Have you noticed that we can talk with calm reserve of various religious movements like Mormonism, the Muslim faith, Buddhism, Judaism and even Christianity as a corporate religion - yet when we bring in the name of Jesus eyes roll, people scatter, and some hearts turn to ice. Why is that?
C. S. Lewis, an Oxford medieval historian, popular writer, and Christian apologist wrote the book Mere Christianity. He wrote of three ways to view Jesus.
Could it be that instinctively we know who Jesus claims He is and our emotions or flesh rise up against that wisdom? Perhaps God himself has set an internal mechanism called a conscience inside each one of us to know the truth about Jesus. And that 'mechanism' goes off at the mention of His name. It isn't that we all know Jesus said He is God. Not every one of us has read the bible. It isn't that we all agree that Jesus is God. But, we must look at the response we give and question why there is such an inner turmoil of emotion unequal to other topics of religion and religious "Leaders" like Buddha, Abraham, Mohammed, or even John Smith! Jesus brings out in us a response and we can find ourselves to be ice cold, lukewarm or hot about Him.
I read that Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The disciples answered, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Then Jesus pressed them a bit more asking, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" And Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Peter - Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
Maybe the mechanism that I speak of went off in Peter's heart and he got it - or should I say God gave it to him. Jesus the Messiah. Immanuel; God with us! And if this is the true view of Jesus, one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. God Himself is Just and has placed that wisdom in our hearts already. He is also a Gentleman and graciously awaits our response.
So, who do you say Jesus is?
References: Romans 2:14-16, Matthew 1:23, 16:13-17, Isaiah 7:14, 45:23, and Philippians 2:11
C. S. Lewis, an Oxford medieval historian, popular writer, and Christian apologist wrote the book Mere Christianity. He wrote of three ways to view Jesus.
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus]: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a liar: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."[5]
Could it be that instinctively we know who Jesus claims He is and our emotions or flesh rise up against that wisdom? Perhaps God himself has set an internal mechanism called a conscience inside each one of us to know the truth about Jesus. And that 'mechanism' goes off at the mention of His name. It isn't that we all know Jesus said He is God. Not every one of us has read the bible. It isn't that we all agree that Jesus is God. But, we must look at the response we give and question why there is such an inner turmoil of emotion unequal to other topics of religion and religious "Leaders" like Buddha, Abraham, Mohammed, or even John Smith! Jesus brings out in us a response and we can find ourselves to be ice cold, lukewarm or hot about Him.
I read that Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The disciples answered, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Then Jesus pressed them a bit more asking, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" And Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Peter - Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
Maybe the mechanism that I speak of went off in Peter's heart and he got it - or should I say God gave it to him. Jesus the Messiah. Immanuel; God with us! And if this is the true view of Jesus, one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. God Himself is Just and has placed that wisdom in our hearts already. He is also a Gentleman and graciously awaits our response.
So, who do you say Jesus is?
References: Romans 2:14-16, Matthew 1:23, 16:13-17, Isaiah 7:14, 45:23, and Philippians 2:11
2 comments:
Jesus Christ is Lord!
Amen NT! Praising Him for you!
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