The Real Deal

     Did you ever see someone you thought you knew in a restaurant, call out their name and then suddenly realize it’s not the person you supposed?  It can be embarrassing.

     The same thing happens with Jesus.  Some people mistake him for someone else. 

     “Now hold on just a minute,” you say.  “How could you mistake Jesus for someone else?”

     Well, some think he’s just a baby in the manger scene at the Sunday School Christmas program.  Or they think he’s just the man on the cross in the Easter play, a great teacher or a martyr for a good cause. 

     But Jesus is more than just an infant in a manger, an actor in a play, a great teacher or a martyr.  He’s the real deal.  He’s the Son of God.

     Now some people think Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God.  They believe he was just a rabbi, a great teacher whom other people called “the Son of God.” 

     However, when the Jewish High Priest asked him, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is as you say.  But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

      Now that’s not something a ‘great teacher’ would claim to be.  So, when others called him the Son of God, Jesus should have straightened them out.  At least he should have done that if he was no more than just a good teacher.

     To claim to be the Son of God when you’re not would make you either a liar or a lunatic.  And neither of those would make a good model for others to imitate.  But what some of the people of Jesus’ day didn’t reckon with was that he was telling the truth.  His miracles, his messages and his resurrection from the dead demonstrated and confirmed his deity.

     People make the same mistake today.  They fail to see who Jesus really is.

     The fact that Jesus is who he claimed to be changes everything.  It confronts everyone who hears this about him and forces them to make a decision. They must decide whether or not to believe and trust in him. 

     Someone once asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  He answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

     It is not enough to just understand.  It is not enough to just agree.  Jesus said we must believe in him – to trust and rely on him to save us and forgive our sin.  To voluntarily and personally choose him to be our Lord, our Savior and our God.  To obey him and live for him.

     If you mistake Jesus for somebody else, you will lose a shepherd for your soul, a provider for your life and a protector for your family. You will also miss out on his church, a place where you can be loved and accepted for who you are.  And where you will be encouraged to be all that God made you to be. 

     If you mistake Jesus for somebody else, you will pass up the purpose for your life.  Plus, if you confuse Jesus for someone he is not, the result will be more than a brief embarrassment.  It will cost you dearly for all eternity.

     But to find Jesus – to discover who he really is – and put your trust in him, that is no mistake.  Because Jesus is the ‘Real Deal.’

     Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!