Most people carry some picture of Jesus long before they open a Bible. Parts of that picture are usually right, and parts are blurry. If you want to know who He is, the clearest place to look is the four short books written to tell His story: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Christians call them the Gospels, from an Old English word meaning “good news.” John tells you plainly why he wrote his: “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).
Where He came from
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod (Matthew 2:1). His mother was Mary, who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Luke gives the scene most of us know from Christmas: no room at the inn, a baby laid in a manger, and shepherds in the fields at night hearing from an angel that “a Savior has been born to you” (Luke 2:11).
Even His name was a message. Joseph was told to call the child Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). He grew up in Nazareth, a small town in Galilee, where people knew Him as “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3).
What He taught and did
His public life began when John baptized Him in the Jordan River (Mark 1:9). From there He went through Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God. “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). He called fishermen to follow Him, and they left their nets on the spot (Mark 1:16-18).
His teaching unsettled people. He told His listeners to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). Asked which commandment mattered most, He gave two: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). He told stories people still repeat, like the Samaritan who stopped for a beaten man after two religious men had passed him by (Luke 10:30-37), or the son who wasted everything and came home to find his father running to meet him (Luke 15:11-32). The crowds noticed that He taught “as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:29).
The Gospels also record many miracles. He healed the sick and the blind, fed hungry crowds, calmed a storm, and called Lazarus out of his tomb (John 11:43-44). John calls these acts signs (John 2:11), because they pointed to who Jesus was. One scene in Mark shows this in a few lines. Four men lowered a paralyzed friend through a roof to reach Him, and the first thing Jesus said was, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The teachers in the room were offended and asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). Jesus then told the man to pick up his mat and go home, and he walked out in front of everyone.
Who He said He was
At one point Jesus put the question to His disciples directly.
“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:15-16
“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah, the anointed King Israel had waited for. Jesus didn’t correct Peter. He said this had been revealed to him by “My Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
He spoke about Himself in ways no ordinary teacher would. On the night before He died, Thomas told Him the disciples didn’t know the way to where He was going.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
Earlier, standing with Martha after her brother Lazarus had died, He told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).
He was just as clear about why He had come. When two disciples asked for the seats of honor beside Him, He told them that greatness in His kingdom means serving, and then He pointed to Himself.
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45
A ransom is the price paid to set a captive free. He was telling them ahead of time what His death would be.
His death and resurrection
Jesus warned His disciples more than once that He would be killed and rise again (Mark 8:31), and they didn’t understand (Mark 9:32). In Jerusalem He was arrested at night, betrayed by Judas, one of His own twelve. The religious leaders handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and Pilate had Him flogged and crucified (Mark 15:15). On the cross He prayed for the people putting Him to death: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Afterward Joseph of Arimathea laid His body in a tomb cut out of rock and rolled a stone across the entrance (Mark 15:43-46).
Early on the first day of the week, women came to the tomb with spices and found the stone rolled away (Luke 24:1-3).
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.”
Matthew 28:5-6
Then Jesus appeared to His followers. Mary Magdalene knew Him when He said her name (John 20:16). Thomas, who had refused to believe without proof, saw Him and said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). The apostle Paul later summed up what the first Christians handed on to each other:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Why Christians call Him Son of God and Savior
Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God because of all of this taken together: what He said about Himself, what He did, and the fact that God raised Him from the dead. Paul was blunt about how much hangs on that last part: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
The New Testament also says what His death was for. Our sin separates us from God, and we can’t undo that ourselves. Jesus died for us, and the reason given is love.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Look at the timing in that second verse. God didn’t wait for anyone to get their life in order first. Paul calls salvation “the gift of God,” received through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
How to begin following Him
When Jesus met those fishermen, His words were short: “Come, follow Me” (Mark 1:17). You can answer that today. A few places to start:
- Talk to God honestly. Tell Him you want to turn from your sin and trust Jesus. Paul wrote that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). You don’t need special wording.
- Read one Gospel from start to finish. Mark is quick and full of action, and John is slower and more reflective. A chapter a day is plenty.
- Find a local church that teaches the Bible and tell someone there you are starting out. They can answer questions, pray with you, and talk with you about baptism.
- Pray a little every day. Jesus gave His disciples words to use, which you can learn in The Lord’s Prayer explained, and many people find the morning easiest (see how to start your day with prayer).
You won’t understand everything at once. The disciples didn’t either, and Jesus was patient with their questions. His invitation was for tired people too: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Amen Clock wakes you with a Bible verse read aloud and turns off when you say “Amen,” which can be a simple way to start each day with God.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.