Many people don't like John's gospel as much as the others because it doesn't contain the birth narrative. To many, it seems incomplete. But the richness of the gospel is built into seven "I am" statements where Jesus describes himself and the life in the Spirit. Let's look at these:
1. "I am the bread of life" 6:35
In this passage Jesus has just completed the feeding of the five thousand. But he wants to make it clear that the act was not about bread and fish, or even physical hunger. Jesus wants to make it clear that He is all we need for true sustenance. He assures us that when we come to him we will never be hungry or thirsty again. In this is a promise of etrernal life and that we will never need anything for that journey except Jesus alone.
Everytime I go to holy communion this passage is one that comes to mind. Now in the United Methodist Church, we do not believe in transubstatiation or the idea that bread and wine are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ, We believe in a form of consubstantiation where we believe the Spirit works in through and around the the bread and juice. We experience the Spirit in the sharing of the elements. We United Methodists believe that we engage in much more than a memorial meal remembering Christs death and resurrection, but that the Spirit enters us in the process...changing us and drawing us closer to his love. That is why we should share the scacrament as often as possible.
2. "I am the light of the world" 8:12
Earlier in the gospel, Jesus makes it clear that a light has enetered the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it. The problem Jesus says is that most people were o.k. with living in the darkness. Think about the intense darkness that the enemy has placed in our world. Derranged gunmen who kill school children, addictions to drugs and alcohol, loneliness and depression and slavery to credit, debt and poor finances.
But Jesus also offers us a way out. He offers us the truth of His Spirit and that He has come to earth so the darkness could not over come the light of God. Jesus is the light of the world that shines bright because He wants us to follow that light to Himself. Only there can we disocver the truth about our own lives. We are loved and accepted unconditionally. We are not shut out of life's process. When we come to Jesus we come to the truth and the promise of healing through the Holy Spirit. It is a healing that can help us overcome any darkness that has entered our lives. We access that life by calling on Jesus as Lord and Savior, Praying to Him for what we need and not holding anything back, sharing our journey with others and meditating on His Word. One of the things that conitinues to shock me about churches and even pastors is how little time they actually spend in the scriptures.
3. "I am the gate for the sheep" 10:6
Jesus is simply making clear what He said in John 3:16. Jesus is the only way to God. We cannot get to God through an ecclectic practice of borrowing things we like from other religions. In seminary one of my classmates actually held up the Indian Vita and the Koran as equal in stature to the Bible. His argument was that every religion contained truth and that truth was universal. What moved Ghandi to peace and the book of billions of muslims could enlighten our path along with the sayings of Jesus in the Bible.
But Jesus makes it clear that he is the only way for the sheep to enter the flock. He is the gate. One cannot access the truth of God without a proclamation that Jesus is Lord! The truth is that Jesus is the only way to get to God. We were separated from God by sin and a chasm developed and we couldn't get back. Jesus death allowed the cross to fill in the chasm so we could again experience the love and forgiveness of God. But the only way this path can be traveled is through Jesus Christ. There is no other path to God because He is coequal and coeternal with God. Only Jesus can bring us to a relationship with God.
4. "I am the Good Shepherd" 10:14
What's key about this part of the gospel is the sacrifice that the good sheepherd makes for His flock. The gospel says that He sacrifices His life for the sheep. Christianity begins and ends at the cross. Without the cross there is no salvation. If Jesus didn't actually die, than His resurrection is not true and our faith is in vain. But the truth is made clear. The passage also makes it clear that Jesus will never abandon His sheep.
5. "I am the resurrection and the life" 11:25
Jesus has power over what is living. He can change things. He naswers prayers, heals, forgives and makes new. But the other important thing is that Jesus also has power over death. By the cross, he has forever conquered death and its hold over us. Whatever happens to Jesus is going to happen to us as believers. Because He has risen from the dead and has seated Himself at the right hand of the Father, we are promised a resurrection as well. Death will not be the end of our story. We are promised eternity in heaven. That is a promise that no one....not even the enemy can take away.
In our world today, we are surrounded by so much death. We see school shootings, movie theater shootings and all kinds of untimely deaths. Cancer has taken many before their time should have come. I suffer from depression and many days I don't feel very alive. It is the promise of new life now and in eternity that keeps me going. My Illness will not conquer my life because Jesus promises me eternal life. Eternal life is not just a life that never ends, but is an eternal quality of life that is given to us when we committ ourselves to Jesus Christ. We need to make this committment not just once but every day of our lives.
6. "I am The Way, The Truth and The life" 14:6
Jesus is the only way to God....period. Sometimes people like to say Jesus is just one of the ways to God. They say that other world religions have truth in them too and they are as good as Christianity. But scripture makes it clear that this is not so. God is not just a celestial being we can connect to in the universe. God is a person who has made himself known and available to us through Jesus Christ spiritually. Apart from belief and worship of Jesus, religion is counterfeit and will not bring us the change we need in our lives. I see so many self help programs that promise people power for living, but in the end they lack life giving power. They may offer a few good tips for daily life, but that is all they offer. We need Jesus...and only Jesus.
7. "I am the true vine" 15:1
I have always felt that this verse was about the church. It is through our belief and committment that we are made part of God's family the church. Sometimes we only view church as a place for worship, but it is in fact so much more. When we pray the Lord's prayer we are praying with the church eternal and do so along with Christians who have prayed that same prayer throughout the ages. When we recite the creed we are affirming the same faith as the very first disciples.
The one thing that I love about our faith is that not one doctrine has changed since the very beginning. We affirm the same beliefs as the earliest believers. These beliefs are not opinions that are open to suggestion, opinion or interpretation. They are what they are and they mean what they say.
Take some time to reflect on John's gospel and belief in what Jesus says about himself. They are not man made beliefs or doctrines but come from the mouth of the savior Himself. Jesus said it...I believe it...and that is good enough for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment