Who was Jesus? Few will dispute that a man named Jesus lived 2,000 years
ago and that He was a great teacher who impacted the world from His time
forward.
He made a claim that was breathtaking in its audacity-that He was
the very Son of God. For much of His lifetime He commanded only a small
following, people who believed that claim and considered Him their promised
Deliverer and King. Many others later came to believe that He was the Son
of God as a result of the testimony of those followers.
Yet during His time the religious authorities rejected Him as the Son
of God. Many of His statements were so contrary to their teachings and
traditions that they opposed Him and eventually succeeded in having Him
put to death.
Likewise, the local Roman authorities also saw Him as a threat and became
complicit in His execution, being the ones who actually carried it out.
The religions of His day opposed the growth of His teachings and used unlawful
and violent means to try to destroy the Church He founded. The government
of Rome also came to vigorously persecute the followers of this Jewish
teacher from Galilee.
Controversy about Jesus continues
Today Jesus remains a controversial figure. The record of Jesus' life
as recorded in the Gospel accounts has come into question in many ways.
For example, the Gospel writers presented the miracles of Jesus as supernatural.
Today, however, many rationalize them away as a normal function of nature
misunderstood at the time, or they simply dismiss them altogether as fables.
Yet another and more modern reconstruction of the true Jesus appears in
books and movies about His life. For example, most people have come to
accept a popular likeness of Jesus far different from the way He really
looked 2,000 years ago. These portrayals give an inaccurate picture of
Christ's humanity. Such movies as The Last Temptation of Christ and
the stage play Jesus Christ Superstar, along with countless television
productions, have left a lasting impression on our minds and in the process
distorted, as we will see, the true historical Jesus.
