Who is Jesus?

Intro

Story of Joshua Bell at Washington D.C. subway station from Greg Gilbert Who is Jesus? pgs. 25-26

It was ten minutes until eight o’clock on a Friday morning when an ordinary-looking man rode up the escalator in a busy Washington, DC, subway station, positioned himself against a wall, and opened his violin case. He pulled out his instrument, its age showing, the finish on its back worn down in some places all the way to the bare wood, and he turned the case around to receive any donations a passer-by might want to give. Then he began to play.

For the next forty-five minutes, as the man played a selection of classical music, over a thousand busy Washingtonians hurried by. One or two cocked their heads, clearly enjoying the sound, but no crowd ever formed around him. One fellow realized he was running three minutes early for work, so he leaned up against a column and listened—for exactly three minutes. Mostly, though, people simply went about their business, reading their papers, listening to their iPods, hurrying away to whatever appointment was showing up next on their screens.

Oh, the music was good. It filled up the arcade, dancing and flowing with incredible precision, and left a few people thinking later that, at least for the split second they’d paid attention, it really did sound like something special. The musician himself didn’t look like much—black long-sleeved T- shirt, black pants, Washington Nationals baseball cap—but even so, if you stopped to listen, you couldn’t help noticing that this was something more than just another musician play- ing the violin for pocket change. As a musician, this guy was pretty amazing. One man even commented later that “most people, they play music; they don’t feel it. Well, that man was feeling it. That man was moving. Moving into the sound.” If you just listened, he said, “you could tell in one second that this guy was good.”

26 Who Is Jesus?

Oh, the music was good. It filled up the arcade, dancing and flowing with incredible precision, and left a few people thinking later that, at least for the split second they’d paid attention, it really did sound like something special. The mu- sician himself didn’t look like much—black long-sleeved T- shirt, black pants, Washington Nationals baseball cap—but even so, if you stopped to listen, you couldn’t help noticing that this was something more than just another musician play- ing the violin for pocket change. As a musician, this guy was pretty amazing. One man even commented later that “most people, they play music; they don’t feel it. Well, that man was feeling it. That man was moving. Moving into the sound.” If you just listened, he said, “you could tell in one second that this guy was good.”1

Well, of course you could. Because it wasn’t just any musician playing the violin that Friday morning in the subway station. It wasn’t even a musician who was merely extraordinary. It was Joshua Bell, a thirty-nine-year-old internationally acclaimed virtuoso who normally plays in the most celebrated venues in the world, to crowds who respect him so much that they even stifle their coughs until intermission. Not only that, but that morning Bell was playing some of the most exquisite baroque music ever written, and he was doing it on a three- hundred-year old Stradivarius violin worth an estimated 3.5 million dollars!

An Extraordinary Man, and then Some

During His earthly ministry, Jesus was a masterful teacher and made brilliant responses to His critics.

The Trap: Jews thought it dishonored God to give any honor to Caesar, the government could imprison anyone who caused someone else to disobey the laws, such as not paying taxes.

The Answer: Image denotes ownership. The one whose image is on something shows who owns it.

Caesar owned the coins so there is no problem giving the coin back to him in the form of a tax.

There is some more going on than a quick response about taxes.

- We are made in God’s Image

Every human belongs to God, our response should be the giving of ourselves

Who did Others Think Jesus was?

John the Apostle

The idea of the “Word” comes from

The Word is Divine, eternal, and exists in close relation to God but is still seperate

God speaks the world into existence in Genesis, hear we see that the Word .

All things came into being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that has come into being. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

The Word is Divine, eternal, and exists in close relation to God but is still separate.

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), .

The Apostle John is clear that Jesus is God

John the Baptist

John 1:29–34 LEB

On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water.” And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One of God.

John 1:

John 1:19–34 LEB

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem so that they could ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed—and he did not deny, and confessed—“I am not the Christ!” And they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No!” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ just as Isaiah the prophet said.” (And they had been sent from the Pharisees.) And they asked him and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know—the one who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!” These things took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. On the next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This one is the one about whom I said, ‘After me is coming a man who is ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ And I did not know him, but in order that he could be revealed to Israel, because of this I came baptizing with water.” And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and remaining upon him. And I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water, that one said to me, ‘The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him—this one is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One of God.

The Lamb of God -

John may have been using this title in relation to the Passover Lamb in .

The Prophet Isaiah also wrote that one would come who would take away our sins like a Lamb led to slaughter.

One who Baptizes with the Spirit

This is a reference to salvation. Jesus is the one who baptizes us into God’s family.

John is showing the difference between his water baptism which served as a sign of repentance, and Christ’s Spirit baptism which saves

The Chosen One

Likely a reference to this verse is clearly the reference because John the Baptist speaks of the Spirit remaining on Jesus twice in this verse.

Jesus’ Early Followers

Andrew

Messiah/Christ - A future deliverer and savior who would rescue his people and usher in a time of prosperity and blessing. Depending on the context, this concept could be interpreted eschatologically (end times) or spiritually, in addition to real world perceptions.

A future deliverer and savior who would rescue his people and usher in a time of prosperity and blessing. Depending on the context, this concept could be interpreted eschatologically or spiritually, in addition to real world perceptions.

David Witthoff, ed., The Lexham Cultural Ontology Glossary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

Philip

“We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets wrote about—Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth!”

Nathanael

“the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus”

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), .

Nathanael

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” .

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), .

Who Did Jesus say He was?

We can see in this verse a hint toward who Jesus thinks He is:

In , Jacob has a dream and in it God talks to him. This stairway is what Jesus is refering to when he tells Nathanael that he “ will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” .

will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

There are 7 statements that Jesus makes called the “I AM” statements. “I AM” was the name that God gives Himself to Moses in : Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

W. Hall Harris III et al., eds., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), .

14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.3:14 Or I will be what I will be This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I amhas sent me to you.’ ”

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.3:14 Or I will be what I will be This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I amhas sent me to you.’ ”

Jesus uses the Divine Name to identify Himself in seven particular ways:

I AM the Bread of Life -

I AM the Light of the World. -

I AM the Door. -

I AM the Good Shepherd. -

I AM the Resurrection and the Life -

I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. -

I AM the True Vine.

There are hundreds of examples where Jesus says things like these in the Gospels. Jesus knew exactly Who He was.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Who do You Say Jesus is?

The question now rests with you. Who is Jesus? The answer to this question is the most important one you will ever answer in this life and the one to come.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

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