Do you know Jesus?

Do you know Jesus?

Ask this question and you may get a lot of different answers; some serious, some insightful, some frivolous, and some so far from truth as to be frightening. There are those who will say that He was a healer, some say He was a prophet, others say teacher or miracle worker and there are even folks who would denounce Him as a fake or a tool of Satan.

First let me say that there is nothing fake about Him or His life and He is hardly a tool of Satan, rather He is the One who defeated Satan and provided all of us the way to a full, rich relationship with a loving Father.

To say that Christ was and is a healer, prophet, teacher and miracle worker is correct but when I ask the question, do you know Jesus?, I am asking what He is to you, right this minute, in your heart and in your life.

I’m not looking for the quick answer that He is the Savior of the world, anyone who has read John 3:16 can say that; I want to know who He is to you. The scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have eternal life” (ASV). There is more to this scripture than this simple statement of God’s promise to the world. This one word believeth (or believes, in modern English) entails much more than just knowing about Him, His healings, His miracles, His words of wisdom; more than just knowing that He was born of a virgin, lived a blameless life, allowed Himself to be falsely accused, arrested, beaten, tried and condemned to death then died a horrific death on a cross, sealed in a tomb and on the third day defeated death and all the powers of Hell and arose from that grave.

He did all these things not just for an impersonal and vaguely understood ‘world’; He did them for you! He did them for me! He did them so that you and I might have salvation. Salvation is very much a one-on-one relationship, Christ died for each and every one of us that make up this collective term ‘world’. Christ doesn’t wait until we straighten ourselves out, He loves us in our imperfection and through His perfect sacrifice He can make us whole.

Take a look at the scripture in the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel which describes the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus. This woman, scorned by her own people, came to Jacob’s well at mid-day, a time when no one would normally be there. She wanted to avoid the looks, the harsh, hurtful words that might be heaped upon her by the other villagers. As she approached the well, she found Jesus already there before her and as she began to draw water Jesus asked for a drink.

Now, not only was this a woman looked down upon by her own village because of the life she had lived, but she was a Samaritan and in that day Jews and Samaritans made it a point to avoid each other. Her response to Jesus’ request for a drink was a question, “why would You, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”. I believe this was the perfect opening that Jesus had anticipated and He wasted no time in saying, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking with you would ask Me and I would give you Living Water”.

I believe that Christ had known this woman’s desperate need for a change in her life and that His going to the well alone and striking up this conversation was no accident. As the story continues, the woman is immediately interested and asks how Jesus can get this water that would be greater than that provided by Jacob. Christ explained that those who drink from the well are soon thirsty again but that those who drink of His Water will never thirst again.

The woman, having met Jesus at the well and regarding Him as a stranger, was now very interested and begged for this Living Water. Christ’s response was to tell her to go get her husband. She confessed, “I have no husband” and Christ revealed more of his nature when He said, “you are right for you have had five husbands and you aren’t married to the man you are living with now”.

She was astounded because this stranger already knew more about her than she thought possible. As they talked Jesus revealed even more knowledge and the woman said that she was looking for the coming Messiah. Christ then proclaimed Himself to be the Messiah.

This was just too much to keep to herself! She was so excited that she abandoned her water jar at the well and rushed off to the village to tell everyone what had happened and to urge them to come and meet the One who knew all about her! For her, Christ was no longer just a prophecy of One to come. He had arrived and offered her the Living Water!

Christ knew her life inside out, He knew her need and her desire for that Living Water. He knew where she would be, when she would be there and there He was, waiting to fill all her needs, to remove the sin from her life and fill her with that Living Water.

What a change was made that day! The woman at the well, unnamed and unimportant to everyone except the One who was there waiting for her to come to the well, knew His love and care for her, even with her history of sin and sorrow, still living in sin when she met the Messiah, now ready to acknowledge all that she had been and eager to accept that changing love in her life, that Living Water, the gift of a loving God.

She no longer hoped for a promised messiah, just a concept or a wishful thought about how different things might be some day; she was now face-to-face with the Son of God and the saving grace that only He could offer!

This is how we need to know Jesus, not as a cartoon character in a child’s Bible story, not as some ethereal concept that really has no significance in our lives but as the real, the actual Son of God, wise enough to see our every sin and weakness, caring enough to love us even in our dirty, sinful condition, powerful enough to take on the sins of all (including our own) and with grace enough to cover and pardon all those sins.

It is only when we accept Christ and these gifts He offers; this Living Water that He promised; only when we accept Him as Lord and Savior; only then can we truthfully say, “yes, I know Jesus”.

It is important to realize that this isn’t an easy transition from knowing about Him to reaching the point that you truly know Him because that transition requires complete submission to Him. The old worldly self must be swept away and the new creature, fully committed to Him, dedicated to His service and service to others will then fill that space.

Most of what I have written here is based on scripture found in John chapters 3 and 4 but at this point, if you have realized your sinful nature and understand that God knew all about it long before you admitted it, even to yourself, and if you have prayed for Christ to forgive your sins and asked Him to enter your life as Lord and Savior, there is a scripture that I offer from Paul’s writings, both as an encouragement and an admonition. Please read Romans Chapter 12:1-21. In these few verses, one short chapter, Paul has so very eloquently stated the ideals that every Christian, newly converted or a follower for many decades, should strive for every day.

I pray that these thoughts have been helpful, encouraging and useful in growing closer to God. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions, need clarification on some point or would like to request prayer for any facet of your life. I also treasure your prayers for me as I attempt to serve my Lord and Savior in the best way I can. Thank you and may God bless you. Jb