Miller’s Station UMC| May 3, 2026|Anchor Verses: John 14:1-14
Who was Jesus? This is a question that echoes through the centuries—a question that challenges each of us to reflect deeply on our faith. If we’re honest, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as we might wish. Scholars largely agree that Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth during the first century, but even so, the evidence is not as straightforward as we’d hope. Apart from a brief mention by the historian Josephus, we lack first-person accounts of his life. The stories that shape our understanding of Jesus began to surface well after his death, preserved in ancient manuscripts and codices. For years, theologians wrestled over which accounts truly testified to his existence, and what should be considered authoritative. Yet, despite the uncertainty and scholarly debate, our belief in Jesus continues to invite us into something profound. Today, I invite you to journey with me—not just as students of history, but as people seeking meaning and inspiration. Together, let’s explore how our faith in Jesus has been shaped, from the humble beginnings of a first-century Palestinian Jew, to the gatherings of church leaders in the fourth century who courageously affirmed his divinity in the creeds.
The Historical Jesus
As already mentioned, most scholars agree that a Jewish man named Jesus of Nazareth did exist in the 1st century AD, though there is debate about the historicity of many elements of his life as described in the Bible. The general consensus is that Jesus was a real person who lived in the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and upon whose life and teachings Christianity was later constructed. To understand Jesus, we must understand the faith he embodied, what my seminary professor called “the faith of Jesus”(vs. the faith about Jesus). To clarify, this does not mean that we all have to become Jewish, it does however challenge us to examine our Christian beliefs to see if we are truly living up the ideas Jesus espoused.
Reflecting on the scholar Amy Jill-Levine, she offers in this interview these thoughts on the first century Jews: “In first-century Judaism one can find the idea of God as manifested as the Word, the Logos. Judaism has the idea of the Shekinah, the feminine presence of God descending to earth and dwelling among human beings. The prologue of the Gospel of John makes perfectly good sense in that context. First-century Judaism was sufficiently fluid to allow even the idea that an individual could embody divinity. We know that because the earliest followers of Jesus who recognized him as divinity incarnate—such as Paul or James, the brother of Jesus who’s running the Jerusalem church—still called themselves Jews. Everybody recognized them as Jews.”
In the first century, Jews—including Jesus—shared core beliefs such as monotheism, recognizing Yahweh as the one true God and rejecting idolatry; viewing themselves as God’s chosen people with covenant responsibilities; centering their faith and daily life on the Torah and its laws; considering the Temple in Jerusalem as the central place of worship and community festivals; and holding hope for a future Messiah(though not all Jews then or now hold this belief) who would restore Israel and bring peace. These foundational convictions shaped their religious identity and practices.
In the Influence of John
We cannot speak of Jesus without first standing in the shadow of John the Baptist. From the moment John appears on the stage of history he shapes the story of Jesus. He is not a mere footnote; he is the voice crying in the wilderness, the herald whose life and witness prepare the way for the Lord.
Imagine the Jordan Valley in those years: a prophet arises, a man of fire and conviction who calls the people to turn their hearts back to God. His name in Hebrew is Yohannan—known to the world as John. People called him the immerser, the baptizer, because he invited sinners and seekers alike to enter the waters of the Jordan as a visible sign of repentance. That immersion was not a Christian rite yet; it was a Jewish practice of purification given new prophetic urgency. John’s baptism was a symbol—a public turning, a readiness to meet the coming Messiah.
What did John preach? He preached repentance with urgency and clarity. He called for a change of heart and life, for a breaking with complacency and sin. His baptism marked a readiness to receive God’s new movement in the world. He stood as prophet and forerunner, fulfilling the ancient promise of one who would prepare the way. In his words and actions he pointed beyond himself to the One who would baptize with Spirit and fire.
We must also remember the context of John’s ministry. He arose within the life of Israel, among people who longed for renewal and deliverance. Some have linked him with ascetic groups like the Essenes; others see him as an independent prophetic voice. Whatever the precise affiliations, his message was unmistakable: repent, prepare, and expect God to act. After his death at the hands of Herod, many of his followers found their way to Jesus, and the movement that followed would carry forward the momentum John had begun.
So what do we learn from John? First, prophetic witness matters: a single faithful voice can reorient a nation’s hope. Second, repentance is not merely private sorrow but a public turning that readies us for God’s work. Third, humility before God’s unfolding plan is essential—John pointed away from himself to Christ.
Embodying the Christ Presence
So how do we get to Jesus being human and divine? Shockingly, Jesus did not see himself as God. This development would come later as the early Jewish followers of Jesus became Christians and began to recognize the profound revelation of God’s presence in Jesus. This would be wrestled about for about four hundred years and would be codified in the various councils of the church, being established officially with the Nicene Council.
Jesus lived and spoke as a Jewish teacher whose life opened a window on God. In what appears to be conducted in the apocalyptic tradition of earlier prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel and a contemporary of John, Jesus embodies the life of an ordinary Jew with an extraordinary message. His ordinary, embodied life matters for our faith because it roots the divine claim in history and relationship: God did not appear as an abstract idea but as a neighbor, a friend, a stranger who touched the untouchable. Friends, I challenge you to hold in humility this idea – that God’s presence often arrives in flesh and story before it is named by councils and philosophers.
During the crucifixion, something remarkable occurs—God dies, an event that stands in stark contrast to the expectations shaped by Roman and Greek mythologies of the era. This moment marked a pivotal shift for Jesus’ early followers and signaled the beginning of Christianity. The cross compelled them to grapple with questions that mere words could not resolve. Watching Jesus, who forgave sins and welcomed children, suffer at the hands of Roman brutality and human betrayal, the community faced a profound scandal. The crucifixion became a forge for their memories and hopes, making the question of Jesus’ true identity urgent and unavoidable. In the midst of this intense suffering, they began to perceive that Jesus’ life and death revealed God’s deep solidarity with human pain. The cross stands as both a wound and a revelation—a place where our deepest questions encounter God’s response in the form of love poured out.
The empty tomb left answers and centuries of theological wrestling with not everyone agreeing. Famously, “in AD 325 Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, the very first ecumenical council. More than 300 bishops came from all over the Christian world to debate the nature of the Holy Trinity. It was one of the early church’s most intense theological questions. Arius, from Egypt, was teaching that Jesus the Son was not equal to God the Father. Arius forcefully argued his position at length. The bishops listened respectfully. As Arius vigorously continued, Nicholas (that Saint Nicholas) became more and more agitated. Finally, he could no longer bear what he believed was essential being attacked. The outraged Nicholas got up, crossed the room, and slapped Arius across the face! The bishops were shocked. It was unbelievable that a bishop would lose control and be so hotheaded in such a solemn assembly. They brought Nicholas to Constantine. Constantine said even though it was illegal for anyone to strike another in his presence, in this case, the bishops themselves must determine the punishment.”
All the theological wrestling with doctrine did not invent the reality but sought to guard the truth of an encounter—an encounter that still calls us to live in the light of resurrection, to embody mercy, and to confess with our lives what our lips declare in worship.
Fine
Our scripture this morning has traditionally turned into “a trump card, or worse, as a threat, to tell people that they better get with the program and “accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior” in order to be saved. To interpret the verse this way is to rip it from its context and do violence to the spirit of Jesus’ words.” Who Jesus was was very nuanced for the early Jewish followers and the later Christian church. In our verses this morning, we encounter words of assurance, love, comfort.
Since my seminary days, I’ve been shaped to reflect on the steadfastness Jesus demonstrates—a steadfastness that mirrors how God faithfully appears in our daily lives. I once heard theologian John Cobb describe Jesus’ divinity by using a Venn diagram: instead of two overlapping circles representing Jesus as human and God as divine, he saw just one circle. There’s no division; they are one and the same. I believe that each of us carries a spark of the Christ presence within, but Jesus alone embodied it completely—which is why, in him, we see only one unified circle.
Friends, I challenge us to go forth, humbled and renewed, to embody God’s love and truth in every moment we are given. Amen
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