Who was Jesus?
He was A Sinless Friend of Sinners – Jesus was perfect, but was followed by the untouchables. Jesus made the “righteous” of His day uncomfortable. Jesus made the downtrodden welcome. He preached impossibilities for us mere humans, but accepted us as we came to Him.
He was The God-Man – Jesus was either God or a lunatic or worse. Non-Christians can claim He was a great teacher. They can say He was the ultimate role-model. But Jesus said, “I AM.” He was, is now, and forever will be. He is GOD or He is a liar. If He lies, then how good is He? Who is the Father of Lies? Satan.
He was the Portrait of God – Jesus showed us the Father. Jesus was the closest we could come to experiencing God. Everything that Jesus is, is the Father. Although temporarily separated, everything Jesus taught and did pointed us to the Father - both the Father’s anger and perfectionism and His love and righteousness.
He was The Lover – God is love and God loves us. The proof is in His Son sent to die on our behalf. It is the proof that He chases us down to reclaim us. It is the proof of what He is willing to do to make us His. And Jesus wanted us to love Him back. The Father wants us to love Him back.
He was the Portrait of Humanity – Jesus shows us what humans were supposed to be like. What we were created for. We are fallen, but Jesus was not. If we want a picture of the Garden of Eden before the serpent entered, Jesus showed us. Jesus showed us what it was like to be in perfect communion with the Father and in perfect community with our fellow man.
He was The Wounded Healer – Through Jesus’ wounds we are healed. The great irony. Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. He made us all perfect in the eyes of God and Jesus will forever wear the scars to prove it. We beat and abused Him. We mocked and scoffed at Him, but He still forgives us – the great healing of the Spirit.
I was moved by the author’s ending. We are perpetually caught between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We are living on Saturday, the day with no name. We are waiting for His Second Coming.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (ESV)
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