| | Who Is Jesus and Can I Know Him? | | The question of who Jesus is is one that Jesus Himself asked! "Who do men say that I am" He asked His disciples one day. Why He would wonder about the publics' understanding of His identity shows that it is of vital importance. In fact your very life - your eternal destiny - hinges on how you answer. Who do you say that His is? | | People have generally fallen into four different groups in answering. First, and maybe the largest group, is composed of those who've never considered the question. They've never really thought about it. Then there are those who consider Him to be the greatest religous huckster of all time; an egocentric manipulator of gullible people who pulled the wool over the eyes of the masses. Others think Jesus was a classic case of mental illness; a paranoid megalomaniac who made outlandish claims that finally got Him killed. Lastly, there are those who believe He was the promised Messiah of the Jews; and the Lord and Savior of all mankind. | | Let me say something about the huckster and lunatic ideas first because if you'd been convinced of either of them you'd probably not be spending time at a church website reading about Jesus. Chances are you're reading this because you're in the first category. You're genuinely wondering who Jesus is - and maybe had considered whether He was a charlatan or crazy. | | | | Religious Huckster? | | Perhaps the greates testimony against His being a cheap charlatan is that He did not recant of this when on trial for His life. If a con man is caught, if his scheme is exposed and he's facing punishment - especially the death sentence - unless he admits it and comes clean, he's going to do that! Who would die for what he knew was a sham, a lie? |  But Jesus did not recant a word. In fact He insisted to the very end that He was the King of the Jews (Mark's gospel, ch.15, verse 2); the Messiah and the Son of God (Matthew's gospel, chapter 26, verses 63-64). At this point there is nothing to be gained by maintaining the charade if that's what it was. But it wasn't a charade. It was the truth. | | | Mental Case? | | Of course He could have been mentally ill. Delusions of grandeur - thinking oneself to be divine - is not uncommon. But most people in this mental state rarely have the ability to maintain basic hygiene let alone propound the most sublime ethical teaching the world has ever heard before or since. Furthermore, people tend to avoid the mentally ill out of a natural sense of unease. But Jesus attracted multitudes because of His exalted moral character, His wit, and the message of hope He brought. | | This is not to mention the truly miraculous powers that eye witnesses saw Him perform, and this not for show but in great compassion for the suffering and outcasts of society. Greatest of all was His claim that He would rise from the dead after three days which is exactly what happened - His tomb was empty and He appeared to hundreds of His followers over a period of weeks! | | | | Great Moral Teacher? | | By now you may be wondering why I haven't considered the outlook which many people hold about Jesus - that He was simply a great moral teacher but nothing more. Actually, that theory falls into the first category I mentioned at the beginning. To think this way is to reveal that you haven't thought the question through. What do I mean? Let me quote C.S. Lewis in answering: |  "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. 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 level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon 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. He did not intend to..."
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity | | | Who Is Jesus? |  Who is Jesus? It seems obvious that He was neither a conman nor a lunatic. The only compelling answer is that He is the Son of God. But He is not simply a character from ancient history. He is risen from the dead. He has ascended to heaven where He sits enthroned at the right hand of God His Father and will return someday to judge the living and the dead. What's more, He tells us we can live forever with Him in His Kingdom - as His brothers and sisters; as His friends. He will take away the guilt of our sins and make us new. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). Knowing Him is just a prayer away! |
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