How much influence can one life have? We all have people in our lives that have been influential to us and maybe that person was to others as well, but can one person influence literally billions of people? If we are talking about Jesus, then the answer is a resounding ‘yes’! How much of an impact has Jesus had on the entire world? Let’s consider some areas.
First, think of Jesus’ impact on the arts. In the disciplines of music, art, and even architecture, what other person has inspired more works than Jesus? When it comes to music, some of the most famous pieces of classical music by Bach and Handel have Jesus as the subject. In the area of music, some of the most famous pieces of classical music by composers like Bach and Handel have Jesus as their subject. Then you can think of the sheer amount of Christian music that has been produced over the years. But Jesus’ influence even pervades secular music as well. References to Him or songs about Him can be found in songs by artists like Elvis, Aretha Franklin, Carrie Underwood, and even Kanye West. Why does everyone want to talk about Jesus?
Now if we turn our attention to famous paintings or sculptures Jesus’ influence is no less. Pieces like The Last Supper, the Sistine Chapel, the Pieta, or even the Christ Redeemer statue in Brazil all have the attention on Christ, and of course there are thousands more. You can look at some of the great cathedrals built all over the world, designed and constructed with Christ as the center of its activities. No other person in all history has been the subject of such artistic expression as Jesus.
Second, think of Jesus’ impact in the areas of literacy and education. Although Christians are condescendingly thought of as unscientific and unlearned people of mystic beliefs, that couldn’t be further from the truth! If you have ever attended a university, you can thank Jesus’ followers since they were the ones who founded essentially what is the modern university. Some of the first colleges were in Bologna, Oxford, and Paris, and most other universities were modeled after those. Oh, and those three were begun as Christian universities. After them, some of the most prestigious universities in the world were founded by Christians for the purpose of teaching Christian principles like Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and Yale.
When we think of the greatest minds in history we normally think of scientists. Well, it would probably surprise you to find out that most scientists throughout history were confessing followers of Jesus! Some examples include Galileo, Francis Bacon, Blaise Pascal, and Isaac Newton. Space does not permit us to list all of these genius scientific minds but just think of this: 72% of those awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry were Christians! Nowadays, science and Christianity are purported to be at odds but in reality the original founders of what we know today as science believed that a man named Jesus of Nazareth rose from the grave.
Jesus is of course followed by billions of Christians throughout the world, but does Jesus’ impact even reach to other religions? This is the third area I would like you to consider: religion itself. Jesus has a recognized place in some of the largest other religions in the world like Buddhism and Islam (and many others as well). Now, I’m not affirming what those religions teach about Jesus is correct, but you cannot deny He holds a respected place in their religions. All of that to say, a positive view of Jesus of Nazareth extends to every corner of the planet to billions of religious people! Is there any other figure who could claim this?
When all is said and done, considering the profound impact Jesus has had on the world, it is really staggering to think of how unlikely that would have been. He was born in a small town, raised in a small town, in a relatively unknown family. The locals thought He was an illegitimate son and His own brothers were suspicious of him.
He never had an expensive education, never married, never had children, never owned a home, never held political office, never ruled a nation, never led an army, never authored a book. He never even traveled more than 200 miles from His hometown.
His work only lasted three years, His followers abandoned Him, one of His friends betrayed Him, and another denied Him. He was rejected by the powerful and those who wanted Him dead seemingly got their way with a very public brutal execution. And after all that, His remaining friends had to borrow a tomb to bury Him.
And yet, no other person has so transformed the course of history than Jesus of Nazareth. What has He done in your life?