Chapters
One of the most important questions you can ask is, “Who is Jesus?” There are many people who can be celebrated because of their achievements, but none are comparable to Him. He holds a special position in the history of mankind.
Jesus is extraordinary in many ways:
- His birth was astonishing. He was born of the Virgin Mary.
- His message was unlike other religions. Jesus said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). “Love your neighbour as yourself.” “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31). After this, Jesus explained what it means to love our neighbour by giving us the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ which implies we are to love everyone regardless of their background (Luke 10:27).
- He spoke with authority and performed miracles that amazed.
- He demonstrated His power over demons with them begging Him, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” (Luke 8:28).
- He showed His authority over nature by calming a storm with the words, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39).
- He healed the sick and had the ability to raise people from the dead. Jesus commanded a dead body to come back to life: ‘“Lazarus, come out”. The man who had died came out’ (John 11:43-44).
- The Bible says He even rose from the dead himself.
He certainly sounds like someone to whom we should listen. But who is He? How would you respond if someone asked you the question, “Do you believe in Jesus?”
Would you say “I do. My faith is not complete unless I believe in Jesus. He was one of the great prophets who performed many miracles by the power of Allah”?
You might claim, “I love and respect Jesus more than Christians do.”
But there might be areas in which you struggle. There might be things in the Bible that don’t seem quite right to you. Maybe you can’t accept some of the things Jesus said, such as:
“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). God didn’t just give Jesus the power to do amazing things, Jesus claimed to have the same power as God because He is equal with God.
“Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). “All things have been committed to me by my Father” (Luke 10:22). “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27).
Jesus Himself predicted that He would be crucified: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (Luke 24:7). Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16:27).
Verses like this show that Jesus was not just a prophet. He claimed to have a very special relationship with God and those words can be a real challenge to what you believe. In fact, it can feel so offensive, even blasphemous, to hear Christians say that Jesus is the Son of God and He died on the cross for our sins, that it might be tempting to assume that Jesus couldn’t have said it. It might be easy for you to assume that Christians invented such tales.
Maybe you find it much easier to believe the Islamic view of Jesus? Maybe you are more comfortable to see Jesus as a Muslim who worshipped Allah? After all, the Qur’an asserts that Jesus came to preach Islam in the first century (Quran 61.14),{2} that He performed many miracles with the power of Allah but He was not killed but instead ascended into heaven without crucifixion (Quran 4.157-158). The Hadith goes on to teach that Jesus will come back, not to judge the nations as the New Testament teaches but to destroy Christianity and Judaism and establish Islam instead.{3} However, since the Qur’an emerged over 600 years after Jesus, and the Hadith was compiled 800 years after He walked the earth, would it not be better to consider what the eyewitnesses of Jesus said about Him – as with the Gospels of Matthew and John?
There are certainly differences, but do they matter? Some people would say we should just agree to disagree. However, there is one vital matter to consider:
The Bible warns people that if they don’t put their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour they will never go to paradise. On the other hand, the Qur’an warns that anyone who accepts Jesus is the Son of God commits the unforgivable sin, shirk, and will go to hell.
It is crucial to ask the question, “Who is the true Jesus?” because without the accurate answer to that question, no-one can reach heaven.