Who was Jesus? This is a question that has been asked repeatedly for the past two millenniums. It is one that is usually asked in the past tense by the vast majority of people. Unbelievers and those unfamiliar to the Christian faith, see Jesus as a man, as opposed to his claim of being the Son of God. They see him as an ordinary person who walked this earth and had died; just like everyone else before him. However, to speak of Jesus in the past tense is to deny his eternal existence. Jesus is past, present, and future—he is eternal with no beginning and no end. He is the son of the living God, and at the same time, he is God Almighty himself. The trinity of the Farther, Son, and Holy Ghost is something that even long-standing Christians don’t totally understand. It is beyond our understanding as humans to fully comprehend the capacity of God. However, the Bible makes it clear that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are as one.
To the Old Testament Hebrews, God’s name was too holy to pronounce. It was the name he told Moses at the burning bush at Midian when he said, “I am who I am.” The once unspoken word Yahweh is the personal name tied specifically to the God of Israel. In those times, because Yahweh was too holy to pronounce, Hebrews called upon God as: El Shaddai, which is God Almighty, or Jehovah, another form of the word Yahweh. Just Prior to God entering this world as Jesus, an angel came to his mother Mary and said, “You are to give him the name Yeshua”, which in Hebrew means Yahweh is salvation. The Anglicanised form of Yeshua, which is Jesus, holds no meaning.
There are many names used to describe Jesus: Christ (Greek for the Anointed One), Messiah (Hebrew for the Anointed One), Good Shepherd, Bread of Life, Immanuel (God with us), Son of God, Son of Man, Chosen One, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, King of Israel, King of the Jews, Son of David, The Redeemer, Lamb of God, Sacrificial Lamb, Prince of Peace, and Light of the World. However, Jesus himself said it best; “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”(1)
The Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest historical event that has taken place on Earth. The Son of God allowed himself to be tortured for forty hours and suffer unbearable pain. Although innocent of the false charges, he willingly carried a cross up the road to Golgotha, “the place of the skull,” where he was crucified. Jesus took on the sins of the world and died so that we may live. Through his unselfish act, he brought us into the New Covenant of grace.
The Jews during the time of Jesus were waiting for the Messiah. Fifteen hundred years they had been waiting for his arrival; however, most of the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, including the Sadducees and the Pharisees, flatly rejected the claims made by Jesus. They were expecting the Messiah to come as a mighty leader, who would become king of Israel, and lead a great army in victory over their Romans oppressors.
God entered this world as a baby. He was raised by a typical Jewish family of the time, and apprenticed in the common trade of carpentry. He proclaimed love, not war, and he even went further by preaching, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (2) The Jewish high authority considered it unthinkable to love someone as hateful as their Romans occupiers. What they wanted was a mighty sword from God, not a prophet in rags telling them to show love to those who were persecuting them.
Unfortunately, many people have failed to see the truth in the teachings of Jesus. I pray that all who read this come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The Bible tells us that, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (3)
REFERENCES:
1. Revelation 21:6
2. Matthew 5:45
3. 1 John 5:12
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