Who is Jesus Really?

Short Talk (SHT084) Who is Jesus really? © Jane Hulme 2018 Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: SHORT TALK: “Who is Jesus really?” To teach that Jesus is the Son of God and that we need to listen to Him. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Jesus, Transfiguration, Listening Mark 9:2-9 Year B – The Sunday next before Lent ........................................................................................................................ I wonder if your head-teacher at school or college had a make-over and came to school dressed as one of the older students whether you would recognise them.  Or if you are at work, I wonder if you would recognise your boss if they had a make- over and came to work dressed as one of your colleagues. Some of you may have seen the programme on television called “Undercover Boss.”  This programme shows the boss of a company changing what they look like and then going to work for their own company.  They pretend that they are taking part in a documentary about what it is like to change career, which explains the cameras. The boss normally works alongside someone who is much lower down the company and gets them talking about what is good and bad about working there,  as well as seeing for themselves the problems that people face day to day. After a week or two all the people that have met the undercover boss are called to a meeting where the boss is no longer in disguise but dressed as the boss.  You can imagine the shock that many people feel when they see the boss and realise some of the things that they have said about the company, when they didn’t realise who they were talking to.  Some people have wondered whether they would still have a job now that they know who they were really talking to. Imagine now that you are one of Jesus’ first disciples;  either Peter, James or John. You have been following Jesus for a little while and you are still working out who He really is. Jesus looks like a very ordinary man.  In fact He dresses in a very similar way to the way that everyone else dresses,  but you have heard Him say and do some amazing things. © Jane Hulme 2018 2 Some of you have been wondering if He could be the Messiah; God’s anointed King,  whilst others have said that He couldn’t possibly be because He isn’t acting like a warrior King. And then one day Jesus takes you up a mountain with Him and you see and hear something incredible.  Listen to what St Mark says:  “And then in front of their eyes His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus........Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”” (Mark 9:2b-4,7 The Message Version) What a shock!  Jesus is no ordinary person at all.  In fact quite the opposite.  God the Father is even claiming that Jesus is His Son. You can imagine that the disciples would have been terrified,  and Mark’s Gospel confirms that. (Mark 9:6) Suddenly Peter, James and John were given the immense privilege of seeing and hearing for themselves, who Jesus really was.....God’s own Son.  You can imagine that they probably paid more attention to what Jesus said to them after this experience. Now Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow.  He is still God’s Son and even though we cannot see Him with our eyes, His presence is still with us.  If we are wise, we like the disciples, will take the time to listen to what He says to us;  either through our Bible reading or in our prayer times. One day we too will see Jesus in all of His glory when He returns to earth a second time.  Will we be shocked like the people in the Undercover Boss programme were shocked when they saw their boss in his position of authority?  Or will we be excited because we have spent our lives listening to and following Jesus? © Jane Hulme 2018 3