Jesus of Nazareth is a big deal. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that you would be an absolute fool to not take him seriously. Here are some reasons why.

He is the most influential man who has ever walked the face of the earth. From the individual to national level, there is no man who comes close to comparing with Jesus in measure of influence. You have to understand Jesus to make sense of most world history for the past 2,000 years.

His actions and statements. Jesus said things that only a crazy person would say (e.g. He is eternal, He is God, He is the truth, He is the only way to the Father, etc.), but Jesus acted more sane than anybody I know, including myself. Crazy people don’t act so sane and sane people don’t say things like Jesus did, unless they were true.

He claims to be God in flesh. Jesus claimed to be one with the Father (John 10:30) and the Jews knew that He meant He was God (John 10:31).

He changed the calendar. Whether it is BCE/CE or BC/AD, it seems that history has honored Jesus by making time centered on Him.

Billions of people throughout history have chosen to live their entire lives (even give up their lives) for Him alone. As Todd Friel says in his excellent book Jesus Unmasked, “He has more followers than the Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Miley Cyrus combined.” This doesn’t prove anything, but if billions of people have chosen to run one direction, it is at least worth a look to find out why.

He promised to rise from the dead and then did so. Although his enemies knew he died and they knew where they buried him, they never were able to find his body afterward. Additionally, the disciples who ran away scared when he was crucified (Matthew 26:31) began boldly proclaiming that He rose from the dead only weeks after (Acts 5:27-32). What created such a change other than they really saw their Risen Lord. If you disagree about the resurrection, what plausible explanation do you have?

He is a common denominator in practically all major and minor religions. Every major world religion has something to say about him (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism) and most minor religions include him in some way. They all claim different things about him, but none of them ignore him.

He claimed that your eternal destiny depends on how you respond to Him. Jesus once taught, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). According to Jesus, your entrance to heaven or your condemnation to hell rests on Him alone.

There’s more to say, but those are some good starting points. I am not saying that, because of these reasons, you should become a Christian right now (although I think you should), but what I am challenging you to do is see is that you must take Jesus seriously. You would be a fool not to.

Now, allow Ravi Zacharias to blow your mind.