INTRODUCTION
We are constantly being distracted by false ideas about Jesus. Some suggest that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and fathered a child. Others say that Judas was the real hero in the Gospel story. You might easily be misled if you haven’t studied the story of Jesus for yourself. So today, I want us to examine what Jesus taught about Himself and then consider whether the radical claims of Jesus are true.
I. THE RADICAL CLAIMS OF JESUS
Jesus was certainly bold in His declarations about Himself. The apostle John records these words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).1 “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12). “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).
Radical claims indeed! C. S. Lewis was right when he said that Jesus didn’t give us the option to just recognize Him as a great moral teacher. He is either a lunatic, totally out of touch with reality, a malicious deceiver who was intent on leading others astray, or He is who He claimed to be—the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God! Jesus left us with no doubt about who He believed Himself to be: “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
But I can hear someone saying, “Anyone can make outrageous claims like that! There is probably someone in this city right now who is claiming to be the Messiah, the Savior of the world! How do we know that those radical claims of Jesus are true?”
II. THE TESTIMONY OF MANY WITNESSES
Is Jesus all He claimed to be? To find an answer to that question, we must begin with the testimony of the early followers of Jesus. Here is the testimony of the apostle John. (Read 1 John 1:1–3.)
When John wrote his gospel account, he gave this testimony: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31).
John the Baptist was one of the first to testify about Jesus. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to the river Jordan to be baptized, he cried out, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! . . . . And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29, 34).
Listen to the testimony of Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, who were also followers of Jesus. When Martha met Jesus after the death of her brother, she gave this testimony: “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John 11:27).
Then there are the testimonies of two skeptics, whose hearts and minds were transformed by their encounters with Jesus. Nathanael, friend of Philip, wasn’t convinced that any good thing could come out of Nazareth, the insignificant town where Jesus grew up. But when Nathanael met Jesus, he gave this testimony: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). Thomas, who struggled to believe in the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead, gave this testimony after he had seen Jesus with his own eyes and touched Him with his own hands: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
Saul of Tarsus was a fierce and ruthless enemy of Jesus and His followers. He testified to King Agrippa. (Read Acts 26:9–11.) But one day, Saul of Tarsus witnessed the death of one of the followers of Jesus, and Saul never recovered. The convictions generated by Stephen’s death would be with Saul of Tarsus forever.
Not long after this encounter, Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus with papers from the high priest in Jerusalem. His intention was to arrest any followers of Jesus and bring them back in chains. But God had other plans. (Read Acts 9:3–6.)
That encounter with the Risen Christ changed Saul’s life forever. Saul the persecutor became Paul the preacher. He began to boldly declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Like the other apostles, Paul healed the sick in Jesus’ name. He cast out demons in Jesus’ name. And he joyfully looked forward to “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
The book of Acts records many remarkable stories that confirm the truth about Jesus. On one occasion, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple in Jerusalem to pray. When they came to the city gate called Beautiful they saw a crippled man begging. Peter boldly declared, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). And immediately, the crippled man stood to his feet and started walking, leaping, and praising God!
There are other remarkable stories of people being set free from the evil spirits by the power of Jesus’ name. Luke records a story of deliverance in the book of Acts. A young girl who was controlled by an evil spirit was following Paul and Barnabas crying out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Luke records that she kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour” (Acts 16:18).
But all those testimonies are from long ago. The most powerful evidence that Jesus was indeed who He claimed to be, that He is the Living Christ, risen from the dead, and the soon coming King, is the testimony of lives that are still being changed today. No life will be transformed by fictitious fabrications that seek to undermine the truth about Jesus. But when you meet Jesus Christ personally, even today, your life will be transformed. Let the scoffers mock. Let the critics ridicule. But they cannot save you. They cannot heal you. They cannot set you free. Only Jesus can do that.
(Share a contemporary story about a transformed life and your personal testimony.)
CONCLUSION
Jesus is all He claimed to be—the Light of the world, the Bread of Life, the Resurrection and the Life, the Saviour of the world. He is no ordinary man. He isn’t just a great moral teacher. And He certainly isn’t a deluded lunatic or malicious deceiver. Jesus is all He claimed to be—the Christ, the Son of the Living God—and if you surrender your life to Him, He will bless your life today and for eternity. If that is the desire of your heart today, I invite you to stand with me as we pray.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for revealing to us the truth that Jesus is all He claimed to be. Thank You that You loved the world so much that You sent Your only begotten Son to save us. See the commitment of each person here today and bless each one according to Your great love and mercy. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.
1 All Scripture references are from the NKJV.
Derek J. Morris, DMin, is the former president of Hope Channel International, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA.
