Who is Jesus? That may sound like a strange question and you may be able to rattle of an answer very quickly. But what if I were to ask, Who is Jesus to YOU?, it’s a whole new ball game. The difference in the question is the difference between knowing Jesus
Who is Jesus? That may sound like a strange question and you may be able to rattle of an answer very quickly. But what if I were to ask, Who is Jesus to YOU?, it’s a whole new ball game. The difference in the question is the difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus. I know about our prime minister but I don’t know her personally. I can tell you things about her that I’ve read but I don’t really know her.
When it comes to Jesus there are many ways or types of knowing. We can know about Jesus. We can know some facts about Him, or we can know Him intimately like we know a friend or a family member. Hence, the question, Who Is Jesus To YOU?
Throughout the gospels (the histories written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we see that there were many people who knew Jesus at these different levels.
As Jesus poses the question to the disciples, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ we can be assured that many in the crowds were ignorant of Jesus. Some people had no idea of Jesus’ true identity and had no desire to find out. Many people rejected Jesus outright. Similarly today, many people are ignorant of Jesus and reject Him outright. They want nothing to do with Jesus and reject Him completely. However, I’ve found in practice that they reject Jesus without knowing who they’re rejecting or why they are rejecting him. If you are ignorant of Jesus and are rejecting Him, let me ask you this: Who are you really rejecting and why are you rejecting Him?
Still others in the crowd were inappropriately informed about Jesus. They knew Jesus but thought that He was one of the prophets of old. Some thought He was a reincarnation or revisitation of Elijah or perhaps Moses or maybe even John the Baptist who had just recently been beheaded. Even today many people are inappropriately informed about Jesus. Some see Him simply as the healer to call on when sickness comes or when life needs healing. Others see Him as the great psychologist to help themselves feel good about the image they see in the mirror each morning. Others see Him as a genie that gives, not three, but countless wishes to meet their every need and fantasy.
Still others are informed. Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. He knew that Jesus was fulfilling many of the prophecies in the OT about the Messiah. Peter had nit the nail on the head in confessing Christ. He was informed. But he still had a lot to learn. Some people who are informed about Jesus think that the key to salvation is knowledge. As long as you know about Jesus you’ll be alright. As long as you can talk about Jesus and quote things about Him you’ll be fine. But knowledge of Jesus is useless in our salvation. It cannot and will not help us in finding eternal life and peace with God. Peter, at this stage of his walk with Jesus, was informed but he was not an insider. Jesus immediately began to teach that He must die and be rejected. He stated it very clearly:-
"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
But Peter and disciples couldn’t understand the real meaning of these words until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then could they become insiders. An insider is someone who knows Christ personally and intimately. An insider knows that Jesus had to die on the cross for his/her own sins personally and that Jesus was raised to eternal life. An insider worships Jesus because he/she loves Jesus from the depths of his/her heart. He/she is grateful, eternally grateful, for what Jesus has done for him/her. An insider is joyously willing to take up his/her cross to follow Jesus wherever He may lead.
Who is Jesus to YOU?
Prayer:-
- Pray that many people will become “insiders” this Christmas season as both you, your cell group and your church proclaim the good news. Pray that each group will have many opportunities to share the love of God in both word and deed.
- Pray for the work of Creation Research as they seek to bring more people to believe in the historicity of the Scriptures. Pray for much needed finances and personnel resources to be provided by the Lord's generous hand.
As the down hill run to Christmas Day continues, prayerfully consider ways you can be a blessing to others each day this week to those in your congregation. Prayer cards, letters, a phone call, a small gift, a coffee date all communicate love and blessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment