At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the Special One sent from God to restore us to God’s favour and inspire us to a positive purpose in life.
A survey has suggested that a significant number of people in the UK today believe that Simon Cowell is the promised Messiah … a thought which conjures up that immortal line from the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian … ‘He’s not the Messiah … he’s a very naughty boy!’
But did Jesus think of himself as the Messiah?
In conversation with a Samaritan woman, Jesus responded to her comment ‘I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming’ by declaring ‘I am he!’
And, when being interrogated after his arrest, Jesus responded to the High Priest’s blunt question, ‘Are you the Messiah?’ by stating, equally bluntly, ‘I am!’
But who do we think Jesus is? And how does our answer to that question affect our lives?
A young man entered a crowded café and found himself sitting opposite a clergyman who was reading a book. The clergyman wore a badge in the shape of a question mark in his lapel.
The young man was agnostic, and not a great lover of the church or the clergy, but he was intrigued by the lapel badge … and suddenly found himself asking the clergyman what it signified? ‘Why,’ said the clergyman with a knowing smile, ‘it stands for the most important question in the world!’ and annoyingly went back to reading his book.
The young man couldn’t help himself and blurted out, ‘What is the most important question in the world?’
The clergyman looked up smiling, and turned the pages of the little book he was reading … which happened to be a New Testament … and read the words of Pontius Pilate to the crowds at the trial of Jesus, ‘What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’
‘That is the most important question in the world!’ said the clergyman, suddenly looking serious, to the young man.
‘May I ask you’ he continued, ‘what are you doing with Jesus?’
The Revd Jim Binney is a pastor of Abbey Baptist Church in Reading, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Reading
