Who is Jesus, really? That’s the question we’ve been examining in our current series, Jesus Unfiltered. It is an important question to answer because there are many opinions about who Jesus is. With the Gospel of Mark as our guide, we’ve read stories that highlight unique and unexpected encounters with Jesus. This Sunday, we close out this teaching series with a story that shows a side of Jesus not seen anywhere else in the gospels. Some may find it a bit over the top, but we must not ignore this side of Jesus.

Traditions. Can you think of traditions that you or your family celebrate? Maybe you watch a favorite movie like Elf or It’s a Wonderful Life during Christmas, or your family goes on vacation to the same beach every summer. Maybe each person in your family gets to pick a favorite meal on their birthday, or every year you read through the Bible from beginning to end. Traditions are memorable and important, so you might be surprised when you see how Jesus responds to a group of leaders who are all about religious tradition. Although shocking, His response can serve as a healthy reminder for us about what matters most…a sort of “wake-up call” to check our motives in our pursuit of living like Jesus.

One of the most important questions Jesus posed happened when He asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Now, if we asked culture, “Who is Jesus?” we would likely get a variety of responses. That’s because there’s the hipster Jesus, the feminist Jesus, and the homeboy Jesus. In animated shows like Family Guy, there is the divorced, action hero Jesus who drives a convertible with Chris Tucker riding shotgun. In the Simpsons, there is the Jesus who turns water into a Bloody Mary and occupies heaven with Sponge Bob Square Pants and Buddha. In the popular movie Talladega Nights, there’s tiny, infant Jesus, and there’s the Jesus who was married to Mary Magdalene in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. Although the vast majority of adults agree that Jesus was a real person who actually lived, only 48% believe He did not commit sins like other people. So who is Jesus, really?