Who was Jesus? By Kim Ellison

Many people have questioned who Jesus was, what he did, and his claims about himself. Today there are many different opinions regarding the person of Jesus. This is not to say it is by and large a contemporary issue, but it appears to be more prevalent in today's society to question the deity of Jesus and his claims to be the Son of God. Was he just a man, a great religious leader, or was he truly the Son of God? Did he rise from the dead or was it just a hoax? Christians are frequently confronted with these questions today. Leading world religions and the general populace vary greatly in their opinions in regards to Jesus.

Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus existed, but view him as merely a created being. His existence from all of eternity is denied. New Agers blend many religions together and view reality as a unified whole. They believe that everything that exists is part of the divine nature, including man. In other words, they think we humans are gods. Hinduism teaches that Jesus was just one of many avatars or revelations of God. Islam, one of the fastest growing religions in the world today, considers Jesus to be a great prophet, but not the Son of God. A good number of religions would agree that Jesus was a good moral man, a great religious leader, a great teacher or even a great prophet, but they do not acknowledge him as the Son of the Living God. They deny his deity. It is here that Christianity parts company with many religions of the day.

Christianity teaches that Jesus was and is the Son of the Living God, the promised Messiah; the Savior of the world who died on the cross and rose again to save mankind from their sin. It is important to note as Josh McDowell points out in his book, More Than a Carpenter, that we cannot view Jesus as just a good moral man. He did not leave that option open to us. McDowell states "To say what Jesus said and to claim what he claimed about himself, one couldn't conclude that he was just a good moral man or prophet" (Page 25). You see, Jesus himself claimed he was the Son of God. If he was lying about his identity he would hardly be a good moral man. He claimed to be far more than a great teacher or prophet. In the gospel of John, Jesus stated that He and the Father were one (John 10:30). The Scriptures tell us that the Jews were so angry about his declaration that they wanted to stone him. Jesus asked them for which good work did they want to stone him. They replied "For a good work we do not stone you, but for blasphemy; and because you, being a man, make yourself out to be God" (John 10:33, NASB). Even Jesus adversaries recognized that he was claiming to be God.

Jesus is unique among historical religious leaders in that he alone made this claim. Mohammed did not claim to be Allah; he only claimed to be his prophet. Buddha did not claim to be God; he only emphasized the teachings of the Buddha. Yet Jesus told his followers that if they had seen him, they had seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus claimed to have the ability to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7), something only God can do. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. He said that no one could come to the Father except through him (John 14:6). The Bible tells us that Jesus always was, that everything we see was made through him. Come with me to the gospel of John, chapter one.

John 1:1-14 (NIV) ­ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

These verses clearly teach us that Jesus was much more than just a man. The Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh and dwelt among us. He alone was God come to earth in the flesh. Jesus was and is the Light of the world. Jesus is the Word of God who was with God from the very beginning of all eternity. Jesus said and did many things while on this earth to prove these claims: He healed the sick; He made the blind to see; He raised the dead; and He walked on water. His many miracles are one of the greatest proofs that he was and is the Son of God.
The greatest miracle of all was his resurrection from the dead. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). The Christian faith stands or falls on the fact of the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead than our faith as Christians is pointless. Having said this, it is important to note that there have been skeptics who set out to disprove the resurrection, but in the process of their investigation they became believers.

Frank Morison was such a man. He felt the history of Christ rested on a very insecure foundation. Morrison set out to write a short monograph disclaiming the resurrection, but as he studied the facts he was led in a new and unexpected direction. In the process of his investigation he became a believer. There was just too much evidence pointing to the fact that the event did occur. In its place he wrote a book which gives historical evidences in favor of the resurrection called Who Moved the Stone?

Josh McDowell thought Christians were walking idiots. Out of pride he set out to refute their beliefs, but in the end he too became a believer. In his book, The Resurrection Factor, McDowell states "After more than 1,000 hours of studying this subject and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I was forced to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, heartless, vicious, hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, or it is the most fantastic fact of history. It is either history's greatest delusion or the greatest miracle that history records" (page 7). McDowell's book continues on to give convincing evidence in favor of the resurrection event.

I concur with McDowell. I believe a great miracle took place. There are too many facts to be taken into consideration. For one thing Jesus appeared 15 different times after his resurrection. One time it was to over 500 people. They could not all be mistaken. Did they all have identical delusional visions and hallucinations at various times and places? I don't think so. It is very unlikely.

McDowell also points out in The Resurrection Factor that there is much circumstantial evidence in favor of the resurrection to include: the origin and existence of the Church, Sunday worship, Baptism, Communion, and Changed lives (P. 106-108). Think about it. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead how did the early Church ever get off the ground in Jerusalem? The environment was extremely hostile after the death of Jesus. Yet, when the first sermon was preached there were over 3,000 new converts (Acts 2:41). Not long after, another 5,000 became believers. Acts chapter two tells us that daily more believers were added to their numbers.

All of the new believers began to take part in the sacraments such as Communion and Baptism. In Baptism we identify with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. In Communion we remember what He has done for us. It is important to keep in mind that the early Church was made up of mostly Jewish believers whose day of worship was Saturday. It was not a small thing for them to change their day of worship to Sunday. The fourth commandment instructed them to keep the Sabbath day holy and it was strictly enforced within their religion and community. What caused them to change their day of worship to Sunday? Could it have been that they were celebrating the day Jesus rose from the dead? Yes, I think so.

Something extraordinarily fantastic had to have happened for all of these people to become believers. Keep in mind that Jesus was beaten, crucified and put to death as a criminal. To publicly state that he rose from the dead would have been dangerous and viewed as going up against Rome and the Jewish leaders. Why would anyone declare such a thing if they knew it was not true and risk the wrath of Rome? If Jesus did not rise from the dead; the officials simple could have produced his body to put an end to the hoax. However, even Jesus adversaries knew the tomb was empty because they paid off the Roman soldiers to lie and say the disciples came and stole the body in the night.

The theory that Jesus disciples stole the body is by far the most preposterous story I have ever heard. For one thing, the stone that was rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb was extremely heavy. It has been reported to weigh approximately two tons. The disciples would not have been strong enough to move it. In addition, a Roman guard was placed in front of the tomb to protect it and I highly doubt that they were sleeping. Roman soldiers could incur the death penalty for such an offense as falling asleep on the job. And even if the guards were sleeping, the disciples certainly would have awakened them in the process of trying to move a two ton stone. Furthermore, the tomb was sealed shut with the official authority and seal of Rome.

Think about it. If the disciples stole the body, why would they have endured such intense persecution and died for something they knew to be a lie? Paul Little states in his book, Know Why You Believe, "People will die for what they believe to be true, though it may actually be false. They do not, however, die for what they know is a lie" (Page 50). What benefit would there have been in telling such a lie? Claiming that Jesus rose from the dead did not bring earthly gain or riches. Rather it caused them much pain, suffering, and persecution. The disciples were imprisoned, stoned, beaten, boiled in oil, crucified, speared and beheaded. If they stole the body, then they knew that Jesus did not rise from the dead. Surely someone would have cracked under pressure and eventually told the truth if it was a lie. But no one ever did. All of the disciples including the apostle Paul died a martyr's death for the cause of Christ, except for John who was exiled to the Isle of Patmos for his faith.

Keep in mind that these are the same men that all ran away in the garden of Gethsemane. Very few stood with Jesus when he was arrested, beaten and crucified. Peter, during Jesus trial, denied that he even knew him three times. Yet later, Peter was put in prison for preaching the "risen Christ" and died a martyr's death. He was crucified upside down. Why would Peter undergo such dreadful persecution and die such a horrible death for a lie? What changed the fearful Peter into a bold preacher for the Lord? I believe it was the risen Christ.

What about the apostle Paul? He despised Christians. He persecuted them, interrogated them, and put them to death. He received special permission from the Jewish leaders to go from city to city seeking out Believers to kill them. But then something happened to Paul that transformed him from being a murderer of the Christians to preaching the risen Christ himself. He had a total turn around. You see, Jesus also appeared to Paul on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-22) and Paul became a believer, a changed man. To his dying day he preached the risen Christ in spite of beatings, shipwrecks, stoning, and imprisonment.

After the death of Jesus, something happened which turned cowardly men who were afraid to be associated with Jesus at his arrest, into courageous witnesses for him for the rest of their lives. I believe it was the appearances of Jesus after he was crucified; it was looking upon the risen Christ that changed these men. Jesus resurrection from the dead is one of the greatest proofs that He indeed is the Son of God; so much more than just a teacher or great prophet. I believe Jesus was who he said he was. But you might ask; how can I know that the claims Jesus made in the Bible are true? I've heard there are a lot of errors in the Bible. How can we truly trust a book that old? Wasn't it written years after the events occurred?

Let me assure you that there is much evidence in favor of the Scriptures being sound and reliable. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 did much to authenticate our Old Testament Scriptures. There was remarkable accuracy in comparing these ancient scrolls to our current Old Testament writings, especially in the book of Isaiah. There were very few discrepancies and they did not change the main point of the story. For the most part it was a difference in spelling. For example, Honor verses Honour.

The New Testament was written between 50 A.D. and 100 A.D. Some scholars even claim that all of the New Testament writings were completed by 70 A.D. In either case, this means most of the New Testament was written by contemporaries of Christ, who saw, heard, and could recall what he said and did. It would have been difficult to change the story. Too many people were still alive that knew the facts. It would be comparable to me writing an article stating that the Holocaust never happened. Too many people are still alive today that know firsthand that the Holocaust did happen. They could easily refute my story with the facts.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek and we have over 5,000 existing copies that contain all or portions of the writings. Some are dated as early as 120 A.D. and we have copies of the entire New Testament dating from 325 A.D. (the Codex Vaticanus) and 350 A.D. (the Codex Sinaiticus). These copies are dated less than 300 years from the original compositions. Most ancient writings have no more than 10 existing copies that date anywhere from 750 to 1500 years after the original manuscripts were written. This includes the writings of Plato and Aristotle. It is important to note the great quantity of evidence for the New Testament Scriptures in comparison to other ancient writings whose authenticity we question far less.

According to Josh McDowell even liberal scholars are allowing for earlier dates for the writing of the New Testament. He states "Many of the liberal scholars are being forced to consider earlier dates for the New Testament. Dr. John A.T. Robinson's conclusions in his new book Redating the New Testament are startlingly radical. His research led to the conviction that the whole of the New Testament was written before the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70" (More Than A Carpenter, P. 44).

If you look at the evidence it is very logical. For example, not one of the New Testament writings records the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. I don't think such an important event in the lives of the Jewish people would have been excluded from the Scriptures had they been written after the event. In addition, the book of Acts concludes with Paul still in prison. This more than likely tells us that Paul was still alive when the book of Acts was written. If Paul had been dead, the writer in all probability would have recorded his execution which took place in about 67 A.D. The book of Acts is an extension of the gospel of Luke, so this gives an even earlier date for the writing of Luke.

There are many archeological discoveries and writings available which document the reliability of the Scriptures. Therefore, I believe that we can with out a doubt believe what the Bible has to tell us. In the Scriptures, Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed to be one with the Father. God's Word proclaims that Jesus was the Son of the Most High God, sent to earth to reconcile man back to the Father. There are not many paths to God. It may sound good, but it simply is not true. There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverb 14:12, NIV).

Jesus is the only way to the Father. Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). These Scripture verses do not leave room for another way to God. Acts 4:12 says "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." You don't have to like it, but if it is the truth, then it is the truth. Disbelieving a truth does not make it untrue. We cannot reconcile all of the religions of the world together and incorporate every belief into our Theology as nice as that may sound. Too often they contradict one another and any thinking person of even moderate intelligence can conclude that they cannot all be true. If one religion says Jesus was not the Son of God and Christianity says Jesus was the Son of God, they cannot both be true. Jesus either was or was not the Son of God. Both statements cannot be true about Him.

Too often contemporary spiritual seekers are looking for an experience or mysticism with little concern about truth or falsehood. This is extremely dangerous and it is time for people to wise up. To discover the truth is of utmost importance. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is based on solid historical evidence and is one of the strongest proofs that He indeed is who He claimed to be, the Son of God. As Josh McDowell has stated, we must not view Jesus as just a good moral man. He did not leave that option open to us. He clearly told us He was the Son of God.

There is more documentation for the existence of Jesus than any other person of ancient history. There is extensive evidence proving that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Current archeological discoveries continue to confirm the Scriptures and there is a vast amount of trustworthy data proving the Bible to be true. What we do with this knowledge of the truth is extremely important because our eternal destiny depends on it. I choose to fall at the feet of Jesus and call him Lord and Savior. I choose to believe he was who he said he was, the Son of the Most High God. What will you do with this information? What will you decide about Jesus?

Kim Ellison is director of Bringing in the Harvest Ministries, Blaine, Minnesota. Her ministry of teaching and evangelism has reached into many nations of the world, bringing help and encouragement to the needy. She is also a gifted musician and worship leader. You can reach her at kimellison@q.com