Published Jan. 9th, in the Delmont Record.

Who IS Jesus?

Even though we are just over a week into the new calendar year, when it comes to the Church Year, we are already over a month into it. Traditionally, the new year for the Church begins with Advent which, in this cycle, began on Sunday, December 3, 2017. Advent is the first of the seasons of the Church Year and is followed by Christmas. The Christmas season begins on December 25^th and lasts twelve days (have you wondered why we sing about ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’?) and ends with Epiphany which is celebrated each year on January 6^th. Today, of the three, Epiphany today might be the least known; however, it is historically one of the oldest Christian festivals. In the early Church, many celebrated the birth of Jesus on Epiphany, January 6^th instead of December 25^th. In fact, some groups still do.

So what was the big deal about Epiphany, and why do we still celebrate it today? At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus – as it says in the first half of John 1:12, “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (NIV). At Epiphany, we celebrate the ways in which Jesus revealed to the world who He is – as it says in the second half of John 1:12, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Epiphany marks those events in Scripture that showed us the glory of Jesus Christ: the coming of the Magi or Wisemen who acknowledged the kingship of Jesus, the first recorded miracle of Jesus in turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and the baptism and later transfiguration of Jesus. It was through these events that the disciples would come to acknowledge the deity of Jesus and their testimony would lead millions of others throughout history to come to that saving declaration of faith as well. For the Apostle John also wrote in verses 11-12 of chapter 1, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” To be saved, to be rightly called a child of God, requires that you receive Christ. But to receive Him, you must first recognize who He is.  This is the function of Epiphany – to show us who Jesus truly is.

In the Gospels and the various letters of the New Testament, we not only have the testimony of the authors themselves, but they include the testimony of others as well who acknowledged the deity of Jesus. The Apostle John includes the testimony of another John, John the Baptist, who said of Jesus in John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” And he continued in John 1:32,35 “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I have seen and testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”   John, in chapter four of his Gospel, also includes the testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well and it says in verse 39, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony,” and those believers themselves testified in verse 42,”we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” Later John himself would testify to the death of the Jesus in John 19:33-35, “When they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead…one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.” In the next chapter, John gives his personal eyewitness account and the testimony of others who encountered the Risen Lord Jesus – Mary Magdalene, Peter, and the rest of the disciples. And he writes near the end of his account in John 20:30-31, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Certainly this is just a brief look at the many testimonies given by eyewitnesses of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, so I would encourage you to use this season of Epiphany to read through the Gospels and other New Testament books looking for these testimonies that verify Jesus is the Son of God. If you are a believer, reading these testimonies will surely strengthen and grow your faith in Christ. If you are an unbeliever or unsure about who Jesus is, please, take the time to read through the Gospel of John and hear and consider the testimonies given. Certainly if Jesus is who He claimed to be, it will be well worth your time.  If you don’t already go, I encourage you during this season to seek out a church to hear more about who Jesus is and what He has done to show us who He truly is. For Jesus also reveals Himself through the Church in the reading and teaching of the Scriptures and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Now not every church celebrates Epiphany or follows the traditional calendar, but hopefully each week will be full of opportunities to learn more about Jesus and who He is (if not, find a different church!). And when you recognize Him, receive Him.

Pastor Barry Nelson