Who Was Jesus?

Who was Jesus? "Who was Jesus?" Was He a worldly reformer, charismatic leader, failed political revolutionary, homosexual lover, rabbinical genius, or disillusioned guru of a ragged band of followers? Was he one of a hierarchy of religious teachers, part of a long evolutionary process in the history of religions? Or was He the unique, one-of-a-kind, unparalleled self-disclosure of God Himself to man? Every generation seems to try to view Jesus in their own image. This confusion should not surprise us. After all it was Jesus Himself who first raised the question when He asked, "Who do men say that I am?" He understood that His mission and message were likely to be misunderstood. And as a pastor living in a growing suburb of Washington, D.C.

filled with busy people and fast-paced, overextended, gas pedal-to-the-floor lives, the answer to that question has taken an interesting turn. People in this area spend their time caring for babies, helping teenagers sort our their lives, surviving pressures of government employment, facing marriages which have grown cold, and working through increasingly complex daily decisions. To them the question is not only "Who was Jesus?" but also, "Do I really have time to find out?" And so we find ourselves with a problem on our hands. According to our culture, the identity of Jesus has a thousand possibilities - "Who was Jesus? Well, if you have time to even ask, here is a multi-colored collage of images. Take your pick.

" That's our culture's answer to the question. But what if we took time to examine who Jesus was? And what if we asked the question to people who actually knew him, rather than our contemporaries? Let's walk through Seven Remarkable Confessions that are found in the first four books of the New Testament and look at what each confessor said about Jesus:Peter Peter was one of Jesus' disciples. He spent about three years in Jesus' company. One day Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Nathaniel Nathaniel, was one of John the Baptist's disciples.

Before Jesus ever met Nathaniel, he discerned his character. Nathaniel's response was: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel" (John 1:49). The Woman of Samaria & her friends Jesus asked for a drink from a woman at a town. The conversation was revealing, because Jesus told the women all about her life without ever having met her. She went back to the town and said to the people, "Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.

Could this be the Messiah?" The town's people talked with Jesus for two days and came to this conclusion: "We know that this man really is the Savior of the world" (John 4:29,42). Peter One day a number of people who had been following Jesus felt that his teaching was too hard and decided to leave him. Jesus asked his disciples, " Do you want to leave me too?" Peter spoke for the rest, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:69). This idea that Jesus was uniquely holy - that is, that he was pure and without sin is found in other places in the New Testament record: 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5.

Martha Jesus came to a lady named Martha at the death of her brother. Jesus talked with her about life after death. In the midst of this discussion Jesus asked Martha what she believed about who he was. Martha said, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who has come into the world" (John 11:27). Jesus Himself In a law court a person is permitted to testify on his own behalf.

Jesus spoke on a number of occasions about his own view of who he was. One of the most dramatic happened on the evening before his death. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.

...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:6 -9). That is a very substantial claim and a rather exclusive statement.

Thomas A seventh confession is given to us by a disciple that was an empiricist, that is, he wanted to see proof before he would reach a conclusion. Apparently he found the proof he required. His confession about Jesus is the most extraordinary of all. He called Jesus: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). It would seem a very strange thing to regard a man who could die as also divine, but nine times it is recorded in the New Testament that Jesus allowed men to worship Him! He didn't rebuke them or stop them in any way.

The New Testament view seems to be that Jesus was as much God as if He were not man at all; he was as much man as if He were not God at all. "Who was Jesus?" Here is the testimony of Seven Confessions from people who saw, observed, ate with, slept with, and heard Jesus. Who did they say Jesus was? You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel. We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.

We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who has come into the world. I am the way, the truth, and the life...

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. My Lord and my God! Now you must answer one more question: "Who is Jesus for you?" Does the question of "who is Jesus?" impact on you personally? Jesus seemed to be very concerned about what people thought of him - not in the sense that he was seeking approval - but in the sense that the question was significant for those he asked. It was his view that their answer to that question determined their destiny - the ultimate course of their life. Who is Jesus for you? I am convinced that the Bible is not only a guide and road map for daily living, but also the accurate recorded history of a majestic God who wants to be near and close to His people. He walked among human beings and those who observed him made accurate confessions about who he was.

These confessions have led many Christians down through the centuries to affirm certain things about Jesus. We affirm that the God whose world this is has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. We affirm that Jesus is head of the Church and is Lord of all. We affirm that he is the name above every name. His love is for all mankind.

He has died and risen again for all. Therefore, we can go to men of other faiths or to men of none in humility and confidence, for the Gospel we preach is the account of what God has done and still does for all men. All men have the right to know this, and those who do know it are committed to making it known. No one, and least of all Christians, can hold that it does not matter what men believe as long as they believe something. The ultimate issue in human life is precisely: "Who is Jesus?"