At the beginning of the year I am going to be teaching on "Who Is Jesus" at Lake Ridge Church. We are going to be looking at the historicity of Jesus, his background, and then spend several weeks examing the stories that Jesus told and try to dig out truths that will develop in us a deeper love for and a clearer understanding of the one we follow. I believe that we will find out that he is much different than the the Jesus we think him to be. I am not saying that we will find out that he is not the Son of God or any doctrinally held position that we might have, but that indeed he was a man and he taught stories that people could understand and learn from.

If you are like most Americans, you were introduced to Jesus as a child and grew up with a certain image of who he was and what he was like. For many of us, we were not introduced to Jesus until a later time in our lives and we are exploring who he is and what purpose does he play in the life we are living today. Depending on your background, Jesus can be lots of things.  For example, you might think Jesus was a good man and you admire him for his teachings, or you might think that Jesus never existed and is a myth concocted to manipulate people. Or as most of his followers believe, that he is God’s only Son, yet they can’t clearly explain that to an unbeliever.

Whoever Jesus was and is, he simply cannot be ignored. Once someone is introduced to Jesus they will  make a determination regarding who Jesus claimed to be. Who was this man that despised organized religion and it’s leaders?  Was he just an over-energized zealot that sought to overthrow a political and religious system that oppressesd his people for several centuries? Where did he spend his time and who did he hang out with? What were his views on life, religion, "sinners", serving others, drinking, and even dancing?

I am looking forward to studying the life and stories of Jesus and sharing them with the church I pastor and hopefully to those of you who read my blog. In the meantime, without hopefully sounding too preachy, consider this question: "Who is Jesus to you and why?"