Many people — young and old, believers and seekers alike — have asked me this question with sincerity: “Father, who is Jesus Christ?”
It is a question that never grows old, because every heart is longing to know who He truly is. And in seeking to understand Jesus, we are really seeking to understand the heart of God Himself.
In the Gospels, we meet Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who walked among us not as a distant divinity, but as a friend, healer, and Savior. He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), God’s eternal love made visible in human form. Through His teaching, His compassion for the poor, and His mercy toward sinners, we see not just what God says — but who God is: Love incarnate.
The name “Jesus” means “God saves”, and “Christ” means “the Anointed One.” Together they reveal His mission: to bring salvation to the world, to heal the brokenhearted, and to reconcile us with the Father. Every page of Scripture points toward Him. The prophets dreamed of the day when the Messiah would come; in Jesus, that longing becomes reality.
Yet, dear friends, Jesus is not a figure lost in time or a story from long ago. He is alive. He is the same Lord who continues to walk with us through the Holy Spirit and the life of the Church. When we open our hearts to Him in prayer, when we listen to His Word, or when we receive Him in the Eucharist, we encounter not an idea — but a living Presence. As He Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
To know Jesus Christ is to encounter love in its purest form — a love that forgives every sin, heals every wound, and gives meaning even to our suffering. On the Cross, He took upon Himself the pain of the world and turned it into redemption. In His Resurrection, He showed that life is stronger than death, and love is stronger than sin.
My dear brothers and sisters, this question — “Who is Jesus Christ?” — is not meant to be answered only once, but lived each day. The more we seek Him, the more we will discover that He has been seeking us first.
And perhaps that is the most beautiful truth of all: that the Son of God desires to know you — personally, deeply, eternally.
May His gentle voice echo in your heart today: “I am with you always.”
With prayer and blessing,
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
