What Do You Think of Jesus?

People have all sorts of opinions about Jesus. Some see Him as a good person; others see a revolutionary who died for His cause. Christians generally consider Him to be the Son of God, as the Bible teaches. Who is Jesus truly? To come to the right conclusion, we want to compare Him to other people.

Jesus was far superior to His contemporaries, and He still outshines all great men today, no matter how educated or powerful. Where did He get this wisdom? He saw all hidden injustices, all of people’s evil thoughts. He renounced all formalism, showing us a flawless way to true spiritual communion with God. He never failed anyone He encountered. He proved Himself a true Savior, Helper, Comforter, and Redeemer without compromising His moral principles in any way. He is still a beacon shining high above all humanity, the immutable and immaculate cornerstone of justice, truth, love, purity, and holiness.

History tells us that He performed many miracles. He never took advantage of the miracles for selfish gain, but used His power only to help His fellow men and women. His motivation, far from egotistical, was to seek God’s glory with His every action. He had all of the human characteristics that we share: He had to eat, drink, and sleep; He felt peace, pain, and indignation about injustice; He found joy in what was good. Subject to every human weakness, He nonetheless remained in perfect harmony with the moral principles we all know. Despite being burdened by a heavy workload and surrounded by so much strife and agitation, He consistently displayed a deep peace. He was serious without being rough. Whether issuing judgments, rebukes, and punishments or displaying love, mercy, and forgiveness, He never violated the moral principles. 

His great dignity came to the fore as He suffered and died on the cross. Marked as a criminal in spite of His innocence, He did not complain or rail against God or people, instead submitting to God. In fact, He voluntarily chose this path of pain in order to fulfill the will of His Father in Heaven and to take humanity’s sins before God upon Himself. John the Baptist said of Him: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), but it was Jesus Christ who proved these words true. Pilate, the heathen governor, had to admit: “I find no fault in Him” (John 19:6). The centurion in charge of the crucifixion, also a heathen, was inspired to exclaim: “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). From an impartial and unprejudiced point of view, each one of us has little choice but to acknowledge, as did His disciples: “Jesus, you are the Son of God!”

The conviction that He really is God’s Son gives us food for thought. Jesus reminds you of everything that is good, pure, divine, and eternal—and also of your guilty conscience and of the person you should be. You are human, and He is the Son of God, the Creator, the Lord of Life and Death. You will one day stand before Him, whether you want to or not. No matter how much you avoid thinking about Him or resist believing in Him, you will never change the fact of His reality and existence. Pilate’s question in Matthew 27:22: “What then shall I do with Jesus?” is a question that each of us needs to answer—even you, dear reader.

If you take a moment to ponder the figure of Jesus as revealed through the dignity and majesty of His character, life, teachings, love, suffering, and death, your innermost being is sure to tremble in awe before Him, compelling you to stand and be still in His presence. If you let His nature speak to you, your heart will soon tell you: “Here is someone before whom I can and must humble myself without losing my self-respect.” To despise Him or to think that you cannot learn from Him, that obeying Him is only for backward people, or that worshiping Him is something to be ashamed of, only lays bare a heart filled with immorality or malice.

At a dinner party attended by a number of poets, someone threw out the question: “What would we do if Shakespeare suddenly entered the room?”

“We would all get up from our seats to show our respect,” was the answer.

“What would we do if Jesus suddenly came in the door?” asked another.

The response was: “If Jesus came in, we would all fall on our knees.”

Yes, He is worthy of such worship. Dear reader, what will you do with Jesus? He is your Helper, your Savior, and your Example; He rules the world and knows the hidden depths of every heart. What you choose to do with Him now will have immense consequences for your life on earth and for all eternity, because there will come a moment when the question is reversed: “What will He do with you?”

R. Girke

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