Life is full of questions. Some questions start early, such as:
- What will I be when I grow up?
- Where will I go to school?
- Who will I marry?
Some questions are more complex, like:
- What is the meaning of life?
- Why am I here?
For some questions, there are answers. For others, not as much. While some questions are not all that important, others have eternal implications.
The Questions Jesus Asked
Jesus asked many questions. Two of His most important questions are found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16. In verse 13, He asked the disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
To this question, the disciples replied: “Well, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, others Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets.”
“But what about you?” He asked them. “Who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered “You? You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
Then as now, many people were familiar with Jesus. Many liked Him, some didn’t; some loved Him, and others hated Him. But not all agreed on who He was—and still is.
What Did People Say About Jesus?
Many saw, and even respected, Him as a good teacher.
- In John 3, Nicodemus came to Him saying Rabbi, we know you are a good teacher,
- In Mark 12, the scribe asked good teacher which is the greatest commandment?
- In Luke 18, the rich young ruler asked good teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life?
- In Acts 9, Saul is blinded, hears a voice asking “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” to which he replied “Who are you, Lord?” (Saul asked the right question before he became the Apostle Paul.)
Perhaps most telling description of Jesus comes during the Last Supper when the Lord Jesus foretold His betrayal by one of the twelve disciples. Eleven of his followers were exceedingly sorrowful as asked “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22).
But Judas asked “Master, is it I?” (Matthew 26:25). Judas had been with Jesus for the same length of time as the other disciples, seen the same miracles, heard the same teaching, but never came to know Him intimately.
In John 14, the Lord Jesus asked Phillip: “Have I been so long with you without you really knowing Me, Phillip? The man who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
More Than Just a Good Teacher
Perhaps the greatest pitfall in knowing Jesus personally is to see Him as a good teacher and no more. In fact, many of the world’s religions acknowledge that Jesus was a real person. But they dispute that He rose from the dead as the Messiah.
That is the very point at which the Scribes and the Pharisees missed the point. They saw Him as a good teacher, but not as the Messiah because it never occurred to them that they needed a Savior. They were trusting in themselves, in their own ability to live up to the standards of the law.
One can never have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ until they realize the depth of their sinfulness, confess and repent of their sin, and ask the Lord to come into their heart as Savior and Lord.
Ironically, working for the Lord can be the single greatest hindrance to knowing Him.
Who Do We Say Jesus Is?
Luke 10 gives the account of the Lord visiting two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha immediately went into the kitchen to begin preparing a meal for the Lord. But Mary stayed back to visit with Him.
At some point, Martha became frustrated, concluded that Mary had left her to serve alone, and asked that Mary come help. Jesus responded: “Martha, you are worried and bothered about providing so many things. Only one thing is really needed. Mary has chosen the best part and it must not be taken away from her.”
For each of us life’s ultimate question will be “Who do we say that Jesus is?”
- Is He a good teacher?
- A great friend?
- The good shepherd?
- The son of God?
He is all of those things and infinitely more. But before we can know Him as all of those things we must first know Him as the Messiah, as our personal Lord and Savior.
That can only happen as we realize that we are sinful, that our sin has separated us from Him, by confessing and repenting of our sin, and by asking Him to be our Savior and Lord.
A Personal Relationship is the Difference
The Bible describes this as being “born again” into a lifetime, eternal relationship in which God is our Heavenly Father. Anything He allows us to do in serving Him from that moment forward are the effects of our relationship with Him, not the cause.
The Pharisees knew a lot about Jesus, but it was all academic head knowledge. They did not have a personal relationship with Him as their Savior, because they didn’t think they needed one.
By comparison the Disciples were “unlearned and uneducated men,” but had one thing the Pharisees didn’t— a personal relationship with the Lord Himself. An accurate view of who we are, will allow us to have the right answer to life’s ultimate question of who Jesus is.