Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And 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?" And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." (Matthew 16:13-18)
The Christmas season brings forth a multitude of images. We think of beautifully decorated Christmas trees, with their bright and colored lights, glittering tinsel and colorful ornaments. We think of green and red wreaths hung on doors, of mistletoe dancing in doorways. Images of a white Christmas, with snowmen and sleighs, children bundled with coat and mittens, singing Christmas carols. We think of poinsettias and other beautiful decorations adorning our church sanctuary. These are all images which come to mind, along with the many personal images which are so meaningful to us. Christmas is a time of images.
Perhaps the most powerful image is the babe in a manger. The nativity scene is certainly the most well known, if not wonderful image of this season. It reminds us that Jesus truly is the reason for the season. There we see Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and Wise Men, all gathered around a babe in a manger. And, while not all together historically accurate, it is a wonderful symbol of what we celebrate this time of year.
The picture portrayed in the nativity scene is so gentle and harmless. Because of that, it amazes me that anyone can object so strenuously to such a display.
The reason should be clear, when you give it some thought. The little baby in the manger would not stay there. He would grow to be a man and become the greatest threat to those who oppose God that ever existed. Today, those who oppose God find the scene of the babe in a manger still threatening. They understand who He claimed to be and who others believe He is, and they reject those claims for their lives. Somehow they understand that to be confronted by Jesus means that one cannot remain neutral. He does not leave that option open for us.
But who was He? And who is He now? Isn't He more than the babe in the manger? Unfortunately, to many C those who do not oppose Him, but have yet to surrender to Him C He is just the sweet and gentle babe, harmless and cute, in whose honor we set aside a special day in the year. Nothing more. And if you were to ask people on the street their opinion concerning who Jesus was, you might be surprised at the depth of ignorance concerning what the Bible says about Jesus. Today, when the name of Jesus is mentioned, people's minds are clouded with various conflicting images.
They have heard of the Jesus of PTL and prosperity theology C the Jesus who obviously sees no problem with these individuals lining their pockets at the expense of others. This Jesus, they preach, is the key to wealth and prosperity. Indeed, He certainly is for them! They have heard of the Jesus preached by the hyper-fundamentalists C the Jesus who is more concerned with the outward appearance, whether you look right and act right in terms of whatever set of rules are in vogue in those particular congregations, than in the inner qualities of Christian character and integrity of life. They have also heard of the Jesus at the liberal church C the Jesus who is politically correct and is more concerned with affirming people's lifestyles, however sinful and corrupt, than in the truth and tough love. They have heard of all these Jesuses as well as, no doubt, a few more. So, who are you talking about when you mention Jesus?
It should be obvious that it is vitally important to understand just who Jesus was and is. You see, our view of Jesus and our understanding of Him determines our response to Him. If we do not see clearly just who Jesus is, then we will act upon erroneous information. Our lives will take a course based on a lie. No other individual has impacted the course of history and western civilization like Jesus. It is therefore important that we understand who He is. We must think biblically about Jesus.
Jesus had drawn His disciples apart for rest, reflection, and instruction. Jesus was never one to waste even a moment, and often He turned these times of rest into times of spiritual instruction. This evening, perhaps sitting around a campfire, Jesus gathered His disciples around Him. There He posed a very important question: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
The question of what people say was the pertinent question then, but it is also a relevant question today. As we have already indicated, many people really don't know who Jesus is. But who He is continues to be the key issue.
In response to that question, His disciples told Him what others were saying about Him. Some people were saying that He was John the Baptist. Perhaps they were referring to Jesus' powerful and relevant preaching. Perhaps they were referring also to Jesus' fearlessness before the religious leaders. Other people were saying that Jesus was Elijah, the prophet. The Jews waited for the return of Elijah. Even today, during Passover, they set a place for Elijah at the table. The return of Elijah was to precede the Messianic Age. Still others thought Jesus was Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. They knew He was a significant prophetic voice. They had seen Him perform miracles. They knew He had an emphasis on speaking the Word of God. And so, there were varied ideas of just who He really was.
There was a lot of difference of opinion then, and there still is today. In fact, today the opinions are even more varied. We have noted some of those opinions already. But there are still others.
Some opinions typical of our day make Jesus a great figure of history, but less then God the Son. Let's examine a few of them.
One opinion was that Jesus was a great man. Some people like to believe that Jesus was a human who had obtained a high degree of spirituality. They believe that Jesus lived on a higher plane than most of us in terms of His integrity, honesty, ethics, morality, and personal character. They see Him as being a good and great man. But while good and great, He was just a man. An extraordinary man, to be sure, but just a man. Was Jesus just a great and good man?
Another popular opinion is that Jesus was a great teacher. Indeed, Jesus has been described as the greatest teacher to have ever lived. This is no doubt true, but this opinion still makes Jesus less than God the Son. You see, one can be a great teacher, someone who inspires learning in the highest sense, someone who challenges people to change their lives, but still be only a man. Jesus was undoubtedly a great teacher, but was that the extent of His significance? Is He on the same level as or a little higher than Socrates and Aristotle? Is that it?
Equally popular is the notion that Jesus was indeed a prophet or a great religious leader. Like Confucius, Mohammed, or Buddha, Jesus developed a religious following and a system of religious teaching. Again, we have to ask ourselves, whether that is all. Is Jesus just another significant religious leader or a prophetic voice? Is He more than Mohammed, more than Confucius, more than Buddha?
What do people say? This is still a question many of us ask. Some say He was a great man. Others say He was a great teacher. Still others say He was a prophet or religious leader. The truth is that He was all of these things, and much, much more. In fact, Jesus claimed to be God.
In Mark 14:61-64 we read, "But He kept silent, and made no answer. Again the High Priest was questioning Him, and saying to him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' And Jesus said, 'I am: and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' And tearing his clothes, the High Priest said, 'What further need do we have of witnesses? We have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?' And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death."
There was no doubt in this High Priest's mind that Jesus had made Himself out to be God the Son. Jesus claimed to be much more than merely a man.
In John 14:6, we read, "Jesus said to Him, 'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'"
Jesus made bold claims for Himself. He claimed to be God the Son. He also claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He did not claim to be a way, but the Way. He did not claim to be a truth, but the Truth. He did not claim to be a life, but the Life. Further, He claimed that He was the only way of access to God the Father. This is what Jesus claimed for Himself. He certainly claimed to be more than merely a man.
It has been correctly stated that, considering the claims of Christ for Himself, He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the true Lord and Savior.
C. S. Lewis, who was once an agnostic, and later became a Christian and who was also a professor at Cambridge University, wrote, "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic C on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg C or else he would be a the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse." Lewis goes on to add, "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
Was Jesus who He said He was, or was He a liar? This is one of the alternatives. If He wasn't who He said He was then He may have been a deceiver. In other words, He may have known His claims were false. But does this accord with His teaching? You see, if He were a liar, then He was also a hypocrite. He taught that we should tell the truth and be honest in every situation. If He knew His claims were false, then He would be a hypocrite of the first order. Further, He would also be evil to the core. He encouraged people to trust in Him. What kind of person, knowing his claims were false, would encourage people to trust in him and his teaching for eternal life? Only someone who was demonically inspired. And finally, if He knew His claims were false, then He was a fool because He died for it. Was Christ a liar, a hypocrite, evil, and a fool? If He wasn't who He claimed to be then that is one alternative.
The other alternative is that He was a lunatic. In other words, He did not know His words were false and He was seriously deluded. He was self-deceived. As C. S. Lewis said, He was the sort of man who claims to be a poached egg. After all, what other kind of man would claim to be God the Son, the Savior of the world? Only a lunatic. Was Jesus a lunatic? Was He self-deceived? It seems to me that there has never been a man who was more in control of himself than Jesus. He hardly exhibited the kind of imbalance one would expect in a lunatic. Indeed, even when He was hanging on the Cross, losing His life, He showed remarkable poise, confidence, and compassion.
The obvious third alternative is that He was and is who He said He was. He is Lord! Indeed, when you factor in the evidence of the resurrection, you are left with no other alternative. Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. That is who He is. And if He is Lord and Savior, then all of humanity has a requirement to bow before Him and pledge their allegiance to Him. That is why the babe in the manger is so threatening to those who would not have God's rule over them.
What people say about Jesus is one thing. What you say is quite another. While it is interesting to hear what others say about Jesus, what we say really makes all the difference in terms of how we live our lives.
After Jesus had inquired what people were saying about Him, He turned the question to the disciples and asked them what they thought. He said, "Who do you say that I am?" He wanted to know what conclusions they had come to concerning Him. Based on their experience of Him, had they come to see Him for who He really was? This was the issue for them, and it is still the issue for us.
Have we come to the truth concerning Jesus for ourselves? You see, it is not simply what we believe intellectually about Jesus, it is important that the truth about Him has so gripped us that it makes a difference in the way we live. Has knowing that Jesus Christ is truly Lord made a difference in our lives? What does knowing who Jesus really is mean in terms of how you live your life?
Let me share with you what knowing the truth about Jesus means in terms of my life. Knowing the truth about Jesus' love for me means that I can trust Him with my life. It means that I know that He wants the best for me. Knowing that He left His throne of glory and suffered as a man dying on a Cross for me means that I can rest secure in His care.
Knowing that Jesus Christ, the infinite God-Man, shed His blood on Calvary's Cross means that I can have confidence that any and every sin can be forgiven through His sacrifice. It means that there is no sin so terrible that Jesus cannot forgive it. It means that when I confess my sins I know that Jesus Christ will forgive those sins. Knowing that Christ died on the Cross for me means that I can trust that I have eternal life in Him.
Knowing that Jesus Christ is Lord means that I can bow before Him in worship. Knowing that He is who He said He was means that I am in contact with the living and divine Son of God. It means that I am in touch with the highest power in the universe. It also means that I can trust in His sovereign will for my life C that it will be accomplished just as He planned it to be.
Knowing about Jesus brought me to Him, but knowing Jesus has changed my life. You can know about Napoleon and never come to know him. You can know about George Washington and never come to know him. You can also know about Jesus, but you can come to know Him because He lives. Mohammed lived and died and is still dead. Confucius lived and died and is still dead. Buddha lived and died and is still dead. But Jesus lived, died, and also rose again from the dead. He lives today. And you and I can come to know Him personally and intimately. Coming to know Him will forever impact what we say about Him. When we come to know Him then we will come to truly know who He really is.
During this Christmas season we will see images of Jesus as a babe in a manger. These beautiful images remind us that God left His throne of glory to be made a man. Some would like to keep Him in that manger. There He seems so sweet and helpless, so gentle and innocent. But we must also remind the world that the babe in the manger grew to be a man, and quite a man indeed. The Son of Man was also the Son of God, who died on a Cross for the sins of mankind. One day this same Jesus will return again and He will be the judge of all the earth. Every man, woman, boy and girl will be brought before Him. What others said about Him will not make very much difference then. But what each individual said will. When you stand before Jesus the real question will be what you said concerning Him. Did you acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior, your Lord and Savior, and did you live your life based on that knowledge? Knowing who He was, what did you do with that knowledge? Did it make all the difference in how you lived your life, or did it matter little? Who do you say Jesus is by how you live your life?
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