In June 2020 Bible and Breakfast explored the topic: Who is Jesus? Below is a short reflection from that meeting.

Who is Jesus?

To some He may be a simple swear word, used when you stub your toe against a wooden table, or an expression of shock when you hear surprising news.

To many He is ‘baby’ Jesus from the nativity story along with three wise men on a holy night, long, long ago. 

To Christians He is God and Saviour. He is the one who came in human flesh, who lived a sinless life but died a sinner’s death, all so that you and I could escape punishment and live at peace in God’s family.

I fall into the third category. I have attended church my whole life and was born again nearly 10 years ago. I have listened to countless sermons detailing who Jesus is and what he has done. So, if I’m honest, I was not particularly excited about the topic of the month: Who is Jesus? I felt like I knew the answer already…

And then the pastor spoke. One of the very first things he said was: ‘The extent to which you know who I [Jesus] am is the extent to which you will follow me [Jesus].’ I was immediately convicted of my pride. How arrogant of me to assume that I knew God completely! But if you are honest, you probably have done that too. Have you ever been to church and rolled your eyes because the preacher was speaking from a very familiar passage? Or skim read a devotion because it focused on a well-known text? Fun fact: I used to guess what the topic of the sermon would be at church based on the selected scriptures for the week. Now that is vanity! Some of you may shrug and call it maturity when actually it is pride. It is the belief that there is nothing new to learn. 

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (ESV). 

At the very least, this means the word of God is relevant today. At the very most, it is not something to mess around with. When approached with humility it has the power to break, expose and utterly transform you.

So, who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God. ‘Son of God’ is a title given to angels and people to demonstrate their relationship with (or to reflect something of) God. But when applied to Jesus it refers to his eternal existence – it is a bold claim of having the very same nature as God. To have the nature of God is to be God. Matthew 3:17, 16:5, 17:5

It is also a messianic title. The Old Testament had predictions of a Divine Messiah who would redeem God’s people. This same Messiah is also called ‘Mighty God’ – Isaiah 7:14, 9, 61.

Jesus is God and therefore deserves to be worshipped as God. If we were to look at our lives in all honesty, do we truly revere him as God? Have we scoured the scriptures to learn what kind of God he is? His likes and dislikes? What makes him smile? Today is a good day to learn about the heart of God.

Jesus is the Son of Man. There is a prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 of a Son of Man who is not just a man but is divine. This is crucial because Jesus had to be fully man in order to be a perfect sacrifice for our atonement. Matthew 1:23, 1 Timothy 2:5-7, Philippians 2:5-7. 

As a Christian I admit that I do not understand how God is both God and Man but to not understand something does not mean that it is not true. 1 Timothy 3:16. 

We read books and watch films about ordinary people who one day become extraordinary superheroes. It’s fun and exciting. But have you considered what it might have been like for God to choose to live as a human being? Everything he did was empowered by God, modelling a dependency you and I are to have on God. Consider reading through the book of Luke to learn more about Jesus, focusing on what He did and how He acted on earth. Trust me, it is incredible.

Jesus is the Christ. Christ means “anointed one.” Jesus is God’s appointed Saviour to bring salvation to the people. John 11:27, Matthew 16:16.

The Jews believed the Messiah or Christ would be a political king who would free them from their Roman oppressors. But Jesus did not come to be simply the King of the Jews, he came so that he could be the King of our hearts. He came to set us free from the oppression of sin. To liberate us through repentance and faith in God. 

In my discussion group we realised that too often the church simplifies Jesus in order to make it easier to communicate the gospel. But Jesus is not simple, he is a complex God that blows my mind every single day. Although Christians have a responsibility to share Christ in a way that can be understood, we should never dilute his existence lest people put their faith in a false Christ. 

Humble yourself as you read God’s word today. Ask him to open your eyes so that you may gain deeper knowledge of who he is and as a result live bolder and bigger for him. Whenever I read the bible, whenever I read a verse for the thousandth time, there is an opportunity to see Christ afresh. Today, you can see Christ afresh if you are willing.