Who Is Jesus Really, and Why Does He Matter to Me?

I once went to Las Positas College here in Livermore to ask students one of life's biggest questions: Who would you say Jesus is?

The answers were all over the place. One student honestly said they were not sure. Another said Jesus could be different for everyone. One called Jesus a best friend, and another told me, "He's my Lord and Savior."

Maybe you are somewhere in that mix. You have heard the name Jesus your whole life, but you have never taken a close look at Him. Some people say He was a myth. Others say He was a good teacher and nothing more. So who is Jesus, really?

I think the best way to find out is to listen to the people who were closest to Him. I also preached a whole message on why Jesus came to earth, and you can watch it here.

Jesus was a real person in history

Jesus is not a made-up character. Most historians, even ones who do not believe in God, agree that Jesus really lived and that He was crucified. His life split history in two. Even our calendar counts the years from around the time He was born.

We also have four books about His life: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are eyewitness accounts, written by people who knew Jesus or who were close to people who did. Luke says his account comes from what was "handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word" (Luke 1:2, NIV).

And there are so many ancient copies of these books that there is really nothing like it in the ancient world. That is why I believe we have really reliable accounts of Jesus' life.

Knowing that Jesus lived is only the start. The bigger question is who He really is, and why He was here.

Jesus is fully God and fully man

John's Gospel begins like this: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1, NIV). The Word is Jesus. A few verses later, John says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14, NIV).

Notice those two phrases: "was God" and "became flesh." Jesus was not just a good man who was close to God. He is God in the flesh. Jesus is fully God, and He is also fully man.

Jesus Himself claimed to be God. When He forgave a paralyzed man's sins, some teachers of the law thought He was blaspheming, because only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7). He even said, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58, NIV). "I am" is the name God used for Himself when He spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:14).

But Jesus was also a real man. After forty days of fasting in the wilderness, "he was hungry" (Matthew 4:2, NIV), and that is when the devil came to tempt Him. Jesus knows what it is like to be weak and tempted. The difference is that He never sinned. He is the only perfect person who ever lived.

Why does that matter for you? John says Jesus came "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14, NIV). He loves you enough to tell you the truth about where you have fallen short, but He also loves you enough to die for your sins. And you can trust Him, because the One who loves you is also the Creator and King of everything.

Jesus came to be your Savior, not just a good teacher

Some people say, "Jesus was a good teacher, but not a Savior. I'll just live by the Sermon on the Mount." But have you ever read it? Jesus said that murder is not the only thing that makes you guilty, because "anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment" (Matthew 5:22, NIV).

Jesus took God's commands all the way down to the heart. The whole point is to show us that none of us fully measure up. That is why Jesus is not just a teacher. He is a Savior who came to save us from our sins.

Here is the good news. Jesus came from heaven to earth and lived the perfect life that none of us have lived. Then He died on the cross in our place, for our sins. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote about Him:

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, NIV)

Jesus was pierced and punished so that you could have peace. Jesus was hurt so that you could be healed.

But the story does not end at the cross. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead! Over the next forty days, He "gave many convincing proofs that he was alive" (Acts 1:3, NIV). Jesus did not just claim to be God. He backed it up by defeating death.

If people ask me, "Josh, do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?" here is my honest answer. I don't just believe it. I know it, because I know Him. And you can know Him too.

Jesus is a friend of sinners, and He is calling you

One day Jesus walked past a tax collector named Levi, who was sitting at his booth. "'Follow me,' Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him" (Mark 2:14, NIV). Levi is also called Matthew. Yes, the same Matthew who wrote one of those eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life.

In Jesus' day, tax collectors were seen as the worst of sinners. People saw them as traitors who helped the Romans, and many of them cheated people to get rich.

Then Jesus had dinner at Levi's house with a crowd of tax collectors and sinners. Some religious leaders saw it and asked His disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" (Mark 2:16, NIV). Jesus answered:

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17, NIV)

There was something about Jesus' kindness and compassion that drew sinners to Him. People even called Him "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19, NIV), and they were right!

Jesus loves you just the way you are and right where you are. But He also loves you too much to let you stay that way. You do not have to clean up your mess before you come to Him, because He loves you in the middle of it. If you are afraid you have gone too far, read Can God Forgive Me After Everything I've Done?

The same Jesus who called Levi is calling you today, and no one will ever offer you a greater invitation.

What Jesus means for your life today

The world tells you to look within yourself to find your purpose. But you cannot find inside yourself what only God can give you. Once you know why Jesus was here, you will also know why you are here.

I really do believe that the purpose of life is knowing God, having a relationship with Him, and then letting other people know about Him. Through faith in Jesus, you are given free access to a relationship with God. Free access to forgiveness. Free access to a friend who will never fail you. Free access to a God who knows everything about you but still loves you.

The Bible says that through faith, "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1, NIV). And peace with God brings the peace of God, even with chaos all around you.

You do not have to earn any of this or deserve it. It is offered freely to everybody, including you. If you are ready to put your trust in Jesus, our post on how to become a Christian walks you through that first step.

Today, you can stop guessing about who Jesus is and start getting to know Him for yourself. When you know more about who Jesus is, you will naturally begin to treasure Him more.

Daily Practice: Read the Gospel of John, one chapter a day, and let Jesus speak for Himself. As you read, ask yourself one question: Who does Jesus say He is? John tells you why he wrote it: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31, NIV).