Who is Jesus?
Some say that Jesus of Nazareth was a good spiritual teacher. Some say he was a prophet from God. Some say he was a lunatic. And some say he didn’t even exist.
Who do you say that he is? That was the question that Jesus posed to Simon Peter (one of his apostles).
It really matters how you answer that question. That simple question carries with it the power of life and death. Your answer to this question will echo for all eternity.
So, who is this Jesus?
Short answer: Jesus is the Christ, the only Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the treasure of the universe.
Jesus Christ is unique in all of history. In fact, according to the Bible, all of history revolves around him. There is no one like him, there has never been anyone like him, and there will never be anyone like him. And to understand who Jesus is, we have to start at the beginning.
You see, God created the universe in order to have his glory and majesty displayed. That may sound egotistical, but when you’re God, that simply makes sense. He is so absolutely perfect and glorious that if he had any other central purpose, it would be idolatry. Nothing is of more worth than God, and his creation displays that.
But the perfection of God’s creation did not last forever. He allowed his created humans, Adam and Eve, to fall into rebellion against him. The result was a humanity that is seperated from God and hopeless in and of themselves to restore the relationship. God is so holy that he can have no union with unrighteous sinners like you and me.
But this was not at all out of God’s control! It was, in fact, part of the plan. In order to rescue the crown of his creation (human beings), the God of the universe, the one who spoke and galaxies came into being, became a man. Jesus is both fully man and fully God. He experienced pain and suffering, joy and laughter, and everything that it means to be human…except sin. He never once told a lie; never dishonored his parents; was never jealous for what did not belong to him; never had a prideful attitude; never thought of himself before others. He never rebelled against the righteousness of God. He was the righteousness of God on earth. But a well-lived life is not the end of this story. After living a wholly righteous life, Jesus voluntarily and undeservingly took the place of sinners on a Roman cross. He was tortured and killed in the most brutal manner imaginable. And as he was hanging on that cross, he took the weight of sin for all who would trust in Him and and traded it for the perfection of his righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 describes that great exhange: “For our sake he [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin [Jesus], so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus, the God of the universe, took the punishment that sinners like you and me deserve, in exchange for his righteousness. By trusting in Christ as your substitute and only Savior, you can be restored to a right relationship with God. Only then can you know him truly, in all of his grace, mercy, righteousness, and justice. Only then can you enjoy him fully. God is the treasure of the universe, and we know him only through Jesus Christ.
Who do you say Jesus is?
No other answer will do. All others fall short. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Savior of the world, and treasure of the universe.
