Jesus of Nazareth never wrote a song, yet there are more songs written about Him than any other person in history. He never authored a book, but entire chains of bookstores can hold only a fraction of the volumes written about Him. So cataclysmic was His appearance on earth, that it served to divide the whole of human history in two: B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (an abbreviation for the Latin words meaning ``after His coming''). He calmed the sea, raised the dead and agitated the religious and political leaders of His day. It's no surprise that even His own disciples wondered, ``What manner of man is this?'' In their own way, they were asking, ``Who is this Jesus?'' People have tried to ignore that question, change the question, outlaw the question and silence those who ask the question--all without success. We can choose to love Jesus or hate Him. We can elect to serve Him or reject Him. But from the moment of His appearance, it has been impossible to ignore Him. ``Who is this Jesus?'' It is a vital question-- one that each and every person must answer sooner or later. Fortunately, the answer is as near as your Bible. In Search of Jesus Let's begin in the book of John, Chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Jesus Christ did not make His debut on that first Christmas morning in Bethlehem. He existed before creation--``in the beginning''--and ``through Him all things were made.'' (John 1:3) Look back to the book of Genesis. God said, ``Let us make man in our image.'' (Genesis 1:26) Who was He talking to? He was talking to the Word! The Word is none other than Jesus Christ. We know this because later, in verse 14, John tells us, ``The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.'' Can you imagine? The Word, who was God, came down to dwell among us. More literally, Jesus ``pitched his tent'' in our ``camp.''Why would the creator of the universe do such a thing? Why would He bother? Because God wanted to reveal Himself to us in terms we could understand. It's hard for humans to relate to a spirit. But Jesus walked among us. He was flesh and blood, but full of deity. At one moment He was hungry because He was fully human. The next moment, He miraculously fed 5,000 because He was fully God. One moment, Jesus agonizes on a cross and dies because He was fully human. Three days later, He rose from the grave because He was fully God. That's why Jesus has the distinction of being history's only 200% man, fully human and fully divine. ``God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.'' (Colossians 1:19) Members of some sects will knock on your door and try to convince you that Jesus isn't God. They'll say He was God's first creation. They'll suggest that He is a leader under God, but not equal to God. That's not what the text says. ``And the Word was God.'' Seems pretty clear to me. That's why Jesus the Son and God the Father are sometimes referred to interchangeably. In Genesis, we're told that God created the heavens and earth. In Colossians, we hear that Jesus created them. In one place, we're told that God knows everything. Elsewhere, we discover that Jesus knows everything. God is eternal; Jesus is eternal. The list goes on and on. So what? Why is it important to know that this Jesus became a man? Because without Him, we would have no chance of understanding God. Look back to our text: No one has ever seen God, but the only begotten Son, who is at the Father's side, has made Him known. (John 1:18) Yes, I know the text can be confusing. Stay with me! If anybody comes to you claiming to have seen God, you're looking at a liar. The text says no one has seen God. Flimsy human bodies were never constructed to stand in the presence of God's glory. It's like staring straight into the sun- -there's too much power for a direct look. So how could God fully reveal Himself without vaporizing us? Answer: He is fully revealed in Jesus. To understand Jesus is to understand God. Philip had been one of Jesus' disciples for almost three years when he came up with an interesting request. ``Show us the Father,'' he said, ``and that will be enough for us.'' (John 14:8) Jesus' answer puts His purpose in perspective. ``Don't you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.'' Jesus took everything there was to know about God and put it on a shelf we could reach. Jesus is the complete revelation of God. That's why you can't go around Jesus and get to God. He is the only begotten Son. Buddha, Elijah Mohammed, Confucius . . . no prophet, teacher or king can make that claim. Nobody stands next to Jesus! ``I am the way and the truth and the life,'' Jesus says, ``No one comes to the Father except through Me.'' (John 14:6) The Wonder of His Name Today, when we choose names for our children, we base our selection on sound. A first name that rolls off the tongue nicely when combined with the last name is the target for most moms and dads. In biblical times, however, parents cared little about the sound of a name; they were concerned with its meaning. A child's name was selected to reflect his character--or at least the parents' hope. Remember Esau--Jacob's brother? The name Esau meant ``hairy,'' and was an accurate description. Occasionally, names were changed to more accurately reflect character. Jacob became ``Israel,'' which meant ``he struggles with God.'' (see Genesis 32:28). The name of Abram (which meant ``exalted father'') was changed to Abraham (``the father of many'') after God established the covenant (Genesis 17:5). When the angel Gabriel visited Mary to predict the birth of the Messiah, he instructed Mary that she should call the baby Jesus--meaning that He would save His people from their sins. ``Jesus'' is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament name ``Joshua,'' which means ``salvation.'' But Jesus has other names as well--not literal names you would use in conversation, but descriptive names that give us insight into his character and mission. Check out this passage from Isaiah 9:6. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Let's work through those appellations individually.