Tuesday, March 31

Tuesday

Yesterday we looked at the question that Jesus asked His disciples, “who do you say that I am?”  It is the most important question you will ever have to answer, and how you answer it is the most important thing in your life.  However, before you answer it, you should know how Jesus answered it.  What did Jesus say about who He was?  There are many today that believe Jesus was a great teacher, and a wise prophet, but he was not God.  There are even some who assert that Jesus never actually claimed to be God.  I have to wonder if these people have ever read what Jesus actually said about his own identity.  The following are several statements from the Gospel of John where Jesus uses powerful and unmistakable images to tell his followers just who He really was.

The Bread Of Life

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

The context was the Manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-18).  Whoever comes to Him will never again know spiritual hunger.  Like the manna of Exodus 16 every one who seeks Him will find Him (Matt. 7:7-8), but each of us has to find Him for ourselves.  No one can receive Him for us, nor can we receive Him for anyone else. We all get an amount sufficient for our salvation. No one is lacking, and none of Him is wasted!

The Light Of The World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Literally this means that those who join Jesus as one of His disciples will not be ignorant of spiritual matters but will have the power of understanding especially of the spiritual truth that brings eternal life. When we take the time to learn and apply these truths in faith we discover that the old adage is true. Whatever the spiritual question, Jesus is the answer.

The Gate

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)

This is a reference to the Kingdom and recalls the words of the 23rd Psalm, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.” Salvation is found through Jesus, He is the gate to the Kingdom. Having entered through Him we will have the freedom to come and go as we please, dwelling in a state of peace in the midst of plenty. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

No one expects sheep to be responsible for themselves, owners hire shepherds for that purpose. A Shepherd’s job is to accept responsibility for the safety and well being of his flock. Most shepherds only take that to the point where it would threaten their personal safety, rightly deciding that their life is worth more than that of a sheep. A few would be willing to risk their lives to protect their sheep, but our Shepherd knowingly and willingly died to save us, because there was no other way.

The Resurrection And The Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

This is an amazing statement. The Lord had already said that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life. (John 3:16) Here he provided more detail, saying that even though a believer experiences physical death, he will still have life. He was referring to the resurrection of those who die in faith. 

The Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

This image tells us that Jesus is the source of life.  Branches will wither and die if they are cut off from the vine, because the vine is the source of their nourishment and health.  Jesus is saying that in the same way, we are totally dependent on Him for our spiritual nourishment, health, and life.

Now let me ask you a question…could a man who was just a man, and not God, make statements like these and still be considered a wise prophet or a great teacher of humanity?  Are we to assume that Jesus was wise and insightful about our lives and how we should live them, but dead wrong about His own life and who He was?  That would be ridiculous!  If a politician or world leader today were to make such statements about himself or herself, we would immediately think they were delusional or dangerous, or both.

Jesus does not want you to be left in the dark about who He is…but He still puts the question to you and to me – “Who do you say that He is?”

Jeff Frazier