Whom Do You Say Jesus Is?

            Imagine someone who claimed to be God, and people believed that claim.  Let me craft that statement in the form of a question: What would it take for someone to convince large numbers of people today that he or she was God in human form?  Would it take more than just a claim?  Of course it would!  What would happen if, while you were standing in line at Walmart, someone said, “Hey, pal, listen up.  I’m God, and I have come to do you a favor.”  What would you do?  You’d probably change lines or call for security.  There’s no way you would take that person seriously. I say these things because we do not take what happened in the Bible seriously enough.  We often do not read the Scriptures with intellectual honesty.  We often read the Bible and disengage our rational minds.  We suspend critical thinking.  Is the Bible serious that Jesus convinced multitudes of people that He was God?  Yes, it is.  By the way, a careful look at the days of Jesus and the start of Christianity will reveal that thousands upon thousands of sane, normal people worshipped, followed, and died in the service of Jesus.  There is no historical mystery or uncertainty that early Christians were passionate about following and giving their lives to Jesus, the God-Man.

            It is one thing to speak about Jesus coming into this world as God in human form.  Many books have been written and have attempted to explain the incarnation. I am attempting to ask a very simple and practical question: How did Jesus do it? How did Jesus convince the skeptical masses that He was God?  Do not miss the fact that Jesus was under extreme scrutiny.  He went to a culture that was not tolerant of anyone claiming to be God - such thoughts, such statements were considered blasphemy.  They were worthy of immediate death!

            This explains why Jesus performed miracles.  These miracles were bold, audacious, and undeniable.  Jesus raised the dead.  He healed the leper whose skin was rotting off the bone.  Jesus cleared white, cloudy eyes that had never seen before.  Jesus walked on water. He took the wind out of violent thunderstorms. He caused fishing nets to burst when a moment before the fishing expedition had come up empty.  Jesus took a basket of bread and fish and fed thousands.  Imagine the crowd as they watched Jesus repeatedly reach into the basket for more food.  Again, again, again, and again, Jesus pulled fish and bread from that basket. Not only did Jesus astound the people with His indisputable supernatural powers, He also wowed them with His words.  Jesus attracted hundreds and thousands with His sermons.  The people were spellbound by His words.  When Jesus finished speaking and left, the throngs said, “No one has ever spoken this way before!” 

            Perhaps we should note that Jesus had a way with people.  People were drawn to Him.  He cared like no one they had ever met.  While He shared strong words of challenge, it was like He spoke to their very soul.  These and many other qualities convinced people that Jesus was what He said He was; He was God. I say these things in order to set up an important question.  How do you see Jesus? Who do you think Jesus is?  If you think He was a great man, you are right.  But He was more.  If you think Jesus had great power, again, you are correct.  But again, we must understand that He was more.  God did not venture into this world simply to entertain us.  Jesus came here to save us from our sins and failures.  Even this truth falls short of God’s ultimate aim, however.  Jesus calls us to follow Him.  Jesus demands that we become His disciples.  Jesus came to save us from our sins so that we could rejoin His family.  The question is:  Will you follow Jesus?  Keep looking up!