JOIN MY EMAIL LIST FOR CONTENT UPDATES
I heard a story, just the other day, about the Fijian professional golfer, Vijay Singh, who would deny requests to speak with reporters. He wasn’t interested in the media so he remained silent and absent.
One reporter became angry and wrote at least one antagonistic story attacking Vijay’s character. Like the domino effect, other stories came out defaming Vijay filling the void created by his indifference. Some were probably true—no one is perfect—others were probably spurious.
Warren, telling me the story, had several encounters with Vijay and spoke with others who knew him. They said Vijay remembered people’s names, asked about their families, and showed a sincere interest in their lives.
If anyone is silent, our interpretations are rarely positive. Our suspicion turns to disdain as we fill in the gaps, interpret the scenarios, and imagine the stories. It is the same with God—his seeming absence makes us think he is not there or doesn’t care.
In the Gospel of John, John is emphasizing that God is not silent. John displays that God has publically communicated himself to the world revealing his character and intentions. In Jesus, we see what God is like.
In Jesus, we see God’s glory. In other words, we learn what is most important for us to learn about God. Just as a reporter wants to hear Vijay talk about golf instead of how much he likes pepperoni pizza, we need to hear from God what he is like and what he has planned for us.
We don’t need God to tell us about his purposes for life on Mars nor do we need to hear what he was doing in eternity past before the earth was. Though, that would be pretty fascinating.
We need to know who he is and what he has planned for us. To say Jesus reveals God’s glory is to say Jesus reveals what humans need most from God.
The coolest part is that Jesus not only reveals knowledge about God, but pleas for us to actually experience God.
Jesus’ last words to his followers show that he wants us to experience peace and joy only he can give. Jesus intends for us to experience life that lasts beyond death. Not only this, he intends for us to have a very specific mission for our life before we die. Peace, joy, purpose, and life—we are all searching for them.
Jesus gives all. In other words, God is the kind of god that gives us what we gravely need rather than require from us what he wants without regard of what we want. He is the kind of God that thinks about us, knows us, and acts on his promises.
Don’t think you’re left out. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He cares about you. The resurrection is proof.
Thanks for Reading,
Aaron