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Who is this man?
Jesus himself asked his disciples the question of identity that we want to face here: "Who say the people that the Son of Man is?" She remains up-to-date for us today: who is this man? What authority does he have? Why should we trust in him? Jesus Christ is at the center of the Christian faith. We have to understand what kind of person he is.
Very human - and more
Jesus was born the normal way, grew up normally, became hungry and thirsty and tired, ate and drank and slept. He looked normal, spoke colloquial language, walked normal. He had feelings: pity, anger, amazement, sadness, fear (Matt. 9,36; Luke 7,9; John 11,38; Matt. 26,37). He prayed to God as humans should. He called himself a man and was addressed as a man. He was human.
But he was such an extraordinary person that after his ascension some denied that he was human (2. John 7). They thought Jesus was so holy that they could not believe that he had anything to do with flesh, with the dirt, the sweat, the digestive functions, the imperfections of the flesh. Perhaps he just "appeared" as a person, as angels sometimes appear as a person without actually becoming a person.
In contrast, the New Testament makes it clear: Jesus was human in the full sense of the word. John confirms: "And the word was made flesh ..." (Joh. 1,14). He did not only "appear" as flesh and not only "clothed" himself in flesh. He became flesh. Jesus Christ "came into the flesh" (1. John 4,2). We know, says Johannes, because we saw him and because we touched him (1. John 1,1-2).
According to Paul, Jesus became “like men” (Phil. 2,7), "Done under the law" (Gal. 4,4), “In the form of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8,3). He who came to redeem man had to become essentially man, argues the author of the Letter to the Hebrews: “Because the children are now of flesh and blood, he too has accepted it equally ... Therefore he had to become like his brothers in everything “(2,14-17).
Our salvation stands or falls with whether Jesus really was - and is. His role as our advocate, our high priest, stands or falls with whether he has really experienced human things (Heb. 4,15). Even after his resurrection, Jesus had flesh and bones (Joh. 20,27; Luk. 24,39). Even in heavenly glory he continued to be human (1. Tim. 2,5).
Act like God
“Who is he?” Asked the Pharisees when they witnessed Jesus forgiving sins. “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luk. 5,21.) Sin is an offense against God; how could a person speak for God and say that your sins have been erased, erased? That is blasphemy, they said. Jesus knew how they felt about it and still forgave sins. He even indicated that he himself was free from sin (Joh. 8,46).
Jesus said he would sit at God's right hand in heaven - another claim that Jewish priests found blasphemous6,63-65). He claimed to be the Son of God - this was also a blasphemy, it was said, because in that culture that meant in practice to rise to God (Joh. 5,18; 19,7). Jesus claimed to be in such perfect agreement with God that he only did what God wanted (Joh. 5,19). He claimed to be one with the father (10,30), which the Jewish priests also considered blasphemous (10,33). He claimed to be so godlike that whoever saw him would see the Father4,9; 1,18). He claimed he could send God's Spirit out6,7). He claimed to be able to send out angels (Matt. 13,41).
He knew that God was the judge of the world and at the same time claimed that God had handed over judgment to him (Joh. 5,22). He claimed to be able to raise the dead, including himself (Joh. 5,21; 6,40; 10,18). He said that everyone's eternal life depends on their relationship with him, Jesus (Matt. 7,22-23). He thought the words of Moses needed to be supplemented (Matt. 5,21-48). He called himself Lord of the Sabbath - a God-given law! (Matth. 12,8.) If he were “only human”, that would be presumptuous, sinful teaching.
Yet Jesus backed up his words with amazing works. “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; if not, believe me because of the works ”(John 14,11). Miracles cannot force anyone to believe, but they can still be strong "circumstantial evidence". To show that he had the authority to forgive sins, Jesus healed a paralyzed man (Luke 5: 17-26). His miracles prove that what he said about himself is true. He has more than human power because he is more than human. The claims about themselves - with every other blasphemy - with Jesus were based on truth. He could speak like God and act like God because he was God in the flesh.
His self-image
Jesus was clearly aware of his identity. At twelve he already had a special relationship with Heavenly Father (Luk. 2,49). At his baptism he heard a voice from heaven say: You are my dear son (Luk. 3,22). He knew that he had a mission to fulfill (Luk. 4,43; 9,22; 13,33; 22,37).
In response to Peter's words, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Jesus replied: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonas; for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven ”(Matt. 16, 16-17). Jesus was the Son of God. He was the Christ, the Messiah - the one anointed by God for a very special mission.
When he called twelve disciples, one for each tribe of Israel, he did not count himself among the twelve. He stood over them because he stood over all Israel. He was the creator and builder of the new Israel. At the Lord's Supper he revealed himself as the foundation of the new covenant, a new relationship with God. He saw himself as the focal point of what God did in the world.
Jesus boldly polemicized against traditions, against laws, against the temple, against religious authorities. He demanded of his disciples to leave everything and follow him, to put him first in their lives, to keep absolute loyalty to him. He spoke with the authority of God - and spoke at the same time with his own authority.
Jesus believed that Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in him. He was the suffering servant who was to die to save people from their sins (Isa. 53,4-5 & 12; Matth. 26,24; Mark. 9,12; Luke 22,37; 24, 46). He was the Prince of Peace who was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Sach. 9,9-10; Matt. 21,1-9). He was the Son of Man to whom all power and authority should be given (Dan. 7,13-14; Matt. 26,64).
His life before
Jesus claimed to have lived before Abraham and expressed this “timelessness” in a classic formulation: “Verily, verily, I say to you: Before Abraham became, I am” (Joh. 8,58th). Again, the Jewish priests believed that Jesus was measuring divine things to himself and wanted to stone him (v. 59). The phrase "am I" sounds like it 2. Mose 3,14 where God reveals his name to Moses: "You should say to the sons of Israel: [He] 'I am' has sent me to you" (Elberfeld translation). Jesus takes this name for himself here. Jesus confirms that "before the world was", he already shared glory with the Father (John 17,5). John tells us that he already existed at the beginning of time: as the Word (Joh. 1,1).
And also in John we can read that “all things” are made by the word (Joh. 1,3). The father was the planner, the word the creator, who carried out what was planned. Everything was created by and for him (Colossians 1,16; 1. Corinthians 8,6). Hebrews 1,2 says that God "made the world" through the Son.
In the Hebrews, as in the Letter to the Colossians, it is said that the Son “carries” the universe, that it “consists” in him (Heb. 1,3; Colossians 1,17). Both tell us that he is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1,15), “The image of his being” (Hebr. 1,3).
Who is jesus He is a God being who became flesh. He is the creator of all things, the prince of life (Acts of the Apostles 3,15). He looks just like God, has glory like God, has an abundance of power that only God has. No wonder the disciples concluded that he was divine, God in the flesh.
Worth the worship
Jesus' conception took place in a supernatural way (Matt. 1,20; Luke 1,35). He lived without ever sinning (Heb. 4,15). He was without blemish, without blemish (Heb. 7,26; 9,14). He did not commit any sin (1. peter 2,22); there was no sin in him (1. John 3,5); he did not know of any sin (2. Corinthians 5,21). However strong the temptation, Jesus always had a stronger desire to obey God. His mission was to do God's will (Heb.10,7).
On several occasions people worshiped Jesus (Matt. 14,33; 28,9 & 17; John 9,38). Angels do not allow themselves to be worshiped (Revelation 19,10), but Jesus allowed it. Yes, the angels also worship the Son of God (Hebr. 1,6). Some prayers were addressed directly to Jesus (Acts.7,59-60; 2. Corinthians 12,8; Revelation 22,20).
The New Testament praises Jesus Christ extraordinarily high, with formulas normally reserved for God: “To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen "(2. Tim. 4,18; 2. peter 3,18; Revelation 1,6). He has the highest title of ruler that can be given (Eph. 1,20-21). If we call him God, that is not too exaggerated.
In Revelation God and the Lamb are equally praised, which indicates equality: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and praise and power for ever and ever!" 5,13). The son must be honored just like the father (Joh. 5,23). God and Jesus are equally called Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. 1,8 & 17; 21,6; 22,13).
Old Testament passages about God are often taken up in the New Testament and applied to Jesus Christ.
One of the most notable is this passage about worship:
“That is why God also exalted him and gave him the name that is above all names, so that in the name of Jesus all those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth should bow down and every tongue should profess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God the Father ”(Phil. 2,9-11; therein is a quote from Isa. 4th5,23 contain). Jesus is given the honor and respect that Isaiah says should be given to God.
Isaiah says there is only one Savior - God (Isa. 43:11; 45,21). Paul clearly states that God is Savior, but also that Jesus is Savior (Tit. 1,3; 2,10 and 13). Is there a Savior or two? Early Christians concluded that the Father is God and Jesus is God, but there is only one God and therefore only one Savior. Father and Son are essentially one (God), but are different persons.
Several other New Testament passages also call Jesus God. John 1,1: “God was the word.” Verse 18: “No one has ever seen God; the only one who is God and is in the Father's womb, he announced him to us. ”Jesus is the God-Person who lets us know the Father (he). After the resurrection, Thomas recognized Jesus as God: "Thomas answered and said to him: My Lord and my God!" (Joh. 20,28.)
Paul says that the ancestral fathers were great because from them “Christ comes according to the flesh, who is God above all, praised forever. Amen ”(Rom. 9,5). In the letter to the Hebrews, God himself calls the son “God” in the quotation: “'God, your throne endures for ever and ever ...'” (Heb. 1,8).
"For in him [Christ]," said Paul, "the whole fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily" (Col.2,9). Jesus Christ is completely God and still today has "bodily form". He is the exact image of God - God made flesh. If Jesus were only human, it would be wrong to put our trust in him. But since he is divine, we are commanded to trust him. He is unconditionally trustworthy because he is God.
However, it can be misleading to say, "Jesus is God," as if the two terms are simply interchangeable or synonymous. For one thing, Jesus was a human being, and secondly, Jesus is not the "whole" God. "God = Jesus", this equation is flawed.
In most cases, "God" means "the Father," and that's why the Bible rarely calls Jesus God. But the term can rightly be applied to Jesus, because Jesus is divine. As a son of God, he is a person in the triune deity. Jesus is the God person through whom the connection God-mankind is made.
For us, the divinity of Jesus is of crucial importance, because only when he is divine can he accurately reveal God to us (Joh. 1,18; 14,9). Only a God Person can forgive us of our sins, redeem us, reconcile us with God. Only a God Person can become the object of our faith, the Lord to whom we are absolutely faithful, the Savior whom we venerate in song and prayer.
All human, all God
As can be seen from the cited references, the "image of Jesus" of the Bible is distributed in mosaic stones throughout the New Testament. The picture is consistent, but is not collected in one place. The original church had to be composed of the existing building blocks. From biblical revelation she drew the following conclusions:
• Jesus is essentially God.
• Jesus is essentially human.
• There is only one God.
• Jesus is a person in this God.
The Council of Nicaea (325) established the divinity of Jesus, the Son of God, and his identity with the Father (Nicene Creed).
The Council of Chalcedon (451) added that he was also a man:
"Our Lord Jesus Christ is one and the same Son; the same perfect in the Divine, and the same in perfect humanity, wholly God and all mankind ... received from the Father ages ago concerning His Divinity, and ... received by the Virgin Mary as far as his humanity is concerned; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, indigenous, made acquainted in two natures ... whereby unification in no way levels the difference between natures, but preserves the qualities of each nature and fuses them in one person. "
The last part was added because some people claimed that the nature of God pushed Jesus' human nature into the background in such a way that Jesus was no longer really human. Others claimed that the two natures had joined to a third nature, so that Jesus was neither divine nor human. No, the biblical evidence shows that Jesus was fully human and totally God. And that's what the church has to teach.
Our salvation depends on the fact that Jesus was and is both, man and God. But how can the holy Son of God become man, take on the form of the sinful flesh?
The question arises mainly because the human, as we see it now, is corrupted. But that's not how God created it. Jesus shows us how the human can and should be in truth. First, he shows us a person who is completely dependent on the father. So should it be with humanity.
Further, he shows us what God is capable of. He is capable of becoming part of his creation. He can bridge the gap between the uncreated and the created, between the sacred and the sinful. We may think it impossible; it is possible for God.
And finally, Jesus shows us what humanity will be in the new creation. When he returns and we are raised, we will look like him (1. John 3,2). We will have a body like his transfigured body (1. Corinthians 15,42-49).
Jesus is our pioneer, he shows us that the way to God leads over Jesus. Because he is human, he feels with our weakness; because he is God, he can speak effectively to God's right for us. With Jesus as our Savior, we can have confidence that our salvation is safe.
by Michael Morrison
