Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Creator

How do you begin a story with no beginning?

Matthew and Luke begin with the supernatural birth.

Mark begins with the preaching of John the Baptist.

John’s Gospel begins at the ultimate beginning.

His first words “In the beginning” jolt us to Genesis.  Jesus was the uncreated Creator God.  When time began, he was already there. (John 1:1-4)

Jesus reaches out to people and divides humanity

Jesus not only created all things but he also reaches out to his marred and rejecting creation.  He is also the point where humanity divides.  Some people believe that he is who claims to be and others do not.  Some receive him and some reject him.  This emerges as a major theme for John.  Jesus divides the human race. (John 1:5; 1:9-13; 3:26)

God became human and revealed divinity to humanity

Jesus is God and he is truly human.  Jesus became flesh and lived with us.  In the language of John’s first readers, Jesus tabernacled with people.   This would have immediately reminded them about the tent with the presence of God before Solomon’s temple.

John also tells his readers that Jesus was real.  John saw him.  (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1-4)

Moses and Elijah were two heroes of faith who wanted to experience the presence of God.  They were each given a partial, incomplete experience of God’s presence.  However, at the Transfiguration they were face to face with Jesus.  They wanted to experience the presence of God. They did on that mountain. (1 Kings 19:1-18; Exodus 33; Matthew 17:1-9)

Who is Jesus?

John used various stories and figures to develop his picture of Jesus. His used the seven “I am” statements:

I am the Bread of Life- 6:35, 48 also 6:41, 51

I am the Light of the World- 8:12, 9:5

I am the Door of the sheep- 10:7, 9

I am the Good Shepherd- 10:11, 14

I am the Resurrection and the Life- 11:25

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life- 14:6

I am the True Vine- 15:1 also 15:5

He also used words that will occur regularly to point to the uniqueness of Jesus life.

life 1:4

light 1:4

witness 1:7

true 1:9

world 1:10

glory, truth 1:14

John wanted his readers to know Jesus and to believe. (John 20:30-31)

Questions for consideration:

Serving God can be exhausting. Those in exhausting ministry know they need the presence of God. Have you ever really wanted to have the empowering presence of God as you face your world? Do we already have that presence?

What do you think it would have been like to be with Jesus when lhe lived and taught two thousand years ago?