Who was Jesus
Who Was Jesus
John 1-5
“He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.” (1:39).
The question has confronted humanity for the last 2000 years and remains the most fundamental of all questions. The question that confronts us is, “Who is Jesus?” How we answer the question not only determines our response to the message of Jesus but also our eternal destiny. This was the question John confronts us with at the very start of his gospels. While the other gospel writers began with the historical narrative of Jesus’ birth, John begins with a different perspective. Instead of asking where Jesus came from, he focuses on the question “Who was Jesus?”
Historians agree on the historical reality of Jesus: he was born, and through his teaching, the Christian religion was established. But the real question is who Jesus was. Was he just a religious teacher and a wise man, or was he the Son of God come in the flesh?
John begins his gospel with a simple statement, one that is profound in its implications. The words themselves are simple to translate from the original Greek, but their implications have eternal consequences. In very simple language, John asserts that Jesus was not just another prophet or another religious teacher; rather, he is the revelation of God and is in fact God himself. He entered the world to reveal the fulness of God’s glory to us so that we might receive eternal life (1:12). Unlike every other human being, his life did not begin at conception. Rather, he existed from eternity past, for he was God himself. Having made this assertion, John goes on to describe how Jesus’ early life served to confirm his deity and lay the foundation for our response. Having given us the invitation to come and see, John then provides the proof through his miracles and teaching that Jesus was the Son of God. Through his actions and words, Jesus made it clear that he was more than a prophetic voice; he was equal to the Father. He was God himself in the flesh. John points to four witnesses or proofs of Jesus’ claim. First was the testimony of John the Baptist, whom the people regarded as a prophet of God (5:33). The second witness was the works and miracles that Christ did. The miracles of turning the water into wine, the healing of a loved son who was on his deathbed, and the healing of the sick at Bethesda, along with his claim of equality with God, all pointed to Christ’s claim to be from the Father (5:36). The Father himself further testified of Jesus’ claim through his prophetic words (5:37-38). Finally, the number of prophecies that pointed to and were fulfilled in Jesus testified that Jesus was indeed the Son of the living God (5:39-47).
If Jesus is God, then we are left with only two choices: we must either reject him as a liar and a deceiver, or we must accept his message as from God. If he is from God, then the only appropriate response is to accept his message and obey him completely. If Jesus is God, then we must not only believe him, but we must also obey all his words (5:24). The proof of our faith is not in what we say, but in how we live. Are we living in obedience to his word, and are we accepting that he is the only way of salvation, or are we rejecting his word and thus facing the certainty of eternal judgment (John 3:16-21)? There are only two options, which have two eternal consequences. Which will we choose?
John 1-5
“He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.” (1:39).
The question has confronted humanity for the last 2000 years and remains the most fundamental of all questions. The question that confronts us is, “Who is Jesus?” How we answer the question not only determines our response to the message of Jesus but also our eternal destiny. This was the question John confronts us with at the very start of his gospels. While the other gospel writers began with the historical narrative of Jesus’ birth, John begins with a different perspective. Instead of asking where Jesus came from, he focuses on the question “Who was Jesus?”
Historians agree on the historical reality of Jesus: he was born, and through his teaching, the Christian religion was established. But the real question is who Jesus was. Was he just a religious teacher and a wise man, or was he the Son of God come in the flesh?
John begins his gospel with a simple statement, one that is profound in its implications. The words themselves are simple to translate from the original Greek, but their implications have eternal consequences. In very simple language, John asserts that Jesus was not just another prophet or another religious teacher; rather, he is the revelation of God and is in fact God himself. He entered the world to reveal the fulness of God’s glory to us so that we might receive eternal life (1:12). Unlike every other human being, his life did not begin at conception. Rather, he existed from eternity past, for he was God himself. Having made this assertion, John goes on to describe how Jesus’ early life served to confirm his deity and lay the foundation for our response. Having given us the invitation to come and see, John then provides the proof through his miracles and teaching that Jesus was the Son of God. Through his actions and words, Jesus made it clear that he was more than a prophetic voice; he was equal to the Father. He was God himself in the flesh. John points to four witnesses or proofs of Jesus’ claim. First was the testimony of John the Baptist, whom the people regarded as a prophet of God (5:33). The second witness was the works and miracles that Christ did. The miracles of turning the water into wine, the healing of a loved son who was on his deathbed, and the healing of the sick at Bethesda, along with his claim of equality with God, all pointed to Christ’s claim to be from the Father (5:36). The Father himself further testified of Jesus’ claim through his prophetic words (5:37-38). Finally, the number of prophecies that pointed to and were fulfilled in Jesus testified that Jesus was indeed the Son of the living God (5:39-47).
If Jesus is God, then we are left with only two choices: we must either reject him as a liar and a deceiver, or we must accept his message as from God. If he is from God, then the only appropriate response is to accept his message and obey him completely. If Jesus is God, then we must not only believe him, but we must also obey all his words (5:24). The proof of our faith is not in what we say, but in how we live. Are we living in obedience to his word, and are we accepting that he is the only way of salvation, or are we rejecting his word and thus facing the certainty of eternal judgment (John 3:16-21)? There are only two options, which have two eternal consequences. Which will we choose?
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