Who Was Jesus?

Was Jesus man or God? where did he come from The gospel of John gives us the answer to these questions. John belonged to that inner circle of disciples who were allowed to witness the transfiguration of Jesus on a high mountain and got a foretaste of the kingdom of God in a vision (Matthew 17,1). Until then, Jesus' glory had been veiled by a normal human body. It was also John who was the first of the disciples to believe in the resurrection of Christ. Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that it was empty: "So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved [that was John], and said to them, 'They have him taken from the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they laid him" (John 20,2:20,2). John ran to the tomb and got there quicker than Peter, but bold Peter ventured in first. "After him the other disciple, who came first to the tomb, went in and saw and believed" (John ).

John deep understanding

John, perhaps in part because of his special closeness to Jesus, was given a deep and comprehensive insight into the nature of his Redeemer. Matthew, Mark and Luke each begin their biographies of Jesus with events that fall within Christ's earthly lifetime. John, on the other hand, begins at a point in time that is older than the history of creation: “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. All things are made by the same, and without the same nothing is made that is made" (John 1,1-3). The true identity of the Word is revealed a few verses later: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1,14). Jesus Christ is the only heavenly being who ever descended to earth and became a fleshly man.
These few verses tell us a great deal about the nature of Christ. He was God and became man at the same time. From the beginning he lived with God, who was his father from the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was formerly "the Word" (Greek logos) and became the spokesman and revealer for the Father. «No one has ever seen God. Only the one and only, who is God himself at the side of the Father, made him known to us" (John 1,18).
In the first letter of John he gives an excellent addition: "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched our hands, of the word of life - and life is appeared, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the life that is eternal, which was with the Father and appeared to us" (1. John 1,1-2).

This text leaves no doubt that the person with whom they lived, worked, played, swam, and fished was none other than a member of Godhead—consubstantial with God the Father and with Him from the beginning. Paul writes: “For in him [Jesus] were created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or powers or authorities; it is all created by him and for him. And he is above all, and everything is in him” (Colossians 1,16-17). Paul here emphasizes the almost unimaginable extent of the ministry and authority of the pre-human Christ.

The Divinity of Christ

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, John repeatedly emphasizes the pre-existence of Christ as God before his birth as man. This runs like a red thread through his entire gospel. "He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, and the world did not recognize him" (John 1,10 Elberfeld Bible).

If the world was made by him, he lived before it was created. John the Baptist picks up the same theme, pointing to Jesus: «It was this one of whom I said, 'After me will come he who came before me; for he was better than I" (John 1,15). It is true that John the Baptist was conceived and born before the Son of Man Jesus (Luke 1,35-36), but Jesus in his pre-existence, on the other hand, lived forever before John's conception.

Jesus' supernatural knowledge

John reveals that while subject to the weaknesses and temptations of the flesh, Christ possessed powers beyond human existence (Hebrews 4,15). When Christ called Nathanael to be a disciple and future apostle, Jesus saw him coming and said to him: «Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathanael answered him: Rabbi, you are the son of God, you are the king of Israel!» (John 1,48-49). Nathanael was obviously surprised that a total stranger could talk to him as if he knew him.

As a result of the signs Jesus did in Jerusalem, many believed on his name. Jesus knew they were curious: «But Jesus did not confide in them; for he knew them all, and needed no one to testify of man; for he knew what was in man” (John 2,24-25). Christ the Creator had created mankind and no human weakness was alien to him. He knew all of her thoughts and motives.

who comes from heaven

John knew very well the true origin of Jesus. The very clear word of Christ is with him: "No one has ascended into heaven except him who came down from heaven, namely the Son of Man" (John 3,13). A few verses later, Jesus shows his heavenly descent and supreme position: “He who is from above is above all. Whoever is from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3,31).
Even before His human birth, our Savior saw and heard the message He later proclaimed on earth. In deliberately controversial conversations with religious leaders of his time on earth, he said: «You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world” (John 8,23). His thoughts, words and deeds were inspired by heaven. They thought only of the things of this world, while Jesus' life showed that he came from a world as pure as ours.

The Lord of the Old Testament

In this long dialogue with Jesus, the Pharisees brought up Abraham, the much esteemed progenitor or father of faith? Jesus explained to them, "Abraham your father was glad to see my day, and he saw it and was glad" (John 8,56). Indeed, the God-Person who became Christ walked with Abraham and conversed with him (1. Moses 18,1-2). Unfortunately, these zealots did not understand Jesus and said: "You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?" (John 8,57).

Jesus Christ is identical with the God-person who walked in the wilderness with Moses, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Paul makes this clear: “They [our fathers] all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them; but the rock was Christ" (1. Corinthians 10,1-4).

From Creator to Son

What is the reason the Pharisee leaders wanted to kill him? "For Jesus not only disobeyed their (the Pharisees) Sabbath observance, but even called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God." (John 5,18 Hope for all). Dear Reader, if you have children, then they are on the same level as you. They are not lower beings like animals. However, the higher authority was and is inherent in the Father: "The Father is greater than I" (Jn. 14,28).

In that discussion with the Pharisees, Jesus makes the father-son relationship very clear: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the father doing; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5,19). Jesus has the same power as his father because he too is God.

Glorified divinity regained

Before there were angels and men, Jesus was a glorified person of God. Jesus has existed as God since eternity. He emptied himself of this glory and came down to earth as a man: “He who was in divine form did not consider it robbery to be equal to God, but emptied himself and assumed the form of a servant, became equal to men and he Apparently recognized as a human being” (Philippians 2,6-7).

John writes of Jesus' last Passover before his passion: "And now, Father, glorify me with you with the glory which I had with you before the world was" (John 17,5).

Jesus returned to his former glory forty days after his resurrection: "Therefore God also exalted him and gave him the name which is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2,9-11).

part of God's family

Jesus was God before he was born a man; he was God while walking the earth in human form, and he is God now at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Are these all the lessons we can learn about the God family? Man's end destiny is to be part of the God family himself: “Beloved, we are already God's children; but it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. We know that when it is revealed we shall be like it; for we shall see him as he is» (1. John 3,2).

Do you understand the full implications of this statement? We were created to be part of a family - God's family. God is a father who wants a relationship with his children. God, the Heavenly Father, longs to bring all mankind into an intimate relationship with Him and to shower His love and goodness on us. It is God's deep desire that all people be reconciled to him. That is why he sent his only begotten son, Jesus, the last Adam, to die for the sins of mankind so that we might be forgiven and be reconciled to the Father and brought back to be God's beloved children.

by John Ross Schroeder