Mark 8 Lesson

WHO IS JESUS?

If somebody asked you, “Who is Jesus?” would you be able to answer their question?

As Christians, it is important for us to think about this question and be prepared to give an answer. Peter wrote in his first epistle:

• “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always  being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” – 1 Peter 3:15.

In Mark Chapter 16, Jesus asks Peter the most important question that one can be asked:

• “Who do you say that I am?” – Mark 8:27.

Of all the questions that have ever been asked, none are more important than this one.

Jesus told us who He is in his own words.

To begin our study, we will look at the following seven verses spoken by Jesus:

1. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” - John 14:6,
2. “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.” - John 8:12,
3. “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” - John 6:35,
4. “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” - John 11:25,
5. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” - Revelation 22:13,
6. “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,
7. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” - John 10:11,

JESUS THE SAVIOR

Of these verses, perhaps the most powerful is this:

• “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” - John 11:25.

It is our belief, or faith, in Jesus that saves us, not our works.  In fact, of the five matters of salvation discussed in Virtual Bible Study’s lesson from Revelation 20, two deal directly with believing in Jesus and confessing our belief in Him:

1. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” –Acts 16:31,
2. Confess our belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10.

All paths to heaven go through Jesus. Therefore, it is imperative that we study the Bible and learn about the amazing life and teachings of Jesus.

THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS

You can never go wrong following the example of Jesus! There is a popular expression, “What would Jesus do?” These words remind us that we do well to think about how Jesus would react in any given situation. The more we know about His life and teachings, the more successful we will be at following His example. There is no shortcut to putting in the time and studying God’s word.

The Bible is full of scriptures that talk about the importance of following Jesus, including these three:

1. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.   For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” - Mathew 16:24,
2. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;   and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” - 1 Peter 2:21,
3. “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”   - John 8:12.

JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus refers to Himself as, “The Good Shepherd,” in the following two scriptures:

1. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” – John 10:11,
2. “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” – John 10:14-15.

Jesus knows all about us.   He can relate to our struggles because He is God and became man. Consider the following three scriptures:

1. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14,
2. “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.    And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:5-8,
3. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15.

As followers of Jesus, we are His flock.   He understands our struggles because He also suffered during His time on earth.   And if we remain loyal to Him and His teaching, He will advocate for us on the Day of Judgment.  

Jesus is The Good Shepherd, and we are His flock. This is a high privilege, as there is no greater shepherd to follow than Jesus. As our shepherd, Jesus knows us, loves us, and protects us. 

CONCLUSION

There is only one way to get to Heaven, and that is through Jesus. As Christians, we need to be able to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” In today’s lesson, we reviewed scripture showing that Jesus is:

1. The Savior of the world,
2. Our perfect example,
3. The good shepherd.

Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to endure agony on the cross and pay the price of our sins.

In return, He asks us to show our love for Him by learning and keeping His commandments.

We will end today’s lesson with the following words spoken by Jesus:

• “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” – John 14:15-17.