FOUR VIEWS OF JESUS

In a world of almost seven billion people, it is difficult to estimate how many have heard of Jesus. I think it is safe to say that the vast majority have some knowledge of Him. Hopefully, all those who have attended a church at least once in their life will have heard of Him. Of the many religions of the world that do not accept the biblical Jesus, those who have heard of Jesus at all believe He was just a man. What kind of man varies, but the historical Jesus was only a human being. The Bible tells us of a blind man who met Jesus, was healed by Him, and still declared Him to be merely a man (Jn. 9:11). It is hard to believe, but the Bible doesn't lie.

Many of those in the world who have heard of Jesus and His teachings are willing to call Him a prophet, and compare Him to Confucius, Buddha, Mohammad, etc. His wisdom is respected and often quoted. Mahatma Gandhi held this view of Jesus. He often quoted Him in his speeches, and when asked by a reporter why he quoted Him but never became a believer, he replied, "I would have become a Christian years ago had I not met so many of them." Apparently, Gandhi met only those who were religious Christians, those who did not have a personal relationship with the Father through faith in Him. After having time to reflect upon his good fortune, the young man healed of his blindness came to the conclusion that anyone who could heal him had to be more than just a man; He had to be a prophet (Jn. 9:17). He had heard Jesus speaking to His disciples and understood that Jesus was sent by God, so he reasoned that He must be a prophet.

Members of all three monotheistic religions of the world are waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Islam calls him the Mahdi, and although the main two sects of the religion differ on the significance and details of his coming, both believe he will purify the world. Christians believe that Jesus, having come in His humanity to die for sin, will return to rule the world for one thousand years. During this time, called the Millennium, Christians will rule with their Christ. Jews believe that their Messiah will come and establish a world government ruled by Him, and that they will rule with Him. Jews recognize that He will be the King of kings, and they will never be persecuted again. After discussing the event with his parents, the one healed of blindness and they came to the conclusion that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah (Jn. 9:18-23).

The fourth view of Jesus is that He is the Creator, God Almighty, Savior, and Lord (Col. 1:16; Isa. 9:6; Jn. 4:42; Isa. 49:26). He did not come the first time to establish a religion, but to serve as a bridge for fallen man to cross into the presence of God. The Church is the sum total of all who have become the children of God through faith in Jesus (Jn. 1:12; 1 Jn. 3:2). As God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus is worthy of worship, and since only God is worthy of worship, for Him to accept it from men shows He recognized that He was God (Lk. 4:8). It was faith in Jesus as his Savior and Lord that caused the young man to worship the Man who had healed him (Jn. 9:38).

Who do you say He is? If Jesus is Lord, say so!