I have to admit that this past Christmas season was interesting. With all of the travel we had scheduled and with our house being in such disarray due to repairs from our slab leak damage, it was difficult to get in the Christmas spirit.
Normal Christmas reminders were absent as we weren’t able to put up any decorations until just a few days before Christmas.
When life is crazy and chaotic, as it has been for us, it’s easy to lose sight of Jesus.
A few days ago, the Cru Facebook page that I help to monitor received a message from a user in Africa named Mathias.
The message was a simple question: Who is Jesus?
The question “who is Jesus?” is perhaps the most important question that anyone can answer.
Jesus himself asked this question of his followers. In the book of Mark, Jesus recruits 12 men to follow him. Through his teaching, ministry, and many miracles Jesus slowly reveals his identity to his disciples. At the midpoint of the book, Jesus asks his disciples, “who do people say that I am?”
The disciples respond with the popular views of the culture at that time: some say you’re John the Baptist or Elijah; others say you’re a prophet.
Our society has a lot of answers to the question, “who is Jesus?”
Some people believe that Jesus was a great moral teacher – an example for us to follow. Others believe he was a prophet. A few people believe Jesus was a political revolutionary.
Jesus follows with a more pointed question, “who do YOU say that I am?”
Peter answers with the only valid response that hits the mark: Jesus is the Messiah; he is God!
In our fast-paced, materialistic culture, we can sometimes forget who Jesus really is and what he offers. For those of us who have known Jesus for a long-time, the Christmas season can seem rote or routine.
But I’m reminded that there are millions of people who don’t know Jesus, and the idea that God is real and personal is incredibly new and exciting.
People like John, also from Africa, message us every day, wanting to know who God is and how they can know Him.
Though this is a very minimal part of our job, it’s a privilege to be able to tell people all over the world who Jesus is and how they can know Him.
It really is amazing that the God of the universe stepped into humanity in the person of Jesus. He alone offers hope and peace to a world that is desperate and hopeless!
For more information on the Biblical evidence for Jesus’ deity, see my short article “Is Jesus God?”
Some related blog posts you might find helpful:
Does Your Understanding of the Nature of Jesus Really Matter?
Is Your View of Jesus Really that Important? (Part 2)
Further Proof That Jesus is God
The Lowedown 