Chapter 2: The Nature of Jesus
Who do you say that I am?
Jesus asked His disciples this question once:
“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
It is still the most important question in the world. Not:
What did He teach? What did He do?
But: Who is He?
Because if Jesus is only a teacher, we can admire Him from a distance. If He is only a prophet, we can respect Him like others.
But if He is who He says He is — the Son of God — then everything changes.
Fully God, Fully Man
This is the great mystery at the heart of the gospel: Jesus is both fully God and fully man.
He did not stop being God when He became a man.
He did not pretend to be a man while remaining distant and divine. He became one of us — truly, fully.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…” (John 1:14)
As God, He could forgive sin, heal the sick, and calm storms. As man, He could hunger, weep, bleed, and die.
Theologians call this the incarnation — God taking on flesh. Not half God, half man. Not switching back and forth.
One Person, two natures.
Why Did He Come?
If Jesus was already God, why did He come? Why walk among us at all?
✦ To reveal the Father:
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
✦ To save the lost:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
✦ To destroy the works of the devil:
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8)
✦ To be our mediator:
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
We could not reach up to heaven — so heaven came down to us.
The Humility of Jesus
We imagine God descending in thunder and lightning.
Instead, He came as a baby, born to a poor mother, laid in a feeding trough.
He grew up not as a prince but as a carpenter. He washed His disciples’ feet.
He ate with outcasts and sinners. He touched lepers.
“…though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself…” (Philippians 2:6–7)
This humility was not weakness — it was strength in love.
The Authority of Jesus
Yet there was nothing ordinary about Him. When He spoke, people were astonished:
“He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22)
He commanded demons and they obeyed. He healed the sick with a word.
He stilled a storm with “Peace! Be still!”
Even His enemies could not deny His power — only deny its source.
The Cross
Everything He did pointed to one place: the cross.
Jesus was not killed because He was misunderstood — but because He was understood.
He claimed the authority to forgive sins. He claimed to be one with the Father.
He claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. And they crucified Him for it.
But this was no accident.
The cross was His mission from the beginning:
“The Son of Man came… to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
On the cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God for sin — our sin. He became the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
The Resurrection
And then — life.
On the third day, the grave was empty. Death had no claim on Him.
The resurrection is not just proof of who He is — it is also the guarantee of who we can become:
alive, forgiven, raised with Him.
He Is Not Who We Expect
Jesus confounded everyone.
The Jews wanted a military Messiah; He rode a donkey.
The Romans wanted a rebel king; He submitted to crucifixion. Even today, people try to remake Him:
a moral teacher.
a political revolutionary.
a spiritual guide.
But Jesus is not who we expect — He is who we need. God in the flesh, come to save.
Why It Matters
Why does it matter to know the nature of Jesus? Because if He is not God, He cannot save us.
If He is not man, He cannot represent us.
Only as both — fully God and fully man — can He bridge the chasm between heaven and earth.
And because this is the story we are living:
In the Garden of Eden, Adam failed to obey — and we were cast out.
Jesus came as the second Adam, perfectly obedient — and opened the way back.
One day, in the final garden, we will walk with Him again, face to face. To know Jesus now is to begin living that restoration.
Reflection
When you think of Jesus, what do you see? A distant figure in history?
A moral example?
Or the Son of God who knows your name?
His life, death, and resurrection are not just events to admire — they are the turning point of your story.
They invite you to trust Him, follow Him, and become like Him.
Today, ask yourself not just, What would Jesus do?
But: Who do you say that He is?
Questions to Consider:
✦ Do you tend to emphasize Jesus’ divinity or His humanity more? Why?
✦ How does knowing He became fully human help you trust Him with your struggles?
✦ What does His resurrection mean for your own life today — not just after death?
✦ How do you see the garden-to-garden story playing out in your own walk with Him?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are God and man — my Savior and my friend. Forgive me when I make You smaller than You are.
Help me to see You clearly, trust You deeply, and follow You faithfully. Thank You for walking the path I could not walk — and opening the way back to the Father.
Until I see You in the final garden, keep my eyes fixed on You.
Amen.
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