Can anyone change your mind?
October 8, 2026
Meet Jesus
October 8, 2026This decade has been like no other. At a global scale, we witnessed the first pandemic of our lifetime, the return of major war to Europe, and the explosion of AI and crypto, with all their risks. Many observers fear for humanity’s future. Some even wonder if the world as we know it could end before the decade is out. Yet life goes on: babies born during the Covid-19 years are already attending nursery and primary school. It looks like there is room for a new generation.
Time can be counted differently. Yet every time we write a date, sign a contract, or check our smartphones, our calendar quietly shows one month or another of 2027, 2028, 2029 . . .
It all points back to a single life, roughly 2,000 years ago: the birth of one man called Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, right around now, our decade marks two millennia since his public ministry began.
But who was he? And what do people say about Jesus Christ now?
For many, he is the founder of a world religion called Christianity, his followers being named after him: Christians. They believe him to be the divine Son of God – numbering over two billion today. For just as many others (in Islam), Jesus was a great teacher, even an honoured prophet. But they take no further steps towards acknowledging him as anything more than human. For others still (particularly in Judaism), he is rejected, seen as a false Messiah.
Especially in the Western world, people wonder if he ever really existed, and a lot of them dismiss the historical record altogether. And for billions of others across the globe, the matter is not important. Perhaps not even known. (Why, after all, would it matter?)
Which brings us back to the first question: Who was he?
Before online searching and triggering algorithms, it is appropriate to go back to the beginning, to see what those who originally proclaimed him said about his person, his work, and his impact.
You might be surprised to know that the Bible – this foundational book about him – does not hide the uncomfortable perspectives people had about Jesus. Some of us would probably have skipped a few lines found in the Gospels (the biographies of Jesus) in utter embarrassment. Yet their records are honest: when he preached, people split into two groups. Some said he spoke like no other, while others said he was being led by an evil spirit (John 7:46 and 8:48). Some perceived him as doing all things perfectly, while others said he was out of his mind (Mark 7:37 and 3:21). One followed him as a good man, another said he was leading people astray (John 7:12). Some worshipped at his feet, while others spat on him, before nailing him to the cross (Matthew 2:11 and 27:30). Whose voice, whose opinion would then really matter?
There is a crucial test. When someone gives a testimony, what is at stake? Do they gain money, influence, and favours, or do they put their lives on the line?
Those who proclaimed Jesus in the beginning gained no worldly advantage; instead they suffered for his name, facing persecution, severe beatings, imprisonment, and even execution (Acts 7:54-60; 12:1-5).
When people willingly lay down their lives for what they witnessed, their testimony carries real weight.
So what did they actually say about him?
Remarkably, Jesus himself asked his close followers this very question: ‘Who do people say I am?’ (Mark 8:27) They replied that some thought he was one of the prophets of old, even Elijah, the great prophet of God. It all sounded honouring, flattering even. But he pushed the question home: ‘What about you? Who do you say I am?’
In a moment like that, a rushed answer would not be wise, and a formal and dry answer would just be parroting the crowd. One of Jesus’ followers, named Simon Peter, answered with quiet confidence: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ (Matthew 16:16)
And Jesus confirmed it: ‘Blessed are you Simon, . . . for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 16:17)
What if getting your answers about Jesus is not only a matter of searching but of revelation too? Not the spark of a new debate, but the receiving of a 2,000-year-old blessing in our turbulent decade.
Worth a try?
The Try Jesus! invitation is simple: come and see for yourself. Not through someone else’s filtered opinion, not relying on secondhand claims. But getting the eyewitness accounts, the primary sources, their own stories. As if you were there, front row.
Take your time. Doubts are welcome. Questions are honoured, and answers are promised. We know: it’s a journey.
