Who Is Jesus?
Pastor Leslie Chua
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ”
“Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” ”
Jesus Christ is indisputably the most famous personality in the last 2 millennia.
Hailed from the small and insignificant village of Nazareth, Jesus’ reputation grew quickly in the Jewish regions of Galilee and Judea. After His death and resurrection, His fame spread throughout the vast Roman Empire within several decades. In the ensuing centuries, the name of Jesus became ubiquitous around the world.
Today, almost everyone has heard of His name.
Jesus is well known. But who do people say that He is? Who is Jesus? Different ones have different opinions regarding the identity of Jesus.
Christians believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the world and someday in the future, He will return to rule as the King over all the nations.
Many others consider Jesus to be some kind of prophet or a great teacher. While they do not believe that He is God, the consensus is that He is a good man.
Some atheists reckon that Jesus is merely a figment of His followers’ imagination and that He might not even be a real historical figure.
Questions were asked as far back as two thousand years ago when Jesus burst into the public limelight. Because of His obscure background and lofty claims, Jesus attracted plenty of controversy. To say the least, He was an enigmatic figure.
____________________________________________
So, who exactly is Jesus?
Is He delusional,
demonic, or divine?
____________________________________________
The first-century Jews were greatly divided in their views concerning Jesus’ identity. Some thought of Him as delusional and others insisted that He was demonic. Many others, especially the ordinary folks, believe that He was divine. They believed that He was the Son of God sent to save the world from sin.
So, who exactly is Jesus? Is He delusional, demonic, or divine?
The opening pages of the four Gospels unreservedly proclaim Jesus to be the Son of God and Messiah. Mark’s Gospel states succinctly in the first verse – ‘The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’ (Mark 1:1).
Is Jesus Delusional?
Not everybody believes that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah, both then and now. That included the religious establishment and His family members.
The entire Jewish nation was enthralled by Jesus’ authoritative teaching and spectacular miracles. He routinely healed the sick and cast out demons. Often, He did signs and wonders such as walking on water and calming the raging sea. No other prophets came close.
It was not surprising that crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went and masses gathered to hear Him speak. Within a short time, He amassed a large following of loyal disciples. They believed in His claim of divinity and Messiahship.
What was Jesus trying to do? Was He trying to start a religious movement? Was He delusional?
Jesus turned the religiously passionate Jewish society upside down. But His own family was not in the least impressed. On the contrary, they were extremely concerned. They reckoned that He had become delusional in His aspiration.
On one occasion, a big crowd converged at the place where Jesus was staying. It rattled His family. Mark told us – And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:21).
____________________________________________
They thought that
their eldest brother
had gone mad,
or perhaps, delusional.
____________________________________________
Jesus’ siblings were embarrassed by His outrageous claims and the attention he was drawing. They were probably thinking. “Jesus has no theological qualifications. Neither has He any affiliation to any religious or political groups such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. So, who does He think He is? What on earth is He trying to do? Why does He mislead people into believing that He is the Son of God and Messiah?”
They thought that their eldest brother had gone mad, or perhaps, delusional. So, they tried to take Him away forcefully.
Is Jesus Demonic?
While Jesus’ family and certain quarters of the Jewish society believed that He was delusional, the religious leaders believed that He was demonic.
They sent the scribes to check on Jesus’ credentials. The scribes were experts in the Scripture and Jewish law. This was their conclusion - “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons” (Mark 3:22).
Beelzebul means ‘lord of the flies.’ It is either a high-ranking demonic entity or a reference to Satan.
____________________________________________
While Jesus’ family and certain quarters of the Jewish society believed that He was delusional, the religious leaders believed that He was demonic.
____________________________________________
So, the scribes were essentially accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satanic power. By their claim, they categorically disqualified Jesus as the Son of God and Israel’s Messiah.
Clearly, it was not a fair assessment. These scribes were most probably motivated by their envy and enmity toward Jesus. Jesus had been castigating them publicly, and so, this was their opportunity to retaliate and put a dent in Jesus’ reputation.
It was a serious allegation. Jesus rebutted the scribes’ accusation - “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand... But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Mark 3:23-27).
Implicit in Jesus’ rebuttal is His claim to be the Son of God. Only the Son of God has the power to enter Satan’s stronghold and plunder his goods at will.
Jesus is Divine
On numerous other occasions, Jesus made explicit claims of His divine status.
Here are a few examples.
Just before Jesus was about to heal a paralytic, He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” On hearing this, the scribes questioned in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sin but God alone?” (Mark 2:6-7). Well, Jesus could forgive sins because He was God.
____________________________________________
Jesus proclaimed,
“I and my Father are one” (John 10:29). This is perhaps the most explicit claim of His divinity.
____________________________________________
There was this occasion when Jesus got into a sharp argument with the Jews over their claim that they were saved because Abraham was their father. Jesus ended the exchange by saying these profound words – “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). Essentially, Jesus was claiming divinity.
On another occasion, Jesus proclaimed, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:29). This is perhaps the most explicit claim of His divinity.
If Jesus is Divine
Jesus made explicit claims of His divinity and Messiahship through both His words and action. These are extraordinary claims. No man in history has ever claimed to be God except Jesus.
For someone to make such an audacious claim, he must be either delusional, demonic, or divine.
Which is He?
This is a question that everyone must consider seriously and decide for himself. It is the most important decision everyone must make. If Jesus’ claims are true and the Bible is the Word of God, then, our decision concerning His identity will have eternal implications.
____________________________________________
For Christians, it is not
enough to believe that Jesus is your Saviour. You must
also embrace Him as
your Lord. Bear this in mind.
We are called to obey God.
Our salvation and obedience
go hand in hand.
____________________________________________
According to the Bible, it will determine our eternal destiny. If you believe that Jesus is God and He is your Saviour and Lord, you will have eternal life. Conversely, if you do not believe it, you will face eternity in hell. The consequence is dire and frightening.
For Christians, it is not enough to believe that Jesus is your Saviour. You must also embrace Him as your Lord. Bear this in mind. We are called to obey God. Our salvation and obedience go hand in hand.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
This is not an obscure saying of Jesus. It is found in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. But strangely, it seems to be an obscure truth for many contemporary Christians.
We must take these words of Jesus seriously. Therefore, you cannot profess to believe in Jesus and habitually live contrary to His teachings and ways. It makes a mockery of God. But do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked.
If Jesus Is God and Saviour, He must also be our Lord.