Who is Jesus?
Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
- Revelation 6:15-17
Who is Jesus? Condensed Video Version
When you think of Jesus, what images come to mind? Some see Him as a flower child hippie preaching a message of love. Some see Him as a powerful teacher or prophet. He certainly delivers powerful messages of love, forgiveness and the kingdom of God, but He is much more complex than many consider. During His ministry as a man on earth, while showing tremendous compassion and welcoming love to people on the fringe of society, He revealed sharp judgment and criticism to religious leaders, and He called people to repent.
Years ago, along with six others, Lori and I met with Brad Henderson each Sunday evening as part of his doctoral thesis. We practiced lectio devina, an ancient prayer practice involving reading and meditating on Scripture, praying for God to speak to us through the passage, and reflecting on portions that grabbed our attention. It was a remarkable experience. As we intentionally sought to hear God’s divine voice through His holy word, He never failed to deliver.
During our last session, Brad distributed a questionnaire for each of us to complete and return. The questionnaire ended with a probing question: “Who is Jesus to you?” I loved the class and moved quickly through the questionnaire until reaching the final question, when I suddenly found myself paralyzed with a myriad of possible answers swirling through my mind.
Who is Jesus to me? I could say friend, but He’s not physically present, so is that accurate? Spiritual friend? Spiritual guide? Teacher, comforter, source of peace? All those statements are true, but each statement is severely lacking because He’s unlike any mere mortal – He’s also God. He is the sovereign One, the Creator of all things, the ultimate judge of all. He holds the keys to the kingdom. He has all power and authority. Then my mind drifted to the ways Jesus describes Himself – the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth and the life, the gate for the sheep, the good shepherd, and the true vine. The descriptions boggle the mind in depth and meaning, and they certainly describe who Jesus is, but do they describe who Jesus is to me? As I pondered my mind continued to spin.
My struggle answering with Brad’s question came to mind recently as I read John’s descriptions of Jesus in the Revelation. While praying in a cave on the island Patmos, John was granted a heavenly vision. He saw Jesus in His heavenly glory. He heard His voice roar, saw heavenly beings worshiping Jesus and experienced so much more. John begins describing Jesus as follows:
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:12-18
Wow. I try to imagine seeing Jesus in His heavenly glory. I imagine trying to reduce the wonders, the amazing heavenly images to words using our inadequate language. Jesus is God, the Living One, the First and the Last, and He has all power and authority, even over death and Hades. He is so much more than a powerful teacher and so much more than a flower child hippie preaching a message of love. He is more than we mere humans are capable of comprehending.
Later in Revelation, John describes Jesus as the bearer of wrath so severe that the most powerful people on earth flee to the mountains and beg the mountains to fall on them to hide them from Jesus. The phrase “the wrath of the Lamb” is a concise flip of the narrative. Here on earth we do not expect lambs be the bearers of wrath; they are soft and cuddly and cute. And many on earth see Jesus in similarly unassuming and insignificant ways, and by doing so they miss the complexity and total, absolute, incomprehensible awesomeness of our Lord and Savior. He is the Lamb; we are cleansed and saved by the blood of the Lamb; but this Lamb is like no other. And would we really want to surrender ourselves to a Lord that is any less than the sovereign, almighty One?
Who is Jesus to you? God’s holy word is His effort to communicate His glory to us. He is trying to reveal the glory of Father, Son and Holy Spirit to us. May you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that is fertile soil in which His seed grows.