Who is Jesus?

Introduction

Since the 3rd century before Christ (about the time of Alexander the Great), smallpox has killed more than half a billion people. In 18th century Europe, people would scratch themselves with smallpox to give themselves a mild case of the disease. This mild case would train your immune system so that when it recognized it in the future, it could resist it. This system was imperfect - 2-3% of the people died even from this mild infection. But still, when 400k people were dying a year, it was a reasonable risk to take.

In 1796, a new and better way of treating smallpox was developed. Many people had noticed that milkmaids didn’t get smallpox - the English physician Edward Jenner determined to find out why. Milkmaids were often infected with something called cowpox - a disease that causes sores all over the body. Smallpox and cowpox are closely related enough that when your body has seen one, it recognizes the other. Like they had done with smallpox, they could scratch someone to cause a very mild case of cowpox (without a 1 in 50 chance of death) and protect them from Smallpox. Modern vaccines work a little differently (there is no flu virus in a flu shot anymore), but the idea is the same. If you have encountered something close, you are equipped to reject the real disease. In fact, no one has had smallpox in 45 years - it is extinct.

For diseases, extinct is good! But we can innoculate ourselves in other ways. The title of today’s message is “Who is Jesus?” I want to warn you that many people have been vaccinated against the truth. They have been taught and believed something close enough to the truth that they have a level of resistance to the real thing. They have been exposed to a mild form of Christianity, where Jesus is a good teacher, God is doing His best,and the cross provides a way to God among many, and it gives their flesh the tools to fight against the real thing. They might say, “I know the gospel doesn’t work because I tried it before and nothing really changed”, or “I know some Christians who are real hypocrites.” They have been exposed to cowpox and thought it was smallpox.

In Jesus’s day, there were lots of people like this too. They had seen other so-called Messiahs who rose up, instigated minor rebellions and then faded away. They had heard from so-called prophets, who announced things that never came to pass. Every day they saw the priests, who (as Jesus said in Matthew 23:3) “preach but don’t practice.” Why would I want another king? Every political ruler has let me down. Why would I want another prophet? They’re self-serving liars. Why would I want another priest? They leave me worse than when I started. But what they needed was the real thing.

Who is Jesus?

Let’s look together at Luke 9:7-9, and then we will jump down to Luke 9:18-20. For reasons that will be obvious in a moment, we are going to look at these two brief texts together.

Luke 9:7–9 KJV

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

Luke 9:18–20 KJV

And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

That last piece provides us with our big idea this morning

Jesus is the Christ: our prophet, priest, and king.

Jesus is the Christ - the King of Kings

Luke 9:7–9 KJV

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

Explain: Who is the tetrarch? Herod the Great and the slaughter of the innocents - Herod feared a new king. Which John? John the Baptist, killed for speaking against Herod’s sin. He didn’t want to see Jesus to have dinner with Him. He wanted to stop a threat to His reign. But Jesus is the true King!

Isaiah 9:2–7 CSB

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before you as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. For you have shattered their oppressive yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as you did on the day of Midian. For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Illustration: Eric Liddell (chariots of fire)

Application:

Jesus is King over the rulers of this world (politics)

King over your financial circumstances

King over your choices (if God calls it sin, who am I to argue?)

Who is your boss when push comes to shove? For Herod, he was always going to have the final say, so he killed John and eventually Jesus. But He rose again! If He had not wished to die, He would not have. He is the sovereign King.

That was the main idea that the Jewish people of that time had in mind when they heard the word “Messiah.” But it was clear, even to them, that Jesus’s real power was in His Words. Let’s look at Luke 9:18-19 as we see that

Jesus is the Christ - the Supreme Prophet

Luke 9:18–19 KJV

And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.

Explain: In Deuteronomy, Moses said God would raise up another prophet like him, to bring the people God’s law. Jesus had given the beatitudes on a mountain and, just before this story, given them miraculous bread from heaven! Was he the new Moses? Malachi said that before God came to set up His eternal Kingdom, Elijah would come. Now, we know that John the Baptist filled that role, coming in the Spirit and power of Elijah like Elisha did. But there was that expectation too. One of the books of the apocrypha even talks about Isaiah and Jeremiah rising from the dead. There was a strong expectation about a prophet as well as a King, although few realized it would be the same Man.

A prophet is someone who speaks for someone else. Aaron was Moses’s prophet, and Moses was God’s prophet. Our second “Christ” office is one we desperately need - someone to reveal God to us. Prophets often told the future, Jesus included, but that was not their main purpose. The center of their role was to announce God’s will and the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.

Hebrews 1:1–3 KJV

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

We need God to reveal Himself because sin, pride, and foolishness block the truth. We have been innoculated against the truth with plausible sounding lies, like Eve in the Garden.

Illustration: MercyMe song: “Word of God speak, may You pour down like rain - washing my eyes to see your majesty”

Application:

Salvation - Jesus reveals God exactly. No/Know Jesus, no/Know God

Worship - If you want to praise God as a believer, you can do no better than to read through the gospels, like we have been doing, and reflect on how Jesus behaves and what He says. He is God’s face pressed into the fabric of our world.

Transition: But we have a problem. We know we ought to obey Jesus as King and hear His Word as prophet. But we don’t, so what do we do?

Luke 9:20 KJV

He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

There was one more anointed office in the Old Testament.

Jesus is the Christ - the Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14–16 KJV

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Explain: Jesus is the high priest who takes away our sins.

Illustrate:

Apply:

Conclusion

Innoculation against the truth - other means of salvation