Jesus is just not that interesting

An article by 

Pastor Bobby Clark

I recently read a list that was listing the 16 most interesting characters in the Bible. I want to say this first, I do not like calling them characters or stories. The reason for this is, it makes it sounds like the Bible is just a work of fiction. Which, I know and believe that the Bible is completely true. And that the people from the Bible had lived. There is a lot of historical evidence that these people did live, which I will talk more about in another article in the future. Back to the list. In it they had people like King David, Moses, Abraham, Paul, and so on. A lot of these people are very interesting. Look at Paul. He is someone who was one of the biggest persecutors of Christians. And yet through the transforming love of Jesus Christ. Paul became one of the biggest missionaries of His time. Who wrote most of the New Testament. Then you have people like Moses. Who along with his family was considered to be the only holy people on Earth. So, when God flooded the Earth as a great reset. Moses and his family were the only ones who survived. And the list is right, these people are very interesting. And we can learn a lot about them and from them. As well as learn a lot about God from how He interacted with these people. However, when I went through this list, I noticed someone missing. The person who was missing from the list was Jesus Christ. 

So, I must ask myself and all that are reading this article. Do we need to admit that “Jesus is just not that interesting.” Or are we just not seeing how interesting and amazing Jesus truly is? The Bible is filled with interesting facts, stories, and prophecies that center around Jesus Christ. Let alone the simple fact, Jesus and God are one. “25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:25-38 (ESV). So, if we say that Jesus is just not that interesting, or that he is not one of the more interesting people. Then are we also saying, God is really not that interesting? The Bible passage above says that Jesus and God are one. So, I believe yes if you have the belief that Jesus is not that interesting. Then you most likely think the same about God. 

You might be asking, “Why does this even matter. It was just some list that no one reads.” While true that might be.  There are a couple reasons why the lack of Jesus on the list of 16 most interesting people from the Bible gets me so on fire. But first let me note. This article is not meant as a rebuttal to the list I read. Or is it an article where I want to bash the author in any way. I don't know them, nor do I know their relationship with God. What is important is that we as believers in Jesus Christ, do a good job to promote/represent how awesome, amazing, powerful, loving, forgiving, and interesting our Lord truly is. Because the truth is, if the author thinks that Jesus is not worthy of being on the 16 most interesting people in the Bible list. Then there are others out there who think the same way. And are you going to follow a Savior who you don't find interesting? No I do think you will, or at least you won't strive to get to know them on a deeper level. So as I said before, we as Christains need to do a good job of representing and teaching how interesting Jesus truly is. So for the remainder of this article, we will discuss some ways that Jesus is interesting. This will not be a complete list, but it is meant to push you to read the Bible and study why and how Jesus is so interesting by yourself. Also there will be some overlap on why Jesus is so interesting. 

The first reason Jesus is so interesting is because as I said above Jesus is God. In the Christian faith we believe that there is only one God. However, that one God has three personalities. Which is God the father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit the helper. But in the end, all those personalities are all a part of one God. I know this concept might be confusing, which I would encourage you to watch our video on the trinity. Which covers this whole concept. But this adds on to how interesting Jesus truly is.  That's because Jesus is God in human form. He was both fully man and fully God. “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a] 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,[b] 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[c] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8(ESV) Not only did Jesus become human. But he was still fully God. You might be asking yourself how that works. And the truth is, that is just one of the mysteries that our finite minds cannot truly and fully understand. Which in itself is one of the parts that make Jesus Christ so interesting. Like I said, I don't know fully how it works. However, the fact is Jesus is fully God and fully man. He wasn't born a man and then given godly power. Jesus wasn't a powerful prophet, and he wasn't just a wise teacher. He was God in human form, and He is the Savior of mankind. 

This isn't something that just popped out of nowhere either. The fact is that Jesus was prophesied way before His birth. In fact, Jesus fulfilled around 400 prophecies from the Old Testament. This fact in itself makes Jesus really interesting. The very first time we see this is all the way back in Genesis 3:15. Which was right after the fall of man, and the first sin. God is telling Adam, Eve, and the servant what is going to happen now. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15(ESV) In this prophecy, God is telling Eve that someone will come from her offspring, and He will bruise the head of the servant. Then in Luke 1:35, you see the angel of the Lord announce the birth of Jesus. Which completes the Genesis 3:15 prophecy. “35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born5 will be called holy—the Son of God.” Luke 1:35(ESV). Jesus has not completed the part where He will crush the head of the servant yet. However, that will be completed in the future. But that is not the only prophecy that Jesus fulfils. Once you start looking at the books of the prophets. You see a lot more prophecies that Jesus fulfils and completes. “7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7(ESV) In this verse the Prophet Isaiah is telling about Jesus’s oppression and death that would happen hundred years after this book is written. And ultimately Jesus being the sacrificial lamb that will die on the cross for our sins. Those are just a couple prophecies that Jesus completed, however there are so many other prophecies that Jesus completes. As I said, this just proves another reason why Jesus is so interesting. 

There are so many other reasons why Jesus truly is so interesting. But the last reason I want to mention in this article. Is that Jesus is interesting because He gave his life on the cross for our sin. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Sin entered into the world. “7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:7-13(ESV). Sin had no place in this world before the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Since sin entered into this world, it became a curse on mankind. A curse that affected and still affects everyone. Because of this sin, we could not be in harmony with God anymore. God then sent His son to die on the cross for all of our sins. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24(ESV). Jesus who knew no sin, died on the cross to redeem all mankind. All we need to do is accept the gift and allow Jesus to be our lord and savor. And then we will be adopted into God’s family. If not for this fact in itself why Jesus is the most interesting person from the Bible. Jesus also gives us one of the most cool and hardcore lines from the cross. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:28-30(ESV). Jesus knew that the redemption for mankind was completed. He saved everyone from sin and gave everyone the opportunity to accept this act. 

In this article we are focusing on why Jesus is so interesting. And as I said, the reason why we are focusing on this fact. Is the fact that Jesus being interesting is also wrapped into a lot of other of His Characteristics. Jesus is awesome, He is powerful, He is amazing, He is Loving, and He is interesting. Once we see this, we will grow in our relationship with Christ. And respect Jesus as the one true God. So in closing, YES JESUS IS THAT INTERESTING!!!