Well, I remember the very first time someone looked at me after I had given my wise opinion and said, "Paul, who cares what you think?" The fact of the matter is, your capacity to think, to figure things out, to try to make sense out of life; your rationality is a very significant aspect of your humanity. It's part of what makes you human. So far, John has told us that Jesus is the Word, the final revelation of God, that He's Almighty God, that He's Creator of everything. But John is not done because he has not fully identified who Jesus is and why it should be important to you.
Here are John's next words about Jesus, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." That's John 1, 4, and 5. In these words, John's description of Jesus becomes more focused, more specific, more personal; "In him was life." Jesus is the person whose power animates every living thing that exists. But he's more than just Jesus. It is Jesus who gives us both physical and spiritual life. The same one who caused us to be born, causes us to be born again.
John's words here are meant to be provocative. It doesn't matter how spiritually inclined you are. It doesn't matter if you're irreligious or not. It doesn't matter if you are an atheist or agnostic, you are still connected to Jesus. No matter how much you deny or ignore him, he is the source of life that animates your humanity. So, to deny Jesus is to deny that core essence of your humanity. This passage doesn't confront you with what it means to be spiritual; it more deeply confronts you with what it means to be human.
But there is more. John says, "Jesus is the life that lights people." What in the world is he talking about here? He's talking about your rationality, your ability to think, to understand, to communicate, to know, to figure things out. All of these comes from Jesus. As a matter of fact, it does matter what you think.
But here is something that's essential to understand about your ability to think, your rationality. God's purpose in making you be able to know and understand is not just so you could be independently rational; God's purpose is that you would know and understand the most important thing you could ever know-God, and particularly the person and work of His Son. You simply cannot be wise, you cannot understand your world, you cannot understand yourself, you cannot understand the meaning and purpose of life and leave Jesus out of how you make sense out of life.
God wants to be known, and Jesus is the reason you have the capacity to know him, and he came to earth so that you would have a relationship with him. I mean, this is grace. I have this incredible capacity to think. I have this drive never to leave my life alone, always to understand what's going on in me and around me. And yet, all of this is given so that you and I would use, even today, that ability to know Jesus more clearly, more accurately, and more fully!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. In light of John's description of Jesus here in John 1:4-5, what do you think it means to be confronted with what it means to be human? Why is it so significant that Jesus is the one who caused you to be born? Have you ever given thoughtful consideration to the fact that Jesus gives both spiritual and physical life? How does that truth carry any weightiness for you?
2. Why is it true that to deny Jesus is to deny the core essence of your humanity? Why is every human being connected to Jesus, regardless of what they happen to believe about Christ?
3. In what ways have you been guilty of leaving Jesus out of how you make sense of life? Why is his centrality essential to making sense out of life? If God, and particularly the person and work of his Son, is the most important thing you could ever know, how does your life reflect the pursuit of getting to know Jesus?
4. Take some time to pause and pray that God would grant you the grace to know Jesus more clearly, more accurately, and more fully right now.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Who or what do you think about most of the time?Why do our thoughts matter? Why is it important to be purposeful with our thoughts?
• If God created us to think and understand with our brains, what do you believe he wants us to think about and understand the most?
For Older Children:
• Where did your capacity to think come from? Why do you think it might be important to control what we think about on a daily basis? Who or what captures your thoughts the most each day?
• If God created us and wants to be known by us, what is the best way for God to be known? Why do you think Jesus should be so central to our thoughts? How do you think we can lovingly remind one another of that on a regular basis?
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