Jesus

Jesus is that famous man from Bible times everyone likes to quote and talk about. He is that guy with the significant name, the one everyone wants to lay claim to. Do you remember hearing about him?

Jesus.

He is that man who went around the countryside teaching great truths of a spiritual nature everywhere he went, healing the sick, raising the dead to life, and forgiving sins, collecting followers... disciples they were called, those who whould hear what he had to say. You remember their message too, don't you, That Jesus is God in the flesh, come from heaven to the earth to rule and reign in righteousness, come to seek and save the lost and redeem sinful man.

Unfortunately for Jesus, the religious leaders of his day didn’t approve of his message: that they were in sin. Thinking themselves more highly than they ought, they got tired of having to think about this man and thinking that they were somehow flawed in their own understanding. It made them sick to think that this man who actually made lame men walk, made blind men see and deaf to hear as well as raise the dead might, somehow, be right, or that he might have had more God qualities than they were able to maintain and display themselves. Besides, they had their own religious ideas that they wanted to believe in and they were sure, they, whatever and whoever THEY were, were not wrong... Most impotantly, THEY wanted to be right.

The solution THEY came up with was simple: silence the problem.

The first step in silencing him was flogging, then came public humiliation via crucifixion. They reckoned no one would follow Jesus to the cross.

It was all done legally of course, and with the sanction of Ceasar himself as well as the concent of all the people... the mob of people rallying in the streets, looking for something exciting to happen... those who loved that man Barnabas too. Jesus was a nuisance, a misfit, a looser, a nobody... just another face in the crowd; and it didn't matter who was guilty or not; all that mattered was that someone took the heat. All that mettered was that the peoplewould see that justice was being served, and that the one the people trusted in, Ceasar, was in control.

It was a silent night after that. Even those who thought all that Jesus said was true, who believed this man might be from God, were too afraid to get involved. Even they remained silent. The whole world was silent and the problem was relegated to silence forever when Jesus died that day.

Done with the dirty work, they went about celebrating thier newfound freedom from his menance in their life, and their all important religious holiday, the Passover. THEY never expected that IT would really happen... you know that Jesus would be raised from death to life as he had said.

They killed him sure. He was stiff as a board when they put him behing that rock and set guards about to be sure no one could steal away his body and start trouble. But to their dismay, Jesus who they crucified raised from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures, just he and the prophets of God before him had forthtold. Once this took place tthe followers of Jesus couldn’t be silenced on the issue. It was too joyous an event, and they had a lot to say. Remarkably, these remained convinced even under intense persecution that would attempt to silence them as well. Some were even crucified like Jesus.

It seems that this Jesus guy really made an impact on the world. He made such an impact. he is still talked about today. He made such an impact that there is a plethora of ideas about who this guy, Jesus, really is and isn't.

People have a lot of ideas and they want others to latch on to those ideas with them. Some people will tell you that Jesus traveled East to Egypt to to study under gurus and learn magic arts so as to do miracles and attain "self-realization." They clain this is how he came to actually believe that He wa God.

Joseph Smith had his own ideas about Jesus... called them More man...and Bringham Young of the Mormons even added to his ideas saying, “.. remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.” (Journal of Discourse, Vol. 1, page 51.)

Muslims will talk about Esau, the son of Mary, who was married to Joseph…(just like Jesus of the Bible,) but this Jesus is only "one of many" prophets of God.. They do believe that he was raised to heaven and is there, they do believe that he will descend at the appointed time, end all wars, and bring peace to the world, but they also do believe that Jesus was never crucified and never raised from the dead. Surah Nisaa, Verse 157-158 translates, “And surely they slew him not. But Allah (God) raised him unto Himself.”

There’s the Seventh Day Adventist Jesus, about whom their prophet, Ellen White, teaches is not God in flesh, but rather that he is a created being.. Michael the archangel, and there’s the Jehovah Witnesses who are witnesses to Jehovah God, but not to Jesus CHrist, his only begotten sons... who is one in being with the father.. God from God, Light from True Light... The Jesus they believe in is fully human, but cannot be worshiped... because he is not also "fully" nor truely God in human form.

These concepts of Jesus, are only a few of the many notions about this man named Jesus. They are notions men created all themselves and cling to because they want to be, as they claim, “Christian,” or have some afiliation with it, because it is the truth. Yet they do not want to sumbit completely unto truth and believe the truth, that JEsus Christ is Lord.

They want their own beliefs, thier own goodness, rightesousness and self worth, even their preferred religion. Often, Jesus, by any definition, works for them, because "Jesus" is decidedly important.

It is no wonder that Jesus Christ of the Christian scriptures is recorded as having asked his disciple Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Everyone has a different idea. Apparently he asked this question of one of his closest friends, one who would need to know the truth and be restored in his repentence, because who or what a person believes about Jesus is of importance. It is important to Jesus.

With such talk of "Jesus" everywhere like this, talked about by nearly every religion, knowing Jesus, (who Jesus is and isn’t, understanding his character and doctrine) is even more important than merely saying you are somehow in the in the know, just because you know his name... and heard what happened and how he went about teaching people all sorts of spiritual truths to live by. After all, people do say all sorts of things.

As for who is right and who is wrong about the issue of Jesus… if anyone lacks wisdom on the matter, they should ask of God. They should do so believing in God, without doubting that God is real and God is God, for He gives generously to all who ask, and like a true God of wisdom and love, mercy and grace and truth, he does so, even unto sinners like us, without finding fault. (James 1:5)