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Nov 28, 2023 18:30pm

Do You Know Who Jesus Is?

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I called a local store to have some shoes put back for my brother. He was swinging through that area on his way back into town and they had them in stock.

“What’s the name on the order?” the salesperson asked.

“Chris Young” I answered.

For a second, it was silence on the other end.

“THE Chris Young?”

As serious as I could be I said, “Yes, THE Chris Young.”

“You know, like the real Chris Young. Do you listen to country music? Is it really him?”

I giggled and finally had to give up the truth. “I know who you’re talking about and no, my brother just happens to have the same name. Sorry to disappoint, no celebrity today.”

It’s important to know who you’re talking to. I don’t blame the girl for asking that question at all. She wanted to know who he was.

Jesus asked a similar question to a young man.

Luke 18:18-19

“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”

Good Master. This is how the man referred to Jesus. The young man saw Him as a teacher, one who had authority and one that had good intentions.

It’s good to know about Jesus. It’s good to believe He exists. I mean, this man did. He was standing right there with Him. It was clear Jesus was alive and all the things the man claimed – a good master.

But, Jesus asked the most important question of all.

“Why do you call me good?”

What was Jesus really saying?

“Do you know who I am?”

Not just a man. Not just a teacher, a master, an authority figure.

“Do you know that I am God?”

The man was focused on the wrong things. He should have been focused on the “who” and not the “what”.

Before we go any further, just like Jesus asked, we have to ask ourselves the same question. Do we know who Jesus is? Do we believe He is God and not just a teacher, one with authority or a good man?

Recognizing Jesus as God is the first step toward faith. Without the knowledge of who He truly is, we can’t go further. Why would it matter if He has told us He is the Savior, the One who takes away our sins, the very Creator of all, if we don’t believe Him?

Because the young man didn’t recognize the truth about Jesus, he sadly walked away.

Luke 18:20-27

“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Know God and follow Him. That’s it. That’s all the man had to do. But it came at a cost. He would have to give up everything he thought was important, everything that defined him and gave him security. He would be trading it all for Jesus.

But because he didn’t truly know who Jesus was, he wasn’t willing.

What about you? Is that where you are today? Who is Jesus? Do you really know Him?

It’s the most important question we can ask and answer.