Chapter 51
WHO IS YOUR JESUS?
Matthew 13:53-58
Before we begin our study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Holy Father as we study Your Word please provide us with the spiritual eyes, ears, and heart to better understand and accept the things You are teaching us. Holy Father as You did with the Apostle Peter please reveal Your Son, Jesus Christ, to each and every one of us. Please cause us to see and accept the fact that Jesus Christ, is Your only begotten Son who is the promised Messiah.
Amen
PREFACE
As a prelude to this study we go to Athens and read Paul’s sermon on Mar’s Hill.
Acts 17 23-26
[23] for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: [24] God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. [25] Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. [26] And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
To see what verse 26b is referring to, we go to the time after the great flood,
Genesis 11:1-9
[1] Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. [2] And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. [3] Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. [4] And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” [5] But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. [6] And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. [7] Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” [8] So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. [9] Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
The question is why did God do this?” To find out we return to Paul’s sermon on Mar’s Hill and read from,
Acts 17 27-31
[27] so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; [28] for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ [29] Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. [30] Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, [31] because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
From reading the Bible, we know this “Man” referred to in verse 31 is Jesus. However, this raises question, which is the title of our study,
“WHO IS YOUR JESUS?”
To explore this question, we begin with the following,
INTRODUCTION
After Jesus gave His listeners eight parables about the Kingdom of God, He departed and went to His home town of Nazareth. While in Nazareth He went into their synagogue and taught the people. With this short background let us now go and read what happened. To do this let us go to,
Matthew 13:53-58
[53] Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. [54] When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? [55] Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? [56] And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” [57] So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” [58] Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Let us notice the following verses,
54 … The people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching. They were perplexed and wondered where and how Jesus received His wisdom and power.
55-56 … The reason the people were so perplexed about Jesus’ wisdom and power was because they only saw Him as one of the boys who had grown up in their community. They could not get past Jesus’ humanity to see and accept who Jesus really was. Thus, they could not get past the physical and into the spiritual reality that Jesus was and is the promised Messiah.
In reflecting upon the above reaction of the people who heard Jesus’ teaching brings rise to the question as to: “Who is our Jesus?” To answer this question let us now search our hearts to find out who Jesus is to us. To help us accomplish this task we will,
1. Search the Scriptures to review some examples of the various people’s belief in who Jesus Christ was and is.
2. Review the vital importance for us to believe and accept the fact that Jesus Christ is the one and only begotten Son of God.
We begin with
SOME BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS PEOPLES’ UNDERSTANDING AND BELIEF IN WHO JESUS WAS AND IS
Our first example is that of,
NICODEMUS
When Nicodemus first came to Jesus he only saw Him as a great teacher who was sent by God. To see this let us read from,
John 3:1-2
[1] There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [2] This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Hence, the following question: “Do we see Jesus only as a great teacher sent by God?” Or, do we, as the Apostle Peter, see and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? To read Peter’s confession of faith we go to,
Matthew 16:13-16
[13] When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” [14] So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” [15] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” [16] Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
The second example is,
KING HEROD
To see who Jesus was to King Herod, let us read why he was so happy when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to him for questioning. To do this let us go to,
Luke 23:8-11
[8] Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. [9] Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. [10] And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. [11] Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.
Let us notice the following verse,
8 … King Herod brought Jesus before him with the hope that Jesus would perform a miracle for him to see.
9-11 … Because Jesus did not perform any miracles for the king or respond to his questioning, Herod was furious and treated Him with contempt. In other words, to King Herod, Jesus was only a disrespectful magician or miracle worker.
“What about us?” “Do we only see Jesus in this light? Or, “Do we, because of all Jesus’ wisdom and works, believe, as many of the Samaritans did, that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world?” To read many of the Samaritans’ confession of faith, we go to,
[39] And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. [41] And many more believed because of His own word. [42] Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
For our third example let us now see who Jesus was to,
PONTIUS PILATE AND SOME OF THE ROMANS
To find who Jesus was to Pontius Pilate let us read what happened when Jesus was first brought to Pilate for execution. To do this let us read from,
Luke 23:1-4
[1] Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. [2] And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” [3] Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” [4] So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.”
Let us notice the following verses,
3-4 … In other words, Pilate only saw Jesus as a rejected King of Israel.
We also discover that the Roman soldiers, who participated in Jesus’ crucifixion, also only saw Jesus as a rejected King of Israel. This is revealed to us by reading the following excerpt from Luke’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion,
Luke 23:33-38
[33] And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. [34] Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. [35] And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” [36] The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, [37] and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” [38] And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Question: “Do we only see and recognize Jesus as a rejected King of Israel?”
Or, as the Apostle Thomas, do we believe and accept the fact that Jesus Christ is our Lord and God? To read Thomas’ confession of faith we go to,
John 20:26-28
[26] And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” [27] Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” [28] And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
For the fourth example let us observe who Jesus was to,
JUDAS ISCARIOT
To gain some insight into what Jesus was to Judas Iscariot let us read what happened when Mary, with a vial of valuable oil, anointed the feet of Jesus. To do this let us go to,
John 12:1-6
[1] Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. [2] There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. [3] Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. [4] But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, [5] “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” [6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
Let us notice the following verse,
6 … Judas was a thief. He stole money given to Jesus and His disciples for their sustenance. Thus, Judas saw Jesus as a source of income. We also see this facet of Judas’ perception of Jesus when he, for thirty pieces of silver, sold Jesus to the Chief Priests. To refresh our memory let us read from,
Matthew 26:14-16
[14] Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests [15] and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. [16] So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
As we read the Scriptures we discover many false prophets, teachers and ministers for Jesus Christ also view Jesus as a source of income. To see this let us read an excerpt of a warning the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Philippi. The excerpt of interest for this study is recorded in,
Philippians 3:17-19
[17] Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. [18] For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: [19] whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
Let us notice the following verses,
17 … We are to follow the example of Paul. We are to live our Christian lives with the same attitude that he had.
18-19 … Those who only follow Jesus Christ to fill their bellies, which is for food, sustenance and the so called good life, are enemies of the cross of Christ. In other words, these false ministers were strictly preaching and teaching the word of God for money. Thus, their god was/is money. This is in,
Matthew 6:24
[24] “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Consequently, we should stay from them and their teachings.
To see what it means that these people are enemies of the cross of Christ let us consider what Jesus taught about the cost of discipleship in,
Luke 9:23-25
[23] Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. [24] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. [25] For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
To expand upon this point, let us now read the attitude Paul and the true ministers for Jesus Christ had and should have. To do this we go to,
2 Corinthians 2:17
[17] For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
“What is the point for this portion of our study?” It is best summarized in the following exhortation to the church in Corinth. Specifically, it is in,
1 Corinthians15:19
[19] If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
In other words, the goal or prize for the born-again believer in Jesus Christ is not to live for what we can get from God for a comfortable life on earth. Specifically, Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins, our sinful way of life and grant us eternal life with Him. To see this let us read from,
John 3:16-17
[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. [17] For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
This now brings us to the following question of,
WHY IS IT VITALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW, BELIEVE AND ACCEPT WHO JESUS CHRIST REALLY IS?
The answer to this question was actually given when we read from John 3:16-17. To expand upon this let us read an excerpt of what He said as He began to prepare His disciples for His upcoming death and resurrection. The passage of interest is in,
John 8:23-24
[23] And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
With this in mind, let us now take a glimpse of who Jesus Christ really is. To do this we go to the book of Revelation and read the vision God gave to the Apostle John. This vision was given after the description of the seven churches and before the opening of the seven seals. It is recorded for us in,
Revelation 5:1-10
[1] And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. [2] Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” [3] And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. [4] So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. [5] But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” [6] And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [7] Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. [8] Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. [9] And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
[10] And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
The question may arise as to: “What is all this about?” To find out let us first read the following instruction God the Father gave to Jesus as spoken by the Apostle Peter. To do this we go to,
Acts 2:29-36
[29] “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, [31] he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. [33] Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. [34] “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand, [35] Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
[36] “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
In the book of revelation God gave John the vision of the time when God the Father was giving Jesus the title deed for all of His people who lived and are living on earth. The scroll represents the title deed and the seals represent the conditions or actions to be taken for the transfer.
The foreshadowing of this event occurred at time just before King Nebuchadnezzar and his army were about to destroy Israel. Just prior to his attack, God told Jeremiah to purchase a field from his uncle Hanamel. This was to indicate that Israel was going to be rebuilt. To read this event we go to,
Jeremiah 32:6-15
[6] And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, [7] ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”’ [8] Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. [9] So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver. [10] And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. 11] So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; [12] and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison. [13] “Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, [14] ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” [15] For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.”’
To see how this was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ purchase to be completed just before the earth’s tribulation period, let us reread Revelation 5:9-10 as translated in: “The Amplified Bible.”
[9] And they sang a new song [of glorious redemption], saying “Worthy and deserving are You to take the scroll and to break open its seals; for you were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. [10]You have made them to be a kingdom [of royal subjects] and priests to our God; and they will reign on the earth.”
We now return to the; “New King James Version” version of the Bible and about all the joy and praise that will be given to our Lord and Savior.
Revelation 5:1-11
[11] Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, [12] saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
[13] And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
[14] Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
CLOSING
Let each of us close by prayerfully considering; “Who do I believe Jesus Christ really is?”
Let us Pray