Who is Jesus?

Who do I claim Jesus to be? As I examine scripture I have to admit that I don’t get the same view of Jesus that I grew up with. I have grown up with this cultural view of Jesus that has colored my view of who Jesus is. I am afraid that I have not let Jesus speak for himself. It’s not because I don’t see it. It’s because I don’t want to see it. I like the Jesus of pot luck suppers after church. I like the Jesus who rides around on bumper stickers. I am like Peter I can confess that Jesus is the Son of the Living God but only because I have my own definition of what that suppose to mean. For Peter, as we see later it didn’t mean that the Christ would suffer and die. It meant from Peter’s view that he was going to be victorious and triumphant. Which he was and is but not from Peter’s perspective. We must ask ourselves this morning what do we mean when we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior? Depends on who we are talking about when we say Jesus!

Many of us have equated our faith with common decency. We have confused faith with moral upright living. Philip Yancey says, “Somehow we have created a community of respectability in the church. The down-and-out, who flocked to Jesus when he lived on earth, no longer feel welcome.” Anyone can be moral and still not have a faith. Living morally is not the same thing as living faithfully. Morality and ethics are a result of a life lived following Christ. It is easy to confess Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, within the confines of the church. But what if we took our faith into the streets, workplace, and homes? What would it mean to profess your belief in Jesus there as well as at church?

Being a person of faith is about following Jesus, doing what Jesus did, speaking as Jesus spoke. So belief in Jesus is a way of life. It is more than reciting a creed. I would go as far as to say that simply reciting a creed is not really claiming anything. Following Jesus is the precondition for knowing Jesus. You want to know who Jesus is love your enemies, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, proclaim the good news to the poor. If you are not doing those things then you don’t know Jesus no matter what you claim to profess in church. I am speaking to those of you who have been a part of the church for generations. For those of you like me who have read scripture through the lense of culture. For those of you who like me think you know who Jesus is. Just because you go to church, live upright, and don’t commit illegal acts does not make you a follower of Jesus. It is about a relationship. Will Willimon says, “Being Christian is about the challenging, life-long struggle to be friends with Jesus and to allow him to be friends with you.” Jesus, your friend asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Have you answered that question lately?