Who Do You Believe Jesus To Be?

So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.” - John 8:25-26 

People often ask me, "Why is Jesus's claim to be the Son of God so important? Surely, even if He wasn't the Son of God, He was still a good man; He was still an example for us to follow... So, what does it matter?". In fairness, there are elements of truth here; Jesus's example of how to live would still be unsurpassed, even if His claims to be the Son of God were ever proved false. However, I would argue the following: that someone's relationship with God hinges entirely on who they believe Jesus was. And that makes sense, because our belief in who Jesus was affects how we react to Him and His message...

Take a moment to imagine a hero of yours. A lot of people in the footballing world have Cristiano Ronaldo as their hero (my apologies if you're a Lionel Messi fan! Please feel free to replace the name "Ronaldo" with the name of a hero of yours, if it helps!). Let me use Ronaldo as an example, just for a second. Imagine if I told you that, at your next birthday party, I would be bringing a Cristiano Ronaldo impersonator. You'd laugh at the novelty of it, thank me and tell your friends to think of funny poses we could all pose in together. He'd show up, we would all have a good laugh taking photos and making videos with him, and when the party finished we'd all go home with some fun memories.

 NOW imagine the next year, I call a few days before your birthday, and tell you I'm bringing the ACTUAL Cristiano Ronaldo to your party. Probably at first you wouldn't believe me; you'd think I was either joking or lying. But your jaw would drop as I stood in the doorway next to the real Ronaldo. You'd grab your phone, call all your friends, you'd call everyone you know to get over to your house as soon as possible, and that they should bring their Real Madrid shirts to be signed. Many would drop whatever they were doing in order to get to your house in the next few minutes, and you would cram every man, woman and child who turned up, panting with exhaustion at having sprinted, into your house...

You'd all stare, starstruck in your crowded living room as he ate your finger sandwiches and told you and your friends, distant relatives and neighbours about his life. You'd listen intently, wanting to catch and understand every word he said. You'd ask very different questions to those you asked last year to the impersonator, and I've no doubt you'd react to his answers and generally treat him in a different way to the way you were with the impersonator. It would be a day you would remember forever; the day your hero was brought to your birthday party, an event you'd tell your grandchildren about one day...

It is a bit of a crude analogy, I'll admit, but if you agree with what I've just written, then you've recognised that the truth of who someone claims to be IS important, and must not be considered as a casual "extra". Let's consider two options of who Jesus was. WAS he an impersonator, a travelling Rabbi whose claims to be the human manifestation of God, well-meaning or not, were ultimately untrue? If this is the case, then by logic you must believe that Jesus died on the cross, and like all humans who die, never rose again. Or, was He the real deal, God come to mankind in the form of a man, who performed miracles which would be impossible for mere humans to perform, and who overcame death by rising from the grave? I put it to you that you would listen and react to the teachings of Jesus VERY differently, depending on which of those two you believe.

 I am a witness to the transforming power of going from seeing Jesus as just a man, to recognising Him as God in the form of a man. I used to think, "He was a good guy- He was nice to people. He stood up for what He believed in, and was morally iconic. But "the Son of God"? Let's not get carried away..."... God already knows that this is true- He read my thoughts on my heart, even before I was brave enough even to admit them to myself, let alone in public. For me, Jesus was one in a crowd of historical figures who I respected and admired. At first He didn't stand out, and His words and teachings were often lost in the bombardment of advice I received from this historical crowd.

Again Jesus spoke to them saying
"I am the light of the world; he who
follows me will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light
of life" - John 8:12

But my relationship with Him slowly developed. HOW it developed is a long, adventurous story which I won't delve into now (For more information, be sure to read "The Path Uphill" on this blog). The point is that, the more I learned about Jesus, the more I realised He WAS different. He wasn't like the other heroes I had. They had faults. Jesus was perfect. They were all evil in some way. Jesus was good, in every way. My other heroes had SOME of the answers some of the time. Jesus Himself WAS the answer to my problems- my fears, worries, my failures as a person- ALL of the time. The human heroes all died, and never rose. Jesus died, and rose again. I just want you to ask yourself the following question: "Who do I believe Jesus was?" Certainly from a Christian standpoint, and I would also argue from a human perspective, it is surely the most important question there is. And this is nothing new- it has always been so. William Barclay, in his book "The Gospel of John" says the following:

"...We must make up our minds about him (Jesus). After all, if Jesus is only a man, there is no reason why we should give him the utter and implicit obedience that he demands. We have to think out for ourselves who he was. We have to look at him, study him and think about him until we are driven to the conclusion that this is none other than the Son of God"

So, meditate on it. Pray about it. Ask others in your local church about Jesus. Open the Gospel and read about Him. At the end of the day, your answer must be a personal, genuine conviction- not one that you use to satisfy others, but instead a belief that YOU hold to be true, whether it be in private or in public. Do YOU believe that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be? If you don't yet, then continue to study and pray. And once you get there, then ask yourself, "What are the direct implications of this new revelation on my life?"