Who is Jesus Of Nazareth?
As I set here considering where to start; my mind, as so many, automatically jumps to the baby in the manger. It is our first view of The Christ in the form of man.
We just left Christmas behind and our worldwide celebration of His birth. It has been celebrated for centuries so normally when you think of Jesus you think of a baby in a manger, angels, wisemen, shepherds and Mary and Joseph right?
But that is not where the story begins so I guess if you are going to tell a person’s story your start at the beginning. Right?
It began in darkness. A place where no light was shining, where there were no people on earth, no stars in the heaven and no angels singing.
The ancient text tells us it was void (nothingness). Except!
There was a light in the darkness! A Godhead! Elohim! A unity made of pure light that held the power of creation. A personhood acting, creating and being as one, a perfect God!
Our knowledge of Jesus begins here, a part of the holy trinity, God acting as three persons yet totally one in the creation of all that we know and see. He did not start life as a man, the text says He always was.
It is a hard thing for man to wrap his brain around a being that always was. That never had a starting point.
The apostle John who began as a disciple of Jesus explains Him in this way. He calls him the “Word”.
John said He was in the beginning with the Godhead and all things were made by Him and without him nothing was created.
Before the world was, Jesus was. Before the heavens were, Jesus was. Before there was time, Jesus was. God did not start when the world was formed, that is the beginning of man’s story, not Gods.
It all began with the Godhead or Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) of which Jesus is represented as the Son.
Jesus himself tells us who He is in Johns gospel: John 10:30. “I and my Father are one.”
Jesus gave seven more statements about who he was in this Gospel:
John 6:27 – I am the bread of life.
John 8:12 – I am the light of the world.
John 10:7 – I am the door.
John 10:11 – I am the good shepherd.
John 11: 25-26 - I am the resurrection and the life.
John 14:16 – I am the way, the truth, and the life.
John 15:6 – I am the vine.
After adding Christ’s own explanation of who He is I went searching on the internet and found this links:
Read each as they will give you a short commentary on each of His statements regarding who He says He is.
https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/the-seven-i-ams-of-jesus/. (Right click and open in another window)
So, was Jesus saying he was God? What did Jesus mean when He called Himself, I AM?
Another Good link.
https://www.gotquestions.org/I-AM.html
Out of the mouths of two or three witnesses let every word be established, 2 Corinthians 13:1.
I will stop here for now; we have explored the deity of Christ now we will explore the human element of His personhood in the next blog.
Blessings,
MR