“But what about you? He asked. Who do you say I am?”  Matt. 16:15

Christmas has once again come and gone, but the question from my previous post about who Jesus really is still lingers, as it will till the day of His return. 

Who do your grandchildren say Jesus is? There are lots of opinions out there. What will they believe – that he was a good man who said some good things, a kind of teacher or prophet? Was a revolutionary who came to start another religion in the same way Mohammed, Buddha or Confucius did? 

Would they think of him only as a cuddly little baby in a manger scene? Maybe they would say “son of God”, but do they know what that means? This simple, yet profound, question is at the heart of what Christianity is about. It is centered on the miraculous story of God entering our world through the Holy Spirit conception of the virgin, Mary, so that He might pay the debt for our sins none of us is able to pay.

Who He is and why He came has everything to do with God the Father’s glory—who He is in a way we can see. Without the truth about this crucial matter, Christmas and Easter are meaningless holidays… and so is our faith. We have nothing more substantive than the myths surrounding Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

But the truth is that God entered our world through a virgin and lived among us. His name is Jesus, and He is Emmanuel—God with us. Pray they will know His name as something more than a curse word (have you ever noticed that no other religious leader’s name is used as a curse word?). 

Here are a few Scriptures you might consider reading with your grandchildren in this new year that leave no doubt about the correct answer to who Jesus is… 

Luke 2: 31-32 (To Mary) “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”

Matt. 16:16 “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the son of the living God!’”

Matt. 26:63 “The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God.’ ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied.”

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:34 (John the Baptist speaking of Jesus) “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

John 8:58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Col. 1:15-16 “He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or power or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”

The question still remains. Who do YOU say Jesus is? It is the essential question not only for understanding the reason we celebrate Christmas, but for our eternal destiny.  Jesus is at the same time a precious cornerstone to those who believe and a stumbling block to those who do not. Is it any wonder so many despise the name of Jesus or fail to grasp who He is? Jesus leaves no doubt about the answer. Do you?

Who do YOU say He is? And how will that impact how you live and think for the sake of another generation in this New Year?