Who is Jesus?
The question is not new; it has existed since before Jesus lived on earth. In Old Testament times, people anticipated the one about whom it was said would be the Redeemer of Zion, the one called the Prince of Peace or Messiah.
When Jesus was on earth, people who followed Him asked, “Who are you?” Religious leaders and government officials also asked this most important question. Jesus even asked His closest followers to tell Him whom they thought He was.
The question still exists today. On television, radio, and the Internet, people ask, “Who is Jesus?” Each week Christian ministers and Sunday School teachers ask those who hear them to decide who Jesus is. Recently over 710 million persons have seen the film “Jesus”, which provides an opportunity for viewers to make a decision as to whom they think Jesus is.
Perhaps you are trying to establish an answer to this question. You may be from a non-Christian background or perhaps you are from a Christian home, but you are seeking a personal faith rather than claiming an inherited faith that lacks meaning and relevance. You might even be a Christian who wants to know more about Jesus. In all honesty, no one ever knows all there is to know about Jesus.
The Bible Tells Me So
The most complete source of information on the identity of Jesus is the Bible. Because mankind sinned and required a Saviour, God promised Jesus’ coming throughout the Old Testament. He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, reared in Nazareth, and received some training from the leaders of the synagogue where He discussed the Scripture of the Jews. Living in the home of His earthly father Joseph, Jesus probably learned the trade of carpentry from him.
At the age of 30, Jesus asked His cousin John the Baptist to baptize Him after which He began His ministry of teaching, healing, and working miracles. Jesus denounced sins and proclaimed a gospel of love. He empowered His followers to do the work of God on earth. As the only sinless man, He took the sins of all persons upon Himself when He was crucified. Three days after He had been buried, He arose from the dead. After His resurrection and the final 40 days of His earthly ministry, He ascended to heaven, His eternal home, where He lives forever more. Christians await His second coming.
Names given to Jesus in the Bible point to qualities that tell readers about God's unique Son. Jesus, the name by which most know Him, means Saviour. Among His names are: Christ (Messiah, the Anointed One), the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Good Shepherd, the Light, the Bread of Life, Immanuel (God with us), Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Lord, the Son of Man, the Son of God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, rabbi, and teacher.
In Jerusalem, Rome, Antioch, and other parts of the Roman Empire, the followers of Jesus formed groups of believers called Churches. Letters written by Paul and included in the New Testament provide information about Jesus, the first converts to Christianity, and the young Churches.
From Ancient Historical Sources Jesus changed the direction of history. His impact was so great that the years before His life are known as B.C., the years before Christ. All time since Jesus lived has been known as A.D., the years of our Lord, Anno Domini. Although it is not the definitive source of information about Jesus, His name can be found in ancient pagan literature. Four great Roman writers, Tacitus, Suetonius, the younger Pliny, and Lucian made reference to Jesus when they wrote between 112 A.D. and 170 A.D. Through reading these sources, one can learn that the church continued to grow and expand after Jesus' ascension.
The Jewish writer Josephus spoke of the martyrdom of James whom he called, "the brother of Jesus who is called the Christ."
Information about early Christians can be found in more than ten thousand inscriptions in the catacombs of Rome. Early Christians could not always agree on what they believed about the historical Jesus. The concepts of Jesus' being one with the Heavenly Father, the Trinity, and the Divinity as well as the humanity of Jesus were issues that resulted in strong disagreements. Church councils established statements of belief and confessions such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.
Partial Knowledge
It is possible to know about Jesus without knowing Him. Non-Christians have found His teachings to be good models for successful living. For example, Mohandas K. Gandhi the great leader of India, maintained that he was indebted to the teachings of Jesus, which gave him direction for his passive resistance and civil disobedience movement.
Jews recognize Jesus as the founder of one of the world's great religions, but they do not accept Him as the Messiah promised through their covenant with Jehovah.
Other religions consider Him to be but one among many prophets helping people to know God. None of these ways of knowing Jesus is how He desires to be known.
To Know Jesus Personally
Most religions were founded by human beings and are based on philosophies, rules, and norms of behavior created by humans.
One could remove all mention of the founders of these religions from their belief systems, and little would change. If one removed Jesus from Christianity, there would be nothing left because Christianity is more than philosophy and rules.
Christianity is based on a vital relationship with Jesus. If one knows Jesus, it is impossible to separate the teachings of Jesus from the person of Jesus. Acknowledging that Jesus was a remarkable man, even the most remarkable man who ever lived, does not result in understanding a life lived in accordance to what He taught. Persons who really know Him have moved beyond a description of the human attributes of Jesus to establish a spiritual relationship with Him through which believers become sons or daughters of God.
To know Jesus on a spiritual people must believe that Jesus is who He claimed
He is - both the Son of Man and the Son of God in whom alone there is salvation.
They must recognize are sinners in need of forgiveness and confess their sins to receive the cleansing that Jesus can give. After one receives the cleansing of Jesus, one is a Christian. God's spirit lives from then on in that a person. All persons have a need for God. That need or void in every life can be filled by a relationship with Jesus.
The capacity of Jesus to fill that void was explained in a word picture made by Blaise Pascal, a French physicist and philosopher, who said, "There is a God- shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through His Son Jesus Christ." The ultimate question that each person must answer is who is Jesus to me? Have you let Him fill the God-shaped vacuum in your life so that you might have a relationship with Him?
- Culled from: Rolling the Stone, A Leisure & Devotional Magazine, March 1997, pg. 51-53.
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