| John 17:1-3. In this prayer, Jesus says eternal life is knowing God and Jesus. How well do you know God and Jesus? In this lesson we will examine the kind of person Jesus was in order to lay the ground work to truly get to know Jesus and the Father. |
| Mark 6:1-3. By profession Jesus was a carpenter, a construction worker long before there were power tools. Would a life of physical labor, of construction before power tools produce a physical weakling? |
| Luke 4:28-30. The Bible doesn't record this event as happening in a miraculous way. Yet what was Jesus able to do in the face of this mob? Walk right through the crowd. What does this suggest about Jesus' physical stature? |
| John 2:13-18. Jesus was indignant at how people had turned the Temple of God into a shopping mall. He made a whip and drove out the animals and merchants and turned over their "cash registers." Yet note that no one even tried to restrain him. What does that say about his physical presence? We suggest to you that Jesus was not the wimp of popular imagination. |
| The above passage reveals that Jesus could be very bold and stern at times. Consider how he spoke to certain self-righteous, elite religious folks {Matthew 12:25-45; 23:13-29}. |
| In spite of the fact that Jesus possessed a forceful physical presence, the Bible reveals that he was an incredibly tender and compassionate person: |
- Matthew 9:35-36. Jesus cared for people who were hurting.. Jesus cared for people who were hurting.
- Matthew 12:9-22. In a culture in which the handicapped were discriminated against and blamed for their condition (see John 9:1-2), Jesus treated them with full personhood. Isaiah's prophecy described him as someone who wouldn't break off a bruised plant stalk or snuff out a smoldering candle flame (he wouldn't write off people who were weak and struggling).
- Mark 1:40-42. A person with leprosy was cast out of the community and forced to live alone or with other lepers. No well person wanted to touch a leper for fear of contracting the disease. Yet Jesus not only healed this man, he chose to do it by touching him. The may have been the first time another person had touched this man in a long time.
- Mark 2:14-17. Tax collectors in Israel were considered traitors in Jesus' day for they were collecting taxes for the Roman occupiers. Additionally, their pay was earned by keeping whatever they collected above what Rome required. It was a system that legalized extortion. Yet Jesus treated these people as friends and showed them love.
- Luke 7:11-15. Jesus saw a widow who lost her only child. He was moved with compassion and raised the son to life, giving him back to his mother.
- Luke 7:36-50. This woman had a wicked reputation in the community. Yet Jesus did not draw back from her touch or treat her in a "Holier-than-thou" manner as did his dinner host. He honored her for her sorrow at her sins.
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It is this Jesus that wants you to obtain mercy and grace (unearned kindness). It is this Jesus that wants to have a saving relationship with you. Would you like to have a saving relationship with Jesus? In the lessons to follow we will see what the Bible says regarding that saving relationship.
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