James Meehan - Who Is Jesus?
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It's been said that history is written by the winners. But if that's true, then how is it that this nobody from Nazareth, executed in disgrace, has left more of a mark on history than any king, queen, emperor, president, poet, or scientist? You see, His critics called Him a heretic. His followers believed He was a holy man. He committed no crimes, but He was crucified as a criminal. Why? Because the powers that be saw Him as a threat. He challenged the status quo. He opened people's eyes to the reality that there was so much more to life than what so many of them had settled for. He invited people to return to their rightful place as partners with the God of heaven and earth. He showed people what life to the full really looked like.
And along the way He assembled a team of followers, 12 male disciples and a number of women who spent three years walking with Him, learning from Him, and being changed by Him. Every where this ragged rabbi went, He performed miracles. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, and He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. He taught the people how to live in right relationship with God and others. He gave people hope because His people, the nation of Israel, had been waiting for the time when their God would send the Messiah, the anointed king who would deliver the Jewish people from their enemies and restore the nation of Israel to its former glory.
The people wanted Him to be a conquering king. What they got instead was a suffering servant. Instead of kicking out the Romans, He was killed by them. They beat Him, whipped Him, spit on Him, humiliated Him, and nailed Him to a cross. They watched Him die in the most humiliated way imaginable. The Messiah, the Savior King, promised by God was dead on a cross. That's not the way things were supposed to go. You see, by this point, His disciples had abandoned Him and they knew it would only be a matter of time before the Romans or the religious leaders would do to them what had been done to Him. The only people still willing to properly anoint His lifeless body were some of the women who'd been following Him. And when they arrived at the tomb where He was laid, something was wrong because He wasn't there. The stone that had sealed His grave had been rolled away, and now there was a strange man waiting for them, telling them, "He is not here, he has risen, just as he said".
Who is Jesus? Jesus is the risen son of God who stepped into the mess of creation to do the miraculous. He defeated the powers of sin and death, and He has brought humanity back into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. This is the story that the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are telling in the gospels. These books written to help us understand who Jesus is, what He did, and how because of Him everything has changed. The life of Jesus isn't just the turning point for you and me. It's the turning point for all of creation because with Him the time had finally arrived for the entire story to change. The gospels are trying to help us see that His life, death, and resurrection weren't just events in history, but they are the very pivot upon which the entire cosmos turns.
You see, it's through His life, death, and resurrection that the rule and reign of God began to take root in history. This is the message of the gospel, that the kingdom of God is coming on Earth as it is in heaven, and everyone everywhere has been invited in. And when we place our trust in Him, in Jesus, we can be rescued from our sin. We can be reconciled, repaired relationship with God, and we can be restored to our rightful place as partners with God in His good plans to renew the world. And all of that is really good news. And so over the course of the next two months, we're gonna continue to answer the big questions: who is Jesus, what did He do, and why should we care? We're gonna look at the seven I am statements found in John's gospel that shed light on His identity and His ministry. So for you watching this right now, my encouragement would be to subscribe to this YouTube channel so that you can follow along as we explore just how good the news of Jesus really is. Until then, take care and stay nerdy.