Not everyone in Jesus’ day thought He was Who He claimed to be, and it is the same today. Many thought then that He was nothing more than a nobody, many feel the same today. Many thought He was an evil man, many feel the same today. Many thought He was irrelevant to the times, many feel the same today. Many were unaffected by His words, many feel His words are meaningless today. In His time on earth Jesus was thought of as nothing more than…….
- A lowly carpenter – (Mark 6:3)
- The son of Joseph – (John 6:42)
- A sinner – (John 9:24)
- An illegitimate child – (John 8:41)
- A devil – (Matthew 12:24)
- A mad man – (John 10:20)
- A fool and the object of contempt and scorn – (Matthew 27:38-43)
- Average – even His brothers had harsh things to say about Jesus – (John 7:3-5)
- If they said these things about Jesus then – what will they say about Him now?
History has recorded what a few people groups say about Jesus
- The Jehovah’s Witnesses – “Michael the Archangel is no other than the only begotten Son of God, now Jesus Christ.” (New Heavens and New Earth, pp, 30-31)
- The Mormons – “…Jesus, our elder brother was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our father in Heaven.” (Journal of Discourses; Vol. 1, pp. 50-51.) “…that Lucifer the son of the morning is our elder brother, and the brother of Jesus.” (Apostle B. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 163-164.) “Jesus was married at Cana of Galilee and had many wives, including Mary and Martha, he also had man children.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pp. 345-346; Vol. 2, pp. 79-82; Vol. 4, pp. 259-260; The Seer, p. 172). Jesus was the first baby born to God in Heaven, when God, in a physical body, had sexual intercourse with Mary, His Own daughter. He is the spirit brother of Lucifer
- Islam – “Jesus was no more than a mortal whom Allah favored and made and example to the Israelites. They are unbelievers who say God is Messiah, Mary’s son.” (Sura 43:59) Jesus was a prophet, but He was not crucified on a cross. He will return, but He is not God
- The Hindu – Jesus is just one of millions of gods
- The Jewish Talmud – Jewish writings that detail how Jews are to live their lives, has the following things to say about Jesus. “She who was the descendant of princes and governors played the harlot with carpenters.” (Sanhedrin, 106a) “Miriam (Mary) the hairdresser had sexual relations with many men.”, (Shabbeth 104b) “Jesus was executed because He practiced Sorcery”, (Sanhedrin 43a) “Jesus is in Hell being boiled in hot excrement.” (Giffin 57a) The Jewish Encyclopedia pictures Jesus as “blind in one eye and lame in one foot”
All people have ideas about Jesus, but many are not biblical ideas founded and based in the word of God.
C.S. Lewis once said, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg – or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
With a good study of the Scripture, and the revelation of its meaning through the work of the Holy Spirit, will show us Who Jesus is. Who do theses say He is?
- God – (Matthew 3:17) (Matthew 17:5)
- Angels – (Luke 1:32) (Luke 2:11)
- Demons – (Matthew 8:29) (Luke 4:41) (James 2:19)
- Peter – (Matthew 16:16)
- John – (John 1:1, 14)
- Thomas – (John 20:28)
Also important to consider is what Jesus said about Himself
- (John 6:35)…….“I am the bread of life”
- (John 8:12)…….“I am the light of the world”
- (John 8:58)…….“Before Abraham was, I am”
- (John 10:9)…….“I am the door”
- (John 10:11)…….“I am the good shepherd”
- (John 10:30)…….“I and my Father are one”
- (John 10:36)…….“I am the Son of God”
- (John 11:25)…….“I am the resurrection and the life”
- (John 14:6)…….“I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father, but by me”
- (John 14:9)…….“he that hath seen me hath seen the Father”
- (John 15:1)…….“I am the true vine”
When we learn of Jesus, Who He is in comparison to who we are, we realize some very important truths of Who Jesus Christ is…….
1. He is the Lord
- He is Lord of the heaven and earth – He made them
- (Psalm 24:1)…….“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein”
- (Psalm 33:6)…….“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth”
- (Colossians 1:16)…….“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”
2. He is the King
- He is the King of kings and Lord of lords – (1 Timothy 6:15)
- (Philippians 2:9-11)…….“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
- (Romans 14:11-12)…….“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God”
- (2 Corinthians 5:10)…….“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”
3. He is the forgiver of sins
- His mission was to save the lost
- He has the authority to forgive sin
- So Who is Jesus? – According to you?