The Gospel: Part 2
Jesus’ Ministry
Hey there everyone!
This advent season, we wanted to go a step further than just talking about Jesus’ birth, which DeeDee did a great job of in this post right here, but also highlight how his life led to his sacrifice for our salvation!
Today, we’re going to start a two part post talking about who Jesus says He is and the miracles He did! This highlights the time between Him taking the step into His ministry and Him being crucified. There are a lot of things that fit into this time period, even more than what is documented in the Bible for us, so we’re going to focus on the book of John, with Jesus’ “I Am” statements and His miracles!
Who Jesus Is
Jesus’ “I Am” statements are a wonderful place to start, because it’s Jesus explaining who He is and why He’s here, which is the epitome of His ministry!
If you haven’t heard of this before, I want to backtrack just a little bit for some background information. Jesus is a mystery, one that we aren’t supposed to completely understand. He is both 100% God and 100% human; by our knowledge, that’s impossible!
But Jesus takes the time to explain who He is, and John is the one to write them down! So, let’s talk about them and why they’re important.
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again. (John 6:35 CSB)
This one has always been a favorite of mine because it pulls me back to the Lord’s Prayer. “Give us Lord our daily bread.”
We are asking for Jesus to feed us. He wants us to come to Him hungry. Hungry for righteousness, hungry for healing, for guidance. He wants to provide for us so that we won’t hunger anymore.
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 CSB)
1 John chapter 1 is one of my favorite chapters in scripture as he talks about the difference between light and darkness. In Jesus, there is no darkness, only light. The entirety of our faith can be summed up in seeking to live like Jesus, which He’s telling us is in the light!
I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. (John 10:9 CSB)
There is only one way to get to heaven. As Christians, we know this! Jesus tells us right now that He is the gate that allows people to enter. Without Him, we are locked out forever.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, (John 10:11-14 CSB)
Alright, so this one is also one of my favorites! What does a shepherd do for his sheep? He is willing to die for them, he leads them and protects them. He saves them when needed. He knows his flock.
What does Jesus do for us? All the same! He died for us. He leads us and protects us. He provides all things. He saved us. He knows us.
How comforting is this!
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (John 11:25 CSB)
What a promise this is! In Jesus, we can live faithfully knowing that He promises salvation for those who believe. Jesus doesn’t withhold this from believers, but instead promises that it is true regardless of the situation.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 CSB)
This one is three fold.
We can’t get lost if we’re following Jesus, because He is the way.
We can’t fall for the lies if we’re focused on Him, because He is the truth.
We will have life after death because of Him!!
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. (John 15:1-5 CSB)
This is a long scripture showing us that we are connected. We have to be connected. Without being connected to Jesus, we will wither and die. But with Him? We will be fruitful!
Our goal is to be fruitful, and Jesus is telling us exactly how to do that!
To summarize all of this, Jesus’ ministry can be summed up in three things:
Who God is
Who Jesus is
What that means for us
In each of these “I AM” statements, Jesus is revealing more of each of these things. How He relates to the father and what that means for us.
So, this season, as we remember the baby born in a manger, also remember who that baby grows up to be!