Many people think Jesus was a wonderful person who taught a wonderful message, but then after He died His followers corrupted that message and turned it into a strict and oppressive religion. If only we could return, it is claimed, to Jesus’ original meek and mild message, the world would be a much more loving and joyful place.
Hold onto your hats, because this might come as a surprise. The message Jesus taught was Himself. That’s right: Himself.
Sure, Jesus’ behavior was often very meek and mild. And He said a lot of stuff about love and peace, forgiveness and mercy, turning the other cheek and sacrificing for others. But the heart of His message, the focus of all His teachings, was Himself.
For example, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.”
That must’ve been a fluke. Maybe Jesus was just having a bad day when He said those words. Well, let’s take a look at some other statements Jesus made about himself:
- “The Father and I are one.”
- “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”
- “I saw Satan cast from heaven like lightning.”
- “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”
- “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me.”
Yes, that’s it! Now you’re starting to get it! Jesus IS the center of the universe. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He has always existed. He is the eternal Word, as the beginning of John’s gospel explains, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….Through Him all things were made.”
If you read about Jesus’ life in the gospels (and you should!), He comes across as a very humble man. But when you ponder what He actually said about Himself, He comes across as a raving egomaniac. And that would be the correct conclusion — IF He were only a mere mortal. If Jesus was just a man — no matter how holy and wise — the statements He made about Himself are unacceptable. Those are the words of a person with a severe narcissistic disorder.
However, Jesus was not just a man. He was (or more accurately, He IS) the incarnate Son of God. He was both humanity and deity in a single body.
After all, He is the way and the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Him. We simply need to put our faith in Him and take Him at his word.