January 22, 2015 (Thursday)
A TV reporter in San Diego did a “man on the street” segment for the daily news and announced to passersby that Martin Luther King had died at age 93. Only one person disputed his statement; the news came as a surprise to all the other interviewees.
A typical reaction was, “This is the first I’ve heard about it. I didn’t watch the news.” King was murdered on April 4, 1968, nearly 47 years ago, but when the reporter shared the news that he had just passed away, the reaction was not as expected. “This is the first I heard about it, I didn’t watch the news,” states one woman as she is told that King died aged 93. 
This all took place the day before Martin Luther King Day, the national holiday in his honor. But the reporter asked a man, “Do you think they will create a national holiday for him?” to receive the answer, “Maybe.” When another man is told that King was the first African-American to walk on the moon, he replied that King was “a good role model for African-American astronauts.” One person agreed that the step will be good for race relations when told by the reporter that King will be the first American to be put on Mt. Rushmore.” Another person promised to watch King’s funeral service on television.
If this surprises you, then consider the fact that many people you meet every day are confused about who Jesus is. In a nation with many churches, some bearing the name of Jesus on their signs, people drive by without giving a thought to the identity of the church’s namesake.
It seems like a simple question, “Who Is Jesus?,” but in fact it is not. What if someone asked you that question? What would you say? One man says, “Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world 2000 years ago, miraculously conceived and born of a virgin woman, so that He could dwell among mankind, understand our troubles, heal our sicknesses, and deliver us from our sins (Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 1:23).” Good answer, I would say. But to a person who has never heard of Jesus, or is confused about his identity, the statement would require further explanation.
In a day when we are flooded with information of all kinds by which hitherto vague secrets of history and science are discussed in detail on our television screens, how many people actually understand what they mean when they talk about Jesus Christ? I believe every community has many people in it who do not know who Jesus is. That’s why Jesus said to us who believe in Him, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20).