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Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Historically, there’s no doubt that Jesus existed. The Bible and many other documents record His life. But people still dispute about who He actually was. Is Jesus God?

Maybe the question we should be asking is, “Who is Jesus to you?”

 

Who do You Say Jesus Is?

Jesus asked His disciples this question in three of the four gospels (the books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus’s life). When Jesus first started His ministry, people disagreed about who He was. Everyone had an opinion.

In Matthew, Jesus asked His disciples, “’Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Jesus was going from town to town preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God to the Jewish people. He was healing the sick, delivering the possessed from demons and even raising dead people.

People thought he was just a good teacher or maybe a prophet. Some considered He may be the long-awaited Messiah, but He sure didn’t seem like the Messiah they were expecting.

Jesus knew that people’s opinions of Him were varied, but what mattered to Him most was what His own disciples thought of Him. Did they really know who He was?

Peter boldly declared who he thought Jesus was: the Christ, the Son of the living God. In fact, Jesus put the “Christ” in Christianity, and if you consider yourself a Christian, then who Jesus is to you matters a lot.

When we declare who Jesus is in our personal lives by faith we can affect the very course of our life. So who does Jesus say He is?

 

Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life

In John 11, Martha (a devout follower of Jesus) was distressed because her brother Lazarus had died; she was upset with Jesus for not coming sooner to help Lazarus.

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, yet Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” Jesus then called Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and he did!

In the same way, Jesus is the resurrection and the life for us; He can bring the dead things in us to life. If we need hope or peace or joy, He can bring that to life in us!

 

Jesus is the Bread of Life

In John, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Much like today, in Jesus’s time, bread was a staple, something people ate every day. Jesus was giving His listeners a word picture that if they depended on Him daily like they did physical bread, then they would hunger no more.

Jesus was promising that He could spiritually satisfy them in a way that no worldly thing could. Many times we want things in life, and after we get them, we realize that we are still not satisfied or fulfilled. When we let Jesus be our Bread of Life, we find deep fulfillment and satisfaction like we’ve never experienced before, and emptiness subsides.

 

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life

Have you ever lost your way or felt lost in this journey called life? Have you ever wondered what’s really true, and what’s not? What’s right, and what’s wrong? Or what is the true meaning of life?

Jesus gave His disciples the answer to these questions: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

When Jesus is our truth, our way, our life, everything else falls into place. There’s no need to wander or try to figure things out because He is the answer – every time.

 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

Most people are familiar with the twenty-third Psalm which begins, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want….” A shepherd’s job was to protect and provide for his sheep. He fought off predators, rescued stray or weak sheep and even laid down his life to save his flock.

In John Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Jesus was explaining to His disciples that He could be counted on to protect, rescue and save them just as a shepherd does for his sheep.

In what ways do you need provision, protection or rescue? Jesus is our good shepherd, providing for our needs, leading us to safety, protecting us from physical or spiritual enemies, and taking care of us when we are hurt.

 

Jesus is the Light of the World

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’”

Twice Jesus described Himself as the Light of the World: once just before he applied saliva-moistened mud to a blind man’s eyes (healing him), and once after he prevented an adulterous woman from being stoned to death by pointing out to her accusers that they too were not without sin.

As the Light of the World, Jesus brings healing to the sick and hope to those in darkness. In which dark places do you need the Light of the World to shine?

 

Back to the Question

Who do you say Jesus is? This isn’t a question just for Jesus’s disciples 2000 years ago but also for us today. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah and Son of the living God.

When we say He is our Bread of Life, we declare that He’s the One who satisfies us. When we proclaim he’s the Resurrection and the Life, we invite Him to bring the dead things to life in us. When we say He’s the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we assert that His way is right.

As the Good Shepherd we can rest knowing He’s taking care of us. And when we declare He’s the Light of our World, He shines His glory into every dark place in us.

~ Written by Jennell Houts

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