My Jesus — the Word, the way, and the truth

“Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”—So it is that the second-last sentence of the Bible heralds the great Advent of Christendom. Can the fourth perspective completely capture the essence of the One for whom believers wait?

My Jesus is multi-faceted. I even wrote a book about Him.

I am a Christian of the first century AD and rather a philosophical type. This is already clear from the first words in my book, the famous prologue concerning the “Logos”—also known as the foreword about the eternal Word. This is a term that Jewish teachers of wisdom and Greek thinkers alike use in reference to their higher order of the world.

In just a few words, my prologue outlines the entire activity of Jesus Christ on earth: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.”

Given for all

My Greek has a strong Hebrew influence. I know my way around Jerusalem and Palestine very well. I am well versed in the local circumstances as well as in the feasts and customs of the Jews.

My book has been written for many: “They will put you out of the synagogues”—this applies to Jewish Christians. “Rabbi (which is to say, when translated, Teacher)”—this is the kind of thing Gentile Christians need in order to comprehend properly. And then there was also the mocking title that was affixed on the cross describing Jesus as the King of the Jews, which was “written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin”. You could hardly be any more international in my time.

So that you may believe

My Jesus is the incarnate Son of God: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” After all, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” In all things, He reveals only the Father: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” So it is that the key phrase in my book reads as follows: “I and My Father are one.”

The key word, on the other hand, is something else, namely ‘faith’. It can be found at least three times on every Greek page. After all, my book was “written that you may believe,” namely “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”—because “He who believes in the Son of God has everlasting life.”

Incomprehensibly multifaceted

My Jesus is so multifaceted that “even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” about Him. The best way to describe Him would be to use His own words:

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger.” — “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness.” — “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, He will be saved.” — “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” — “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” — “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” — “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

Yes, my Jesus is God, the eternal Son of the eternal Father. I even started writing a book about Him. And my students finished it for me. They call us John.

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Andreas Rother
21.12.2019
Bible, Advent