Who Was Jesus of Nazareth?

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Matthew 16:15

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

NKJV

Every Christmas we encounter the Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas controversy.  Those favoring the use of Happy Holidays justify their position claiming Christmas offends those of religions other than Christianity or atheists.  In other words, the word Christ is Christmas is not politically correct (PC).

In spite of media efforts to derail the Trump campaign, he continues to surge in the polls.  (1)  I believe much of the reason Mr. Trump continues surge in the polls is he is not PC.  With this in mind, many retailers who are afraid of offending someone by using Happy Holidays this coming Christmas may want to look at Mr. Trumps surge and consider the damage offending Christians by not wishing them a Merry Christmas may cause. 

In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks his disciples a very important question, “But who do you say that I am.”  The reason this question is so important is that it is a question we all will need to answer (Matthew 10:32-33).  The question is not just how we will answer this question but when.  People have many impressions about who Jesus was, here are a few

1)      Jesus was a good man (John 7:12) – I believe most people are good people but just being good is not enough to get one into heaven.  In fact Scripture reminds us that any good works we do, no matter how good they may be, are not enough to earn entrance into heaven (Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 64:6). 

2)      Jesus was an ordinary man (John 7:26-27) – This impression was what many religious leaders of the time of Christ used to dispute his claims of being the Son of God and Messiah.  Many religions today, including Islam, acknowledge Jesus lived and even that he was a good man but do not acknowledge he was anything more than a good ordinary man.  (2)

3)      Jesus was a deceiver (John 7:20) – This is a view atheists and even some Jews have.  They believe Jesus used trickery to perform miracles in order to deceive people into following Him.  If this were the case, however, once Jesus, the deceiver, was gone, why would these people not deny Him when they were facing death. 

4)      Jesus was an evil man (John 7:20) – Some of the religious leaders of the time of Christ justified the miracles Jesus performed by saying he was possessed by a demon and was able to perform miracles using this demonic power (John8:52).  Once again, if that were so, he was abusive towards his fellow demons for he cast many out and even sent many to their destruction in a herd of swine (Mark 5:9-13). 

5)      Jesus is a courageous man (John 7:26a) – There is no denying Jesus was courageous for only a courageous man would stand silent before his accusers when facing death by crucifixion (Matthew 27:13-14).  Believing in the courage of Jesus is a way to admire Him but once again is insufficient for salvation.

6)      Jesus is a prophet (John 7:40) – This is how Islam views Jesus.  (2)  However when we look at John 7:40, it does not just say Jesus was a prophet, it says he was the prophet.  There is no doubt Jesus is a prophet in the biblical sense for he foretold of future events, even his death, and exhorted people by healing the sick, opening blinded eyes, and casting out demons.  However, Jesus is not just a prophet, he is the prophet, the Messiah, and the Way (John 14:6).

7)      Jesus was a great teacher (John 7:14-16) – Many have benefitted by applying the teachings of Christ to their lives.  However, once again just adhering to the teachings of Christ is not enough to guarantee eternal life.  In His discourse with the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22), Jesus told him to obey the commandments in order to receive eternal life.  The man acknowledged that he had obeyed the commandments since his youth.  However, in order to seal the deal, Jesus asked him to sell his possessions and give them to the poor.  This does not mean believers in Christ are to have no possessions but that we must not only adhere to the teaching of Christ but we also must commit our lives to Him. 

8)      Jesus is the Christ (John 7:31) – Granted Jesus was a flesh and blood man, a good man, courageous, a prophet, and a great teacher.  However, for one to be saved and have eternal life, one must believe he is the Christ. 

Someday we will all stand before Christ and he will ask us the same question he asked his disciples.  However, to wait until then to acknowledge he is the Christ will be too late.  We therefore must answer the question before then.  If you cannot answer the question with you are the Christ and my Savior, I want to invite you to do so now by praying this prayer,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now can rest and have peace knowing that when you see Jesus face-to-face, you can answer, “You are the Christ” to which he will respond, “Well done good and faithful servant.”  In addition, this Christmas, wish everyone a Merry Christmas and proudly use the name of the one who died and rose again to save you from your sins.

1. Tani, Maxwell. Donald Trump is Blowing Everyone Else Out of the Water in 2 Key States. www.businessinsider.com. [Online] Business Insider, August 25, 2015. [Cited: August 25, 2015.] www.businessinsider.com/poll-donald-trump-leads-new-hampshire-south-carolina-2015-8.

2. Sound Vision. A Comparison of the Islamic and Christian views of Jesus. www.soundvision.com. [Online] Sound Vision. [Cited: August 25, 2015.] www.soundvision.com/article/a-comparison-of-the-islamic-and-christian-views-of-jesus.