Over the course of your life you will ask thousands of questions. Some are easy: “Daddy, why is the sky blue?” Some are hard: “Why did our little girl have to die?” We ask questions to gain understanding. We ask questions to express sorrow. We ask questions to voice wonder and amazement. Some are trivial. Some really matter.
Take all the questions you have ever asked and will ever ask. There is one among them that matters more than any other: Who is Jesus?
When you’re trapped in a dead-end job or can’t make ends meet, is Jesus non-existent, unconcerned, or is he a faithful provider? When your family disowns you, when your uncle abuses you, when your friend disappoints you, is Jesus missing in action, wringing his hands, or is he a God of justice and comfort?
“Who is Jesus?” isn’t a question we settle once and for all and then move on. It’s not a test we pass to get a green stamp on a passport to heaven. It’s a question we’re answering every moment of every day whether we realize it or not. The gospel of John was written to help us get the answer right.
John 20:30-31, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
A right knowledge of Jesus leading to an abiding faith in Jesus resulting in an abundant life through Jesus is the goal of the Gospel of John. It’s all about finding life in the Son of God, which is why I’m excited to spend the next 18 months or so preaching through John on Sunday mornings. Because every moment of every day, the most important question we’re answering is, “Who is Jesus?”