Just Who Is This Jesus Christ?

JESUS! For over 2,000 years, there has never been a person who has been the topic of more discussions, debates, or arguments than Jesus. I don't believe that there has been anyone else who has affected the course of history as much as He has.

Jesus was born in a small stable in a small mid-eastern community called Bethlehem. Palestine was a troublesome Roman province, and was stricken with poverty, internal strife, extremely high taxes, and a tyrannical ruler, Herod. Discontent was widespread throughout the land. Young people were being lead astray from the faith of their forefathers by the culture of both the Greeks and Romans.

When one looks at all the pictures and other depictions of Jesus, he/she will notice that most have Him portrayed as a possibly tall white man. But if you notice the people of the Palestinian, Israeli, and other Arab areas, you can't help but see that they are not that tall, they are dark or olive skinned, and have either black or dark brown hair. Jesus probably did not stand out from the crowd as far as His looks were concerned. His clothes were not flashy, but the normal clothes everyone wore at that time. You have to remember that everyone thought He was just a carpenter's son being trained in His "father's" trade.

The Jewish religion itself was torn by bitter rivalry among different sects. There were the Pharisees who wanted to purify faith by relentless obedience to all the scriptural laws; the Sadducees, a more liberal sect consisting largely of priests and some of the rich upper class; the Essenes, a group who withdrew from ordinary life to attain a higher spirituality. Apart from these were the Samaritans, a mixed breed hated by most Jews. The Pharisees considered them ceremonially unclean.

Though Jesus was "human" for only 33 years, He has been with us since the dawn of time. Genesis 1:26 says "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." In John 1:1-2 we read "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." Further in John 1, we read in verse 10 that "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." Then in John 1:14 it says "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 8:58 reads "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." Also, John 17:5 says "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

The birth of Jesus was prophecied several times in the Old Testament. Isaiah 7:10-15 says "Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And He said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." Isaiah 9:6-7 says "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." There are several other references.

One can only imagine what Mary was feeling when she was approached by an angel of the Lord, let alone being told that she would become pregnant by the Holy Ghost. Being single and pregnant had to be mind-boggling, let alone knowing that the child was of all people "The Messiah." And to think what Joseph was going through. He first thought that she had "cheated" on him. When God picked Mary and Joseph He knew what was in their hearts. He knew that Joseph was an extremely honorable man and would "do the right thing" by Mary, and would help raise Jesus in all the right ways.

Other than the reference in Luke 2:41-52 concerning Jesus when he was twelve years old, the Bible doesn't give us any information about His childhood. We can only assume that His boyhood centered around Joseph's carpentry shop, the farming activities of His neighbors, and the local synagogue. He more than likely became very experienced in making plows, yokes, farming tools, etc., as well as in helping with farm animals and harvesting crops.

I believe one of the reasons Jesus came to this earth in human form was so that He would understand better all the hardships and heartaches we felt. Matthew 5:17 reads "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." Matthew 9:13 says "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Therefore, Jesus Christ came into this world to call us sinners to repentance and as a result, offer us eternal life with Him.

Jesus began His ministry when He was approximately 30 years of age. After the first year or so of His ministry, Jesus chose the twelve men who were to be His Apostles. Most of them came from families as humble as His own, though some of Jesus' followers were wealthy. Jesus' reputation as a great teacher spread far and wide. He taught in parables using examples from everyday life. This helped those that wanted to learn be able to better understand what He was talking about. His simple way of teaching and knowledge made the Jewish leaders angry. They were also jealous of the large crowds who followed Him every where He went. There were some who believed in the strict following of the religious laws who felt Jesus was encouaging laxity in religious discipline. An example can be found in Matthew 12:1-13. Jesus and His disciples went through a corn field on the sabbath day and because they were hungry, began to pluck the ears of corn and eat them. But when the Pharisees saw it, they wanted to know why Jesus was letting His disciples break the law which stated that it was against the law to work on the sabbath. Jesus preceded to tell about the time that David, when hungry, entered into the house of God, and ate the shewbread which was for the priests. In the same chapter, but in verse 11, Jesus asked them that if they had one sheep to fall into a pit on the sabbath day, would they not try to get it out?

The Pharisees thought it was outrageous the claims He made about Himself. "I am the vine, ye are the branches...without me ye can do nothing." He was accused of blasphemy against God. They had no way of comprehending that God would come to earth in human form. The miracles that Jesus performed were also very much talked about, not only among the Phariseees, but the many people who followed Him and His disciples. In Matthew 12:12-30, Jesus is accused of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. Everything He did seemed to enrage the Pharisees that much more.

Jesus was a ray of hope for the people who sought Him out to hear His messages and wanting to be cured by Him. He filled that void so many people had in their souls. Not only is He still that ray of hope, but continues to fill voids in the souls of people today. After most of His parables, Jesus would say "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Do you understand what He means? If you are willing to listen, you will be able to hear what Jesus is telling you. Please open your heart to His teachings - you will never regret doing so!