Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? An important question anytime of the year, but especially during Lent and as we approach Easter. It’s a question deserving a great answer, so when I saw the following I thought I should point it out. It’s my friend Principal John Mierow’s insightful article in this week’s school newsletter…

A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Mark 1:9-15

Who is Jesus? Many answers have been given for that question including friend, brother, savior, redeemer, social reformer, role model, teacher, blasphemer, prophet, and a host of other nominatives, depending on one’s perspective.

In Mark 1:9-15 God the Father declares, “You are my beloved Son.”  Shortly after that, Jesus is “driven” by the Spirit into the wilderness where, in Matthew’s account of the temptation, Satan immediately questions that title with, “If you are the Son of God,” (Matthew 4:3). Confessing that Jesus is the true Son of God allows us to better understand Christ’s next statement as He begins His ministry when He says, “Repent and Believe the Gospel”. These two things must always exist together. We cannot believe without repenting, and we cannot repent without believing. Only when we know who Jesus is, do we accept that He has the authority and power to bring us to repentance and belief in the Gospel.

It is not a matter of us deciding on our own to change our ways, but God Himself who calls us back. As Martin Luther explains in The Third Article of The Apostle’s Creed,

“I believe that I cannot, by my own reason or strength, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel…sanctified and kept me in the one true faith.”

This is not a one-time occurrence, but a constant renewal (Philippians 1:6). Our Lord has brought us to a place where we can hear His Word regularly, as He calls us daily to “repent and believe.”

Hopefully, in between the many State games this weekend, we will see each other in church.

In Christ,
John Mierow

www.ImmanuelPalatine.org