal. Being present to see Jesus may seem like a huge advantage, yet many who saw Jesus remained in unbelief. Our Lord tells Peter that his understanding came from Above.
Jesus left the splendor of Heaven He came to save those who do not deserve His love. In Heaven He was worshipped; on Earth He was reviled, hated, and executed. The Creator placed Himself in the hands of His creation. His crucifixion is the worst thing the human race has ever done…yet our Lord’s death cancels out our sin. Jesus was the reality to which the OT sacrificial system had pointed (Wright). The Cross of Christ gives us hope where there is no hope. His life and death and resurrection have transformed the world.
Without Jesus, we have no hope of forgiveness or eternal life; without Him, we’ve lost our best Friend; without Him, we’re on our own; without Him, we don’t have a prayer. John Newton, converted slave trader and composer of our hymn Amazing Grace, had this to say: “I am a great sinner, but Jesus is a great Savior.”
Who is Jesus to you? Jesus is the Way to Heaven. He is both “the Goal of our journey and the Companion of our way” (Barclay). For an ever-changing world, there is a never-changing message: Jesus Christ is Lord!
