“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 still lingers, as it will throughout the year – who is this Jesus whose birth we just celebrated?

Who do your grandchildren say Jesus is?  There are lots of opinions out there.  Which do they believe – that he was a good man who said some good things, a kind of teacher or prophet?  That he was a revolutionary who started 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?  May they never know His name as nothing more than a curse word (have you ever noticed that no other religious leader’s name is used as a curse word?).

The Scriptures leave no doubt about the correct answer…

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 of Christmas and 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.  So… what about YOU?  Who do YOU say He is?