"13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
14They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
15'But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?'
16Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" -- Matthew 16:13-16
During His own life, and in all the centuries since, there has been a tremendous amount of debate over just how Jesus is and was. Many people back then did not know who Jesus was. Today, many still do not know. This man, Jesus, and His teaching changed the world and the course of history. He was both loved by many and hated by many. His teachings have probably had the greatest impact on humanity, but who exactly was He? Who is He? Going through the scriptures, let us take a look a both who He was and who He is.
The first portrayal of Jesus we have is as a man. He was born of a woman (Gal 4:5), and was a flesh and blood human being. We see this clearly in the Gospel of Luke:
"26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'The angel's words came true nine months later:
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'" -- Luke 1:26-33
"1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.Not only do we see that Jesus was born of a woman and a flesh and blood human being, but during his ministry, we can see evidence of His humanity. First, He was tempted, just like we are:
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." -- Luke 2:1-7
"1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.We can also see from verse 2, that Jesus experienced hunger. Matthew tells us the same thing:
3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.' "
5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' "
9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "
12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "" -- Luke 4:1-12
"After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." -- Matthew 4:2Jesus slept, just like you and I:
"22One day Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's go over to the other side of the lake.' So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.Finally, we can see that Jesus experienced sadness, even anguish:
24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!'" -- Luke 8:22-24
"33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34'Where have you laid him?' he asked.Jesus was indeed, a man. He was born of a woman, a flesh and blood human being and had the same experiences as you and I with regard to temptation, physical limitations, and emotions. If He was just like us, what is it that is so special about a man named Jesus?
'Come and see, Lord,' they replied.
35Jesus wept.
36Then the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!'" -- John 11:33-36"36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" -- Matthew 26:36-38
41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." -- Luke 22:41-44
The answer, quite simply, is while Jesus was indeed fully human, He was also so much more. We get our first look when the angel Gabriel announces His birth to Mary:
"34'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'Also, by God's own decree, by the words of our Most Holy God, we hear that Jesus is God's Son:
35The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" -- Luke 1:34-35
"13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?'Not only was Jesus God's Son, but He was also God Himself. We see this first, by His own words:
15Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented.
16As 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 lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" -- Matthew 3:13-17
"I and the Father are one." -- John 10:30After Jesus' resurrection, and ascension into Heaven, His Apostles went around the world teaching that Jesus was God as well. Every single one of them (with the exception of John, who was exiled to Patmos), died the death of a martyr, proclaiming Jesus as God:" 44Then Jesus cried out, 'When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.'" -- John 12:44-45
"7'If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'
8Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.'
9Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.'" -- John 14:7-10
"16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." -- 2 Peter 1:16-18In the passage from John, we see another proof as to the Deity of Jesus, His pre-existence. Jesus was around from the beginning of time, before Abraham, and before creation:"Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" -- Romans 9:5
"8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." -- Colossians 2:9-10"3The 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. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs." -- Hebrews 1:3-4
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." -- John 1:1-3
"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 5:2Not only was Jesus pre-existing, He is also eternal:"'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'" -- John 8:58
"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." -- John 17:5
"Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever." -- Hebrews 7:3By God's own words, Jesus was His Son. By the Words of His Son, and His Son's apostles, Jesus was God. He was God and was with God in the beginning of time and will remain so forever and ever. So, while Jesus was fully human, He is also, fully God."17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I 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 1:17-18
"12Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." -- Revelation 22:13
"5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross!"
-- Philippians 2:5-8
"8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" -- Luke 2:8-11And by the witness of His Apostles, he did just that:"16"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. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." -- John 3:16-17
"15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." -- 1 Timothy 1:15-17
"29Peter and the other apostles replied: 'We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.'" -- Acts 5:29-32At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, well, that is great that Jesus came to be the saviour of the world and all, but why does the world need a saviour? My friend, I thought you would never ask! When God first created the world and created man, He was in fellowship with man. They walked together and talked together...23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." -- Hebrews 7:23-25
"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." -- 1 John 4:14
"8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, 'Where are you?'" -- Genesis 3:8...but then man disobeyed God. He sinned and that sin separated him from God:" 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" --Genesis 2:16-17
" 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field." -- Genesis 2:19-20
"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." -- Genesis 3:6 "22 And the LORD God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.' 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." -- Genesis 3:22-24As a result of Adam and Eve's sin, we are all sinners:
"12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come." -- Romans 5:12-14 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." -- 1 John 1:8Sin came into the world through Adam, and as a result we are all sinners, but Jesus Christ came to saves us from our sins and from the death that is the result of our sin. God can now justify us through our saviour, Jesus Christ, because Jesus took our sins upon Himself and died in our place:"21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." -- Romans 3:21-24
"4He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." -- 1 Peter 2:24-25Jesus paid the penalty by for our sin by dying on the cross. So, with Jesus dying in our place, for our sins, it is now possible to be restored to the Father through Him. Jesus died so that we may have life. Where Adam brought sin and death, Jesus brings forgiveness and life. That is why Jesus gave up Heaven. That is why Jesus became man. That, my friend, is why Jesus died on the cross....so that we may be restored to the Father and have eternal life!3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve." -- 1 Cor 15:3-5
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of a woman. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. We have seen evidence of His humanity, and we have seen proof of His divinity. We have also seen why Jesus gave up the Glory of Heaven to become man, and to die on a cross. Jesus Christ came to earth, suffered and died for our sins. His obedience to the Father washes away our sins and restores us to Him, bringing us life. Though Adam disobeyed God and brought sin into the world, God sent His Son, Jesus to become man, take our sins upon Him and die in our place. Now, it is possible for us to be restored to God! Jesus Christ died so that we may have life. Jesus died for everyone, and eternal life is now available to all. If you have any questions about Jesus or why He died, or how to recieve the gift of life He made possible, please send me an e-mail, and I would be more than happy to share with you more of the wonderful news of this awesome gift God has given us!