By: Giovanna Meek (Corhaven Intern – Summer 2016)
It’s not uncommon that a caring Christian, especially one with an evangelical heart, might ask someone “do you know Jesus?” And, if a Christian is responding, she might begin with “well, yes…” and continue by sharing how she came to faith or to welcome Jesus into her heart. Often, these discussions are more about our own actions than about those of Jesus. If God is the center of our lives, shouldn’t our focus be first on Jesus, secondarily on ourselves? Then, let’s spend a moment considering who Jesus is and what Jesus does.
Jesus is a member of the Trinity, one in essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God incarnate, God made flesh. Jesus is a man who walked the earth for more than three decades, ushering-in the Kingdom of God. He upended the norm, cured the sick, challenged the religious, hung with sinners, and did all sorts of things that both fulfilled prophecy and offended or shocked people. The Son then ascended to be with the Father and passed the baton to the Holy Spirit, who descended during Pentecost to fill us – yes us – in order to continue ushering-in the Kingdom of God. The body of Christ graced our earth for only a short while. Now we are His body. This is the practical implication of the incarnation and Pentecost.
Christ has no body but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks…
Yours are the feet with which he walks…
Yours are the hands with which he blesses…
– Teresa of Avila
To help us understand this overwhelming truth, consider the words of Jesus in John 17:14-23. Jesus says that we don’t belong to the world, just as He doesn’t belong to the world (incarnation) and we are sent in to the world (Pentecost), just as He was sent by the Father. And in what may be the most intangible tangible about Jesus, “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us… I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one…” (John 17:21-23a). In other words, we are the body of Christ because Christ dwells in us. “So that the world may know,” he continues, “that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23b). Really? God loves us just as much as he loves his own Son?! While we may read and believe this truth, we might struggle our whole lives to know or feel this love deeply. Regardless, though, it is true.
Philip Yancey, in The Jesus I Never Knew, describes the bulk of the bible (Gen 3 to Rev 22) as “the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.” Read that again. Yes, we are his family. And Jesus, his Son, our brother, came to earth to begin the process which will result in the family being completely (re)united. And, in the meantime, Jesus remains with us – dwelling in us. What Love. What an Intimate Companion. That is who Jesus is and what Jesus is doing.
So, perhaps instead of asking, “do you know Jesus?” we might ask others – and, most importantly, ourselves – “do you know Jesus loves you?” The small addition to the traditional question completely changes the focus from the “you”/person to Jesus. It transforms a question that may seem like a “test” about faith to a question that states a truth about the very heart of the nature and character of Jesus. After all, it is the love of Our Lord that precedes any possible knowing on our part; and the continued love of Our Lord that triumphs over every bit of our lack of faith and sinful behavior. It is the love of Our Lord that heals our brokenness.