Who Is This Man Jesus

WHO IS THIS MAN JESUS? The Man who said “Follow me.”

The Bible calls Him the Son of God; son of man; master or teacher; prophet. The world has called Him a good man or a great man. He is all of these.

natural sin nature. When He heard and read the scriptures He was able to accept the truth of them by the Holy Spirit conforming and teaching Him. Jesus grew up as any other boy of that time and environment (Isaiah 7:14-15; Luke 2:52). In Luke, chapter two, we read that Jesus was twelve years old and in verse 48 we see that He had caused His parents much anguish by not staying with the family. If we had a twelve-year old child and he did that today we would discipline him and say that he had behaved badly (i.e., sinned). In Jewish culture and religion at that time the boy became a man at thirteen years of age and then became accountable to the law. The fact that the scripture mentions that He was twelve years of age is very important. I believe Jesus lived a fairly normal Jewish childhood being nurtured by His parents and the Holy Spirit.

Before we go any further, let me state unreservedly that Jesus has always been God (John 8:42). God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. Since we cannot understand God, let us look to examine the manhood of Jesus. Jesus said “Follow me” as is recorded in the scriptures (Matt 16:24, 19:21; Mark 8:34-36, 10:21; Luke 9:23, 18:22; John 12:26). When He said these words was He speaking as a son of man or as God? If He was speaking as God there is no way we can really follow Him. But if He spoke as a man we should be able to follow Him. Why does it seem so hard to do just that? It is because we do not understand the man Jesus. It is my prayer that when you have finished reading this you will exalt Jesus higher in your heart than you ever have before.

We must establish in our hearts and minds that Jesus as the son of man did not have any conscious knowledge of His deity, at least until after He was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, if we are to truly follow Him. Read Phil 2:5-8 to see that Jesus emptied Himself to become as a man.

Jesus said in Matt 5:48, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Some would say that man cannot come to perfection and that the word perfect merely means mature. Maturity would imply a previous state of immaturity. Let us read again: “Be mature, therefore, as your heavenly Father is mature.” Did God ever have to come to maturity? The question should answer itself.

If we are to follow Jesus we must first know where He is going (has gone). John 14:2-6 reads, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus was telling the disciples He had already shown them the way to the Kingdom of God. He had walked with them for 3-1/2 years to demonstrate the Way. His crucifixion reconciled them back to God but He was telling them something He had already accomplished.

In Heb 4:15 we read, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us examine this. Now, if Jesus walked this earth as God or had any conscious knowledge of His deity He could not have been tempted. James 1:13 says, “When tempted, no one should say ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” We must conclude that He only had the conscious knowledge of a man. But what about Luke 2:49? “Why are you searching for me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” Read Jeremiah 3:19 and Malachi 1:6 and see that Jesus was merely following the scriptures even at that young age. Remember, Jesus was not born of the flesh, but by the Holy Spirit and did not inherit the

Rom 5:10 says, “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life.” We now know that we should follow Him and where He was going and where He is now. Jesus said He had shown them the way. He did not give them a literal

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road map. But in His teachings and His life lived before them which are recorded in scripture He did show them the way. He gave them a perfect example of how we are meant to live our lives on this earth.

be revealed.” Jesus bridged the gap between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm and now creation waits for the full number of sons to be revealed (Rev 6:11). There shall be a new heaven and a new earth and man is being prepared for that (Rev 21:1).

Matt 5:20 reads, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Certainly, the righteousness of Jesus is perfect and we have that by faith, but shouldn’t we hunger and thirst for that righteousness to be evidenced in our lives while still in this earthly body? Remember, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” This scripture is quoted much for faith in healing, etc. Why not apply it in the pursuit of holiness and righteousness. Reach for the goal of holiness by faith and not by works, or self-effort.

LET US FOLLOW JESUS. But you say, “I can’t.” The Greek word for “I” is “ego” or self. The only thing holding you back from following Him is self (flesh). Jesus Christ, while on earth, died completely to the soulish nature (self). The soulish nature includes not only the outward acts and gratifications of the flesh but also the mind, emotions and will. So much was His death to the soulish nature that He said in John 5:19 “The son can do nothing by himself.” Jesus calls all His disciples to deny their soul life. What does this entail?

Matt 7:24 reads, “therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.” Between Matt 5:24 and 7:24 are keys to the kingdom. They are contrary to every soulish aspect of man. In Matt 10:38-39 (NIV) we read, “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Those same verses from the New American Bible (Cath trans, 1972 edition) read, “He who will not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me. He who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to nought (nothing) for me discovers who he is.”

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV) says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what one had and does (both physically and spiritually) comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” We are called to die to the soulish nature. We can seemingly die to the outward desires of the flesh but what about the carnal mind (ego)? “God used me.” “God is using me.” There is certainly a place for giving examples of God’s love, healing and grace. But as a general rule we must walk away from the times that God uses us (better no man know—just God). Matt. (6:1-4) We must get so caught up in God that we seek no earthly acclaim in any manner or fashion. In fact, we must avoid it like the plague. Let it not trap us from reaching that which God is calling us to in Christ Jesus. You say that in John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” And that means He was God and knew it. Let us compare scripture to see if we can shed light on this passage, “I and the Father are one.” Look at John 17:11, “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.” “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” To further emphasize the fact that Jesus was not acting as God or proclaiming equality with God at that time read John 14:28, “You hear me say, ‘I am

God has an eternal purpose for your life. Eph 3:11 reads, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (a demonstration of a perfect man for the perfect body of Christ) Paul prayed in Eph 3:14-21 for the saints to be filled to the fullness of God. Let us look to our example. John 3:16 and 1 John 4:9 say He is the only begotten Son of the Father. It is not to stop there. Heb 2:10 says, “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Rom 8:19 says, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to

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going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” What Jesus was saying is this: I am in total spiritual union with the Father and He with me. He always hears me and I always hear Him. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, while walking as a man, died completely to self (the soulish nature). His words “Follow me” call us to do the same. John 5:39-40, “You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” Yes, we must study the scriptures to show ourselves approved unto God. Through this study men are enlightened by the Holy Spirit with inspired revelations and teachings. But that is all they are: revelations and teachings. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with revelations and teachings but they should only be leading us to something greater. BUT THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY! What is it? It is complete, utter, total denial of self in every aspect. JESUS SAYS FOLLOW ME. Who is this me that Jesus is talking about? I suggest that it is none other than that man (or woman) with the crucified soul life. It is the nature of man to hang on to the last vestige of his soul life, glossing it over with premises and arguments to prove that he is right. But only by death to the soul life can we completely fulfill God’s purpose for our lives here on earth. Paul said in Php 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind (not just those things we did before we received Jesus, but those things that happened just yesterday) and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” IN Christ Jesus. Jesus IN us. NOT Jesus AND us. Rather Jesus IN us. We tell people to stand on the Word by quoting scriptures such as “By His stripes we are healed.” But what does it really mean to stand on the Word? Let us stand on the righteousness of Christ in our lives. Jesus is the Word. We must be so filled with the righteousness of Jesus in our lives, yes, even to the fullness of God (as Paul prayed in Eph 3) that no sickness, disease, or evil of any kind can dwell in these vessels. I believe this is truly standing on the Word of God. We are saved by grace and not by works. Only the grace of God can cause this death of self to come about. The Word says, “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” I believe this refers to our continuing deliverance from the things of this world. Since we are saved by grace and salvation (or deliverance) is a

daily, continuing process, there is nothing we can do of ourselves to bring it about. What we must do is present our bodies as a living sacrifice. The full power of God can only be released after the complete death of self. As long as Satan can keep us from the full meaning of the words of Jesus “Follow me” he continues to have dominion over the world. Let us give in to God that every enemy shall be defeated. The greatest love there is comes from God. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life (soul life) for his friends.” I must re-emphasize (a) Jesus was ALWAYS God, but without conscious knowledge of that fact for at least a major portion of His walk on earth. (b) We have no power of ourselves to die to self or accomplish any good thing. It is only the Holy Spirit in us that can bring God’s purpose in our lives to completion.

AS A PARALLEL

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JESUS

YOU

Born of God

Born again or born from above

Grew in wisdom and stature to perfection (Heb 5:8; Luke 2:52)

Transformed by the Holy Spirit into His likeness

Declared the Son of God (Psalm 2:7; Heb 1:5, 5:5)

Manifestation of the sons of God (Rom 8:18)