What is Jesus to Me?

There is a poignant yet necessary question that Jesus poses to the Apostles, as described in St. Matthew’s Gospel, about how people define or interpret who He is. The genesis of the question stems from the Pharisees and Sadducees demanding a sign from heaven to prove his identity to them.[1] What is interesting about this question is that both religious groups witnessed Jesus’ healings, the feeding of the five thousand and four thousand, his discourse as the Lord of the Sabbath, through the plucking of the grain of wheat on the Sabbath.[2] But they still demanded a sign due to their spiritual obstinacy toward the Son of God.

When the Apostles attempted to answer Jesus’ question from the perspective of other followers, Jesus reasserts his question directly to the Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter finally responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[3] Jesus affirms Peter’s description of Jesus by immediately associating God the Father, who revealed this wisdom and insight through the gift of grace. The question posed by Jesus could have easily been reworded to say, “Who am I to you?” The importance of this question establishes a direct and fruitful dialogue between Christ and the Apostles for the intention to confirm the establishment of the Church on earth. Until the Apostles understand the nature and identity of Christ, it is pointless to establish the Church of Christ on earth. In other words, there must exist a sincere belief, which leads to faith, which leads to a consent to the will of God through the Son to be a disciple of Christ and His Church.

When I posed a similar question to a group of missionaries, “What is Jesus to you?” as part of their evangelization and kerygmatic training, they had a challenging time coming up with a response. The question provided the missionaries with an opportunity to discern their relationship with Jesus Christ in a way they had not thought of. What I discovered with these missionaries is that they had an idea of what their relationship with Christ looked like, but nothing concrete to substantiate their understanding of Jesus in their lives. 

The thought of Jesus Christ as either a theoretical concept or a manufactured figure meant to help us get along in a pacifist way does not quite explain who Jesus really is, or how we are to apply the way, truth, and life of Jesus Christ[4] in our daily lives. It is important when addressing the question, “What is Jesus to me?” to demonstrate a physical reality of who Jesus was on earth, what he actually did, and who he is now. To address the human sense of a person in relation to the question, “What is Jesus to me?” a visible and attractive reality must be made present, or better yet, revealed, that would help the person understand who Jesus is for him.

Whether Jesus is viewed as a religious figure, friend, counselor, or someone of insignificance, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, must be presented as someone who lived, breathed, and suffered like us except in sin. The concept of Christ to someone who has difficulty developing any meaningful thought of Christ in his life must start with a human witness who unabashedly believes and actively seeks to embrace a life with Christ. Active communication with Jesus Christ through prayer, an embrace of a life of beatitude, the genuine display of forgiveness to your neighbor, the willingness to defend the teachings of Jesus Christ with prudence, wisdom, and love are all visible realities of what Jesus can be to the person who questions the purpose of Jesus in his life.

When the missionaries asked me, “What is Jesus to me?” I told them that, “he is the reality of truth, beauty, and goodness that compels me to love Him more than anyone else. He is my model of sanctity, holiness, and suffering that compels me to speak well of him as a husband and a father. The answer to the question of “What is Jesus to me?” requires one to be willing to acknowledge that Jesus is God, the second person of the blessed Trinity, and that our lives revolve around the constant development and confirmation of a relationship with him that moves us to embrace the way of the cross.

In Luke’s Gospel, after Peter had denied knowing Jesus, the chief priests and scribes led Jesus away, and they asked him if he was the Christ.[5] Jesus’ response is very telling because he says there is no point in telling them who he is because they do not believe. This is very important because to answer the question, “What is Jesus to you?” requires a consent of faith and belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word made flesh, the bread of life, my Lord, Savior, and King. The Catechism provides us with a wonderful answer to the question, “What is Jesus to me?”

The Son of God, who came down “from heaven, not to do [his] own will, but the will of him who sent [him],” said on coming into the world, “Lo, I have come to do your will, O God.” “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”⁴¹⁴ From the first moment of his Incarnation the Son embraces the Father’s plan of divine salvation in his redemptive mission: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.” The sacrifice of Jesus “for the sins of the whole world”⁴¹⁶ expresses his loving communion with the Father. “The Father loves me, because I lay down my life,” said the Lord, “[for] I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.^[6]

In conclusion, St. John’s Gospel provides us with a fitting closure to the question What is Jesus to me through the bread of life discourse;

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”[7]