Part I

Matt 16:13-17–“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesera Phillippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art THE CHRIST, the Son of the living God” And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven”

A few months ago, as I was praying and thinking about the title God gave me for this article I began to think about why God would give me an assignment to write an article about Jesus the Christ. I reasoned to myself that everybody, especially Christians, knew who Jesus was and what He came to do. As I was doing this God told me that if everyone had knowledge of who Jesus is and what He is about that He wouldn’t have had me to write about this.

The words that God spoke to me inspired me to start thinking about what I knew about Jesus. I knew that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). I knew that Jesus is my Savior and that under heaven there is no other name whereby men must be saved (see Acts 4:12). I knew that because of Jesus and what He did for me, I was no longer a sinner but God’s son (see I John 3:2). I knew that Jesus was My Redeemer and that through His Blood I have redemption (Eph 1:7). I knew that because of Jesus and His Blood and what He did for me on that “old rugged cross”, that I was no longer on my way to Hell. I was assured that if I died, I would enter into Heaven because of Jesus. I had learned all of this in the churches I attended.

However, as I really started to meditate on this I felt deep in my heart that I was missing something. At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it and this caused frustration in my mind. I went to God in prayer about what was missing but I did not have a clear answer in my spirit. Since I am really big on obtaining understanding, I allowed this to really disturb me and I began to go back and forth with God on what I was missing and why I was feeling frustrated. For days I would consume myself with finding the answer I needed but it was all to no avail.  I eventually decided to put this article aside until I could get the answers I needed from God. My frustration lessened as I put the article out of my mind, but I could still sense some underlying confusion in my heart every day.

It wasn’t until recently that the Lord revealed the answer to me. As I was listening to a message on the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit suddenly spoke to me to turn in my Bible to Matt 16. I did as He told me and He had me read verse 16 aloud. I did this and felt nothing so I started listening again to the message on the Kingdom. After a few minutes, the Spirit told me to pick up my Bible and read Matt 16:16 again. I did as I was told and once again felt nothing so I started listening again to the message on the Kingdom. After a few more minutes, the Spirit spoke to me to pick up My Bible again and read Matt 16:16 again. This time I ignored God and continued listening to the good message I was hearing. When the preacher completed His message, I was feeling good and was hyped up as a result of the Word I heard. It was then God spoke to me and said these words:

“Your problem is you listen to preachers more than you listen to Me!”

When He said these words I was floored. God really knows how to break up a good party.

I apologized to the Lord and said to Him that I would never again put listening to preachers over listening to Him. The Spirit spoke to me again and said to pick up my Bible and read Matt 16:16. When I read it this time, these words blew up in me, “Thou art THE CHRIST, the Son of the Living God” I suddenly remembered the title of this article and God spoke to me and said, “This is who Jesus is!” I looked back at verse 16 and once again I saw the phrase “Thou art THE CHRIST, the Son of the Living God.” I then realized that the word “Christ” is not the last name of Jesus.

You can easily recognize this if you think about your own name. For an example, my name is Geoffrey Ellerby. When people speak to me, they usually say “Geoffrey” or “Mr. Ellerby”. When they write my name, they write “Geoffrey Ellerby”. They do not refer to me as “THE Ellerby” or write my name as “Geoffrey THE Ellerby”. This is also true with your own name.

Then I began to focus on the term “THE CHRIST” and researched it. As I studied this term, I began to realize that I never really knew who Jesus was at all —even though I had been a Christian for 15 years. I also realized that the main reason why I didn’t know this was that I spent more time listening to what preachers had to say about Jesus than finding out for myself what God had to say about Jesus. Therefore as you read these series of articles, I pray that you will be inspired to begin your own journey to discover who Jesus really is.

I will start by focusing on what most people thought of Jesus in His time. Let’s begin by looking at the Bible text I used to begin this article. I encourage you to pick up your Bible and read it aloud:

Matt 16:13-17–“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesera Phillippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, thou art THE CHRIST, the Son of the living God” And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven”

In this context, Jesus and His disciples are traveling and have arrived at the coasts of a Roman city called Caesarea Phillipi which is located in the area known as the Golan Heights in Israel today.  As they are traveling, Jesus turns to His disciples (students) and asks them a question: “Who do men say that I the Son of Man?” Their answer to Jesus, when read carefully, is an eye opener. Look at their reply in verse 14:

Matt 16:14–“Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets”

When you think about the men they named in their answer you will see that these men were all prophets. “Elias” in many translations of the Bible is rendered as “Elijah”. The name “Jeremias” in today’s English is “Jeremiah”. John the Baptist in the Scriptures was called the “Prophet of the Highest” (Luke 1:76) and operated in the “spirit and power of Elijah” according to the Angel Gabriel (Luke 1:17). The phrase “one of the prophets” refers to the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah or Joel. So, you can see that the disciples were saying to Jesus that men were saying He was a prophet.

If you research this, you will find out that the Greek word used here for prophet refers to “an inspired speaker”. The Hebrew word used for the term “prophet” refers to an “inspired man”. The Bible also reveals that in earlier times in Israel prophets were known as seers (see I Sam 9:9) or one who sees. So the disciples were saying that people at this time thought Jesus was a Man inspired by God to see and to speak for Him.

Nicodemus, the Jewish Pharisee leader, also shows us what he and others thought about Jesus in John 3:1,2:

John 3:1,2– “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”

Nicodemus’ answer reveals that the people not only thought Jesus was a prophet of God but that He was also “a teacher come from God”. Nicodemus even refers to Him as “Rabbi” which means “Master Teacher”. The disciples themselves also addressed Jesus as “Rabbi” (John 1:38,40,49). The people also called Him “Rabbi” (John 6:25). All of these examples taken together show you that to the people of His day saw Jesus as a prophet and teacher who had come from and was inspired by God who was with Him.

When I saw this and began to think about my own experience as a Christian, I began to take comfort by saying that at least I know Jesus better than these people did. At least I know Jesus as My Savior and that I would miss Hell and make Heaven. Then God spoke something to me that I will never forget as long as I live:

“Just because you are a Christian does not mean that you know Christ!”

These words shocked me so badly that I could not do anything for awhile. As I sat there in silence, I began to think about what God had spoken to me. Even though I wanted to deny what the Lord had spoken and attribute it to the devil, I knew in the core of my being that the Holy Spirit was the one who said those words to me. I continued in silence and God spoke to me again:

“No religion can reveal to anyone who Jesus really is!”

When He said this I began to ponder what I had read in Matt 16. In context, when Jesus asked the disciples who men said that He was, He was not asking them to tell Him what all men in the world thought about Him. I know that this is true because Jesus in His ministry did not speak to everyone present in the world. The Bible reveals that He was sent unto “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt 15:24). Therefore this scripture establishes the people that Jesus personally spoke and ministered to—the house of Israel.

If you know anything about Israel during this time, you will understand that most of His audience were religious people that were part of a religion called Judaism which may be at least 1,000 years older than Christianity (which by many accounts is 2,000 years old itself).  So Jesus in Matt 16:14 was really asking His students what His audience, who were a religious people, was saying regarding His identity.

In spite of their religion, it is clear that they did not know or understand who Jesus really was. Jesus Himself referred to the Pharisees, the main Jewish religious party of the era, as “blind leaders of the blind” (Matt 15:14). In Matt 23:16, 24, He refers to the Pharisees and scribes as “blind guides”. In fact if you read Matthew 23 in its entirety, you will see that He constantly referred to the Pharisees as blind. We all know that a blind person is one who cannot see and thus lives in the dark. He went even further and called them fools (Matt 23:17,19). To call someone a fool is significant here because the Bible says that the fool has said in his heart there is no God (Ps 14:1, Ps 53:1). This leads me to believe that since Jesus said this about them that the people in this religion could not have known who Jesus was.

With all this being said, I still questioned what I had heard. I questioned how one could be a Christian and not know Christ. I thought that surely Christianity, the religion that is founded on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, could reveal to me who He is. As I pondered this, the Holy Spirit took me back to the Bible once again. He first showed me that His disciples, the men who walked, ate and slept with Him every day for three and a half years, did not know or understand who He really was.

He led me to John 14. In response to a question Thomas posed to Him in verse 5, Jesus as part of His reply used the words “IF YE HAD KNOWN ME…” WOW! For Jesus to use this phrase implies that Thomas really did not know Jesus…and this is a guy who was with Him personally every day for almost 4 years.  In the same chapter, another disciple named Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father (John 14:8). In reply Jesus said unto Him these words:

John 14:9—“….HAVE I BEEN SO LONG TIME WITH YOU, AND YET HAST THOU NOT KNOWN ME, PHILIP? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then Show us the Father?”

These two examples show that the very men who were closest to Him and had spent more personal time with Him than anyone else during His Ministry did not know who Jesus really was.

Next, God showed me what Jesus said in Matt 7. Look at verses 22 and 23. In my Bible, these verses are in red which indicates that Jesus is speaking. Read it for yourself:

Matt 7:22,23—“Many will say to me in that day, LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”

Jesus in this context is once again speaking to His disciples (Matt 5:1,2). However what He says in these verses is what should really cause you to take pause. In verse 22, Jesus says these people will say to Him “LORD, LORD…” I don’t know about you but to me it sounds like He is talking about Christians since any Christian you meet will call Jesus “Lord”.

He continues by saying that these people will say that in His Name they prophesied, cast out devils and did many wonderful works. These words sound like what Jesus said about the greater work of people that believed on Him and the signs that would follow them that believed the Gospel (see Mark 16:17 and John 14:12). So I can safely say on the authority of this verse that Jesus is talking about people that call Him “Lord”, that believe on Him and are doing the works that He said would follow those that believed on Him.

Don’t Christians call themselves “believers” in Jesus Christ and His Resurrection from the Dead? Don’t Christians say that they are doing His works? Yet Jesus in this verse says He will tell these people that HE NEVER KNEW THEM. Logically, it follows that if Jesus is saying to you that He never knew you He is also telling you that you never knew Him—even though you may have honestly thought that you did.

If this verse shocks you, let me show you another one from the Book of Revelation. Look at what Jesus told the apostle John to write to the angel (messenger or pastor) of the church at Laodicea:

Rev 3:17, 18—“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and BLIND, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; AND ANOINT THINE EYES WITH EYESALVE, THAT THOU MAYEST SEE”

Here Jesus told John to write to a church filled with people that confessed Jesus as Lord and believed that God raised Him from the dead. To the world then and today this would be considered a Christian church. Yet Jesus Christ– their Lord and Savior who is the Head of the Church– says to them that, among other things, they are “BLIND” and instructs them “ TO ANOINT THEIR EYES WITH EYESALVE, SO THAT THEY MAY SEE” (verse 18). This sounds like what Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matt 23. To cap it off, read Rev 3:20:

Rev 3:20—“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with ME”

Traditionally, the church has used this scripture in attempting to win souls to Jesus. However, who is Jesus addressing here? The church at Laodicea—a CHRISTIAN church—a church that believed on the name of Jesus. In addition, think about what He is saying to His church here. In plain English, Jesus is saying that He is standing at the door of that church and knocking so He could get in and sup with them. Learn well from this and be warned: Just because a church has a cross on its sign or steeple does not mean that they know Christ or that He is even there!

For the sake of time and brevity, I will conclude this article here. As we continue this series, I will reveal to you from the Bible what the term Christ means, how it reveals who He really is, and the practical implications that this revelation has concerning your life and destiny. As I leave you, I will ask you to honestly consider this question in your quiet times:

“Do you really know Jesus?”

© 2011, Geoffrey Ellerby. All rights reserved.

             As a preacher, whenever I have an opportunity to share God’s Word I always shock the people upfront by telling them that I will not be preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Predictably, many in the audience become shocked and start murmuring among themselves. Once they settle down I let them know that they heard me right and then I reiterate to them that I will not be preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By this time, the murmuring and shock usually gets a little louder. Then I really shock them by saying that Jesus Christ Himself did not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By this time, many are thinking that I am nuts and are wondering whether they should they stick around to hear anything else I have to say. 

            Then once I know I have the audience’s attention, I then tell them that on that day I will be preaching to them the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached. Usually by this time many are confused and are wondering just what in the world I am talking about.  I have no doubt that as you are reading this article, you will feel the same way (if you are not already). 

            Since I am a firm believer in backing up what I say with the authority of the Bible, let me assure you that even though you have already read and are about to read what some consider as very controversial statements that I can prove it all by the Word of God.  

            Before you read this article any further, I ask that you get your Bible and turn to Mark 1:14,15. I want you to read for yourself what the Bible says is the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached and what Jesus Himself said is the GOSPEL: 

Mark 1:14,15–”Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God at hand: repent ye, and believe THE GOSPEL” 

            The verses above cannot be any clearer. To put them in context, Jesus has returned to Galilee after He has spent 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. This was after He was baptized by John in the river Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove (see Mark 1:9-13, Matt 3:13-17, Matt 4:1-2, Luke 3:21,22, Luke 4:1,2) . When Christ is making these statements He is just beginning His ministry. Jesus’ comments in Mark 1:14, 15 are His first public words.  

            Therefore, according to Mark 1:14,15 the very first thing Jesus did in His ministry was to identify what the Gospel was that He preached. Read those verses again.  According to Mark 1: 14, when Jesus came back to Galilee from the wilderness He began His ministry by preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. He then exhorts us in verse 15 to repent (which means to change the way you have been trained to think) and believe THE GOSPEL. What Gospel? The Gospel the Bible says Jesus preached in Mark 1:14—THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

The Bible declares that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established” (Deut 19:15, Matt 18:16, 2 Cor 13:1). As I was coming up in church, I often heard that “God always has a witness!” Therefore, before I conclude this article let me share with you two more verses or witnesses that clearly establish the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached: 

Matt 4:23 

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” 

Matt 9:35 

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” 

Unless one is deficient in his or her reading ability, it can clearly be seen from these verses that the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached is THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM. I don’t know about you but I received Jesus as My Lord and Savior in March of 1995 and immediately started going to church faithfully for 15 years. In all of those years, I heard very little preaching on the Gospel (or literally “good news”) of the Kingdom of God. Most of what I heard (especially on Easter Sunday) had to do with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

            Although I certainly thank God for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is NOT the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached in His ministry and as I will prove to you in future articles this is NOT the GOSPEL that Jesus Christ instructed His disciples to preach in what we call the Great Commission (Mark 16: 15).  

            I know what you have just read is challenging and contradictory to what you have probably heard for most of your life–especially if you are a religious person like I was. It probably has also produced more questions than answers. However, I encourage you not to believe me or put any faith in what I say. I humbly ask that you take the scriptures I have given you and go back and mediate on them for yourself.  Even better, I suggest that you go back and read the books we call the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) with an open heart.  

            As you are reading, I pray that the Spirit of God will open the eyes of your understanding and reveal to you the Gospel that Jesus really preached and what He wanted (and still wants) His Church to go into all the world and preach—THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

© 2011, Geoffrey Ellerby. All rights reserved.