Who Is Jesus?

by Micky Galloway

In our last article, we noted the question of Pharaoh, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2). In this article we want to note the questions of Jesus to the apostles in Matthew 16:13-16, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” and “But who say ye that I am?” Perhaps it is an understatement to note that during the life of Jesus there was confusion about His identity, “And they said, Some (say) John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” Likewise, in a modern world of unbelief, we must be able to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Jesus is God. Hebrews the first chapter emphasizes the greatness of Jesus as compared to the angels. In that context the Father said, “Who maketh his angels winds, And his ministers a flame a fire: but of the Son (he saith,) Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:7-8). After the resurrection, Jesus said to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and reach (hither) thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:27-28). The gospel of John begins and ends with Jesus identified as God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made … And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14). “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). References to Jesus as God are often used in the New Testament to identify Him. This expression suggests His relationship with His Father and His character which expresses God. The gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work. For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:17-18). The Father and the Son have the same work (John 5:19-21), the same judgment (John 5:22), the same honor (John 5:23). He is the same in nature, purpose, and will. He was and is deity. Again John writes, “I and the Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone him … If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do them, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. They sought again to take him: and he went forth out of their hand” (John 10:30-38). Jesus said, “I am the Son of God” (verse 36). The Jews understood His claim of deity and for this they sought again to kill Him. They understood what some today do not understand. Compare this with the Jehovah’s Witness’ view, who believe Jesus was first created an angel and then became a god or the Jews or Muslims of today who deny Jesus was the Son of God, claiming He was a good man or a prophet.

Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s glory and nature. He is the “radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3 NASV). Strong defines the term “exact representation” (khar-ak-tare'); from the same word as “a graver (the tool or the person), i.e. (by implication) engraving [‘character’], the figure stamped, i.e. an exact copy or [figuratively] representation.” As the Son of God he is the “fullness (complete abundance) of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). It is worthy of note that the expression, “Son of God” is never used in the New Testament to suggest the Father existed before the Son or in some way brought Him into existence. The expression identifies Jesus as the eternal “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

In John 8:51-59, the Jews again sought to kill him because they understood His claim to be God. In the context, Jesus spoke of spiritual death, but these Jews did not understand. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death … The Jews said unto him, Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my word, he shall never taste of death” (John 8:51-52). All they perceived was physical death (cf. John 5:24). Jesus emphasized the need of keeping “my word” (cf. John 14:23; 15:20; 17:6; I John 2; II John 9; etc.). The statement of Jesus seemed blasphemous to them. How could Jesus claim that by keeping His word, one would be delivered from death? Was Jesus greater than Abraham or the prophets, all who had died? Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). Indeed, Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham, the fulfillment of Abraham’s hope (Galatians 3:7-9, 14-16, 26-29). But how could Jesus claim He had seen Abraham when Abraham had been dead almost 2,000 years? Then Jesus made the bold statement to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). This conveys the idea of timeless presence. Jesus quoted Exodus 3:14 exactly and applied it to Himself. They understood that He claimed to be deity, thus they took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. Either He was deluded, hallucinating, insane, deliberately deceiving, or He really is who He claimed to be – DEITY, God robed in the flesh.

Why is it important that we believe that Jesus is God robed in flesh? What we believe about the identity of Jesus is crucial to our salvation! Jesus said, “for except ye believe that I am (he), ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). When Jesus asked the apostles, “But who say ye that I am?” Peter promptly responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16).