Who Is Jesus?

Is He the Messiah?

The crowds were astonished that Jesus was teaching in a public forum. They knew that the Pharisees had a bounty on His head. Yet Jesus was speaking in the temple. They began to rethink their assumption about the Pharisees plot. They began to wonder if they had changed their mind and actually discovered that He was the Messiah.

Then they determined that Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah because they knew him, where he grew up, and his mom and dad. There was an erroneous rabbinical teaching that stated that the Messiah would burst on the scene and no one would know where he came from. This was a fable that was not true and goes counter to scripture. Scripture states that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

It is obvious that the crowd is confused and can’t figure out who this Jesus is. Some choose to believe that he is just another zealot that is trying to lead a revolution. Others believe that He is the Messiah because of the miracles he has performed. The people just didn’t know.

Confusion today

There is as much confusion about Jesus today that there was back in this day. Just as the crowd was trying to determine who Jesus was, there are many today that are seeking to know who Jesus is. Anything apart from the scripture is like the erroneous teaching of the rabbis. I will give you some of the false ideas about who Jesus is.

Jesus was a good moral man, good teacher, and even a prophet, but not the Son of God.

Jesus is the one I turn to when I need something and He gives it to me if I have faith that He will.

Jesus is just a myth. He never really existed.

Jesus is a historical figure that failed at his revolutionary purpose.

Jesus is irrelevant today, because we do not live in the same time as when He lived. We have evolved.

Jesus was a wacko that believed and told people He was God.

Jesus is an American God.

There is an countless list of beliefs of who Jesus is, but the only true Jesus is found in Scripture. So what does the Bible say about Jesus Identity

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:1-4

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:16-17

Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. John 11:25-26

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:35

11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11

30 I and the Father are [e]one.” John 10:30

Jesus is as the Bible describes Him. There are many other verses in the Bible that tell who Jesus is. I encourage you to read , find and discover who Jesus is.

Jesus Is From the Father

Jesus says in supposition that the people know him. However they really do not know Him. Because he states that He is from the Father and they do not know the Father. This would be a slap in the face of the Jews because they claim they know God because of their culture and heritage.

The Jews believed that they knew God because God chose them and gave them the law. They believed you came to know God by observing the law. Jesus taught that the law was given to reveal sin and a need for a Savior and not to know God through observation of the law.

They knew about God, but they refused to know God. They allowed their presupposition of Jesus overtake the reality of who Jesus is. They did not know that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. They believed that He was just the son of Mary and Joseph. He plainly tells them that He is from the Father. They missed the reality of the Messiah because they chose to believe their own understanding rather than listen to truth.

Make Sure you have all the Info before you make a decision

We must have all the information about a person before we can make an accurate assessment of who they are. When I was at Gold’s Gym in college I new a guy named Warren Norris. He was a semi pro wrestler. He fit the quintessential wrestler mold. He was very tall, had long greasy hair, very big and strong, and had a boisterous personality. He hung out with all of his wrestling buddies at the gym. I believed him to be one who lived the party life. I wanted him to know Jesus, so I approached Warren and began to evangelize. To my surprise he had a closer walk with Jesus than I did. I was totally blown away because I had presumed his personhood based on what I saw rather than what really was. He gave me my very first study Bible and instead of me leading him, he led me. I will always be grateful for Warren!

Many of us have had Warren’s in our life. We believed falsely about them until we really got to know them. Once we took the time to get over our pretentious opinions and learned who a person really is, we discover the truth about a person and most likely will gain a knew friend.

What are your preconceived notions about Jesus? Do you believe He is a moral police officer waiting for you to mess up so He can poor His wrath out on you? Do you believe that He is the genie in the sky that makes all of your dreams come true and gives you what you want? Do you believe that He is a religious figure that you know acknowledge on Sunday? What are your preconceived notions about Jesus ?

I encourage you to come to know Him through the revelation of God’s word and the manifestation of Him in your life. You begin to develop a relationship with Jesus when you see Him in your life. When you understand the true Jesus you begin to see Him for who he really is. For example, if you think He is a moral police, you will see as you understand the reality of his forgiveness, that He is one that is very loving and kind and will forgive and heal your iniquities. If you believe that He is the genie in the sky, you will find that the things you feel you need to be happy pale in comparison to being satisfied in Him!

His Time Had Not Come

Though the Jews were seeking to kill him and he was teaching publicly, they could touch him. This is because as the Word of God says “His hour had not yet come.” Jesus knew that he could speak publicly because he knew the day he would be crucified and it wasn’t that day. Jesus knew through closeness with the Father what His mission was and when it would be complete. Jesus knew that everything that God sent Him to do He would accomplish He would finish.

Jesus had confidence in God to afford Him opportunity to fulfill His calling. It was in this confidence that He faced many perils without worry.

Walk in Confidence

God has a purpose for your life as well. He has a timeline. His purpose fir you will be completed. This brings great confidence. Share story about my worry about my own mortality.

I want to encourage you today to walk in the purpose for which God has created you and be sure that t will be completed according to His will!

Believe In Jesus

Verse 31 says that many of the crowd believed in Him. Though they knew him as the son of Mary and Joseph and that He grew up in Nazareth, they concluded on the reality of who He was and what He did that He is the Messiah. They observed the signs of His miracles, teachings, and claims and determined that He is the Messiah.

What Are you going to believe today?

Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Savior. He can save you this morning.

Share the gospel!