“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Jesus answered, ‘I who speak to you am He’” (John 4:25–26 BSB).
It is interesting to note that among the crowds of people who saw and heard Jesus, there were three responses to Him:
- There were those who rejected His teachings and claims, attributing His supernatural deeds to a demonic source.
- There were those who didn’t think He was evil or demonic, but neither did they recognize Him as the Messiah, the Savior, as the Son of Man, the Messianic Prophet who was to come, or as divine. Instead, they merely saw Him as a man, or a good man, a teacher, a carpenter, the son of Joseph and Mary with brothers and sisters.
- There were those who acknowledged Jesus as more than a man, more than a good teacher, more than a prophet, and more than a healer; who saw in Him the fulfillment of Israel’s hope—the Messiah, the Son of Man—even God.
The gospel writers have given us an amazing glimpse of the Jesus they either knew personally from their time with Him during His earthly ministry and in His resurrected body, or from accounts of people who knew Him personally. What emerges is a picture of a glorious Lord and Savior. As you take in these scriptures (including a few from the Old Testament), may your heart soar with praise and thanksgiving!
- Advocate—“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” (1 John 2:1)
- Almighty One—“…who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8)
- Alpha and Omega—“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 22:13)
- Author and Perfecter of Our Faith—“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2 NASB)
- Authority—“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matt. 28:18)
- Beloved Son of God—“And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” (Matt. 3:17 NASB)
- Bread of Life—“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35)
- Bridegroom—“And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’” (Matt. 9:15 ESV)
- Chief Cornerstone—“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” (Ps. 118:22 NASB)
- Deliverer—“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess. 1:10 ESV)
- Faithful and True—“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” (Rev. 19:11)
- Good Shepherd—“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
- Great High Priest—“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Heb. 4:14 NASB)
- Head of the Church—“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” (Eph. 1:22 ESV)
- Holy Servant—“…and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29–30 NASB)
- I Am—“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’” (John 8:58 NASB)
- Immanuel—“…She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” (Isa. 7:14 NLT)
- Indescribable Gift—“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15 NASB)
- Judge—“…he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42)
- King of Kings—“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14 NASB)
- Lamb of God—“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
- Light of the World—“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
- Lion of the Tribe of Judah—“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Rev. 5:5 ESV)
- Lord of All—“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9–11 NASB)
- Mediator—“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 2:5 NASB)
- Messiah—“‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).” (John 1:41)
- Mighty One—“Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Isa. 60:16)
- One Who Sets Free—“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
- Our Hope—“…Christ Jesus our hope.” (1 Tim. 1:1)
- Peace—“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” (Eph. 2:14)
- Prophet—“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.’” (Mark 6:4 NASB)
- Redeemer—“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” (Job 19:25 NASB)
- Resurrection and the Life—“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’” (John 11:25)
- Risen Lord—“…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3–4)
- Rock—“…for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4)
- Sacrifice for Our Sins—“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
- Savior—“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 KJV)
- Son of Man—“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
- Son of the Most High—“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:32)
- Supreme Creator Over All—“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16–17 NASB)
- The Door—“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 NASB)
- The Way—“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
- The Word—“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
- True Vine—“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1 NASB)
- Truth—“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
- Victorious One—“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Rev. 3:21)
- Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6)
Get the whole story in my new book Destined For the Cross: 16 Reasons Why Jesus Had to Die available now on pre-order →
Clearly, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the Bible gives us a great deal of information about the identity of Jesus while leaving us to wrestle with the reality that “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Cor. 13:12 NKJV). O, how glorious the full vision of Jesus will be!
P.S. This is a snippet from my new book, Destined For the Cross: 16 Reasons Jesus Had to Die. I am so excited to get this in your hands as it represents a new examination of a message I used to preach (“Seven Reasons Jesus Had to Die”). In this season, there’s nothing like remembering the rock of our salvation, and there’s no better mindset-shifter than meditating on what God has done for us.