It might seem like a simple line of questioning, one you might even say isn’t worth answering because it’s so simple. However, we live in a society today that is asking the same question Jesus asked his disciples, only there are far to many people trying to tell us who Jesus is that does not line up with what the Old Testament prophecies say he would be, and who he described himself to be. So let’s take a look through the Bible and learn who Jesus was, and still is.

So let’s borrow from 18-19th Century, a term, one that Charles Dodgson used to make a whole character out of! The term you might ask? It’s the term “Mad Hatter”. Mad hatter was termed because everyone had to have a top hat back in the day, to be fashionable of course! So the one way these hats were able to keep their shape was to rub them in mercury; yes, that mercury. So the very thing they used to be fashionable and cool looking was actually what was destroying them. Much like the idea that people say Jesus would be a social justice warrior and champion social causes for people, and deny that he is above this world and God Almighty in the flesh, is actually the very thing that will damn, yes damn them to hell without Him (John 3:36, 1 John 2:22). You see Jesus did not come to cure earths sin cursed wrongs like equal pay, discrimination, and gender equality. Actually from reading Matthew 22:21, and Luke 12:13-21 you could get the picture that we shouldn’t be about the earthly reforms of social wrongs. According to John 6:40 and 10:10 we see that Jesus came to offer another way. A way to be reconciled to the Father and live eternally with Him. Take a look at some more verses to understand why Jesus came: Matthew 20:28, John 10, Luke 19:10, and 1 Timothy 1:15, 1 John 3:5 among slews of other verses all stating the reason Jesus came, and not one tells you He came to make our position or life easy.

We also see where prophecy foretold why Jesus would come. Especially in Isaiah 53 we see that played out. God also spoke that the seed of Eve ( Jesus) would bruise the serpents (Satan) head in Genesis 3:15. A clear reference to the work of Christ on the cross conquering Satan’s hold.

Now it might seem like semantics to differentiate between Jesus coming to give us abundant life (John 10:10), and also saying but Jesus isn’t about fixing social causes. And critics will try to play this card to silence any biblicist in an argument: So let’s break it down. One, we have to go back to the simple message in John 3:16. We are meant to be with God, as his redeemed children for eternity. We can not prepare for eternity with him if we are all caught up in trying to make this place our home (Matt 6:24-34). Two, while there are sins in this world, that means there will always be injustices. Solving injustices by trying to fix the symptoms while ignoring the illness, is akin to giving children a toothbrush to fix the cavities caused by copious amounts of candy instead of changing the diet! Simply put? You can not try to reform society to fix one groups idea of equality without seeing the big issue of sin. Sin is what has caused true injustices; and Jesus is the cure for the sins of our life. I say true injustices, because some of what are perceived injustices, like sexual perversions, and marriage equality and to a certain extant women’s liberation philosophy are actually sins(also anything unscriptural) trying to be pushed as normal and accepted, when in fact they are not normal and contrary to God’s creation order.

So while there are true injustices in this world as a result of our fallen state. We can not try to use Jesus as a strong-man for any social cause to give authority to some false message. We are truly in danger of being rejected by Him (2 Cor. 11:4, Gal. 1:8, 1John 4:1-3). Jesus was God in the flesh who came to earth to fulfill prophecy and reconcile His fallen human creation back to Him through His scarifice on the cross, is our Savior and Redeemer over sin, and is an advocate for us today and will be returning again to be Lord of all for all eternity. Does it mean we don’t treat people with love and compassion? No it just means we need to reprove the works of darkness(Ephesians 5:11) and not be involved with those people, concepts, or groups and instead continue to point people to Jesus to be spiritually healed and out of that have a changed life and a new walk with Him.

So we know WHO and WHAT Jesus is, and WHY he came, however it doesn’t satisfy the last two “W’s” of journalism. So let’s look next week at WHEN and WHERE He came and ministered.