What Kind of Man is Jesus? [Unser Herr lebt, Issue 51]

What Kind of Man is Jesus?
Unser Herr lebt, Issue 51, 2019
Gotthold Beck

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, look, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying. This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him. for she is a sinner.
And Jesus answering said to him. Simon. I have somewhat to say to you. And he says, Master, say on.
There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said. I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said to him. You has rightly judged.

And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, see you this woman? I entered into your house, you gave me no water for my feet. but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. You gave me no kiss. but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil you did not anoint. but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I say to you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. for she loved much. but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
And he said to her. your sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?
And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you. go in peace. (Luke 7:36-50)

Who Is This Man?

As it is often said, it is not so important what we know, but what actually matters is who we know. If we do not know Jesus, our entire life would be so meaningless and empty, wouldn't it?

I preach at various occasions, such as funerals, wedding ceremonies, gospel meetings, etc. Each gathering has its own objective, but the fundamental content of what I speak is always the same. Actually, all gatherings are basically held for people in pain and trouble; consequently, these meetings are organized to introduce Jesus to the people.

I once met a lady who had been suffering from an ailment for many years. She had been a psychiatry patient for 25 years and she actually had spent many years in her life in the hospital. One day, I heard that she was hospitalized again and I asked her mother, “I got information that she has been working for a company and she was a good employee. Why does she have to be hospitalized again?” Her mother answered, “she screamed in a horrible voice.” I asked her again, “what did she scream?” And the answer was, “I need a friend!”

She fell ill with a disease called “loneliness.” What kind of medicine can heal this “loneliness?” It is nothing but feeling and realizing from the heart that you are loved, isn't it? In the Scripture, we can find the promise of the true living God that can heal the “loneliness disease.” It is a promise that “I have loved you (Isaiah 43:4)”: this is never an empty or verbal promise, but it is the promise of the Creator of the universe who tells no lie and who fulfills all His promises. When He says, “I have loved you,” this 'you' is not for a particular person; rather, it applies to all humans and He is sending these words to each and every one of us personally. Each one of us is  the object of the Lord's love. The only true living God is concerned about each one of us and He would never forsake us when we need Him. Those who are convinced of this truth rejoice and praise His Holy name even in times of horrible suffering. Jesus loves us so much that He chose to die on the Cross on our behalf. This is the proof that we are loved by Him. Let us go back to these words from Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 4:

I have loved you. (Isaiah 43:4)

And the central theme of the entire Bible is in this, perhaps the most well-known verse 16 of the Gospel according to John, chapter 3. “God so loved the world,” --- that is to say, He so loved you and me --- “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is the promise He made to us.

So, what kind of Man is Jesus, the Son of God?

He is not a road sign which shows direction. He is Himself “the way.” He is not just the 'savior,' but He is the 'salvation itself.' And the good news in the Bible, the arrival of joy is in this verse:

Look, now is the accepted time. look, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

This verse is telling us that now is the time when those who seek salvation will be saved. The only thing that is necessary for that to happen is to know Jesus. It is not only “to acquire knowledge about Jesus,” but also to “know and believe in Him” this is what we are required to do.

It is stated in verse 49 cited at the beginning, that people in the same room with Jesus began to say within themselves, “who is this that forgives sins?” It is such a disrespectful thing to say, “who is this Man.” A very similar expression can be found in the chapter 6 of the Gospel according to Mark. People in Nazareth, the home country of Jesus, repeatedly referred to Him as “this man,” because they lived in the same neighborhood as Jesus, superficially, they knew about Jesus. Let us read it from these verses:

And he went out from thence, and came into his own country. and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue. and many hearing him were astonished, saying. From whence has this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given to him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? 
And they were offended at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. (Matthew 6:1-6)

It is stated in verse 6 that, “Jesus marvelled because of their unbelief.” Jesus must have wanted to heal all sick people who gathered around Him. However, there, He couldn't “do any mighty work.” He could only “lay his hands upon a few sick folks and heal them.” It was all because of their unbelief. It was because of this attitude they asked, “Who is this man?”

The Bible Scholar and researcher called Simon, who appeared in the chapter 7 of the Gospel according to Luke that we read at the beginning, undoubtedly was living a morally upright life from the human perspective. It is not hard to imagine how he was respected by many people and well-esteemed in the society. For some unknown reason, this man decided to invite Jesus to his house. Jesus casually accepted this invitation. Although this Bible scholar understood the contents of the Bible very well, his eyes were closed to the truth because of his religious belief, which prevented him from finding out the kind of man that Jesus truly was.

Jesus emphasized that those who refuse to come to Him as sinners will be led to eternal destruction. I am Myself the way. No one can come to God except through me: so He made it very clear. However, this Bible scholar called Simon had a different thought. He believed that it was them that had the key to the salvation of the people and he had no doubt about it. He must have been so fluent in the Word of God, strictly obeyed all laws of Moses, prayed and lived a highly ethical life.

Why did he decide to invite Jesus? It was not mentioned in the Bible, but what is certain is that the sinful woman somehow came into the house without Simon's permission. Apparently, it was not an easy thing for her to do. “I know that everybody is looking at me with contempt. If I try to get into that house, that Pharisee, the Bible scholar who is the master of the house, would feel so uncomfortable about it.”

However, she was bearing great pain from the bottom of her heart and it was no longer tolerable. This pain made her overcome the embarrassment she was to face and brought herself over to Jesus. After all, she was a wise woman and she knew very well what she had to do. She was convinced that Jesus would help her. Let us read verses 37 and 28 again:

And, look, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. (Luke 7:37-38)

When she anointed Jesus' feet with an expensive ointment, the room was filled with a beautiful scent. And at that very moment, everyone in that room turned their eyes towards Jesus and that woman. When this Bible scholar saw what was happening, he spoke within himself, “if he were a prophet, this man would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him. for she is a sinner.” Because this is such a filthy and sinful woman, who has nothing in common with me, if Jesus was the real prophet, He would realize it instantly. Needless to say, Jesus knew everything about this woman. He knew about the sins this woman had committed and all the debts she inflicted on herself. Jesus also knew every detail of what was hidden in her heart, that is to say, her guilty conscience, the emptiness of her heart as well as the horrible loneliness which had never been healed.

On the other hand, Jesus did not only know about this sinful woman, but He also knew everything about Simon, who was well-respected in the locality. Jesus was aware of the hidden arrogance of this Pharisee and knew what was in his heart. It was because of this that Jesus said a parable to this man; He did so to speak a practical application of the parable. In the end, Simon was left with no other choice but to agree with Jesus. Then, Jesus turned to the sinful woman and declared in front of all the people:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

To put it in another way, “Because of your faith and your trust in me, you were saved. All your sins have been forgiven. Now, you have received grace and true peace in your hands.” This was what Jesus said to her.

The reaction of the people who witnessed this is described in verse 29, which was “they that sat at meal with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?”

“Who is this man?” I think this is an extremely important question. What kind of Man is He, who promised this hopeless woman the forgiveness of her sins in their presence? What can we say about this Man? Jesus is the only Man who is the same yesterday, today and forever. From the incident described in these verses, I suppose that the following three conclusions can be clearly drawn.

First, Jesus is the one who knows each and every person thoroughly. Secondly, Jesus is the only Man who can forgive our sins and give us the conviction that all our sins are forgiven. Thirdly, Jesus is the only one who saves all His believers and gives them His peace of mind.

Now, let us follow each of these things to see what kind of Man Jesus is.

The One who Knows All Things Thoroughly

Jesus knows each and every one that He created thoroughly. This is the truth that will never change; it may be very hard to grasp, but it is a fact. Jesus literally knows all things without exception. There is nothing that can be hidden away from the eyes of the Lord Jesus, as is written in the Bible:

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrew 4:13)

Our Lord knows all things. But, let us always remember that while we are all questioned for worldly responsibilities and burdened with debts, each one of us is personally connected with the Lord. We are not connected to religion, ethics, or anything of such nature, but we are directly connected to the only true living God. He can never be deceived by humans. This true God is the One whom we as humans should never disrespect. He is one who deals with everything strictly and would never compromise for anything. No sin can be hidden from God.

Let us come back to the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 7, where the Pharisee saw what this woman was doing and spoke within himself, “this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him, for she is a sinner.” Needless to say, Jesus knew exactly the kind of woman she was, who abruptly came into this house as much as He knew everything about the Bible scholar, Simon. Although Simon only spoke within himself and did not voice any of his thoughts, Jesus perceived what was in his mind and spoke to him instantly according to the verse 40, “And Jesus said to him. Simon, I have somewhat to say to you.” What Jesus meant in these words that He said to Simon was, “Simon, you are the subject of my heartfelt love. I only wish you open your ears and heart to me and this would just please me.” Jesus knew about the arrogant thought and motive that were hidden deep in the heart of this Bible scholar as much as He has seen the pure thought and motive in the heart of the sinful woman.

There was an insuperable difference between these two people. One was the arrogant Pharisee who always justified himself and was so proud of himself and the sinful woman, who on the other hand was conscious of her horrible sins, whose heart was totally broken and who had nothing to be proud of. Now, I would like to compare these two people. From a social perspective, they cannot be the same. The Pharisee must have belonged to a high-class society; he lived in a rich neighbourhood and lived a luxurious life. On the other hand, this sinful woman was despised by other people and presumably lived in hiding dark and dingy place. Also, in an ethical sense, these two people were completely different from each other. While the Pharisee lived a strict religious life following all laws, this sinful woman was a prostitute who could not live without committing adultery. There also was an incomparable difference between the lives they were living in an economic sense. While the Bible scholar had a prosperous life and he had no reason to worry about his living at all, the sinful woman was so poor that she had no other means to make a living other than sacrificing her own body, and her chastity. Even from a religious perspective, the two people were far apart from each other. The Pharisee lived for his religious belief, while the sinful woman could not have anything to do with any existing religions and she actually did not want to be involved in them. In their personalities, they had nothing in common at all with each other. The Pharisee was a cold-hearted, calculating and intolerant person, but the sinful woman had a warm heart; she was not ashamed to cry in front of others and did not hesitate to kiss Jesus' feet.

Although these two people were totally different from each other in all aspects, they had one thing in common. That is to say; they were both sinners who were burdened with debt.

Jesus said to the Bible Scholar, “Simon. I have somewhat to say to you.” Then, He told him a parable, through which Simon must have been brought under the light of the Lord. Verse 41, “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. One owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most?”

Without a doubt, Jesus looked deep into the eyes of Simon as He talked to him. What Jesus expressed through this parable was, “Simon, you too are imperfect, you also make mistakes and you are heavily burdened with debt on your shoulders. You may want to say that the sin of this woman is as much as 500 Denali, while your sin is much smaller than hers and as little as just 50 Denali for sure, but in my eyes, there is absolutely no distinction between you two. Paul also wrote in his epistle to the Romans:

For (without exceptions) all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

James also wrote in his epistle, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

From the eyes of the Lord, Simon was just as sinful as this prostitute. It is an extremely difficult thing to grasp for many people, why this man who is living a respectful, religious and highly ethical life needs to be saved just like the adulterous women or murderers. But, this is the reason that it is generally much more difficult to be saved for the so-called decent people, people who are highly esteemed by others or people who have made great success in this world.

I suppose that to believe in Jesus means that we will inevitably admit that we have been heading towards the wrong direction and all the things we have done were completely meaningless. Undoubtedly, this woman was filled with sins. Jesus, of course, knew about it, but He did not reject her because of her sins. Her life had been filled with a hateful, filthy and horrible experience. She absolutely needed to be redeemed and saved. We should thank the Lord more than anything else for the fact that Jesus is able to save all kinds of sinners. No sin exists in this world that is too horrible for Jesus to forgive.

Furthermore, we should be extremely grateful for the fact that Jesus is willing to save people like Simon. In fact, even one who has never done anything shameful in this world that burdens him/her, lives what is considered as an honorable life and has no reason to be blamed by others, is also a sinner in the eyes of the Lord. Many people might believe that they are living  like Simon. That is to say; their lives are regarded as fine, ethical and honest. However, what we need urgently is to see ourselves the way that the living God sees us. If we can see ourselves just the God sees us, we would realize that not only are we sinful, but we are completely lost and are in need of salvation. Jesus knew everything about Simon and the sinful woman. Nevertheless, Jesus loved them both and wanted to bless them equally with true salvation. Before this world was created, Jesus knew about the debt and sin of each one of us. Jesus understood very well how badly we are in need of the salvation of the Lord God. It was because of this reason that Jesus came down from heaven to earth at the time when His Father appointed and offered His own life as the price for our redemption. Then, Jesus resurrected and He is still working today through the Holy Spirit. He still blesses us and He is desperately waiting for an opportunity to forgive the debts of our sins. Jesus wants us to feel the love of the Lord and He wants to make us the one who pleases the Lord. It is written in the epistle to the Romans:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

The Only One who Forgives our Sins and Gives us the Conviction of Salvation

What kind of Man is Jesus after all?

Jesus is the one who knows everything about us and still cares for each one of us. He is also the one who loves each human being with limitless love.

And the second answer is that Jesus is the only Man who can forgive our sins; He is the liberator of sin. He is also the only person who can give us the conviction that we are saved.

Therefore I say to you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. (Luke 7:47)

The Lord Jesus said to the woman, “your sins are forgiven.” In response to these words of the Lord Jesus, people sitting at the table with Him began to say, “who is this that forgives sins also?” It is not hard to imagine what this sinful woman felt when she heard these words of Jesus. It was exactly what she had been longing for. She must have been overwhelmed by what Jesus said to her. The burden fell from her shoulder. More importantly, she was completely liberated by His words.

Many people are suffering from the burden of sins which, they believe, cannot be forgiven. But, those who confess their debts humbly in front of Jesus will be forgiven. This is the arrival of joy described in the Bible. Are we convinced now that all our sins are forgiven? Have we ever sincerely thanked Jesus for the work of Atonement of the Lord?

The Lord has clearly stated that we are in a serious need for the forgiveness of our sins. It is because we have sinned against ourselves as well as other people and the living God.

Nobody can forgive or cancel the sins they have committed by themselves. There is this remarkable verse in Ecclesiastes:

God requires that which is past. (Ecclesiastes 3:15)

No matter how hard they try, humans can never restore themselves to the state before they sinned. However, it is promised in the gospel that anyone who has sinned will be forgiven if they recognize their sins and simply come to the Lord and accept Jesus into their lives.

Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Before Paul died the death of the Martyrs, he wrote in his letter to one of his disciples, Timothy:

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Jesus is the One who desperately wants to forgive all our sins. Jesus is the only person who can forgive our sins. But why is that?

First of all, Jesus is the only person who can forgive us because it was against Jesus that we have sinned. Although we were saved and recreated by Jesus, we have been living against the will of Jesus. Even for people like us, at the price of His own blood, Jesus redeemed us out of devil's rule. However, we have been self-seeking and self-centered. This sin is against the Creator and Savior.

Secondly, it is because Jesus died on our behalf and He took the punishment we deserved on Himself that Jesus is the only person who can forgive us. The one who has paid for our debt is the only one who has the right to forgive our sins. No other person was willing to give up his own life on our behalf. Jesus is the only Savior. So, the brothers and sisters of the early churches proclaimed as follows:

Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Jesus is the only person who can save us. How can Jesus forgive our sins? The third answer to this question is that it is because Jesus has been resurrected, He is still alive today and is waiting to give us His grace. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews expressed it this way:

Therefore He (….Christ....) is able also to save them (….those who humble down and seek His help....) to the uttermost that come to God by Him (….Christ....), seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Such a wonderful verse. Jesus is the one who lives forever and makes intercession as the High Priest for everyone no matter what they did. Still, many people may think this way, “it is too arrogant to believe that my sins and debts are already forgiven, isn't it? It is not true. Actually, Jesus has clearly stated otherwise. “Therefore, I say to you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.” Then, facing this sinful woman, He said, “your sins are forgiven.”

The One Who Saves His Believers and Give them His Own Peace

What kind of person is He? As we have discussed so far, He is the one who understands each of us. He is also the only person who can forgive our sins and give us the conviction that we have been saved.

Furthermore, Jesus is the only person who can save all those who believe in the Son and give them His own peace. Perhaps, some people may still ask a question like this: “I want my debt and borrowing removed. I want them cancelled. But what do I have to do to be saved?” The word of the Lord God answering to this question is extremely simple, “If you believe in the promise of the Lord, everything will be fine. Just believe and that is all.” In verse 50, Jesus said to this woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

What was this woman saved from? It was nothing but her faith. She believed in Jesus and received the forgiveness of sins that was offered to her. With all her debts of sins burdened on her shoulder, she came to Jesus. She understood very well that if Jesus did not forgive her, there would be no hope left for her. But, Jesus will absolutely forgive me! Jesus will cleanse me! Jesus will definitely help me; with this belief, she fell at His feet. And what happened there? Jesus forgave her! Why was that? It was because of her faith. Faith always helps us to accept what Jesus provides. Only when we are determined to accept whatever Jesus provides, Jesus will say to us, “Go in peace.” That is to say, when our sins are forgiven, our hearts will be filled with peace and a new life begins. Let us look at the testimony of the early churches:

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

However, instead of being satisfied with just having “peace with God,” we need to seek to have the “peace of the Lord God Himself.”

And the peace of God (….the peace of God Himself....), which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

The peace of God protects our hearts and thoughts. The power of the Lord God enables us to step into a new life.

What kind of Man is Jesus? Jesus is the only Man who understands all things; He is the only one who can forgive our sins and give us the conviction of salvation; furthermore, Jesus is the one who saves all His believers and gives them His own peace. We want to thank the Lord God for Jesus' love, don't we? Those who receive the conviction that they have been forgiven will truly and abundantly rejoice.

Look, God is my salvation. I will trust, and not be afraid. for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. he also is become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

It is truly a great blessing that we too are allowed to testify with these same words from our hearts and praise the Lord.