Who is Jesus?
Some people say Jesus is just a man who said good things. Others say Jesus is a lunatic. Others say Jesus’ followers made Jesus into a god when Jesus never claimed that he was a god. So, what did Jesus and his earliest followers say about who Jesus is?
Jesus did not write a book. Social media was not around to record his talks into reels. So, we are totally dependent on Jesus’ earliest followers to faithfully record the words of Jesus and then accurately pass them on to the next generations in the writings that we call the New Testament. So, is there any way to know if the earliest followers faithfully recorded the words of Jesus? Yes, there is.
Those who study ancient writings to ascertain their validity use what we will call the embarrassment factor. We are used to and admire when authors, speakers, etc. share their faults. We love it when people are ‘real’ and relatable. This is the opposite of the Roman culture that Jesus and his earliest followers lived. In Roman culture a writer would portray themselves as the hero was strong and nearly perfect. And women were rarely if ever used to carry important messages.
So how did the earliest followers of Jesus portray themselves? Certainly not as heroes! Women were entrusted with the most important news about Jesus, that Jesus had risen from the dead after three days in the grave. And the male leaders (called apostles) are shown arguing who would be the ‘greatest,’ denying Jesus, running away at the crucifixion and generally messing things up.
Another important test of the validity of a message is what the leaders expected to get out of it. You know, personal gain. Today’s influences make money just for being famous. Jesus told his followers that they would suffer for being his followers.
So, what did this ragtag group who refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead say about Jesus? They declared that Jesus was co-equal with God and has always existed. Jesus is the unique Son of God who is recorded as saying, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
Want to learn more? Check out the Gospel of John in the New Testament, check out our message library to watch our pastors speak about Jesus, or join us for one of our Sunday services at 8:30, 10:00 or 11:30am.
Written by Pastor Roger Funk