Jesus said and did a great many things.  Some appear to be contradictory.  Some appear to be kind and loving.  Some appear to be harsh.  But they are all Him.  This article, and the ones to follow, will attempt to cover as much as possible given the limited space for these articles.  Each point will have some explanation, but again due to space limitations, only the briefest of explanations will be provided.  That being said, let's look for the Real Jesus(in order as they appear from Matthew through John).

 

Matthew 1:1 - Jesus was a descendent of both David and Abraham.  This matters because God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's seed(child) - Gen. 12:3.  In addition, God promised David that David would always have a descendant on the throne of Israel, as long as David's descendants were faithful.  They did not remain faithful, and as a result, God ended their physical kingship around 400 years after making this promise to David.  However, Jesus would be the king who would ultimately fulfill God's promise to David over 900 years earlier - I Chron. 17:7-15, which was restated later to the prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 33, see especially vv. 7-9, 14-17.

 

Matt. 1:18-25 - Jesus was born to a virgin, Mary, in fulfillment of a prophecy made by Isaiah over 700 years earlier - Isa. 7:14.  Since it is not possible for a woman to give birth to a child without a man(basic biology), this was a miracle, something that contradicts the natural order of things.

 

Matt. 2:1-12 - Wise men(also referred to as Magi) came to visit Jesus and gave His family gifts.  They used those expensive gifts to fund their escape to Egypt.

 

Matt 2:2 - Jesus was born as king of the Jews.  He was their king, and He never denied it, although He did ask why someone was asking if He was the king of Jews(Mark 15:2).

 

Matt. 2:5-6 - Jesus was born in Bethlehem, as prophesied by Micah in Mic. 5:2.

 

Matt. 3:13-15 - Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, although not because He was guilty of sin.  Baptism was later used by Jesus' disciples as part of the removal of sin(I Pet. 3:21), but John's baptism was about repentance.

 

Matt. 3:17 - After Jesus was baptized by Joh the Baptist, a voice from heaven(God) stated that Jesus was His Son.  Jesus was the Son of God, not the son of Mary's husband Joseph, as would be presumed, since he was her husband.  He was the Son of God, so He was God.

 

Matt. 4:1-11 - Jesus was tempted by Satan.  He did not sin, but He was tempted, just like we are(Heb. 4:15).  And each time Jesus responded to Satan's temptation, He quoted scripture from the Old Testament.  Being God, He could have merely responded with something of His own authority, but instead He gave us a pattern to follow . . . looking to the Word of God to respond to temptation, instead of relying on our own thoughts and ideas.

 

Matt. 4:23 - Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom.  There was something the people needed to know, specifically the gospel.  These weren't just some nice little sayings; they were things the people needed to know and live by, as will be seen.

 

Matt. 4:23 - Jesus healed people of EVERY kind of disease and illness.  He didn't just tell someone to feel better; He actually cured them.  This passage does not specify specific diseases or illnesses(we will see those later).  He healed diseases and illnesses that could not be cured with words or His touching them.  His healing was miraculous; it was contrary to nature.  Had you been there to see it, your response would have been that it wasn't possible.  But yet there it would be in front of you.  "That isn't possible" is what a miracle is.  Not mere slight of hand or something unlikely, but rather something that is not physically possible.  The Real Jesus did miracles.  If your version of Jesus did not do miracles, you are ignoring something important that Jesus did.  He wasn't just "a nice guy."  Jesus is God, and as such, He can do things that people cannot.  It's just that simple.

 

This next section will be from Jesus' teachings which are from what many refer to as the Sermon on the Mount.

 

Matt. 5:3 - Jesus said that people who were poor(not physically) in spirit were blessed(which means happy).  Why would people who were poor in spirit be happy?  Because they realized they needed salvation.  If you don't think you need to be saved from your sins(for whatever reason that might be), then the salvation that Jesus was bringing would have no value to you, and therefore, you would not be made happy(blessed) by that realization.

 

Matt. 5:4 - Jesus said that people who mourn would be happy.  Why?  That seems contradictory, but their mourning was because they realized they were lost because of their sins.  Knowing that they would be comforted is what made them happy/blessed.

 

Matt. 5:5 - Jesus said that people who were meek would inherit the earth.  Anyone with any sense knows that this just is not true.  Meek people never get anything.  Aggressive people are the ones to achieve things, at least in this world.  But Jesus' blessings were spiritual in nature.  The meek would be happy/blessed because they were going to inherit the earth, which sounds physical, but likely refers to the fact that they would get everything(not physically everything, but spiritually everything).  And that would make people happy, or at least it would make people who mourned over their sin from the previous statement by Jesus.

 

Matt. 5:6 - Jesus said that people who were hungry and thirsty were happy/blessed.  This doesn't sound right either, until we realize what they were hungering and thirsting for . . . righteousness.  They were going to be satisfied because Jesus was going to make it possible for them to become righteous.  They couldn't do it themselves.  They needed someone to save them from the sins(see 5:4), and Jesus was going to do just that.  But they needed to be hungry for the right things . . . righteousness.  They did not need to hunger for material things and pleasures; those things had nothing to do with righteousness

 

Matt. 5:7 - Jesus said that people who were merciful would be happy because they would receive mercy.  It is important to note that Jesus required them to be merciful in order to obtain mercy.  If they were not merciful to others, they would not receive mercy, and therefore, they would not be blessed/happy.

 

Matt. 5:8 - Jesus said that people who were pure in heart would be happy because they would see God.  Note that Jesus did not say, "As long as you think you are pure in heart, you're good."  Remember, Jesus already said that people who were "poor in spirit," meaning guilty of sin, were going to receive the kingdom of God.  They would be able to do this because of the sacrifice for sin that Jesus was going to be.  It is because of that sacrifice for their sins that they could become righteous(v. 6).  That is why they would not be able to see God.

 

Matt. 5:9 - Jesus said that people who are peacemakers will be called the children of God.  They were going to need to make peace with God(by accepting His gift/grace) so that their sins were forgiven.  But they needed more than that; they needed to make people with other people.  Their newfound salvation would not make them "superior" to others.  those others were just like they used to be, and they needed the same salvation that the saved people had received through Jesus.

 

Matt. 5:10-11 - Jesus said that people who were persecuted would be blessed/happy.  Really?  That isn't how it usually goes.  But when their persecution was because of their righteousness, they would still be happy.  Why?  Because their sins were forgiven, and nothing else really mattered.  They would be happy when people insulted them and did all kinds of evil things because of Jesus.  Why?  Because they knew that they had this great reward in heaven, which was way better than anything they could possibly have in this world.  If you are following Jesus, there will be persecution because of that.

 

Matt. 5:13 - Jesus said that His people(followers) are salt.  Salt has one purpose . . . to be salt.  That can entail a number of things, but put simply, salt is supposed to be salty.  If salt is not salty, it's good for nothing.  You might as well throw it out.  Followers of Jesus are supposed to be . . . followers of Jesus.  If they are not following Him, they are like salt that is not salty.  As such they would be worthless to Him, and they would be thrown out(of the kingdom).  

 

Matt. 5:14 - Jesus said that His people were to be a light to the world.  The purpose of light is to light the surroundings.  You don't put on a light and cover it, so it doesn't give off any light.  That would be silly.  Followers of Jesus were supposed to be a light in a very dark world so that people could see what Jesus' followers were doing . . . and give glory to God(not to give glory to Jesus' followers).

 

Matt. 5:21-22 - Jesus told people that simply refraining from murdering others was not good enough.  Insulting other people and hating other people was a similar offense, at least in God's eyes, and isn't that all that really matters?  Jesus is telling us not to be hateful or insulting.

 

Matt. 5:23-26 - If you have been hating or insulting toward another person, you need to rectify that with the other people before attempting to worship God.  Why?  Because God cares about our relationships with other people.  It isn't just our relationship with Him.  Our relationships with other people, if they are not good, can negatively affect our relationship with God.

 

Matt. 5:27-30 - They knew it was wrong to commit adultery, but there's nothing wrong with looking, right?  Jesus told them that if they were lusting after a woman in their hearts, that was just as bad as if they were actually committing adultery with her.  But then He went way beyond that.  Jesus said that if you eye caused you to sin, you should pull your eye out.  Really?  Jesus is likely not speaking literally.  For one thing, you have two eyes, so you would need to rip out both.  Jesus is likely using hyperbolic language here.  What He means is that if something is causing you to sin, you need to take extreme action.  Why?  Because it is serious.  If you continue in that sin, you would be thrown into hell(Matt. 5:30).  That sounds pretty bad, thus the extreme action needed to prevent that outcome.

 

Matt. 5:31-32 - Jesus said that anyone who divorced his wife, except because she had been unfaithful to him and then married another woman would be guilty of committing adultery.  In the prior few verses, Jesus had just said what would happen when someone merely looked at a woman and committed adultery in his heart.  That person would be thrown into hell, so we can see just how serious this is.  Does Jesus love you?  Absolutely!  Is Jesus okay with divorce when there is no marital unfaithfulness on the part of your spouse?  Absolutely not!  The Real Jesus, the one found in the Bible is not okay with divorce.  It is not a trivial thing to Jesus; it should not be trivial to His followers.

 

Matt. 5:37 - Jesus told people to speak the truth and to do what they said they were going to do. Anything beyond that is from Satan(i.e. the evil one), and that cannot be good.  Don't lie; lying comes from Satan.  Don't say you are going to do something, then not do it; that comes from Satan.

 

Matt. 5:38-42 - Be generous.  When someone asks you for something, be willing to give it.  Obviously, you cannot give everyone everything they request.  But if someone wants to borrow something from you, and you are able to loan it, then let them borrow it.

 

Matt. 5:43-48 - Love your enemies.  This is probably one of the most difficult things that Jesus told people to do.  Jesus did not say to tolerate your enemies.  Jesus did not say to just avoid your enemies.  He said to love your enemies.  The Real Jesus, the One in the Bible, said we have to love our enemies AND to pray for those who persecute you.  Really?  Yes, really.  And when Jesus said to pray for them, He did not mean pray that something bad happens to them.  Remember, He also said to love them.  And He even tells us why.  Why are we supposed to love our enemies?  Simply put, because God loves them.  God loves His enemies.  And every person who sins is an enemy of God.  And even though I might be an enemy of God, He loves me.  He loved me so much that He sent His Son to be a sacrifice for my sins(John 3:16).  God loves His enemies that much; we need to love our enemies, as we are trying to be followers of His Son, Jesus.  He goes one step further, calling on His followers to be perfect, just like God is perfect.  Jesus is setting the bar REALLY high, but that is what He said to do, so that is what we need to do.

 

To this point we have merely scratched the surface of the Real Jesus.  The next article will pick up where this one left off.  So for now, let's love our enemies.  Let's be generous.  Let's be truth tellers and keepers of our word.  Let's remember who Jesus was/is.  He is God.  And when He tells us to do soemthing, we need to do it instead of trying to explain it away.