F R E E I N G
J E S U S
by Neil Christians (neilc@lordoflife.org)
In Acts 9:3-5, a man named Saul had an encounter with the risen Christ. Saul was soon to be known as the Apostle Paul who is responsible for many of the writings in the New Testament. In this encounter, Saul is blinded by a great light and he hears a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul responds by asking, “Who are you?” Interesting question. Saul doesn’t ask, “What are you doing?” or “Why are you talking to me?” Saul asks, “Who are you?”
Bible 101
In a new book by Diana Butler Bass called Freeing Jesus, she notes that this question of “who” is a relationship question. It is the question we try to answer whenever we meet
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someone new. We want to find out “who” is sitting across from us. It invites us into a relationship. This invitation into a relationship is for all of us. We must all ask ourselves, who is Jesus?
I encourage you all to pick up this book, Freeing Jesus. It explores this question of who Jesus is as friend, teacher, savior, Lord, way, and presence. Rooted in biblical passages, it explores who Jesus is and what this might mean for our daily lives. The chapter that captivated me was Jesus as savior. Bass writes about Mark 10:17-22 (see full text on Page 7) where a man ran up to Jesus and asked
