Who Is This Man Called Jesus?
Today, some say that Jesus Christ was a good man with good ideas. Others say he was a prophet called to proclaim the love of God to humanity.
During Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, His contemporaries thought He was Elijah or John the Baptist reincarnated (Matt. 16:14), while others claimed He was a false prophet (Luke 7:39), a wino, and a friend of sinners. Many worshiped and adored Him, while the authorities hated Him.
Many people were confused as to who exactly Jesus was. Even Peter, who told Jesus face to face that He was the Son of the living God, denied ever knowing Him when the chips were down. His closest associates (His disciples) became confused and often could not understand His message (Mark 4:13); Jesus often had to explain His message to them in private. Even today, there are hundreds of different interpretations of who He is and the simple message He brought.
Despite these varying views of Jesus of Nazareth, God's Word gives us clear and eloquent descriptions of who He is both past, present, and future. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of places in the Bible that tell us who this man from Galilee is. Scriptures explain that Jesus, acting on behalf of His Father, is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. Nothing was created or brought into existence without Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3). He is the author and finisher of our faith and the first born among the dead.
Jesus is the Savior (Luke 2:11) of mankind, the redeemer and the Lamb (John 1:29) that was slain for the foundation of the world. He is our baptizer, our cleanser from all unrighteousness. The Son of God is our healer, the great physician of our minds and bodies. He is the giver and sustainer of life for He said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35) and the one and only true vine.
Jesus brings us peace when life's problems come our way. He challenges us to cast all our cares on Him, for He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Our Lord is our shelter and our hiding place when life's pressures threaten to overwhelm us. He is our master teacher for He told us to follow Him. Jesus is the servant of all human kind, challenging us to follow His example saying, "He who is the greatest among men is the servant of all" (Matt. 23:11).
The chosen one of God is our ministering force whose divine goal is to bring us into the fullness and likeness of God as resurrected sons and daughters in His soon coming Kingdom on earth. He is our counselor, our Prince of peace, our divine consultant who will give us wisdom if we lack it (James 1:5). This Nazarene is our best friend who "sticks closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24), and promises to be with us even unto the end of the world.
Finally, Jesus Christ is our soon coming King who will take us to be with Him; where He is we will be also. Christ will come and will reign in righteousness upon this earth as Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has an endless measure of joy, fellowship, and communion to give every believer for all eternity.
Jesus Christ is all of the above and much more. The description above only scratches the surface of who He is. Only when we see Him face to face will we fully comprehend the total value He gives to every living creature both in heaven and on earth.
An Article from:
Virtual Christian Magazine: June 2000
Course Content
Hector Earle
Hector M. Earle was born in Roddickton, Newfoundland/Labrador and completed his secondary education at AC Palmer Collegiate. In 1986, he completed a BA(Ed) degree from Memorial University at St. John's, NL in upper elementary education. In 1976, he was a teacher/principal at Ridgewood Academy at Stoneville, NL for 24 years. In 1991, he received a Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration from Memorial and a subsequent Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership in 1997. His thesis, School Based Decision Making, is in the education archived section of the research department at Memorial University Queen Elizabeth Library, in St. John’s, NL. Hector is a Justice of the Peace/Notary Public for the province of Newfoundland, Department of Justice and he is currently with the Northland School Division as a Special Education Coordinator in Janvier, Alberta.
Writing has been a part of Hector Earle’s life over the years and he has written numerous articles in many educational journals and Christian magazines across Canada and the United States. His educational articles have been reprinted in Educational Journals in British Columbia and Manitoba. He has been published in such magazines as The Good Tidings Magazine, The NLTA Bulletin, The Canadian Teacher Magazine and numerous articles for Virtual Christian Magazine. He enjoys sharing his Christian faith with United Church of God readers. He was converted in September 1975 after reading an issue of The Plain Truth magazine and subsequent literature in the mail from the former World Wide Church of God.
He has just recently written a book entitled Death of a Race, a historical fiction novel about the demise of the Beothuck First Nations of Newfoundland and Labrador. His work is intended to be a novel for Junior High Social Studies in the Schools in Canadian schools. The manuscript is currently being published by DRC publishing in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Hector is happily married to his lovely wife, Marilyn and currently resides in Chard, Alberta. They have three beautiful daughters: Elaine, living in Calgary, Alberta; Rhonda, a RCMP officer in Bay Roberts, NL; and Wendy, a grade 12 graduate, currently working in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
