“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
Thus said A. W. Tozer in his 1961 work “The Knowledge of the Holy.” And as we spend this autumn working our way through the gospel of John, I would encourage you to seriously ponder that quote.
Specifically, what comes into your mind when you think about Jesus? Or as Jesus asked his disciples, “What about you? Who do you say that I am?”
Who is Jesus? Who do you say that He is?
Many in the American church seem to imagine Jesus as a soft-spoken life coach or spiritual guru—a relatable moral teacher who invites us into casual philosophical conversations over coffee. He’s happy to offer relational advice, but He’ll also nod in sympathetic understanding if you ignore it or walk away. He is a nonjudgmental cheerleader, applauding you for “following your heart,” as long as you’re happy and no one gets hurt—and even if people do get hurt, well, He’ll love you no matter what, just like your mom.
I hope you will see from the Gospel of John that Jesus is very different from that.
I once heard a preacher say that we’ve gone from thinking, “What a friend we have in Jesus” to “What a pal I’ve got in Jeez.”
Who does Jesus say He is? Creator. Messiah. King. Son of God. Word of God. Teacher. Savior. Lord. To put it bluntly, He is the boss of you.
Not a mystic mentor. Not a cosmic guide. Not a pal.
The boss. Of you.
He gets to tell us what is right and what is wrong. He gets to tell us how to treat our friends. And our enemies. He gets to tell us that what we call treasure, He calls rusty junk.
He gets to tell us what to do. And He does tell us. He tells us what to do with our bodies and our words and our finances and our very lives.
I think it’s serious business that as we carefully answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” that we rightly assign Him the supreme place He deserves.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:15–18, ESV).
If we consider how majestic He really is, then the fact that He’d notice us, come for us, call us by name, and pay for us with His blood, suddenly that fact is overwhelming. This Lamb of God, This Word of God, This Resurrection and Life…my King, my Savior and yes, also my Friend…Unfathomable.
If that’s what you think about when you really think about Jesus, you’ll be humble. You’ll be grateful. You’ll obey him and trust him with your body and money and life. And you’ll worship Him as Lord.
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).