Who Do You Say Jesus Is – Lent Devotion

Lenten Devotion

Who do you say Jesus is?

As I thought about this question there were so many answers that initially came to mind. Jesus is the savior, Jesus is a great teacher,
Jesus is the promised messiah, Jesus is God’s son. The list can go on and on.

The world is becoming a scary place to live in recent times. Millions of people are out of work. The cost of basic needs such as food and gas are rising every day. There are violent uprisings in the Middle East. Terrorists attacks are becoming more of a concern on U.S. Soil. I can’t help but wonder if we are living in the last days before Jesus returns, and I am sure many people have similar concerns. I even heard one pastor say he thinks we are the last generation before Jesus’ return.

All of these worries brought me to attend a presentation by Mosab Hassan Yousef at UNC recently. Yousef is the son of a Hamas founder. During his life he actually worked undercover with the Israelis to try to prevent the deaths of his people in Palestine. During this time, he was also befriended by Christians and eventually converted to Christianity.

During Yousef’s speech, I didn’t hear what I expected to hear about his faith. He refused to condemn those of other faiths. He believes those of the Muslim faith are wrong, but he prefers to focus on who Jesus is, rather than what Christianity is or what Islam is not.

One of the things he said has stuck with me and I thought of it when I sat down to write this devotion. He said that Jesus is truth. He didn’t say that Christianity is truth. He said that religion is a necessary evil just like government is, but religion is not truth. Only Jesus is truth.

Thus, my answer to the question “who do you say Jesus is?” would be the same as Mosab Hassan Yousef, and knowing that helps me to deal with all the worries of this world.  It doesn’t matter what people say, it doesn’t matter what others believe. It doesn’t matter what is happening in the world or if it is or isn’t the end times. Knowing Jesus, and knowing that He and His teachings are the truth is more than enough to face whatever life brings.

Bible verse: I am the way, the truth, and the  life; No one cometh unto the Father but by me. John 14:6

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us your son Jesus to be our Savior, our Teacher and our Truth. Help us to seek the Truth in all we do.
Amen!