Who Is Jesus bar Joseph?

It's Hebrew, OK? The "bar" in the name is Hebrew refering to "son of." The reason I titled my sermon this is to point out that this is the way Jesus would have been known to many in the first century of our Common Era. This sermon was an introduction to my series for the Fall about discovering the "historical" Jesus.

Are the Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith different? Probably so, for most of us, but they should not be. It is important for Christians to believe in Jesus as he was, not as who we want him to be. Many have written about Jesus and made up their own image of what he was like. He has been portrayed as a hippie revolutionary, an Egyptian freemason, an apocalyptic madman, prophet of doom, and as a rich man with several wives and homes. The list goes on and on. The only corrective we Christians have for these fantasies is what the Bible says concerning Jesus seen within the context of first century Judaism, which was the context of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. There are many images of Jesus floating around out there. We need to make the effort to discover what he was really like.

I have often asked the question, "What is God like?" The answer is, "God is like Jesus." That is the only answer for Christians. Orthodox Christianity tells us that Jesus is God "incarnate." Incarnate means "in the flesh." God came here, as a human being, to show us what he is like and to do for us what he wanted to do. What is God like? God is like Jesus. The study to understand what Jesus was like and how he was understood in the first century is vital to our understanding of our faith.

There have been some who have pursued the "historical Jesus" with methods that begin with the decision to discount anything the Bible says because it is a "faith" book, not a history book. We will not do that, but we will ask some of the questions these groups of scholars ask and hopefully answer the skeptics to your satisfaction.

If you would like to read two books that I am using as sources you may do so. Both are easily available in most book stores or online. These books are:

The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright. Wright is the official theologian for Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey. Dr. Bailey was my New Testament professor at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon. His work on placing the New Testament into a Middle Eastern context has gained aclaim from scholars and laypersons alike.

My texts for this last Sunday were: Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 2:25-32, and Acts 2:22-24. As you read them notice how they all reflect the importance of the very real and historical figure of Jesus. The Old Testament prophet, the Gospel writer Luke, and Peter in the first Christian sermon ever preached all pointed to one who was historically present, who lived and died in a particular place and time.

Welcome to this journey. I hope that your enjoy it.

Pastor Sandy