Exactly who is Jesus Christ? – Part 1

When I was a young student of the Bible, I wondered why Jehovah and Jesus seemed so different in temperament.

Could they be the same being?

The God of the Old Testament appears a fierce being. Jesus of the New Testament seems kind and loving.

Before the answer to such a question can be attempted, I believe it is vital to have an understanding of the nature of God. I will use the King James Version of the Bible as my reference.

When Jesus was praying for his disciples just before the incident in the Garden of Gethsemane while having the Last Supper, the following vital passage was recorded in the Book of John (see chapter 17, the first 5 verses)
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Several key elements can be gleaned here:

1. The Son (Jesus) has a separate identity to that of his Father.
2. Eternal life is dependent upon knowing the Father, who Jesus identifies as the only true God.
3. Jesus once existed before his mortal life with the Father whose glory he shared.
4. The Father sent Jesus to Earth to do specific work
5. The Son can give eternal life to those who the Father has given to Jesus.

Another passage that I would like to present for your consideration is when Jesus meets with Mary just after his resurrection. (see John chapter 20)
11 ¶ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

This signal event of seeing the resurrected Lord first, was given to a woman, Mary Magdalene. It is of importance to note that Jesus, who was all-knowing, asked Mary a question, not to be duplicitous, but as a teaching mechanism for her. When the Saviour speaks to her in verse 17, several important things can be deduced:

1. “Touch me not” - implies a physical body, the full information we do not have at our disposal and we can only speculate as to why Mary was not allowed to touch him; yet the “doubting” Thomas was commanded to not only feel the imprints of the marks the nails left in the Saviour’s hands, but to thrust his hand into the very side of the Saviour (see same chapter, verse 27). The account as recorded in Luke chapter 24 removes any conjecture as to the physical nature of the body of the resurrected Christ.
   36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
   37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
   38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
   39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
   40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
   41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
   42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
   43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

Not only did Jesus show them and allow them to touch his body, but he ate food in front of them. This was done to teach his “witnesses” of the reality and physical nature of his resurrected body.

1. going back to John chapter 20 where the Saviour interacts with Mary, the next important observation in the same verse is that Christ had not yet ascended to his Father. This clearly demonstrates that the location of the Father is a specific place, as the Son must yet go there.
   The words of Christ as found in John chapter 5 teach us more remarkable truths:
   16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
   17 ¶ But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
   18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
   19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Firstly, that Jesus is doing the same work as his Father.
Secondly, the Jews clearly understood that Jesus was saying that God was his Father and that would put the Son as being equal with God, which was blasphemy to their unbelieving hearts.
Thirdly, the Son could only do what he had seen the Father do, to me that means the Saviour would have seen the Father’s works in a vision. That concept has extremely profound implications.
Fourthly, the strictness of following the Father’s allotted course for Jesus, meant that Jesus could only act in a clearly defined path of conduct, the many dimensions that were taught by the “schoolmaster” of Mosaic Law, full of ritual, sacrifice and exact obedience.

John chapter 1 teaches us probably the most.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him

So here we see that the “Word” is Christ. “Word” is used to show that Christ is the executive of the Father and that the premortal Christ was a God too. We are taught that Christ is the creator (all things were made by him). In him is life and that life is the light of men. Verse 14 says that Christ was made flesh and dwelt among the Jews in the meridian of time.

To look at there being more than one God involved in the creation process, consider Genesis chapter 1, the following verse: (We can logically assume that Christ is involved in this conversation.)
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

There is more to consider; man is made in God’s image, after their likeness, it does not say in his likeness.
Thus we can see there is a treasure trove of information in the Bible about Jesus Christ.

In the next article we shall consider more information about the Saviour, his features and characteristics.