Who really is Jesus?
Most people have heard of the name Jesus, but do we truly know his story, his origins, his birth, and the mission for which He came?
His Story
Jesus existed long before He came to earth in human form, and even before the creation of the world. He therefore holds a dual nature: he is fully divine and fully human.
Genesis reveals that when God created humanity, He said:
« Let Us make human beings in our image, to be like Us.»
Genesis 1 : 26a (NLT)
The phrase "let us make" suggest the presence of more that one, indicating that God the Father was clearly not alone at the dawn of creation.
The Epistle to the Colossians 1:15 reveals to us that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
The apostle John, one of Jesus’ disciples, received a profound revelation of His nature, as this passage clearly shows, affirming the divinity of Christ.
John 1 :1-4 (NLT)
«In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. »
His Origins
As already pointed out, Jesus has two distinct natures united in one person.
He is fully God: he is the firstborn of all creation, existing before all things.
He is also fully man: he took human form when he was born to a young virgin named Mary.
He came into the world in Bethlehem, in Judea. The Gospel of Saint Luke tells us:
Luke 1:34 (NIV)
«The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.»
John 1 :14 (NIV)
«The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.»
Thus, the origin of Jesus precedes the creation of the world and his coming to earth.
Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see Old Testament prophets speaking of things to come, announcing the arrival of the promised Savior:
1- Birth
2- Mission
3- Suffering
4- Crucifixion
5- Resurrection of Jesus-Christ
1 - His Birth
About 740 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah, a prophet from Judah, foretold the coming of a child. This prophecy is found in:
Isaiah 9 :6 (NLT)
« For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called:Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. »
In that year, the heavens were in motion. God the Father was preparing to let go, for a time, of the One who had always been by his side.
In that moment in history, the heavens moved with purpose. God the Father was readying Himself to part, for a season, with the One who had eternally dwelled beside Him.
An angel descended to earth to announce the most important message in the history of humanity. A revelation that would forever alter its course and eternal destiny.
Luke 1:31 - 35 (BDS)
«“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.»
2 – His mission
During His earthly ministry, Jesus carried out a multifaceted mission, teaching, performing miracles, forgiving sins, healing the sick, resurrecting people, and delivering those oppressed by demons.
As the time of His departure drew near, Jesus comforted His disciples by promising the coming of the Holy Spirit, a living presence that profoundly distinguishes Christianity from other religions.
Jesus came to:
1 - Preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God - Luc 4: 43 (NLT)
"But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent."
2 - Seek and save all those who are lost - Luke 19: 10 (NIV)
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
3 - Forgive humanity their sin - 1 John 1 :9 (NIV)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
4 - Offer eternal life to everyone - John 3: 16 (NIV)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
5 - Show us the Father - John 14 :8-10 (NIV)
"Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."
6 - To destroy the works of the devil – 1 Jean 3 :8b (NLT)
"But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil."
The devil, the relentless enemy of humankind, has his own plan, and trust me, it is not a pleasant one; it’s dark, chilling, and truly frightening...
I say this without exaggeration!
I like to say that Jesus took on our humanity and came to earth to, in some sense, make the devil face the consequences of his own deception.
Romans 5:12–15 shows that sin entered the world through one man, Adam; yet through another man, Jesus Christ, came God’s wonderfully grace and His gift of forgiveness to many.
We can receive the gift of justification.
3 - His Sufferings
Jesus endured shame, rejection, contempt, abandonment, and mockery of every kind.
King David, who wrote most of the Psalms, foretold the suffering Jesus would face both the physical pain and the inner anguish. Here are a few examples:
Psalms 22:6-9 (NLT)
« But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
« Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!
Psalms 22:19 (NLT)
« They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.»
Matthew 27: 46 (NLT)
« At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? »
4 - His Crucifixion
In those days, crucifixion was designed to bring the utmost humiliation and unbearable suffering to its victim, which is why it was performed publicly.
Before being nailed to the cross, the victim was subjected to violent flogging a punishment so savage it could itself be fatal. Afterwards, they were forced to carry the heavy wooden crossbeam to the execution site. This agonizing walk, made worse by the wounds just inflicted, deepened the humiliation, as the victim bore the very instrument of their torture the weight of their own condemnation
Once they arrived at the place, they were stripped of their clothes, further accentuating the humiliation.
The crucifixion was, therefore, a death marked by unimaginable violence and cruelty. It is said that Jesus suffered to such an extent that He became unrecognizable.
Jesus was condemned, and the written charge against him: Mathieu 27:37 (NIV)
« THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS »
Isaiah 53 :4-8 (NLT)
«He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. »
5 - His Resurrection
The resurrection is the return to life after death, a divine act accomplished in the person of Jesus, who himself had foretold his death and resurrection.
We can read this in:
Matthew 17: 22-23 (NIV)
«When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.»
The period following the resurrection
Luc 24 :5-7 (NLT)
We have looked back at the Old Testament prophets who proclaimed the coming of Jesus.
Let us now look at what Jesus says about himself in the New Testament. Each of these statements comes from Scripture and reflects his interactions with people and his disciples.
Jesus says in:
« I am the bread of life » - John 6 :35 (NLT)
« I am the light of the world » - John 8 :12 (NLT)
« I am the gate for the sheep » - John 10 : 7 (NLT)
« I am the good shepherd » - John 10 :11 (NLT)
« I am the resurrection and the life » - John 11 :25 (NLT)
« I am the way, the truth, and the life » - John 14 :6 (NLT)
« I am the true grapevine » - John 15 :1 (NLT)
« I am the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End » - Revelation 21 :6 (NLT)
At the beginning of this article, I pointed out that, although Jesus’ name is widely known, very few people truly know the full story of his life. I hope that this fairly in-depth presentation of who he is will awaken your curiosity and your desire to know him personally.
To conclude, I invite you to discover an exchange that Jesus had with his disciples in:
Matthew 16 :13-16 (NLT)
« When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say the Son of Man is?
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Imagine that Jesus is standing there before you, looking at you, and He asks you in turn
And you, who do you say that I am?
What would your answer be?