“Who Is Jesus?”
Nearly 3,000,000 people inquired, “Who is Jesus?” on the theological questions asked of Google recently. Only “What is Love?” rated higher. Some would assert that Jesus was a good man; others will go so far as to say, “He is a prophet.” Although Jesus is mentioned in historical writings of the first and second centuries, just about everything we know concerning Him comes from the Scriptures. Therefore, let’s see what they say about Him?
The Bible teaches that Jesus was instrumental in the creation of the universe. In fact, God “made the worlds” through Jesus (Heb. 1:2). “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). Furthermore, Jesus is the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3). In fact, if anyone has ever wondered what God would be like if He lived among us, the answer is that He would be like Jesus. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14). He was the Word that was in the beginning with God—Who also was God (John 1:1).
Prophecies
Jesus is mentioned as the Seed of woman Who will bruise the head of the serpent in Genesis 3:15. Most commentators recognize that Jesus is the One Who received a minor injury (to His heel) when He was crucified and buried, but He bruised Satan’s head when He arose from the dead. To be sure, some have argued that the New Testament does not say this prophecy was specifically fulfilled, which is true. But we know that God’s prophecies do not ever fail and that no other viable fulfillment has yet been offered by way of explanation. Jesus can truly be called the Seed of woman since no human father contributed to His birth. Mary was His only human parent.
A little more specific is the virgin birth prophecy in Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel.” This is a much more explicit description, but many have actually argued that “the virgin” was a married woman and there are two fulfilments! The New Testament makes it clear that the virgin is Mary and the child is Jesus (Matt. 1:20-23).
In Jeremiah 31:22, the prophet is recording God’s Word to the people. He says: “For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—a woman shall encompass a man.” An ordinary birth of a male child would not be new; a woman giving birth without the aid of a human father certainly would be. Although the words here are vague, one cannot help thinking of the virgin birth.
And Jesus’ place of birth is recorded by Micah, which is Bethlehem Ephrathah, in Judah (5:2). Luke mentions the fulfilment (Luke 2:4-7). Many other prophecies could be listed for Jesus, including several that pertain to His death from Psalm 2, 22, 69, and 110. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a description that sounds as though it was written by an eyewitness of the crucifixion—more than 700 years in advance!
The Angel of Jehovah
When people learn that Jesus in the Old Testament is designated as the Angel of Jehovah, they may be tempted to think that Jesus was a created being—perhaps an exalted angel—but this is not the case. The word angel refers to a messenger. The Old Testament reveals that Jesus is Jehovah and the messenger of Jehovah. When His forthcoming birth was announced in Micah 5:2, it was pointed out that His ways were “from of old, from everlasting.” That phraseology means that Jesus is eternal—a fact He affirmed in John 8:58, when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”
One of the most famous conversations occurs between the Angel of Jehovah and Moses. It is, in fact, no less than the Angel of the Lord Who appears to Moses “in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush” (Ex. 3:2). When Moses decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon, then “the Lord” or “God” called to him from the midst of the bush (v. 4). Notice what the Angel of the Lord said next:
“I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob…” (v. 6).
As the conversation continues, the Angel of the Lord is repeatedly referred to as “the Lord” or “God.” It is verse 14, however, that Jesus will later mention in John 8:58. The Messenger of Jehovah says to Moses:
“I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you” (v. 14).
No mere angel—a heavenly being created by God—could make such a claim. Only the Messenger of God—who also is God—could profess to be eternal! For this reason, significant names were chosen to commemorate Jacob’s wrestling match. Did the patriarch wrestle with a man (Gen. 32:24)? Or was it God, as verse 28 indicates? Jacob had struggled with God—and prevailed (v. 28). He himself acknowledged, “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (v. 30). Or did he wrestle with the Angel of the Lord? Hosea 12:4 informs us: “Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed.”
Because He did struggle with God, Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, “Face of God” (v. 30). And His name was changed to Israel, meaning “Prince with God” (v. 28). The Angel appears many more times.
The Son of God
In the New Testament Jesus is called the Son of God, because He was begotten of God. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and the power of the Highest overshadowed her, so that the Holy One born of her would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Thus, Jesus had no earthly father. He was born of a virgin, as foretold. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4). Jesus is the seed of woman—but not the seed of any man.
Our Lord’s human mother, Mary, made it possible for Him to be fully human—hence, He is called the Son of Man. Being born of the Holy Spirit allows Him to be fully Divine—hence, the Son of God. His parentage allows Him to be the perfect Mediator between God and Man, since He understands both thoroughly (1 Tim. 2:5).
Many have borne witness to His Deity. John the Baptizer was a great man with a great mission (John 1:23). John recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the One who was to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and as the Son of God (John 1:29, 33-34). Nathaniel acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel (John 1:49). John, the gospel writer, said that his whole purpose in writing the gospel account of Christ’s life was to show that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30-31).
One of the most famous instances involved Peter’s responses to Jesus. In Matthew 16:13-16, Peter answered a question the Lord had asked, which was: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter did not hesitate; he answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus told him that His church would be built upon that truth (v. 18). On another occasion many of Jesus’ disciples went back and walked no more with Him; Jesus asked the twelve if they would go, also. Peter responded quickly and logically:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:68-69).
Many of those who opposed Jesus recognized His identity: Even the demons cried out, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Luke 4:41). Pilate, who handed Jesus over to be crucified, acknowledged, “I find no fault in Him” (John 19:6). Even Judas admitted, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4).
Jesus claimed to be the Eternal One (John 8:58): He also revealed that He is the Son of God (John 9:35-38). The Father also claimed that Jesus is His son. When Jesus was baptized, He said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (17:5).
Evidence
So, who is Jesus? He was active in the Creation. He is God, the Messenger (Angel) of God. And in the New Testament, He is God, the Son of God. Is this just wishful thinking? Or a legend that got out of control? Hardly! Dozens of prophecies foretold His life and death in advance—hundreds of years before the events occurred. Jesus was not some impostor, claiming to be something He was not. His miracles established His truthfulness (Mark 6:54-56). John recorded the miracles of Jesus so that his readers would believe He is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:30-31).
What more, then, could have been done to convince the world of His identity? The prophecies, the miracles, and the testimonies all proclaim the fact of His Deity. What evidence did Sun Myung Moon have? What proof did David Koresh offer? Even Muhammad did no miracles. His followers just had to take his word for it. He was not born of a virgin, nor did he defeat Satan.
Despite overwhelming evidence, many refuse to confess the Deity of Christ. They will sometimes grant Jesus the status of a prophet. Some will say, “He was a good man,” but how could He be good if He lied about Who He was? If He claimed to be the Son of God—but was, in fact, not, then He did not tell the truth and is a deceiver. So are His apostles, since they taught His Deity. Peter even went so far as to say that Jesus “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). If Jesus were an ordinary human being, He would have sinned. Thus, the followers of this “good” man are liars, also, and the Bible cannot be trusted.
The Upshot
So, if Jesus is the Son of God, as the evidence establishes, then what does that mean for every individual? It means He must be believed—that is, that His Word is truth (John 8:31-32). Many have heard what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). But what did He teach about salvation and worship?
Concerning salvation, people must believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God: “…for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). He also said, “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Repentance must be followed by baptism for the forgiveness of sins: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Those who refuse to repent of their sins and be baptized will be lost (Acts 2:38).
Concerning worship, Jesus taught that we must do so “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). Along with that, He also warned against following the traditions of men (Matt. 15:1-9). It does no good to read the Bible and then try to make it conform to our own preconceived ideas and desires. We must examine it for the truth it contains—and then conform ourselves to it. It ought to be the goal of every human being to discover Who Jesus is—and then act accordingly.