Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus?
When I think of Jesus Christ, I first think of Him as my Savior. As cliché as that may sound, I consider Him my hero. Jesus is known as our Redeemer, the Truth, the Way, Lamb of God, and the Prince of Peace (John 3:16-19). He saved us from our sin when He died on the cross. If we carefully ponder the sacrifice that was made in order that we might receive salvation, we can develop a greater understanding of Jesus’ character and His love Jesus for us. Jesus suffered and died so that we could be free from sin. Try and set the scene in your head. Jesus was spit on, cussed at, mocked, and ridiculed. However, in spite of this awful treatment, He continued carrying that cross because of love for us. There is no other being who could ever fulfill this kind burden for us. The Bible is full of prophecies and the truth that Jesus is the only one who can attain freedom for those who love Him and accept His gift of salvation. This is made certain in Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Jesus Early On
Sometimes, the Old Testament is difficult to read because we don’t fully understand God’s wrath. For example, Jeremiah 30:23 says, “Behold the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.” However, God’s wrath is important to consider because before Jesus came to save us, we were lost and misguided. Jeremiah 18:11-12 says, “Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.” Despite the many tests God put us through, presenting us with opportunities to turn to Him, we continued failing to trust Him. Because of our repetitive sin in nature, God promised us a hope to release us from sin. This promise of hope is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Jesus is just as present in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament. Genesis 3:15 reads, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Although sometimes the Old Testament may be intimidating, we are given encouragement through the many prophecies of Jesus. When I read the Old Testament, I am also searching for elements of Jesus. There is hope in Jesus because of the consistent promise from God that there will be a Messiah to save us from sin and darkness. We must also remember since Jesus is God, God is also our hope. Perhaps one of my favorite glimpses of our hope in Jesus is Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
The Love and Gentleness of Jesus
One of the most important things to remember is that Jesus is love. He did not exclude anyone from His love and His truth. Jesus took time to sit and gently express love and care to everyone. Jesus came for us. He expressed this in Mark 2:16-17: “And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus never stops loving us. His love for us does not discriminate nor does it hold any record of wrongdoing. When Paul talks about love to the Corinthian church; he is speaking about the love that is Jesus Christ. When reflecting back to Paul’s words about love: Love is Patient, it never stops being patient. Love never stops hoping nor never stops believing. This kind of love only comes from Jesus. Whereas the Old Testament speaks of the hope to come, the new testament speaks about the love that came. Jesus is the only one who never stops loving us, who never stops giving up on us. And when our weaknesses are overpowering us, Jesus is right there with us, stronger than our weaknesses. He protects us and guards us from any darkness that looms over us. Jesus carries our burdens, and He comforts us when we feel anxious or fearful. When some people abandon us in our worst, Jesus pursues us. He never abandons us.
Reviewing Paul’s words again in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” Now, replace the word ‘love’ with Jesus. Doing so becomes a wonderful and encouraging reminder about the love and hope that is Jesus Christ.
In the Bible Jesus is referred to as Lord. To consider Jesus as Lord signifies his authority as that Jesus is God and He is Lord of all, Heaven, and Earth. When He is Lord of all, our hearts and souls unify to His truth and His light. He is Lord of our hearts and He never gives up on us. No matter the resistance we sometimes feel, He is Lord of our thoughts and we are made anew through Him. I pray God will pursue those who are lost and I pray He will continue to guide His believers as we journey through this earth. May we thank our Heavenly Father for His son, Jesus and may we never lose sight of the tremendous sacrifice that was made so that we may be saved.
Jesus has always been with the people of Israel from the Old Testament to the New Testament. And just as He was always with them, He is continuously with us. He is our hope and our Savior!
Reflection Questions
When you think of Jesus, what comes to mind?
Who is Jesus to you?
What part of the Old Testament brings you hope? What part of the New Testament reassures you of Jesus’ love for you?