WHO IS JESUS? CAN I BELIEVE IN HIM AND IN HIS EXISTENCE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“We have come to believe and to know You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
(John 6:69)

MEDITATION:
Who was Jesus? Was he real?

Jesus Christ was (and is) a real person who lived in Palestine
about 2,000 years ago. His life, death, and rising from the
dead are all documented in the bible books of Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. His final days on earth and ascension back to
heaven are in the book of Acts.

All the gospels (Matthew Mark, Luke, John) are based on the
eye-witness testimony of the apostles, who knew Him extremely
well. They were His 12 closest followers and spent three years
on the road with Him: listening to His teaching, watching His
miraculous healing of people, and meeting with Him when He
was raised from the dead.

There are other sources of information about Jesus too. He is
mentioned in texts written by non-Christian historians from
that era:
    Josephus (a Jewish man)
    Tacitus (a Roman politician)
    Suetonius (a Roman historian)

Thousands of people heard Jesus teach during His lifetime
and the Bible has stories of many who were healed by Him.
Many saw Him die, including a Roman centurion. So there
were many eyewitnesses who were able to give personal
accounts to the Bible writers.

But Jesus was, and is, much more than just a man. In the
Bible, Jesus often refers to God as his Father. But in the
book of John, He goes further, suggesting the uniqueness
and closeness of their relationship saying,
    ‘I and the Father are one…’, and
    ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’.
Such statements of apparent blasphemy infuriated some
of the Jewish leaders who heard them.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; but
He is also God Himself. Christianity teaches that God exists
in three forms at the same time: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
    (this can be confusing but we know that water can exist as
     steam, water and ice – each has the same chemical formula,
     but looks different).

An excerpt from the book of Colossians, tries to capture
the awesomeness of Jesus:
    ‘he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
     over all creation…by him, all things were created
     on heaven and earth, visible and invisible…he is
     before all things and in him all things hold together’.
    ‘he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
     over all creation’

Jesus is also an intermediary – He is humanity’s route
to God. Also in the book of John, Jesus says
    ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.
     No-one comes to the Father except through me’.
The implication was that this offer was not just for
a lifetime, but for eternity.

Jesus’ birth in around 4BC was foretold by ancient Hebrew
writers (known as prophets) hundreds of years beforehand.
Devout Jewish believers were waiting for the arrival of a
Messiah – a great man who would lead the Jewish people
to freedom and greatness again.

The story of Jesus’ conception is miraculous: His mother, Mary
(a virgin) became pregnant by the influence of the Holy Spirit.
But His birth was very humble (surrounded by animals in a stable).
Little is known of His life before the age of 30 when He began
traveling around teaching in synagogues and outdoors.

But the Bible tells us that as a 12-year-old boy He went to the
temple in Jerusalem and amazed the religious teachers with
His knowledge and understanding. And the book of Mark,
suggests that as a young man in the town of Nazareth Jesus
was a carpenter, like His human father, Joseph. It also tells
us that He had siblings.

Can we trust the Bible accounts of Jesus’ life? Christians
believe that the Bible was inspired by God. It was God
who influenced the writers and editors to produce what
we now read.

There is variation in the four Gospels, but that is understandable:
    For example, four witnesses of a car crash will usually
    give slightly different interpretations on what they saw,
    depending on their particular perspectives and interests.

Since Biblical times, scholars have copied manuscripts and
passed them down through the generations. None of the
original manuscripts about Jesus’ life have survived. The
earliest handwritten fragments date from about 130AD and
the first full manuscripts to 350AD.

But scholars have great confidence in the accuracy and authenticity
of the Bible stories about Jesus because of a science called ‘textual
criticism’, which looks at the age and number of documents. Put
simply, the smaller the gap between the date of the original documents
and the date of copies we have, the more likely they are to be accurate.

Another factor is the number of copies:
    More copies increase the likelihood of authenticity.
    There are more than 24,000 copies of the earliest full
    manuscript, which is seen as a staggeringly high number.

Knowing Jesus changes lives, the Bible tells the story of Jesus’
life, death and resurrection from the dead. It documents His
teachings, His miraculous healings, His family, His friends,
how He confounded the religious authorities, and how He
challenged their hypocrisy.

He provoked people to think about how they lived and thought.
He called for loyalty and sacrifice. He offered perfect peace, but
old His followers they would be persecuted. He pointed people
towards God.

The Bible explains how He was betrayed, arrested, put on trial
and executed. It reports how He was seen after His resurrection
by more than 500 people, how He ate with them, and how one
follower, Thomas, touched Jesus’ hands and side, which had
been wounded during his crucifixion.

Many Christians have written inspirational accounts of their faith
and how they have developed a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, even though they have not met Him physically. Some
Christians have reportedly seen visions of Jesus.

One key figure in the birth of the Christian church (Paul)
experienced a vision of Jesus which totally changed his life;
turning him from a persecutor of Christians to a devout and
passionate believer, evangelist and establisher of new churches.

Jesus continues to transform the lives of thousands of people
around the world every day. With all of this authenticity of
His existence, why doesn’t everyone believe in Him?

The scriptures make it clear that there is a constant battle for
control of our minds. The Lord loves us and wants to fill our
minds with the things that are good, righteous, just, and will
provide eternal life.

However the opposing force (Satan) has a kind of
‘misery loves company’ mentality and wants to fill
our minds with things that are evil, corrupt, and
will provide eternal pain and suffering.

When we compare the differences, we can see that choosing
the Lord is the best and obvious choice. However when we
see how many make the opposite choice, it confirms the
powerful influence Satan can have on the minds of those
God created.

ACTION POINT:
Are you willing to die to self for the cause of Christ? This
man who died for you…are you willing to die for Him?
It is dying to self in order to gain a new life
(both for now and eternity).

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I may not be able to wrap my mind around
everything in the bible, but I have been convicted that Jesus is
real, and He died for me and my sins. I believe in Him and want
to surrender my life to His control so that I may gain eternal life.
As humbly as I know how, I ask You to forgive me of my sins
and save me from a destiny of eternal pain and suffering. Teach
me how to live a new life surrendered to Jesus with a desire to
discover and use the spiritual gifts You give to those who receive
Your salvation.”

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