135. Who is Jesus?

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Who is Jesus? No name has sparked more controversy, devotion, or division throughout human history. Some dismiss him as merely a good teacher or prophet, while others worship him as Lord and Savior. But beyond opinions, what does the evidence actually reveal?

Our journey through this question takes us beyond scripture to examine compelling historical records from non-Christian sources. Roman historians Tacitus and Pliny the Younger, along with Jewish historian Josephus, all document Jesus and the early Christian movement—providing powerful external validation for biblical accounts. Archaeological discoveries like the Pilate Stone and eyewitness testimonies recorded in the New Testament further establish Jesus as a real historical figure whose impact transformed the world.

Yet the evidence goes deeper. Hundreds of years before Jesus's birth, Old Testament prophets foresaw specific details about the coming Messiah—his virgin birth in Bethlehem, his suffering, and his mission to reconcile humanity with God. The mathematical probability of one person fulfilling even a handful of these prophecies is astronomically small, yet Jesus fulfilled them all. This convergence of historical, archaeological, and prophetic evidence presents us with a profound question: if Jesus truly is who he claimed to be, how should we respond?

The answer to "Who is Jesus?" isn't just theological—it's deeply personal. We can reject him, ignore him, or follow him as Lord. As you reflect on this Coffee Talk conversation, consider what your response will be to the one whom scripture declares is "the way, the truth, and the life." Join our growing community on Instagram or Facebook @TheRadiantMission or find the video version on YouTube by searching Rebecca Toomey. Your engagement helps these faith conversations reach more seekers and believers alike—subscribe, review, and become a supporter today!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Radiant Mission
Podcast.
I'm your host, rebecca Toomey,and today we are continuing our
Coffee Talk series, where wetackle big faith questions in a
short, thought-provoking format.
Think of it like a conversationover coffee, just you and me
digging into the deep truths ofour faith.

(00:54):
And today's question who isJesus?
There is no name more widelyknown or more controversial than
Jesus Christ.
Some people believe he was justa good teacher, others think he
was a prophet, many call himLord and Savior.
But who is Jesus really?
The question isn't justtheological, it's personal.

(01:19):
What you believe about Jesusshapes everything your faith,
your purpose and even youreternity.
In Matthew 16, verses 15through 16, but what about you?
Jesus asked who do you say I am?
Simon Peter answered you arethe Messiah, the Son of the

(01:39):
living God.
Now let's talk about Jesus inthe Bible and his divine
identity.
The Bible really leaves no roomfor doubt Jesus is the son of
God, the Messiah and the onlyway to salvation, and there is
historical evidence for Jesus'sexistence.
Some skeptics question whetherhe was a real person, but there

(02:04):
is overwhelming historicalevidence confirming that he
lived, taught and was crucified.
And I still have my littlenewborn with me today, so please
excuse the squeaks.
Let's actually first talk aboutthe non-biblical historical

(02:26):
accounts of Jesus.
Beyond the Bible, there areseveral ancient historians who
were not Christians whodocumented Jesus' life and his
impact.
The first is Josephus, a Jewishhistorian in the first century
AD AD.

(02:48):
In Antiquities of the Jews,josephus describes Jesus as a
wise teacher who performedsurprising deeds and was
crucified under Pontius PilateInteresting.
Then we have Tactus, who is aRoman historian in the second
century AD.
In the Annals, tactusius excusemy pronunciation references
christ's execution under pilotand acknowledges the rapid

(03:11):
spread of christianity.
Then we have laney, the youngerroman governor, second century
ad, and letters to emperortrajan.
He describes early, earlyChristians worshiping Jesus as a
God.
These secular sources to mereally confirm details about

(03:31):
Jesus, including his crucifixionand the growth of Christianity
following his death andresurrection.
And how about the archaeologicalevidence?
Archaeological discoveries alsosupport the Bible's accuracy
regarding Jesus' time period.
The Pilate Stone, found in 1961, confirms the existence of

(03:52):
Pontius Pilate, the Romangovernor who sentenced Jesus to
death.
The Calphus Ossuary, discoveredin 1990, is believed to contain
the remains of the high priestwho played a role in Jesus'
trial.
There are also eyewitnesstestimonies.
The New Testament was writtenby eyewitnesses or based on

(04:14):
eyewitnesses' accounts, withindecades of Jesus' life.
The Apostle Paul records earlyChristian beliefs, including
Jesus' resurrection, in 1Corinthians 15, verses 3-8,
which scholars date to within 20years of Jesus' death.
The Gospels provide detailed,consistent accounts of Jesus'

(04:36):
ministry, crucifixion andresurrection.
Despite being written bydifferent authors.
Despite being written bydifferent authors, with
historical writings, archaeologyand firsthand testimonies, the
evidence overwhelmingly supportsthat Jesus was a real person
whose impact changed the worldforever.

(04:56):
Now let's talk about Jesus'fulfilled prophecies.
Hundreds of years before Jesuswas born, prophecies foretold
his coming no-transcript.
And then I'm going to read fromIsaiah 7, 14.
Therefore, the Lord himselfwill give you a sign.

(05:20):
The virgin will conceive andgive birth to a son and will
call him Emmanuel.
That's in the Old Testament.
Now let's jump to the NewTestament, in Matthew 1, 23.
The virgin will conceive andgive birth to a son and they
will call him Emmanuel, whichmeans God with us.

(05:41):
There was also a prophecy abouthis birth being in Bethlehem,
and I'll cite Micah 5.2 andMatthew 2.1 and Micah 5.2, but
you, bethlehem, ephratath.
And Micah 5, 2, but you,bethlehem, ephratath.
Though you are small among theclans of Judah, out of you will

(06:02):
come for me, one who will beruler over Israel, whose origins
are of old, from ancient times.
And then in Matthew 2, 1, weread after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea, during thetime of King Herod, magi from
the East came to Jerusalem.

(06:24):
We are also told a sufferingservant who would bear our sins,
in Isaiah 53, 5, verses 5through 7.
But he was pierced for ourtransgressions.
He was crushed for ourinequities.
The punishment that brought uspeace was on him and by his
wounds we are healed.

(06:45):
We all, like sheep, have goneastray.
Each of us has turned to ourown way, and the Lord has laid
on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,yet he did not open his mouth.
He was led like a lamb to theslaughter and, as a sheep before
its shearers, is silent.

(07:06):
So he did not open his mouth.
Now the mathematicalprobability of one person
fulfilling even a handful ofthese prophecies is beyond
astronomical.
Yet Jesus fulfilled them all.
So let's talk about Jesus, theonly way to God.

(07:29):
What is sin?
Why does it exist?
And what about free will?
Sin is anything that goesagainst the will and holiness of
God.
It began in the Garden of Edenwhen Adam and Eve disobeyed God,
introducing sin into the world,and if you look back into
Genesis 3, you can read allabout that.

(07:50):
But why did they disobey?
And the answer lies in freewill, the ability that God gave
humanity to choose between goodand evil.
And God didn't create us to berobots who would be forced to
love and obey him.
Instead, he created us with thefreedom to choose.
Love cannot be genuine withoutfree will.

(08:13):
If we were forced to obey Godwithout choice, it would not be
true love or worship.
And unfortunately, with freewill also comes the possibility
of sin, choosing our own wayinstead of God's.
Adam and Eve made the choice toeat the forbidden tree, and that

(08:33):
resulted in separation from God, and that continues to affect
all of humanity In Deuteronomy30, verse 19,.
This day, I will call theheavens and earth as witnesses
against you that I have setbefore you life and death,
blessing and curses.
Now choose life so that you andyour children may live Now,

(09:00):
while sin carries consequences.
God and his love and mercy,which we talked about in the
episode about God, they made away for us to be reconciled to
him through Jesus Christ, and itbegan in the Garden of Eden
when Adam and Eve disobeyed God,introducing sin into the world
Again Genesis 3.

(09:21):
Sin is more than just breakingrules.
It is a separation from God'sperfect design and it distorts
relationships.
It brings suffering andultimately it leads to spiritual
death.
In Romans 3.23, we're told forall have sin and fall short of
the glory of God.
But because God is perfectlyjust, he cannot ignore sin.

(09:47):
Sin carries consequences andthe ultimate consequence is
separation from him.
But God, in his love and mercy,made a way for us to be
reconciled to him, and that iswhy he sent his son to die.

(10:08):
God's plan for salvation wasn'tan afterthought.
It was his plan from thebeginning.
From the moment that sinentered the world, god promised
a redeemer that would defeat sinand restore humanity.

(10:37):
In John 3.16,.
No human effort could undo thecurse of sin.
So Jesus took our place, andhis death on the cross satisfied
God's justice and hisresurrection proved his victory
over sin and death.
In Romans 5, verse 8, it saysbut God demonstrates his own

(10:58):
love for us while we were yetsinners.
Christ died for us.
So what does this mean for us?
You guys, if Jesus really iswho he says he is, then we can't
just see him as a good teacher.
We must respond.
There are really three possibleresponses to Jesus.

(11:19):
We can reject him.
Many people do just like backin his time we could ignore him.
And some people believe injesus, but they live as if it
doesn't matter.
The third option is that we canfollow him.

(11:39):
We can trust in him as saviorand surrender to his lordship.
In Romans 10, verse 9, it saysthat if you declare with your
mouth Jesus is Lord and believein your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will besaved.
So as you sip your coffee today,take a moment to reflect.

(12:04):
Who do you believe Jesus is?
Have you placed your trust inhim, and how does Jesus's
identity shape your faith anddaily life?
Today we're going to close withActs 4, verse 12.
Salvation is found in no oneelse, verse 12,.

(12:27):
Salvation is found in no oneelse, for there is no other name
under heaven given to mankindby which we must be saved.
If this episode got youthinking, I'd love to hear from
you.
Join the conversation onInstagram at the Radiant Mission
, on Facebook at the RadiantMission Podcast or, if you
prefer watching, check out thevideo version on YouTube by
searching for Rebecca Toomey,and don't forget to subscribe

(12:50):
and leave a review for the show.
That will help more people tofind these faith-based
conversations.
I would also love for you tobecome a supporter of the show.
Until next time, I'm wishingyou a radiant week.
See you soon.