Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ… What do we know about this man who walked our earth and so undeniably influenced it? And, once we know more, what do we do with this knowledge?

If you spend some time browsing through the pictures of Jesus Christ that humanity came up with after his short yet amazing life and ministry, you’ll see that we have given Him many different identities.

A compassionate caretaker of children, a shepherd for small lambs, someone with a glowing head and a glowing heart (visible through his body and clothes), a baby with a halo (in the arms of a mother with a halo), a very handsome guy with a full beard (see below!), someone knocking on doors all the time, etc.

While some of these images may point to ways in which Jesus described himself, and metaphors He used for himself, they aren’t very helpful in getting to the true identity of our Lord.

Jesus Christ was Jewish. He was born from the lineage of king David, probably the greatest king that Israel ever had, and someone who truly pleased God. The Jewish heritage of Jesus points us to the identity of Israel as the chosen people of the one true God in the Hebrew scriptures.

Too many people try to understand Jesus from the New Testament only. It is of utmost importance for serious followers of Jesus to also spend time in the story of the Old Testament. It’s here that we get some of our best insights into who God is and what His eternal purposes are.

Maybe the most amazing thing about the Hebrew scriptures are the many unmistakable prophecies, laws and events pointing to the coming of Jesus. Jesus fits the bill of the Messiah promised to God’s chosen people in these scriptures perfectly. Sadly, many of them still don’t realize and accept this.

Luckily, through the Israelites and Jesus, God’s salvation was made a possibility for me (and you?) as a gentile as well.

A brief look at the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

Jesus’ birth is celebrated by His followers and non-followers alike every year over Christmas. The tale of his arrival is probably the most told story in the history of the world. The important point here is that Jesus, as the Son of God, became a normal person, among us. He is God, and He was man as well. His birth was simple and humble, as the rest of his life would be.

The story of Jesus’ life is told by the writers of the four gospels in the bible. If anything, the discrepancies between these gospels serve as proof that they are real accounts from different people in the community of Jesus followers during the first couple of years after his death. The writers definitely didn’t agree on a story beforehand, since then there would be no discrepancies.

One of the most insightful things He taught while on earth is what some would call the Jesus prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father. In this simple prayer He tells us so much about our relationship with our Heavenly Father that we simply don’t grasp and apply properly today.

The restoration of our relationship with God is the whole reason why Jesus came in the first place!

There would be no point in Jesus’ cross or Jesus’ death, if it didn’t happen as a sacrifice (pointed to throughout the Old Testament through sin offerings) to pay for our transgressions of God’s law and to enable us to get back to the presence of this holy God.

Jesus’ resurrection was (is) the victory over evil that God plotted in response to our rebellion and our departure from Eden, to get not only Israel, but all nations back into a relationship with Him.

Eden can be translated to ‘pleasure’ and thus this relationship means that there will be restoration and recovery to our lives — closer and closer still to the sheer bliss experienced by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There they had full exposure to God and a thriving, tangible relationship with Him. That translated to the perfect, complete, whole life God had destined for each of us (and still has for eternity).

To get back to the Jesus prayer, it’s important to note that prayer is central to this relationship with God, as is fasting and the giving of Alms (see Matthew 6). Jesus teaches us not to pray too many words but to simply pray along the lines of this ’sample’ prayer.

After this we should just be before God in silence — in simplicity and honesty — and then we’ll feel the focus will shift from us to God, and we’ll start sensing his grace. (again, see Matthew 6, preferably in The Message translation’s relevant English).

We should also remember pray somewhere private and quiet — this is something you do solo, alone.

What exactly does it mean to sense God’s grace? The way I understand this, is that God will communicate to you through His still, small voice. You’ll spend time with Him. You’ll experience His love and empathy. And… you’ll get all the encouragement and instruction to get up and go live the life God calls you to.

Some people take Christianity and the more than 33,000 denominations of Christian churches to be the Jesus faith. I would, however, rather be called a follower of Jesus and not considered a Christian or church-goer, than the other way around as Brian McLaren shares in Finding Our Way Again.

Truly being a follower of Jesus means to have a vibrant relationship with God the Father through Jesus, with God’s Holy Spirit as our ever-present Lord and Guide.

Will you accept the claims Jesus made about himself as true, and follow Him?