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“…always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15)
Many, if not most, people acknowledge Jesus. The questions regarding Jesus really revolve around who He is. Is Jesus a great teacher? Is He a supreme example of love and piety? Is He a deranged cult-leader? These questions are usually thrown around today in one form or another. Let’s spend some time looking at a few of the more prominent themes behind these questions. If we are going to study the person of Jesus, we need to go to an authoritative source on His life and sayings. The Bible, especially the gospels, is clearly that source.
When we look into the Bible, we see clearly that Jesus was an extraordinary teacher. As early as the age of twelve, He demonstrates His grasp of the Old Testament (Luke 2:42, 47). When He gives clarification and further insight on God’s Word, the crowds marvel and His authority and insight (Matthew 7:28). Not only does Jesus teach the Scripture with great clarity, He also uses it with great power. When tempted, He leans on the Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). When confronted by Jewish religious leaders, He counters them with teachings from the Law and the Prophets (Mark 12:29-34). There is no doubt that Jesus was a great teacher.
Jesus is also a great example of love and devotion to God. Not only does Jesus teach on love, but He demonstrates it. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He comforted the afflicted. He ministered to the poor. All of these show His great love. He interacts with the outcasts of society. Women, lepers, tax collectors, Samaritans, and Roman soldiers all were touched by Jesus. He ultimately proved the depths of His love by giving His life for us.
Jesus was also a great leader who had many followers. Throughout the course of His ministry, Jesus saw people come and people go. Many came to Him seeking something more than He was willing to give them. They wanted a political liberator and an earthly king. This was not Jesus’ purpose in coming. Some might suggest that Jesus was doing nothing more than building a cult-like following. Perhaps He, Himself, was deranged or filled with delusional thoughts. When one looks at the life of Jesus, nothing could be farther from the truth. When we examine the evidence, we see very clearly that Jesus was grounded in reality. He was not crazy.
Therefore, we are left with a simple choice. If Jesus was a great teacher, He proclaimed Himself God (John 10:30) and explicitly said He was the only way to Heaven (John 14:6). If we accept Him as a teacher, we cannot dismiss His own words. Many today would say that all roads lead to Heaven. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus Himself made it clear that He is the only way we can have a relationship with God. Apart from Him, we are lost and die in our sins (John 8:24). He is not an option. He is the only option. All roads do not lead to Heaven, only one does. As a matter of fact, all roads but one lead to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).
Furthermore, Jesus had to be more than just an example of love. There had to be some reason for Him to die. Jesus Himself said repeatedly that it was necessary for Him to die for our sins (John 3:15; 10:11). Jesus, therefore, has to be more than a mere example. He was a sacrifice. If all roads are the same, why did Jesus need to die? If it really doesn’t matter what we believe or who we believe in, why would Jesus say it does? You see, we do not have the luxury of embracing the teacher without embracing His teachings. Nor do we have the option of seeing an example where there is no purpose. To do so would be crazy.
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