Choosing a Messiah

Some experts say there never was a Jesus. They conclude He is pure fiction. A little research into accurate historical records, however, confirms He was very real. There was a Jesus who walked the earth. If anything, one might even argue there were actually too many.

Although there really was only one Messiah, by the time He stood before Pilate, it seemed nearly impossible to pin down the true person. Not that Jesus was vague about His identity. Several times, He flat-out expressed the plain and simple fact that He was the Son of God. But fame had filled rumors with so much static, it was difficult for Pilate (because of his own spiritual blindness) to reach a solid verdict. Ultimately, he dodged responsibility, walking away with freshly washed hands.

Along the road to Golgotha, there were speculations that created all kinds of variations of Jesus. If you were to interview people during that time, based on the conflicting reports, you would have thought you were dealing with dozens of so-called Messiahs.

The people tossing palm fronds in front of the donkey would have told you about an imminent king, riding into Jerusalem to take out the Roman Empire. (Mark 11:8-9) These same people would have later described a fanatical zealot who had ransacked the temple. (Mark 11:15)

During the Feast of Booths, a debate sprung up around Jesus about His hometown. (John 7:41-43) Many were correctly using Scripture to deduce that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. A short conversation with Jesus would have cleared up the confusion. But people were too caught up in their own biased investigations. They walked away, thinking Jesus was a fraud.

Even those who spent every single day with Jesus had trouble bringing Him into focus. After Jesus went into great detail about His nature and His plan, Phillip obviously had a different Jesus in mind, rather than the real One. “Phillip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us’” (John 14:8) Possibly with some exasperation Jesus indicated that Philip was failing to catch His drift. “Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?’”(John 14:9) Jesus was God in the flesh. For Philip to ask for an audience with the very Person standing in front of him was a severe missing of the point. In his own limited mind, the man standing in front of him was not the real Jesus. He was someone else.  

A similar lack of clarity filled the lull of the boat after the storm. During the abrupt calm, the disciples asked a question—a question they obviously had yet to answer. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41) And that was the Question of Questions. Who is this man?

Later, Jesus addressed this very thing with His disciples, starting with the rumor mill. “Who do people say that that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13) The disciples provided a run-down of the latest tabloid-level rumors. “Some say John the Baptist, and others Elijah; but still others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). Once that was out of the way, Jesus zeroed in on the most important factor of all. “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). That was the real issue. It didn’t matter what the world said. It didn’t matter what the milling crowds thought. Who do you say I am?

Regardless of the wild conjectures and intentional misrepresentations, what it all came down to was what each individual believed. As per Peter, he was straightforward—his pointed, tactless method finally paying off. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). All the other conclusions were still on the periphery of this truth. But Peter knew Jesus. And even if there was still a lot more to learn about Him, Peter was connected to the real Messiah—not to any of the assorted corruptions surrounding Him.

The same quandary stands before us. This world is offering more than one Jesus. Thousands.

Thousands of churches, thousands of beliefs, thousands of truths. And the world urges us to browse according to our preferences and whims. When all the smiles and handshakes fade, it ends up being more about finding one of the assorted colors and sizes. Choosing your own personal version of the Messiah.

Along the spectrum that stretches from our own imaginations all the way to Hollywood, there is something to fit everyone’s mindset. There’s the apologetic long-haired Ghandi-esque legend. There’s the edgy new-and-improved Zondervanized marketing icon. And don’t forget the vague but handy wish-fulfiller who happily endorses anyone wearing a cross.

It might help to see all this from the enemy’s point of view. Satan couldn’t kill Jesus. That failed on an epic level. Because of this—when it comes to trying to cut someone off from any connection with the Messiah, you really only have two strategies left.

Distraction. Shape the lives of people toward the pursuit of all things temporary. Get them so caught up in the brilliance of their own minds and the sophistication of their own goals that they either deny the Messiah completely or simply ignore Him through various and sundry pursuits that keeps the discussion open-ended and inconclusive.

Or if you can’t keep everyone distracted from the real Jesus, just make a thousand of them. Fashion an elaborate system of counterfeits and scatter them across the search. Promote the idea that all or any of them will do—no need to bother with any Biblical verification.

Our world is filled with countless versions of Jesus. The world would have you believe that many of them can be legitimate. Scripture fails in this generic approach. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  No plurality here. Not only is Jesus the only way. There is only one Jesus. He is not a flexible logo that can be slapped onto any spiritual endeavor. He is adamant about obeying God. He expects nothing less than everything from any person who claims to follow Him. Any other Jesus is not the real Jesus, but one of the myriad brands spit out by the world machine.

If we’re not careful, we end up being the child following his mom or dad with only a half-hearted focus. We get distracted and end up following a stranger who has the approximate height and shape of the one we belong to. Without careful attention to Scripture, we can end up following someone who only resembles Jesus. Another customized construct brought to you by a passing knowledge of Scripture and the latest feel-good pulpit anesthesia.   

The enemy has probably failed to convince you that Jesus never existed. But we all need to make sure we aren’t being tricked into following an imposter. It was difficult for the ones who physically walked with Jesus to get a grip on who He was. How much more difficult will it be for us who remain only casually connected with Him?

A closer look at our beliefs might reveal that we are not actually following Jesus. We are only following a faint concept of Him. The only way to know for sure is to find out about Him through the Bible. All other sources (including this article) are suspect. Anything else might only lead to you being among the people who were lobbing palm leaves in front of a passing celebrity. Or the ones murmuring doubt outside a thoroughly thrashed temple.

But maybe we’re a lot like the disciples in the roaring lull after the storm. Maybe we are beginning to understand there is more to this Man than we have always thought.

It’s hard to say. But the bottom line is this. Jesus presents the same question to all of us. Who do people say that I am?

And now—the real question. Who do you say He is?