(Jesus who?  or  ' Who do you say that I am?')

by Cameron Paine

Introduction

Jesus who? Does it matter if we know the answer? The bible puts forth this question in a more demanding way. The way the bible puts the question probes everyone's thinking; it demands an answer from everyone who hears or reads the Bible and from everyone who hears the witness of believers. "Who do you say I am?" That is the question that Jesus put to his disciples. (Matthew 16:13-16)

In the history of God that was recorded before the coming and sacrificial death of Christ, that is, Old Testament times, being faithful to God was manifested in one's attitude toward God the Father as illustrated in the 22nd chapter of Genesis. But when God the Father sent his Son into his world as a sacrifice for his children faithfulness to God was to be manifested in one's attitude toward God the Son--Jesus the Christ. Faith in God became synonymous with believing that Jesus was God, was God's Son. How a person views Jesus is how that person views God. "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." (John 5:21-23)

Therefore, for everyone living now the issue that determines whether a person is saved or doomed is how in his or her heart the question is answered, 'Who do you say I [Jesus] am?' (John 5:39-40; Luke 24:25-26; 1 Peter 2:7-9; John 3:18, 36; 8:23)    

This meditation focuses on verses that answer that question. These 6 "portraits" of Jesus say something about who Jesus is. Each description or picture of Jesus (if digested) adds meaning, substance, depth to my knowledge and appreciation of who/what Jesus is. But another thought must be kept in mind as these 'pictures' of Jesus are presented. Each picture of Jesus is weakened to some extent by the absence of support that a perfect understanding and appreciation of all other truths about Jesus would give. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. If all the other pieces are not in their proper place the piece in hand will not create the completed picture. Therefore the process of learning to know and appreciate Jesus Christ more completely cannot be a mere mechanical combining of these 'facts' or 'pictures' of Jesus. Growing in the knowledge and insight of the Lord and his ways is not the same as adding up a column of numbers.

A deeper appreciation of any one fact or 'picture' can only be added to the necessarily imperfect understanding or appreciation of Jesus that is already in the mind (already 'digested'). Even though the facts or 'pictures' of Jesus can only be presented one at a time--in some sort of sequence, yet the believer is to be growing in the knowledge and appreciation of Jesus, our savior and God. To further this purpose of God he provided apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers--"so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:12-13)

And what is one of the necessary ways that this comes about (when God's providence has made it possible)?--By feeding on God's truth and adding the new 'food' to what is already in our hearts. In the same way, that everyday I need to put food into my mouth to keep my body healthy, everyday I need to put images of his truth into my mind. But for believers the results of feeding on God's spiritual food are far more long lasting. "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field....The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever." (Isaiah 40:6,8)

The verses in this meditation were collected that I might dwell on his truths; that I might spend time gazing at them; that I might hide them in my heart (Psalm 119:11).

Enough of general considerations. Now let's look at some of the pictures of Jesus that God's words set before us.

Jesus who? -- Picture #1 He is God come in the flesh

What is the most unbelievable miracle of all? What is the most incredible truth of existence? What is harder to believe than that the eternal God who created all that I see as well as everything I don't see entered history? God entering human history--in 'person' !!    This is what tells me that Jesus is worthy to dwell upon and to count on. But there is more. What makes this truth even more awesome is why God did this. He sent His Son into human history to sacrifice his life. Why? He did this because he had the desire and purpose to make a holy people for himself! 

• The Bible says Jesus the Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:14) God's desire to bring about a great benefit for his people was great beyond belief: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) What was the most breath-taking of miracle of Christianity? That God entered history.
  

• "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' --which means, 'God with us'." (Matthew 1:22-23)  And who is that who is 'with us'?

• Who was it that came into history when Jesus (the) Christ was born? The baby in the manger at Bethlehem was not just another child born of a woman. It was somebody unique. Listen-- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." Together with the declaration, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1,14)
  
  

• Other verses in God's word tell us more about who it was. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men... We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,  who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:1-3,14, 17-18)
  
  

• Who was it that came into history when Jesus (the) Christ was born? "The image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," (Col.1:15-19)
  
  

• Who was it that came into history when Jesus (the) Christ was born? "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:3)
  
  

• Who was it that came into history when Jesus (the) Christ was born? A life giver. "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it....I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." (John 5:21,24-26)

Who was the God who at the time of that birth "made his dwelling among us"? (Additional descriptions can be found in file "Isaiah quotes")

Is not 'God with us' or as it is expressed elsewhere, 'God come in the flesh' the unique message of Christianity? (1 John 4:2,15; 5:20; John 10:30; 17:11,22; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16-19)  Is not 'God come in the flesh' a truth of Christianity that sets Christianity apart from every other set of beliefs that are called 'religions'? Prayerfully, the awesomeness of this fact will become clearer as more and more images are set forth.

Jesus who?...Picture # 2 His miracles--Glimpses of His awesomeness

What tells us who/what Jesus is? What tells us that he was everything that the previous sections showed? The wondrous works he was able to do displayed this fact.

He revealed what he was when he turned water into wine. "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him." (John 2:11)

He rebuked what we call the 'forces of nature'; when a severe storm came up he calmed it. When he and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat "the disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!'  He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'" (Matthew 8:25-27)

He walked on water. "During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear....And when they [Jesus and Peter] climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat [his disciples] worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'" (Matthew 14:25,32-33)

He cured the paralytic. The paralyzed man "got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'" (Mark 2:12)

He rebuked evil spirits and drove them out. "And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." Matthew 9:33

• "All the people were amazed and said to each other, 'What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!'" (Luke 4:36)
  
  

• "The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel." (Matthew 15:31)

Dwell on these images. Dwell on these glimpses of the power of him who came into the world.

Because Jesus was who/what he was it was part of his being that he could and would work wonders. This was the same one that was shown to be 'God come in the flesh' (#1)

Jesus who?...Picture #3    He was God's redeemer from eternity whose authority and power
 is greater than death

Who was it that came into history when Jesus (the) Christ was born? The one whose function was to conquer death. That is not a goal which mortal human beings can achieve. Salvation, the avoidance of the punishment of eternal 'death' is impossible for mortal human beings to achieve. "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." (1 Corinthians 15:50; see also Matthew 19:25-26)

But it is not impossible for our God to remove the punishment of eternal 'death' or the curse of the law. It is not impossible for him to bring this about. In fact it was God's desire and purpose from the beginning to save his people from eternal 'death'. "It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:10)

It was the overcoming of death that was the very purpose of the coming of God in the flesh--"Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:14-15) Bluntly stated, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)

That God intended to overcome 'the power of the grave' is stated repeatedly in the Bible. "He will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8) God says, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" (Hosea 13:14) This glorious truth is the mainstay of the Gospel message. In the New Testament the apostle Paul repeats this truth--"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55) In the last book of the New Testament Jesus says, "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

Jesus said, "the Son of Man [Jesus' designation for himself] must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." What is probably the most well known verse in the New Testament puts it this way: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:14-16) 'Whoever believes in me will never die'. That is what Jesus said. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' 'Yes, Lord,' she told him, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.'" (John 11:25-27)

The 'death' that Jesus spoke of is not physical death but 'eternal death'. What in the world is commonly considered 'death' is just the disintegration of the present physical body. But--according to God's word--that is not the end of existence. Physical death never was the end of existence. There has always been a subsequent stage of existence. Since the 'Fall' in the Garden of Eden that subsequent phase of existence amounted to eternal 'death' for everyone--everyone except for believers in God's promises of a redeemer or, (after God sent him) that Jesus was that redeemer. For believers--whether they lived before or after Jesus sacrificial death--that subsequent phase of existence is most often spoken of as 'eternal life'. In the New Testament physical 'death' is not the end of existence for anyone. Physical death is but a transition to another stage of existence.

When the New Testament refers to this phase of existence instead of describing a cessation of existence very often the emphasis is on the length of 'time' involved, that is, the duration of the after-death-stage of existence. While for believers this is 'eternal life' (or some similar phrase) for unbelievers the New Testament repeatedly describes the post-death stage of existence as being in a fire that never goes out or as being in total darkness forever. (For biblical descriptions of this state see the file "post-death state".)

If death were the 'end' of existence hell, salvation, the gospel would all be meaningless. The 'eternal life' that God's word refers to so frequently would be (however beautiful the sound), in effect, a lie. (1 Corinthians 15:15-17,29-32) What believers are delivered from is, as in Genesis 2:17, as the rest of the New Testament makes clear, not the termination of a person's physical existence but the entrance into eternal 'death'--that horrible state of existence that unbelievers are destined for when God's presence (unlike today--Matthew 5:45) will be totally absent. (Psalm 51:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). This is what is meant by the 'death' or ' perishing' that believers are delivered from.  

But now that God's Christ has come to conquer eternal 'death' (the punishment for sin) on behalf of believers eternal 'death' is no longer the destiny of believers; there is no longer a state of eternal 'death' that they will ever enter. (Romans 8:1-2; John 5:24; 10:28-29; Romans 8:17, 35-39; Psalm 16:11) What a change his coming (including his sacrificial death) brought about!

Why are the statements important that either explicitly state, or else imply, that the overcoming of death for God's people was the objective of Jesus' mission? Because they show why Jesus is worthy to dwell upon and to count on. Jesus was the 'overcomer' of the power of (physical) death. This was the same one who, as we have already seen, was/is God in the flesh (#1); the same One who was able to work miracles (#2).

Jesus Who?...Picture #4 He was the 'fulfiller' of God's plan

The fulfillment of God's promises and prophecies showed this . Not only does the majesty of Jesus show up in the fact that God's prophecies came to pass but also in the fact that what God had planned and foretold had to come to pass.

Jesus was the fulfiller of Prophecies that were coming to pass.

What God's word had revealed many years before was coming to pass. God's word is a record of the words of God's spokesmen (men that in God's word are called 'prophets'); their words had already foretold the very events that were taking place in history before the eyes of people living in Palestine at that time Jesus the Christ was born. What an awesome moment to be living in!

The father of John the Baptist (Zachariah), a priest, who played an active part in the events which took place at the time when God came in the flesh recognized what was happening--God was fulfilling his promises. At just the right moment the priest who had been struck dumb got his voice back and declared the awesome truth-- "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us--to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham..." (Luke 1:68-73)

Because of what God's spokesmen had foretold in Old Testament times (as the previous declaration by Zachariah stated), a deliverer, the Messiah, was expected. 

• (When Jesus was on his way back to Galilee from Jerusalem he met a woman (a 'mixed breed' who was looked upon with contempt by the Jews)--"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus declared, 'I who speak to you am he.'" (John 4:25-26)
  
  

• (When Jesus came to where Lazarus had become sick and died these were the words that passed between Jesus and Lazarus' sister, Martha)-- "'Lord,' Martha said to Jesus, 'if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.'  Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.'  Martha answered, 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'  Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' 'Yes, Lord,' she told him, 'I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.'" (John 11:21-27)
  
  

• The first disciples. "Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John [the Baptist] had said ['Look, the Lamb of God'] and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ).... Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'" (John 1:40-41, 45)

When Jesus was in the synagogue of his home town of Nazareth as was customary a scroll was handed to visiting dignitaries. On this occasion the scroll that contained the prophecies God had made through his prophet Isaiah was handed to Jesus. "Unrolling it, [Jesus] found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,  to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luke 4:17-21)

The Bible is very emphatic: "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah 7:14]: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' --which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23)

Over and over again in his record (the Gospel of Matthew) Matthew points out that the events he records are fulfillments of prophecies. Like a drum beat he uses phrases like 'and so was fulfilled', 'this was to fulfill what was said', 'in them is fulfilled the prophecy', that bring out the truth that the history he records is the realization in history of what God had foretold in the Scriptures written centuries before (in the Old Testament)

The other records which are called "Gospels" (Mark, Luke, John) also speak of the events of Jesus life and death as being prophecies coming to pass in history. (Just some--Mark 14:49; Luke 18:31; 21:22; 22:37; John 13:18; 15:25; 18:9, 32; 19:24, 36)  

Jesus himself after his resurrection pointed out the vital relationship of himself to God's words, promises and prophecies which had been spoken in Old Testament times: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:27; see  also John 5:39-40)

What a moment in history that was when God appeared in the flesh! No wonder Luke's record of Jesus' birth and the accompanying events are considered worthy of repeating over and over again during the season when Jesus' birth is commemorated.

Jesus was the fulfiller of God's plan that had to come to pass

Do not insult the majesty of God by thinking 'how extraordinary it is that God's prophecies came to pass'; they had to come to pass. What God prophesies must come pass. The Bible says so over and over again. Christianity is not about what just 'happened' to come pass. What comfort is there in that? Christianity is not about chances or probabilities. What security or guarantee is there in that? It is not a matter of 'chance' whether the day of judgment is coming and whether believers will enjoy eternal life.

Christianity is about certainties, the certainties of the Almighty God's sovereign plan--that whatever God decreed will/must come to pass. What 'happened' at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry was no accident! That Jesus died on the cross was no failure of God to bring about his purposes. To think that Jesus' crucifixion as a common criminal was 'the unfortunate way things turned out' is a totally unbiblical (anti-Christian) belief. The Bible says, "The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath." (Acts 13:27) There was nothing 'unfortunate' about what happened to Jesus. This is what the apostle Peter said to the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost: "This man [Jesus of Nazareth] was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." (Acts 2:23-24)

Sometime the binding relationship between what God has said before ('it is written') and subsequent history is spoken of in different words such as 'Scripture cannot be broken'. It was this very assumption that 'what God has said' is forever true that Jesus used to support his action of claiming to be the Son of God before the religious authorities. This is what Jesus said to them--"If he called them `gods', to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken--what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, `I am God's Son'?" (John 19:35-36 referring to Psalm 82.6)

What had come to pass was what God had foretold. This relationship between prophecy and what had come to pass was a fundamental part of the gospel message the apostle Paul declared: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

But most often the New Testament uses the language of prophecies having to be fulfilled.

• "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)
  

• "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.'" (Luke 18:31)
  
  

• Much later in Jerusalem during Jesus' final meal with his disciples on the night of his arrest he taught them again with these words:  It is written: "And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfilment." (Luke 22:37)
  
  

• Later that same night Jesus said to his disciples "'You will all fall away, for it is written [Zechariah 13:7]: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered."'" (Mark 14:27)
  
  

• Later yet that night when some officials of the chief priests and Pharisees along with a detachment of Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Jesus said to them, "'Am I leading a rebellion that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.'  Then everyone deserted him and fled." (Mark 14:48-50)
  
  

• During that 'confrontation' the apostle Peter reacted with violence. And Jesus said to him-- "'Put your sword back in its place,' Jesus said to him, 'for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? [=72,000]  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?'" (Matthew 26:52-54)
  

• After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection he appeared to two of his disciples and "said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?'  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27)
  
  

• A short time later when those two disciples were speaking to the 'eleven' disciples about their encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus appeared again and--"said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.'" (Luke 24:44-46)
  

The whole mission of Jesus the Christ is part of the plan of God. God had set it forth previously in the Old Testament. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared this: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18)

God's words set forth in the Old Testament do come to pass as they must. In his proclamation of the gospel the apostle Paul put it this way: "When they had carried out all that was written about him [Jesus], they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus." (Acts 13:29-33)

The coming to pass of what God had foretold is 'food' to feed on. The fulfilment of prophecy says a lot about who Jesus is. He is worthy to dwell upon and to count on. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live." / "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.  Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,  that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." (John 5:24-25/21-23)

The Jesus who was the 'fulfiller of God's promises and prophecies--God's plan of salvation was the same 'person' that we have already seen was/is God in the flesh (#1); the same one that was able to work miracles (#2); the same one as him whose purpose in coming was to overcome death (#3).

Jesus Who?... Picture #5    He was the bringer of the Eternal Kingdom

What Jesus the Christ's coming resulted in: the eternal Kingdom. The phrase and fact of "God coming into history" often refers to God's entire mission--what that mission brought to pass: the eternal kingdom which God had made his people citizens of. (Colossians 1:12-13; Philippians 3:20)

The coming of the eternal kingdom which the sacrificial death of the Christ, that is, the Son of God, brought into being sets forth the 'positive' side of the Son of God's mission to overcome death (as mentioned above in picture #3)

... "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Jesus announced the fact that "if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you." (Luke 11:20)

To what did Jesus point when asked by two messengers from John the Baptist (in prison) 'Are you the one or should we look for another? He pointed to his work of miraculous healing of various kinds of afflictions experienced by human beings. "When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'  Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor.'" (Matthew 11:2-5)

The apostle Paul summed up this aspect of Jesus' earthly ministry when he said, "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached--how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." (Acts 10:36-38)

What did Jesus' miracles show? That because of who/what Jesus was he could bring the kingdom; that God had intervened in human history on behalf of his adopted children--those who believe in him; that God is able to set aside the afflictions that resulted from the curse that God himself had pronounced on Adam and his descendants after they disobeyed in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:17; 3:17-19; Revelation 21:3-4; 22:3)

"'The time has come,' [Jesus] said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!'" (Mark 1:15) And what is the 'good news' --that God has acted to save his people from the eternal punishment that their sins deserved. This what the angel of the Lord said to Joseph regarding Mary his espoused wife: "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21). God sent his Son into the world to die as a sacrifice for us. (John 3:16; Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:19,21; Romans 3:25; Galatians 4:4; 3:13; 1 John 4:9,10; Zecharaiah 13:1; Hebrews 9:28; 10:10, 12, 14; 1 Peter 2:24; Acts 2:23) When John the Baptist spoke those awesome words, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" he  recognized that Jesus was the sacrifice for sin that God was providing. (John 1:29, 36; Compare Genesis 22:12-14; see also the meditation of 10/96)

Because of who/what Jesus was--the spotless, sinless Son of God whose life fulfilled the law--he was able by his sacrificial death to bring in the kingdom by satisfying God's standards--"the wages of sin is [eternal] death" (Romans 6:23) For his people he removed the "wages of sin". The Gospel or good news is that "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Galatians 3:13) Elsewhere in God's word we are told--"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21; see also 1 Peter 3:18; 2:24)

Over and over again the Bible makes it clear that it was the kingdom that was the subject of Jesus' preaching and what he told the apostles to preach. The healings were evidence of the presence of the kingdom. "From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." And again, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." And again, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness." (Matthew 4:17,23; 9:35)

• Jesus said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And again, "After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." And again, "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." And again, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached,.." (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:1-2; 16:16; To see verses that speak of the 'kingdom' see the file 'Kingdom'
  
  

• After Jesus had been teaching his disciples about what would happen in the last days he said-- "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will  come." (Matthew 24:14; See also Luke 9:11; Acts 19:8; 28:23)

Because Jesus was who/what he was his coming (his mission) was an event worth appreciating. He was the bringer of God's kingdom. We have already seen the 'pictures' of Jesus that reveal that this bringer of God's eternal kingdom is the same one as God in the flesh (#1); the same one as he who revealed his awesome power by his miracles (#2); the same one as him whose very purpose in coming was to overcome death (#3); the same one as him who fulfilled God's promises and prophecies--God's plan of salvation (#4).

Because Jesus was who/what he was his coming (his mission) was an event definitely worth appreciating!

Jesus who?... Picture #6    He is The Son of God

How fundamental the matter of who/What Jesus Christ is a truth or theme that runs through the New Testament. That the recognition of the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is synonymous with the belief, that particular faith the Bible speaks of, is clearly taught in God's word--"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:2-3) 

• "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God." (1 John 4:15)
  
  

• "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him." (John 12:37}
  
  

• "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (1 John 5:1)
  
  

• "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." (John 11:27)
  
  

• "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true--even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
  
  

• "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:5) 
  

What an important element the recognition of who/what Jesus is is shown by the number of times the Gospels point out that believing in him is the objective of the Father's and the Son's ministry when Jesus the Son was on earth.

• Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)
  
  

• "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
  
  

• "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (John 14:11)
  

Though the expression 'the Son of God' is not referred to in Jesus' words when he healed the paralytic yet they bring out the point that Jesus' ability to do miracles was evidence of his identity with God. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven....' Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them ...'Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up, take your mat and walk"'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man [Jesus self-designation] has authority on earth to forgive sins ...He said to the paralytic,  'I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.'  He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'" (Mark 2:5-12)

It was on just this point--that they did not recognize who/what Jesus was--that the religious leaders of the Jews in Jesus' day failed to have faith (as is true of every unbeliever today). "I and the Father are one," Jesus said. "Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?' 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" (John 10:30-33)

"The Jews gathered round him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. "Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. (John 10:24-26)

"You are not my sheep". That is just the point. Nobody but those individuals that God has effectively called out the darkness of unbelief (1 Corinthians 2:14-15; John 3:3; 6:44 ) can believe that God came in the flesh as the 1st "picture" in this meditation set forth.

Sometimes Jesus showed how important believing in him was by pointing to the lack of results (the lack of repentance) which unbelief produced. Jesus declared 'woes' (statements of dire destinies) upon places or towns that did not appreciate the meaning of the miracles Jesus had wrought in them. "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon [well-known non-Isrealite pagan towns], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon  on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.  But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you." (Matthew 11:21-24)

If certain kinds of people 'fall away' what does the Bible say that those people are doing? It says, "They are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." (Hebrews 6:5-6)

What is the message of Christianity--that God himself came to earth. God in the flesh. The Gospel according to Mark begins with these words: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1)

Why did God send John the Baptist into the world? "He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe." This was no chance appearing. "There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." (John 1:6-8) And what was his testimony concerning Jesus?  "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:34)

What happened after Saul 'met' Christ on the road to Damascus and was converted into a believer--the apostle Paul?  "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God....Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 9:20, 22) And what belief pervaded the rest of the apostle's life? "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) 

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14

What does the Bible point to as the prime evidence that Jesus was the Son of God? It was his resurrection from the dead. That was the greatest evidence of who/what Jesus was. "...And who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1:4; see also Acts 17:31) "Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living." (Romans 14:9)

In the last book of the New Testament Jesus, our ascended Lord announced the truth: "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

What is the goal toward which believers are to press? Increasing knowledge and understanding of who/what Jesus is--"until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13; see also Philippians 3:10-12)

"They all asked [Jesus], 'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied, 'You are right in saying I am.'" (Luke 22:70)

Without the recognition (the 'acceptance') of the truth that Jesus was the Son of God, that Jesus was God come in the flesh, that Jesus was raised from the dead there is no Gospel. Without this belief there is no Christianity, no salvation. God's word says, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe..." (Romans 10:9-10) The bible is blunt: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17) The faith hinges on that. The apostle Paul says if Christ has not been raised "we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised" (i.e., if a person rising from the dead is impossible as some unbelievers allege) (1 Corinthians 15:15)

Concluding Thoughts

Jesus who? 'Who do you say I am?"  What a difference the answer makes!

How many ways the Bible points me to the central question and the central answer of Christianity which is 'Who do you say I am"! How very important the answer is. Matters of life and death are usually considered the most important. But the answer to the question, 'who do you say (in your heart) that I am' is more important than a matters of life death. More than a matter of life and death? Yes. The answer to this question is a matter of eternal life or eternal 'death'. How many times the Bible teaches what an enormous difference the answer makes!

The Bible is very direct: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son....Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:18,36) 

Jesus' words are very direct--"I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24) There is no middle ground between believing in him and not believing in him. Either you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and are destined for heaven and eternal life or you don't believe in the Son of God and consequently are headed for the horrible kind of existence that 'dying in your sins' refers to or leads to.

This horrible kind of existence is 'described' in the bible in various images as--'judgement and raging fire that will consume the enemies of God' (Hebrews 10:27,31);as --'God's wrath remains on him' (John 3:18-above); as-- 'worse than if he had not been born' (Mark 14:21); as--'worse than if he had drowned in the sea' with a millstone around his neck (Matthew 18:6); as--it would be better to cut off your hand off or to pluck your eye out than to enter that state (Mark 9:43-48); as--'everlasting destruction' (see next quote; for more details see the file "post-death state")

The Bible says, "He [the Lord Jesus] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people..." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

Everyone except those delivered out of this world (true believers) are on the certain track to that destiny. The Bible says, "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." (Colossians 1:13; see also 1 Peter 2:9) And who is the 'us' that he has rescued? Everyone who believes in him. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) The Bible says, "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:5)

Yes, how a person (in his or her heart) answers that question, 'Who do you say I am' makes an enormous difference.

Before leaving the question, 'Who do you say I am' one further truth should be mentioned. Thinking the right words or saying the right words is not enough; thinking or saying right words is not the same thing as believing that Jesus the Christ was/is 'God come in the flesh.' (John 1:14; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 1:7). Thinking or saying the right words is not the same thing as believing the awesome descriptions of him, believing what the miracles gave a glimpse of. Thinking the right words or saying the right words is not the same thing as believing in him who was/is "the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6)

Neither is having good intentions, great sincerity, or great conviction enough. These 'virtues' are no substitute for acknowledging the truth. And they do not make what is untrue true. However great my words, however good my intentions, however great is the degree of sincerity, however strong are my convictions they do not change the facts. They do not change the facts either of God's universe or the facts of his plan of salvation--which includes whether a person recognizes Jesus the Christ for who/what he is (John 1:12). Only the truth counts with God. What looks like the truth is not good enough. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:22-23)

Jesus who? "Who do you say I am?" That is the question that is ever before us. What is the one honor that cannot be withheld from Jesus the Christ except at the cost of a person's life? To not accept him for who/what he is.