Do you agree with Jesus’ friends, enemies, or contemporaries?
In the first week of December, my granddaughter and I put up the tree and all the decorations around the house. I particularly enjoy laying out the characters from the nativity. My 8-year-old granddaughter handles the baby Jesus with care as she decides whether to put Him in Mary’s arms or the manger.
Looking at the little baby figurine it’s hard to imagine He is God. It’s difficult to fathom the third Person of the Trinity leaving the magnificence of heaven to come to earth as a tiny human.
Stories and accounts written in the Bible by eyewitnesses and historians help me grasp the awesome complexity of Jesus as God.
But what about those who didn’t have the advantage of reading about Jesus in the New Testament because they were living the stories? Who did they think Jesus was?
His family
Mary the mother of Jesus believed Jesus was the Son of God and Saviour of the world.
His cousin, John the Baptist, believed Him to be the Messiah.
His brother, James, believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God after Jesus appeared to him after his resurrection.
His disciples
Peter said:
‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ (Matthew 16:16, NIV)
Thomas doubted until he physically saw and touched Jesus’ wounds, leading to his declaration of faith.
His friends
Martha, a close friend of Jesus, expressed her faith in Him during the raising of her brother Lazarus.
‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ (John 11:27, NIV)
His enemies
The Pharisees and Sadducees rejected Jesus. They saw Him as a blasphemer.
‘We are not stoning you for any good work,’ they replied, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’ (John 10:33, NIV)
Paul (Saul) once a persecutor of Christians who encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, believed Jesus was the Son of God and Savior of the world.
“At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20, NIV)
His countrymen
After Jesus revealed her life story, the Samaritan woman recognized Him as the long-awaited Messiah.
The Roman soldier at the cross acknowledged Jesus’ divine identity.
‘Surely he was the Son of God!’ (Matthew 27:54, NIV)
I believe Jesus to be my Lord and my Saviour. If you’ve never given it thought this Christmas season, I implore you to consider who you believe Jesus to be.
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Want to dive deeper? You’ll find this story—and many more that reveal the beauty of our Triune God—in God the Father, the Son & Holy Spirit: Exploring Biblical Truths About the Triune God, available on Amazon.