Who is Jesus anyway? Or is that the right question.

I speak to you in the name of the one true and living God. Amen.


Have any of you ever heard of the “Jesus Seminar”?


Well, the Jesus Seminar is a group of Biblical scholars who try to identify the historical Jesus. That is, they read through as many sources of the Bible as they can, and try to figure out what was actually said by Jesus, what was said about Jesus, what was said about what Jesus said, and what has nothing to do with Jesus at all. They search for who Jesus was.


When I first looked at our gospel reading today, it reminded me of the Jesus Seminar.

Who was Jesus?

Was he like Moses? Did he bring us the new law?

No, the only law Jesus brought us was the great commandment, and that wasn’t new. Jesus just talked about how the great commandment sums up the rest of the law. If we follow the great commandment, we are living the Truth which lies behind all of the Torah – God’s Law.


Well, if he was not like Moses, then was he like Elijah? Was he the new prophet?

No, Jesus did not tell people what was in their future. He did tell people what was in his own future, but this is not how the prophets operated. Jesus did point out what was wrong in his society, like the prophets, but he did not pronounce impending doom for God’s people. Instead he said that he was there to save God’s people. If he had been a prophet, he might have told them how they could save themselves.

Not Jesus.


Okay, if Jesus was not the bringer of the new Law and Jesus was not the new Prophet, who was Jesus?

Well, here is a summary (from Wikipedia) of what the Jesus Seminar says about Jesus.

The seminar's reconstruction of the historical Jesus portrays him as an itinerant Hellenistic Jewish sage and faith healer who preached a gospel of liberation from injustice in startling parables and aphorisms. An iconoclast, Jesus broke with established Jewish theological dogmas and social conventions both in his teachings and behaviours, often by turning common-sense ideas upside down, confounding the expectations of his audience: He preached of "Heaven's imperial rule" (traditionally translated as "Kingdom of God") as being already present but unseen; he depicts God as a loving father; he fraternizes with outsiders and criticizes insiders. A mortal man born of two human parents, Jesus did not perform nature miracles, die as a substitute for sinners nor rise bodily from the dead. Sightings of a risen Jesus were nothing more than the visionary experiences of some of his disciples rather than physical encounters. (Wikipedia, 5/3/11)

Did you get all of that?

Jesus was a Jew influenced by the Greeks. Jesus was a teacher and a faith healer. Jesus did not agree with the common Jewish teachings of his time. Jesus was a human being. He was the son of God in the same way that each of us is a child of God. Jesus did not perform miracles. Jesus did not rise from the dead.

Hmmm – that’s very interesting, but it leaves my heart cold. I do not hear God speaking to me through this image of Jesus. I respect both the intelligence and the work of those involved in the Jesus Seminar, but I believe they are asking the wrong question entirely.

They are trying to figure out who Jesus really was. I think there is a much more important question to ask.


Who is Jesus?


Two thousand years ago there was a man who preached a gospel of social justice. He was willing to die for that message. He died for us!


Jesus is very much alive in my life. I feel his presence in my everyday life. I look for his guidance when I’m unsure of what to do. When I do not follow his guidance, I end up sad and unfulfilled.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is only three days away. As we journey through Lent, I ask you to join me as I try to answer this question for myself.


Who is Jesus to me?


Jesus is very much alive.

Thanks be to God.