Just exactly who is Jesus? There is no more important question that that. Sadly, many have confused and erroneous views of who Jesus is, but the Bible gives a very clear and straightforward answer. [powerpress]
The Greatest Question You Will Ever Face
Luke 9:18-22
There are a lot of very important questions we all face in life. Should I go to college? If so, which one? Should I marry? If so, who? What kind of a career should I pursue? Where should I live? What church should I be a member of? What kind of ministry should I pursue? However, all of those questions pale into insignificance compared to the question Jesus asked His disciples so many hundreds of years ago – “who do you say that I am?” The reason that question is so important is because your eternal destiny hangs on how you answer it. No one will be saved who will not confess who Jesus really is. Many people will go through their entire lives without ever giving that question any serious thought. In fact, they will do their best not to think about it. They know that if they come to any serious conviction about who Jesus is, that will mean they must give their lives in obedience to Him. And, that is something they just don’t want to do. They would like to run their own lives, thank you very much. But, to ignore or avoid this question means eternal destruction on that final day! I beg you, not to ignore this question any more. Face it head on today, and embrace the right conclusion, the Biblical answer to that question. Now we might think that answering that question correctly is a very difficult task. After all, if you ask the average man on the street, “Who is Jesus?” you will get all kinds of different responses. You have almost as many different answers to that question as there are people.
- If you asked an atheist or an agnostic who Jesus was, they would probably say, “I’m not really sure. He may have been a real historical figure, who taught some good things, but that’s it.”
- If you asked a Mormon who Jesus is they might say, “He is the spirit brother of Lucifer.”
- If you asked a Jehovah’s Witness they might say, “Jesus is Michael the archangel, the greatest creation of God. There was a definite time in which he came into existence.”
- If you asked a member of the Unification Church (Sun Yung Moon), he would say that Jesus was a human just like you and I, although He perfectly understood what God wanted. He failed in His mission, and was not raised bodily from the dead.
- If you asked a Unitarian who Jesus is he might say, “Jesus was one of many important moral religious teachers who taught us how to live. However we don’t believe he was born of a virgin, was God, or was raised from the dead.”
- If you asked a Muslim he would say, “Jesus was a Great Prophet, but he was a man and nothing more. He is not the Savior of the world, and he is certainly not the Son of God.”
- If you asked a Hindu he might say that Jesus is one of the many gods we may worship. Some believe he is an incarnation of the God Vishnu. Hindus respect Jesus as a good teacher and the founder of Christianity.
- If you asked students at a local university you might be told that Jesus is just a mythical figure who never had a historical existence. Others might say that he existed, and was a good moral teacher, but was certainly not the Son of God.
It seems like the majority of people alive today are very confused about this question. Now, why is that? Is it because the answer of the Bible is so difficult and so ambiguous that no one can really figure it out? I believe the opposite is the case. The Bible is extremely clear about who Jesus is, so that it is very difficult to miss it, if we just have a teachable humble heart that wants to know. The problem is that many people will not accept the Scriptures as the very Word of God, and so try to answer that question on a different authority. Some look to the Koran, or to other sacred books. Some look to human philosophers or college professors, or to TV and film personalities for their answer. My friends, we will never know the truth about this question, until we humbly accept what God has said in the Bible. Jesus said to God in prayer, “Your Word is truth.” Let’s be firmly persuaded in our minds that God’s Word is truth. Thus, let’s go to the Scriptures, and to the Scriptures alone for our answer this morning. Now, this is not a new question in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 5:21, in response to Jesus healing the paralytic that was lowered through the roof, the Bible says, “The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Later in Luke 7:49, after Jesus had pronounced that the immoral woman’s sins had been forgiven the Scripture says, “Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” Then in Luke 8:25, after Jesus calmed the raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, the Bible says, “They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” In Luke 9:9, Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” It seems, everyone is asking the question “Who is Jesus?” The question is on the lips of the scribes and Pharisees, Herod, and Jesus’ own disciples. Jesus has now been with His disciples for a little over two years. He has allowed them to grow in their knowledge of Him gradually. But now, He is going to press for a decision. Will they pass the exam? Before we look at the question more closely notice the setting for Jesus’ question. “And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them.” There are seven different times in the gospel of Luke where we find Jesus praying alone. Often before Jesus does something very important, we find Him praying. He prays all night before He chooses the 12 apostles. He prays before He feeds the 5,000. He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane before He goes to the cross. And now, when we read that Jesus was praying alone, that’s a clue that Jesus is about to do something very significant. And that’s exactly what happens. Jesus asks the most significant question He could have asked. Actually, Jesus asks two questions here. The first question was just to set Jesus up for the real question. Let’s look at these two questions.
1. Who Do The People Say That I Am?
Jesus is polling His disciples here. He’s wanting to know what the multitudes of people living in Palestine at that time thought about Him. At this point, all Israel was buzzing with the news of what Jesus was doing. News about Him healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead were circulating everywhere. And it seems, everyone had an opinion about Him. So, what did the people think about Jesus? The report the disciples brought to Jesus was the exact same report that Herod had received about Jesus. In Luke 9:7-8 it says, “Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.” Well, now here in Luke 9:19, they give the exact same answer. John the Baptist. Of course, Jesus couldn’t have been John the Baptist, because they ministered at the same time, and John baptized Jesus, but the common people didn’t have all the facts. John and Jesus were very different from each other. John was an ascetic, a recluse. He lived by himself in the deserts, communing with God. He wore only a camel skin tied by a leather belt. He didn’t cut his hair or beard, so he would have looked like a wild man. Jesus, on the other hand, was always around people. He grew up in Nazareth, worked as a carpenter taking care of His mother. Later He began His ministry, spending time with all kinds of people – the religious elite, as well as tax collectors and prostitutes. In contrast to John, Jesus went to dinners, ate and drank freely with them. So, how could anyone think that Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead? Well, both of them preached the same message – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt.3:2; 4:17). When John disappeared, some said that he had been arrested and beheaded by Herod, but not everybody believed that. They all wanted him to appear and continue His amazing ministry. Well, John didn’t appear, but Jesus filled the vacuum by His ministry of preaching and healing. Since Jesus and John were 2nd cousins, it is very likely that they looked a bit like each other. Folks may have been saying, “You know, if John trimmed his beard and cut his hair, and wore normal clothes, he would look a lot like this Jesus. Maybe Jesus is John.” Elijah. According to 2 Kings 2, Elijah never died, but rather was caught up to heaven in a chariot of fire, while his successor, Elisha looked on. Also, Malachi 4:5 says, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” So, many Jews were looking for Elijah to come back. Everyone had heard of the great miracles that Elijah had done. So, when Jesus suddenly appeared, doing great miracles, many believed he must be Elijah who had come back, just as the Lord had promised. One of the Prophets. The other opinion about Jesus that was circulating around was that he was one of the prophets of old who had risen from the dead. Notice, that in every case, the people were saying that Jesus was a prophet – John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the other prophets. In other words, they believed He spoke God’s Words. Application: It is Common for People to Arrive at the Wrong Conclusion about Jesus. They did it in the first century. Now, they were partly right. Jesus was a prophet. He did speak for God. Oh, but He was much more than a prophet. And if all those people believed about Jesus was that He was a prophet, they were dead wrong. Friends, it is also common today for people to be dead wrong about Jesus. Now, it shouldn’t be that way. The Bible is very clear about His nature and identity. But the problem is that most people don’t care enough to honestly investigate the Scriptures to find out who Jesus really is. That’s why we have so many wrong ideas about Him. People say He was a great moral teacher, or a great religious leader, or a Prophet of God, or the greatest being God ever created, or a mythical figure who never even existed. But none of those opinions about Jesus are correct, because they are not the summation of what the Bible says about Him. It is so sad that so many people are ignorant of who Jesus is, because their eternal destiny is at stake. In John 8:23-24 Jesus said to the Jews, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Now the word “He” is in italics, meaning that it is not found in the original manuscripts. Literally, Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I Am, you will die in your sins.” That has led many to the conclusion that Jesus was telling them that unless they believed that He was God come in the flesh, they would be damned forever. Then again in John 17:3, as Jesus was praying to His Father He said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life is to know Jesus Christ, and to know Him for who He really is. That’s why we must do our utmost to proclaim to the people of our generation who Jesus is. We must find ways to communicate this message to the people around us, because they must believe in Him for who He really is, in order to be saved. Now, let’s take a look at the second question.
2. But Who Do You Say That I Am?
In the Greek it is, “But you, who do you say that I am?” The emphasis is on you. They have told Him what the multitudes think. Now Jesus wants to know what they think. Peter, as usual, speaks up for the rest of the twelve when he says, “The Christ of God.” In Matthew 16:16 his words are, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Immediately Jesus tells Peter that he didn’t get that answer from man. Rather, God the Father revealed it specially to him. Now, perhaps that’s the reason why so many people can’t seem to figure out who Jesus is. In order to know who He really is, God has to reveal it to you. And this revelation is not just understanding intellectually an answer you are taught in Sunday School, or you hear in a sermon. It is for the truth of who Jesus is, to grip you, and become real in your life. The abbreviated answer Peter gave is that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” The word “Christ” means “Anointed One” or “Messiah.” In short, Peter was saying that Jesus was God’s Deliverer, the One He had sent. Peter was saying that Jesus was the One all the prophets and all the Old Testament Scriptures had foretold. Jesus, according to Peter, was the Anointed One of God who had come to deliver God’s people. Or, as Matthew puts it in Matthew 1:21, “you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Now, Peter adds over in Matthew, that He is the “Son of the Living God.” “Messiah” focuses on His role or mission. “Son of the Living God” focuses on His essential nature. Jesus is the Son of God, and God the Son, who was sent by the Father to deliver God’s people from sin. Now, this Messiah was spoken of in dozens of Old Testament texts. Sometimes the Messiah is spoken of as one who would have a prophetic role. Sometimes we read in the Old Testament that He will have a kingly role. And sometimes we read that He will have a priestly role. He Will Be A Prophet. God told Moses in Deuteronomy 18:21, “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” Peter quotes those verses in Acts 3 when he is preaching in the temple in Jerusalem, and he says that the prophet God would raise up was Jesus. So, God’s promise is that He would put His very words in the mouth of Jesus, and Jesus would speak to the people all that God commanded Him. The Messiah would be a great prophet who would be God’s mouthpiece, speaking to them all that God commanded. Oh, what a great prophet Jesus was! Never did any man speak like He spoke. He didn’t quote rabbi so and so, but spoke in His own name with God’s authority. He continually said, “you have heard it said, but I say unto you!” At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Matthew records, “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Mt.7:28-29). He Will Be A King. God told David in 2 Samuel 7:12, “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.” In Psalm 132:11 God says, “The Lord has sworn to David a truth from which He will not turn back: of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.” So, not only would this Messiah be a Prophet, he would also be a King. He would have a kingdom. He would sit upon a throne. Jesus said to Pilate, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth” (Jn. 18:37). He also told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (Jn. 18:36). Yes, Jesus was and is a King! The message that He constantly preached was “the kingdom of God.” He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Even at His death, Pilate wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews” (Jn. 19:19). On the third day after His crucifixion, He rose gloriously from the dead, and later ascended to heaven where He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God ruling over God’s universe. Not only is Jesus a Prophet to teach us, He is a King to rule over us. All who come into His kingdom must submit to His rule and reign in their lives. He Will Be A Priest. This Coming One, will not only be a Prophet and a King, but also a Priest. In Psalm 110:4 the Bible says, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, so He could not be a Levitical priest. Only the sons of Levi were permitted to be priests in Israel, and Jesus was not a son of Levi. However, Jesus was a priest according to a different order, the order of Melchizedek. Now, what is the job of a priest? It is two-fold. He must offer sacrifice for sin, and intercede on behalf of others. Sacrifice and Intercession. Well, isn’t that exactly what we find in the ministry of Jesus Christ? Jesus was the Priest, and He was also the Sacrifice. His cross was His altar. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. But then, He rose and ascended to heaven, where He intercedes for us. Not only is Jesus a Prophet to teach us, and a King to rule us, He is also a Priest to save us! He Is The Son Of The Living God. Not only is Jesus a Prophet, Priest and King, He is also God manifested in the flesh, the Son of the Living God. No, Jesus was not just a great moral teacher, or religious leader. He was God incarnate. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:1,14). This is that which most people miss about Jesus. When you ask them who Jesus is, they will usually not tell you that Jesus is God. This is where the cults always go wrong. They will always deny the full Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, let’s put this all together. Who is Jesus? He is the Anointed Deliverer that God sent to save His people. He is a Prophet to guide us, a King to rule us, and a Priest to save us. And He is God manifest in the flesh. That is the correct answer to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” And unless we understand, believe and confess this, we shall die in our sins. Now, notice the sequel to this question/answer session. Luke 9:21-22 says, “But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” Now, doesn’t that sound odd? If Jesus was the Messiah, why didn’t He want His disciples to spread that news to everyone? Simply because their preconceived idea of Messiah, was radically different from the true role of the Messiah. When the Jewish people spoke of the Messiah to come, they thought of power, and sovereignty, and kingship. They thought the Messiah would be a great Conqueror, and political leader. They believed he would deliver the Jews from the Romans and set up His throne in Jerusalem, and Israel would be the ruling nation on earth. Oh, how far they were from the truth! Yes, Jesus came to deliver His people, but not from earthly oppression. Jesus came to deliver His people from sin, and wrath, and everlasting hell. He didn’t come to sit on an earthly throne in regal splendor and majesty and pomp. No He must suffer many things and be rejected and killed. Then He must be raised up on the third day. So, because the common people had a totally wrong conception of what the Messiah would be, if Jesus’ disciples went out and proclaimed that Jesus was that Messiah, there would likely be political unrest, and revolts against Rome, and a movement to make Jesus King. Actually, after Jesus fed the 5,000 the people tried to make Him King, but He withdrew to the mountain alone to pray. No, it would not be wise to proclaim that He was the promised Messiah, until He had died and risen again, and then the disciples could explain the true mission of the Messiah. Application: Jesus wants His people to confess who He is. That’s what we see in our passage this morning. Jesus came to the disciples and asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” In other words, tell me. Confess with your mouth what you believe about Me. And the Lord is asking His people to do the same today. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 that unless we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead we can’t be saved. Do you know the truth about Jesus? Have you ever confessed that truth to others? If you have come to put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, have you ever demonstrated that faith by water baptism? If you have surrendered your life to Christ, but have not been baptized in water, come and talk to me so we can baptize you soon. And those of you who have become Christians and have been baptized, keep on confessing Jesus before men. Tell others exactly who He is. Don’t be ashamed of Him! Rather, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord! Let’s pray.
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