Step Two
Who is Jesus?
WHAT KINDS OF IMPRESSIONS OR IDEAS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT JESUS?
Historians and scholars agree that Jesus of Nazareth was an actual historical figure. No credible historians doubt this fact.
GENERAL FACTS ABOUT JESUS:
Jesus was born in approximately 4 BC in a small town in Israel called Bethlehem.
Jesus was an Israelite (Jew) devoted to the God of the Old Testament.
Jesus was poor, having few earthly possessions.
Jesus never married nor had children.
He made his living as a manual laborer until he was about 30 years old. From approximately age 30 to 33, Jesus traveled around Israel teaching about the kingdom of God.
At approximately age 33, he was executed by crucifixion by the local Jewish and Roman governing authorities.
Jesus never wrote a book, yet more books have been written about Jesus than any other person in history.
Jesus never traveled around the world, yet his name has been preached all around the world.
THE GOSPELS
There are four historical books about Jesus’ life called the gospels in the Bible. They are typically called “The Gospel according to Matthew,” “...according to Mark,” “... according to Luke,” and “... according to John.”
The gospels were written by eyewitnesses (Matthew and John) and men who interviewed eyewitnesses (Mark and Luke). The word “gospel” means “good news.” These books tell the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.1
Both Matthew and Luke’s gospel accounts record Jesus’ birth and a brief episode from his childhood. However, each of the four gospels spend the most time talking about Jesus’ three-year ministry. So let’s look at an overview of Jesus’ life in two categories: what Jesus did and what Jesus taught.
The word GOSPEL
means GOOD NEWS
WHAT JESUS DID
JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES.
He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, caused the lame to walk, walked on water, calmed storms, and raised the dead.
MATTHEW 15:30
And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them.
JESUS CALLED PEOPLE TO FOLLOW HIM AS HIS DISCIPLES, OR APPRENTICES.
In addition to a larger following of general disciples, Jesus called twelve men to be his closest disciples.2
JESUS SHOWED LOVE AND COMPASSION TO EVERYONE
This included those who were neglected in his society — women, children, the poor, widows, and those suffering from leprosy.3
MARK 1:40-42
And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
JESUS BEFRIENDED “SINNERS.”
The religious society of the day shunned certain people, such as tax collectors and prostitutes, as irredeemably sinful and beyond God’s forgiveness. Jesus not only told these people about God’s forgiveness, but he also befriended them.
MARK 2:15-17
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
JESUS CONFRONTED RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY AND CORRUPTION.
Jesus challenged the wealthy and religious elites to have God’s heart for the poor and to use their authority not for selfish gain but to serve others. Jesus judged and purified God’s temple, which had become corrupted by greed.4
Which of these things that Jesus did was new or surprising to you?
WHAT JESUS TAUGHT
JESUS TAUGHT THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S KINGDOM.
MARK 1:14-15
...Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The message of God’s Kingdom was a powerful message of hope for the Jews and it is for us too. The God who made the world and was the rightful King was now establishing his good rule over the earth as it is in heaven. This meant sins would be forgiven, evil would be defeated, God’s people would be vindicated, and God would rule the world with justice.5
JESUS TAUGHT THAT THE WAY OF GOD’S KINGDOM WAS LOVE.
Jesus said that this was the most important commandment in the Bible.
MARK 12:29-31
“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Jesus taught that the way of life for those in the kingdom of God is twofold: loving God with all we are above everything else and loving others in the way we would want to be loved. Thus Jesus taught that love is how someone lives in this world if God is their King. Not only did Jesus teach about love, but the Bible testifies and those that knew him best reported that he lived it perfectly. Failing to love God and others is what the Bible calls sin. Jesus never sinned.6
JESUS TAUGHT THAT HE WAS THE TRUE KING OF GOD’S KINGDOM.
MARK 8:27-31
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Christ is not Jesus’ last name. It was the title of the True King. According to the Hebrew Scriptures (which today we call the Old Testament), the Christ would come to make the world right and establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Many Jews in Jesus’ day were waiting for God to send the Christ. However, many expected that the Christ would be a military leader who would rescue them from their enemies through violence.
Jesus affirmed Peter’s answer, that he was the Christ, but explained what kind of king he would be. He taught that he didn’t come to save Israel from their political enemies but to save the whole world from humanity’s biggest problem: sin and its effects. Jesus taught that he would not save through committing acts of violence but rather through dying and rising from the dead.
Which of these three themes from Jesus’ teachings do you resonate with the most?
IS JESUS HUMAN OR DIVINE?
Central to the question, who is Jesus, is the question of his nature: was he just a human, or was he also God?
The New Testament teaches that Jesus was both fully God and fully man.
The true nature of Jesus is taught in many places throughout the Bible.7 For example, the gospel of John begins with a confession of Jesus’ true nature. In this passage, John poetically uses the term Word when referring to Jesus:
JOHN 1:1, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus himself also pointed to his divinity many times.8 Ultimately, Jesus’ human and divine nature is revealed through his identity and vocation as the True King. The ancient prophecies in the Old Testament scriptures promised the True King would come. This king would be the representative of Israel (and all of humanity in general) to do what no human had been able to do—fully obey God. God also promised that he would one day return to save his people and the world. This hope was realized when Jesus came as the embodiment of God, as the True King who gave his life to save the world.
Jesus is the True King: the representative of humanity and embodiment of God—truly man and truly God. When asked directly about his identity, Jesus boldly confessed the truth even though it led to his death.
MARK 14:61b-64
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS’ DEATH
Jesus’ death is a historical event recorded in all four gospels and attested to by non-Biblical sources. After an illegitimate trial in the middle of the night, Jesus was executed by crucifixion on a Friday afternoon.
LUKE 23:33-47
And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!”
WHY WAS JESUS KILLED?
If Jesus healed people, showed compassion, and taught about love, why did people want to kill him? The Jewish leaders did not accept Jesus as the Christ but saw him as a threat. They wanted to kill him most of all because they understood that through his actions and teaching, Jesus was claiming to be God.
JOHN 10:33
The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
WHAT DID JESUS SAY ABOUT HIS DEATH?
Jesus knew he was going to die and believed that his death was according to God’s plan and necessary to accomplish God’s purpose to save the world. Let’s look at what Jesus taught about his death at the last supper he had with his disciples.
MATTHEW 26:26-28
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Covenant - Covenant refers to the special relationship God established between humans and himself. This alludes to both God’s original intentions for humans as well as God’s commitment to restore fallen humanity and all of creation. Jesus saw his death as the loving and saving act of the Creator God to rescue the world.
Forgiveness of sins - Sin is the big problem that ruins humanity’s relationship with God and brings destruction and death in the world. Sin must be forgiven in order for the special relationship between humans and God to be restored and for God’s original intention for us in creation to be realized.
For many - Jesus taught that his death was a single substitutionary sacrifice for the benefit of many. Jesus took the penalty of human sin—death, separation from God—in order to restore the relationship between humans and God.
WHO BENEFITS FROM JESUS’ DEATH?
Who are the “many” who benefit from Jesus’ death? Everyone who believes in Jesus is forgiven of their sins and restored to a right relationship with God.
JOHN 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
As we learned about Jesus’ death, did you realize anything new or were any points of confusion solved?
THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION
Jesus was not the only one in the first century who was killed by crucifixion. However, what made Jesus unique was that after his crucifixion, his followers proclaimed that he had risen from the dead.
LUKE 24:1-7
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Later that day, several of his disciples were together:
LUKE 24:36-43, 46-47
As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.... [He] said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
It can be difficult to believe that someone was raised from the dead. In fact, even Jesus’ disciples did not expect it, and it was hard for some of them to believe. Nevertheless, the disciples testified to what they saw, heard, and touched: Jesus of Nazareth was killed and three days later was alive again.
Today, all Christians believe in Jesus’ resurrection as a historical fact. In addition to being reported in all four gospels, Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances are also recorded in another part of the Bible:
1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-6
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
GENERAL FACTS ABOUT JESUS’ RESURRECTION:
Jesus’ tomb was empty, and a dead body was never found.
Jesus’ brothers (James and Jude) previously rejected Jesus. After seeing Jesus alive again, they changed their minds and worshiped him as Lord.
After Jesus’ execution, his disciples were afraid for their lives. But after the resurrection, they boldly proclaimed Jesus as risen from the dead. They were so sure of this truth that they continued preaching it even though it meant they were killed for it.
Even some of Jesus’ enemies and persecutors (such as Saul of Tarsus) repented and became Jesus’ disciples after seeing him alive again.
These facts attest to the authenticity of Jesus’ resurrection. It is hard to explain them if Jesus’ resurrection was false. 9
After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent 40 days with his disciples. After this, Jesus ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, as the True King of the world. 10
WHAT DOES THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS MEAN?
The resurrection of Jesus shows that the Creator God has acted decisively in history to make a way to rescue his beloved world through Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus means...
The problem of human sin has been dealt with.
The consequence of death has been overcome.
God began the remaking of the world, the new creation, with Jesus, who is the “first to rise from the dead.”
All who trust in Jesus Christ are forgiven, receive eternal life, and remade by God into a new creation.
The Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the good news that God has opened the door of eternal life to everyone who will trust in Jesus.
We have looked at a summary of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But the best way to get to know Jesus is to read the Gospels in the Bible for yourself. Try starting with the Gospel According to Mark.
We started by talking about your impressions of Jesus. Has your impression of Jesus changed after this? How so? Is there anything about Jesus you would like to learn more about?
1 The four gospel accounts were carefully preserved throughout history. Compared to other ancient texts, there is significantly more evidence to corroborate the authenticity of the gospels we have in our modern Bible translations. The gospels are based on over 5000 ancient manuscripts, some of which date back to within a century of the life of Jesus. Modern archaeological and historical discoveries continue to uphold and authenticate the historical reliability of the four gospels. The authenticity of the gospels is also attested to the candid reports of the events including the failures and ignorances of the first disciples. If these books were fabricated, they likely would have made the early church leaders look better. As it is, the gospels are a trustworthy account of the life and teachings of Jesus.
2 Mark 1:16-20
3 Leprosy in the first century was a highly contagious skin disease. Once contracted, a person with leprosy would have to leave his or her family and friends to live in a leper colony outside the city limits. Victims were shunned by society and often lived lonely and shame-filled lives.
4 Luke 19:45-48
5 Jesus often taught about the Kingdom of God in parables. See Mark 4.
6 1 Peter 2:22. See all Jesus’ resistance against temptation to sin in his confrontation with the devil in Matthew 4:1-11.
7 For examples of the New Testament affirming Jesus’ divinity, see Mark 1:2-3, John 1:18, 20:28, Romans 9:5, 10:9-13, Colossians 1:15-20, 2:9-10, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1. For examples of the New Testament affirming Jesus’ humanity, see John 1:18, 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 5:7, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 John 4:2, 2 John 7.
8 For example, Jesus alluded to the revealed name of God in Exodus 3:14 in John 8:58, and to God’s promise to come as Israel’s shepherd in Ezekiel 34 in John 10:11. See also John 10:30.
9 Correcting common misunderstandings about Jesus’ resurrection:
Jesus’ resurrection was physical—he was not a ghost or spirit. (see Luke 24:36-47).
Jesus’ resurrection was not theoretical—his followers did not believe this to be a parable or figure of speech. They claimed he literally rose from the dead as a matter of historical fact.
Jesus’ resurrection was permanent—he never died again. Death was defeated and the new creation began with him.
10 Acts 1:1-11, see also Step 4.