Meet Jesus

Introduction

What’s the hardest thing for you when you meet someone for the first time? For some of us it remembering names. Folks who have studied these kind of things suggest that when we meet someone for the first time that we should use their name several times in conversation. For example, we shake hands. We hear the person’s name and then we follow that with questions like, “Where are you from, Bill? What do you do for a living, Bill? That’s interesting, Bill.” But you know one of the things I have trouble with is remembering the name while asking the questions.

For some of us we don’t know what to talk about. So we ask the standard questions but those questions keep us somewhat superficial rather than getting to know a person. Again those who study these sort of things tell us to ask some questions that are really beyond superficial. For example, “Bill, what kind of things do you like to do to have fun?” Or “Bill, tell me a little about your family.” These kind of questions push the conversations beyond the superficial. Some people are really good at meeting others. They not only remember names but finding things to talk about is just natural for them.

Today I want to go the early chapters of the gospel of John and let you see what happened to people as they met Jesus. I want us to be impressed with his ability to talk to people. It can be said that Jesus never met a stranger. But every person that encountered Jesus had a response to him. So, too, we have a response to Jesus as well. Today first time or not, let’s meet Jesus. He wants to be your friend.

John’s Gospel

John is writing from the perspective of a trial. His writing will end with a physical trial, but until that moment we are encouraged to examine the evidence and determine what is true about Jesus. At the beginning of the writing, we have several people who meet Jesus. None are indifferent or apathetic about him. Some are impressed; others reject. But none are passive about Jesus.

The first one is found in John 1:40-41. Andrew is a searcher. He has spent some time listening to a man named, John teach about Jesus. When John calls Jesus the Lamb of God, Andrew wants to know more about this man. In verse 39, Andrew spends the day with Jesus and then in verses 40-41, Andrew goes and finds his brother, Simon, and says to him “You have got to come meet this guy. He is the Messiah.” That is a loaded word. It means God’s special person. In other words, Andrew is acknowledging that Jesus is the one that all Jews have been waiting for — the one who is God’s special anointed one.

In the very next section, a man named Philip invites a good friend Nathanael to meet Jesus. Nathanael is unimpressed initially. Finding out that Jesus is from Nazareth — a little town that had no history of any righteous teachers — Nathanael is skeptical that Jesus can be anything special. And then when Nathanael met Jesus for the first time, he changed his mind declaring that Jesus was the Son of God and King of Israel. Lofty titles.

In chapter 3 we meet Nicodemus who comes to meet Jesus at night. He is curious. He is also a highly regarded religious leader. Uncertain about Jesus’ teaching, Nicodemus seeks answers. At the end of the conversation there is no indication that he believes but by the end of John’s writing that he along with a man named Joseph take it upon themselves to bury the body of Jesus and spend a large amount of money to give him a royal burial.

In chapter 4, a woman from Samaria meets Jesus. Jesus is traveling from one location to another and chooses to travel through territory that most pious religious leaders avoided. Jesus talks with a woman who was part Jewish and part Gentile about what really matters. And this woman runs back to her friends and introduces them to Jesus as well. And in 4:42, the people claim that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

Not everyone believed in Jesus. There were some who didn’t believe all these lofty things about Jesus. In fact, there were some who completely rejected him. Turn to John 6. This story is the only miracle of Jesus found in all four gospel accounts. Instead of seeing Jesus as the one who could feed them spiritually, the people see Jesus as their next king. Notice verse 15, Jesus knew that the people were going to try to make him their king.

Comparison

So he sends the people away and walks on water to the other side of the sea. The next day people are looking for Jesus and when they find him they have a very brief exchange with Jesus. They are following him because they want to be fed again. Look at verses 26 and 27. Jesus has just told them that they are only pursuing the physical when they should be pursuing the eternal. So the people ask naively how they can get the spiritual too. Jesus says they should pursue him since he has been sent from God. And the people say show us a sign so that we can believe. In fact, they want 40 years of feeding just as the people in the wilderness received.

Jesus declares that he is the Bread of Life. The people are wanting Jesus to be like Moses and provide bread on a daily basis. Jesus reminds the people that Moses didn’t provide bread only God could do that. In other words, they have set their sights too low. Jesus isn’t to be compared to Moses, he is to be compared to God. Jesus calls himself the bread of life, but he does so with the emphasis clearly on the first two words “I AM the bread of life.” Remember the incident in which Moses met God at the burning bush? In Exodus 3, Moses is being called to serve God by being the leader for Israel to come out of Egyptian captivity. In verses 13-15, Moses is trying to understand what is expected. And he is thinking about how he will be able to explain what has happened to him. So he asks God, when the people ask me who sent me, what name shall I use? And God answers, “I AM WHO I AM.”

Jesus uses that designation. This is clearly intended to align himself with God and to designate that he is the Messiah. Notice in 6:32 that he uses the phrase “my Father.” In 5:17 this same phrase led the religious leaders to begin thinking and plotting about how to kill Jesus. This phrase “my Father” means that Jesus calls himself God. Then Jesus calls himself “I AM” which would further intensify ill feelings. Then he says in 6:35 that those who come to him will never be hungry or thirsty which is a reference to the Messiah’s work as seen in Isaiah 55:1 and 49:10. Then in 6:38, he says that he has come down from heaven which results in the people grumbling.

The parallel with Moses is clear. When Moses brought food, the people grumbled. When Moses declared the will of God, the people complained. The people are wanting to compare Jesus with Moses and the comparison is similar when we look at the people’s reaction. But Jesus is not willing to allow a human comparison. He calls on the people to make a divine comparison. Jesus makes the comparison obvious in verses 41-59. Moses’ bread was temporary. Those who ate it still died. But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will live forever. At this many who had been following him turned away. It was and is now a highly significant moment. Who will stay and who will go?

So What?

John is calling for a decision. There are several lessons to be learned from this text. The first has to do with what we are expecting from Jesus. The people had several expectations. They thought he would be their military and political salvation. Jesus squashed that view. But people do not easily give up a preconceived notion of what can be. When they come to him the next morning they compare him to Moses. They are still talking about being a leader. But Jesus lifts their view from earthly leadership to eternal ruler.

The people expected Jesus to give them food for a lifetime. Their faith was based on what Jesus could do for them. They wanted Jesus to make life easier for them. 40 years of food without having to worry about where your next meal will come from would be a great feat worthy of faith. Scratch my back and I will scratch yours. Jesus needs followers and followers need something from their leader. Remember he game “Follow the Leader.” I remember playing the game as a kid. There are a couple of things to remember about playing that game. You can only play the game with a group. You can’t play the game solo. But the second thing to remember is it is not to your advantage to play the game with someone who is too much older and bigger. Because when an older child is the leader, the game gets more difficult. And when the game is too difficult it is no longer fun.

So we come to Jesus with a child’s view of follow the leader. We will follow Jesus and Jesus will honor us. After all, Jesus needs a following and if we become part of the game we want it to be fun. We will follow Jesus as long as it is convenient; as long as it is fun; as long as it is easy. But if demands are too much, then the game isn’t worth playing anymore. 40 years of food; no major suffering; but let something go wrong and we turn out attention away from Jesus. We blame him for making the game too hard. We have the idea that if we follow, he is obligated to make life better. Never did Jesus promise ease and comfort. Quite the opposite.

They will hate you because of me.

Blessed are you when you are persecuted because of me

In this world you will have trouble

These do not sound like the words of someone who is going to make life easy.

So what expectations do you have? When things are not going well are you apt to blame God for not being there for you? Do you find yourself wondering when God is going to make it better? Do you come to Jesus with a quid pro quo view? Scratch my back and I will scratch yours. Do we like the people expect Jesus to prove to us that he is real before we trust him?

The second lesson has to do with your faith and I will put it this way — what are you hungry for? The people were hungry for another meal. But not just one but 40 years worth. Jesus offers them something far more significant. Turn your mind away from the physical and focus on the spiritual. Notice Jesus’ words in verse 63, “the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some who do not believe.” What are you hungry for? What motivates your life? What drives you day in and day out? What floats your boat? What matters to you more than anything else? But what really matters to you? Is it Jesus? Or is it to retire in comfort? Are the daily cares capturing your mind? Or do you hunger and thirst for righteousness?

40 years of eating the bread will get you through this life but it will not give you eternity. Only Jesus gives true life. Is Jesus the giver of eternal life? Is he the Holy One of God? Then devour him. Ingest him. Give your heart and life to knowing him. Preparing for a career or learning the latest technology in your field or trying to become more organized and in control of your life will not bring eternal life. Only Jesus gives real life. Jesus’ words demanded acceptance or rejection. So it is today. The crowd that surrounded Jesus hears his words. The grumbling and the arguing begins and slowly at first but definitely one by one, the people begin to turn their backs on Jesus and they walk away. They walk away from life to return to looking for their next meal. They are hungry. They are hungry for the physical. Jesus provides the spiritual. What are you hungry for?

Jesus says in verses 29 that the work of God is this — believe in the one he sent. This has nothing to do with work or labor; it has to do with spiritual pursuit. Do you pursue Christ? You know if you do. What would that look like?

Some obvious things — praying, Bible reading, attending assemblies.

But some less obvious things — how you treat others; how you spend money; entertainment chosen; what you expect. And now we are back where we started.

Pursuing Christ means you must be less and he must be more. It means starting every day with this thought — this day is about making God look good.

Follow Jesus

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