Who Was Jesus Christ?

There is no doubt that Jesus Christ was a great man, a prophet and a teacher. Two thousand years after his death, He is not only remembered but almost universally respected. His moral teaching provides the foundation of Western law and culture. His sayings have permeated our language. Many of his prophecies have come truth already. But was He only a great man, a prophet and a teacher? According to the Bible, He was and is much more. Here we examine three testimonies - what His friends said about Him, what His enemies said about Him and what He said about Himself.

His Friends

John 20:27,28 - Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Doubting Thomas, when told that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead declared, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." (John 20:25) It would seem that Thomas had no need to actually touch the Lord's wounds. To see the resurrected Christ was enough to cause him to declare that Jesus Christ was both Lord and God. Some would suggest that Thomas's statement was merely one of surprise (Thomas being so surprised that he swore), however there is no way Jesus, good Rabbi that he was, would allow one of his followers to take God's name in vain. This was not the swear of a surprised man, but rather an affirmation that Jesus Christ is God!

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews ascribed to Jesus the quality of immutability (i.e. that He does not change). Clearly, this quality could only be said to be true of God, and indeed, Malachi 3:6 ascribes it to Jehovah God. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews thought Jesus Christ was God.

His Enemies

John 7:45,46 - Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?" "No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared.
When the crowds began to suspect Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah they had been waiting for, the Chief Priests and the Pharisees became nervous, so they sent the temple guard to arrest Him, but they came back empty handed. And what excuse did these soldiers use for not fulfilling their orders? "No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards declared. There were many great orators and teachers at that time, but something about the words of Jesus caused these soldiers to disobey their orders.

Luke 23:4 - Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."
What was the finding of the judge who tried Jesus' case? Three times in Luke chapter 23, Pilate declares Jesus' innocence, but in the end condemns Him to death because it was politically expedient.

Matthew 27:3,4 - When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."
What did Jesus' accuser say about Him? That He was innocent!

Matthew 27:54 - When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"
What did the hardened centurion say about Jesus? "Surely he was the Son of God!" Think about this statement for a moment. Here is a Roman soldier who has just commanded the group of soldiers who have put Jesus to death. In their eyes, they were putting to death an enemy of the Roman Empire. And yet the centurion publicly expresses his admiration for the "criminal" he has just put to death. By doing so, he declared Jesus to be in the right, and the whole of the Roman Empire to be in the wrong.

Himself

Mark 14:61-64 - But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest tore his clothes. "Why do we need any more witnesses?" he asked. "You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned him as worthy of death.
Why did the high priest accuse Jesus of blasphemy for what He said? The answer is evident if we have read our Old Testament, for in Daniel 7:13,14 we read, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." In other words, Jesus Christ was claiming the right to be worshipped! Some will say that Jesus Christ never claimed to be God. While it is true He never uttered the exact words, "I am God" it is certainly clear He claimed to be God.

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We live in a society that likes to think of all religions leading in the same direction. We are told by some that all religions are like spokes of a wheel - different but all leading to the same place. However, Jesus had a very different opinion. Apart from Him, He declared that there was no way to get to heaven.

John 3:16-18 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
So if Jesus Christ declared in John 14:6 that he was the only way to Heaven, what must one do to get there through Him? The answer is simple. Believe. Believe that He died in your place to take the punishment you deserved because of your sins. Trust in His finished work on the cross, rather than continuing to try and earn your salvation by your own works.