Do You Know Him? Jesus of Nazareth

Do you know Jesus or do you know about Him? That’s the question answered by a few people. Some say they know about Jesus because they have either read about Him or were told that He died suspended on a wooden cross to complete the work of redemption. Some say they know about Him because of hearing or reading that Jesus walked on water, healed the sick, and raised people from the dead. And Jesus fed 5,000 people, including children with two fish and five loaves of bread. These are excellent sources of acquiring knowledge about Jesus. However, to complete the full picture of knowing Jesus, we must have a personal relationship with him so we can say, ‘I know Him for myself.’

I am reminded of certain passages of Scripture which explain the dramatic transformation of Apostle Paul’s attitude toward Jesus and His followers. Paul, a devout Jew and Pharisee, studied under the tutelage of Gamaliel, also, a Pharisee, teacher of the law and Jew (Acts 22:3). The Pharisees were a group of Jewish people who separated themselves from other religious groups. As mentioned in Zondervan Pictorial Bible dictionary, the name Pharisee “… in its Semetic form means the separated ones, separatists.”1 They followed the Mosaic law (Matthew 23:2), having influence among the people, and traveled throughout the land hoping to convert the Gentiles over to Judaism (Matthew 23:15).

Paul had so much zeal for Judaism that he, along with others of his faith, persecuted the Christians for following Jesus’ doctrine. Jesus taught his followers not to be as the Pharisees and Scribes who “ outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28). Paul requested letters of commission, from the high priest, to go to Damascus in order to persecute any followers of Jesus that were there (Acts 9:1-2). The commission was granted to him, and Paul went to pursue his mission of bringing Christians back to Jerusalem for punishment. As Paul came near to Damascus, there was shown suddenly a light from heaven. “He fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying… Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he, trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do”(Acts 9:4-6).

As we read further in Acts 9:8-20, we learn that Paul’s experience opened his heart to know Jesus in a more dynamic manner designed just for him. When he arose from the ground, he was blind; however, within three days, God restored his sight and he was filled with the Holy Ghost.

Instead of persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ, Paul became a great advocate of the doctrine taught by Jesus. He preached the Gospel for the duration of his life and penned thirteen books of the New Testament called the Pauline Epistles. The authorship of Hebrews is in controversy whether Paul was the author. Paul’s doubts and unbelief regarding the testimony of Jesus were reversed and he became a living testimony of the transforming power of God in the lives of people.

Another biblical character who had a profound experience of knowing Jesus for himself was Nathanael, who was born in Cana of Galilee. He was one of the early disciples of Jesus under the name of Bartholomew. Like Apostle Paul, Nathanael had doubts about who the Messiah was and when he would come.

We read in the Bible that Philip found Nathanael one day sitting under a tree meditating. Philip told him that he had found “…him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, … .” Philip was referring to Jesus (John 1:45).

Nathanael’s response to Philip’s statement was “…Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?....” (John 1:46). It appears that this assumptive remark coming from Nathanael puts a flavor of doubt upon his expectation from whom and where the Messiah could come. In fact, the people of Nazareth, “had established a rather poor reputation in morals and religion.”3

One day Nathanael had a rather surprising encounter with Jesus. The following scriptural text tells of the meeting between Nathanael and Jesus: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee” (John 1:47-48).

The personal dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael indicates Nathanael’s change of heart. Nathanael said to Jesus,“Rabbi thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49). Jesus knew the heart of Nathanael. He was a seeker of truth and to have a personal relationship with the Messiah, Jesus.

Nathanael exemplified great faith in the Messiahship of Jesus and later became one of the first disciples, along with Peter, James and John. He also was one of the seven apostles to whom Jesus appeared after the resurrection by the sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-1).

Nathanael’s life was transformed and he also became a prolific worker in the Kingdom of God. Having a profound encounter with Jesus is far more rewarding and refreshing than simply reading about Him and not moving forward into intimacy with Him.

This work is intended to give a practical study of the Gospel message. I have endeavored to present a concise narrative of the birth, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus of Nazarath in lesson format with study guides and discussion questions. Knowing the totality of Jesus’ earthly mission should take a person on a marvelous journey of developing a personal relationship with Him.

The utmost intent is to encourage the readers to search their heart and sincerely answer the question, Do You Know Him? Jesus of Nazareth. Further, to enhance the readers’ knowledge of who the Savior is of the entire world and His purpose to humanity.

For this work I have chosen to use the scriptural references as cited. There are many biblical accounts of the birth, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus that are not included with this work. I pray that this study will be enriching and a blessing to the readers.