The vital question

We see Jesus in the Gospels reiterating and confirming his claim to be the Son of God come down from heaven to speak God’s truth to the world. If this is true, it provides authentic hope that his teaching is able to answer our existential questions. There can be answers from God our Creator, in theory, if, first, He knows all things, and second, he can tell us. This is of the essence of what Christians believe to be true, on the basis of evidence and experience (as I hope to show).

So we need seriously to consider if Jesus was indeed God’s messenger, sent in human form into the world (as he claimed). Because – let’s be frank: if he is God’s Son – that is, more than a prophet, a very unique incarnation of God, as Christianity holds – then “the Light of the world” will enlighten us with absolute answers. And if he is not the Son of God, we have a huge puzzle to solve if we are to be intellectually honest: how did the Jesus-event ever happen? Who was he really, this historic Master whose influence more than any other so radically benefitted humanity and transformed human history? A strange holy man if he goes around making himself out to be God when fully knowing he is lying! 

So the identity of Jesus is a vital question, needing our first authentic answer. The Jews asked him “Who are you?” (John 8.25). Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” and his vociferous disciple, Peter, expressed his conviction that Jesus was for real: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16.16). And Jesus calmly affirmed Peter’s response, in words meaning, “You’ve got it, Peter. My Father revealed that to you” (see Matthew 16.17). Thus Jesus confirms that this was indeed his identity.

It is useful to understand that for the Jews of Jesus’ day, such a claim to deity was considered blasphemous for a human being to make. That’s why, at the end of John’s Gospel chapter 8, when Jesus reached the culminating point of his talk by saying, “Before Abraham was, I AM”, the Jews picked up stones and would have killed him: for only God is the “I AM”.

Like Peter, we are all challenged – even obliged – to take our position (for refusing to believe is also taking a position). And to do so validly, we need to evaluate the evidence put forward in the Gospels (because Christian faith is evidence-based, not blind!). Jesus said that his apostles, aided by the Holy Spirit of truth, would “bear witness” to him (John 15.26-27) – so their writings constitute yet another witness to the unique person that was Jesus, as they recorded what they had seen and heard, for posterity. We have therefore in the four contemporary Gospels the permanent record of Jesus’ life, teachings, death and resurrection that we can assess. As we examine the history of Jesus, we will be seeking to ground our on-going search on something believably true.

Clive Every-Clayton