Title: Jesus is God!
Jesus is God!
John 14:1-14, 5th Sunday of Easter, 22 May 2011
The statement that Jesus is God is truly an astonishing statement. Now we take it for granted, but at the time it was not. This is similar to a paradigm shift in cosmic physics from celestial to heliocentric. This is why Judaism did not eventually embrace Christianity. Because humans cannot be gods. Traditions that regard humans as gods are not Judaism, but Egypt and Rome. Although Pharaoh and Caesar were human, they were revered as gods. Pharaoh or Caesar was so powerful that it was called that. They were able to exercise the right to escape a person's life. In contrast, Jesus of Nazareth was helpless. The son of a worker. There was no political and economic power. He did not even organize a large religious group during his lifetime. Eventually, he was crucified. It is difficult in my mind to believe that such a person is consistent with God, especially God the Creator.
Because Jesus performed so many miracles, of course there are some who think that he is the Christ and the Son of God. Of course, there are many kinds of miracles in the Gospels. Five bottles, the story of water turning into wine, the story of raising the dead, and so on. Such miracles are of little importance. Similar stories often appear not only in the Bible but also in the literature of other religions. Some believe that being born as a virgin is proof of that. It doesn't matter either. Conversely, the Gospels acknowledge Jesus' human limitations. He was lonely, and he also showed that he was struggling with the death on the cross he had to endure. There are a few things that make it difficult to compare Jesus with the omnipotent and omnipotent God. It is not easy to accept such a saying to believe in Jesus as God. This problem is of concern not only to the Gospel of John, but also to us today. Is Jesus really believed to be God?
The evidence that Jesus abides in God and that God is in Jesus is the resurrection of Jesus. Anything other than what happened to Jesus is inconclusive. It happened to other prophets as well. The only event that happened to Jesus was the resurrection. Only in the light of the resurrection, the rest of the events become the reality of salvation. Healing, blessing, obedience, and mission are also meaningful only in the resurrection. All the conditions of a happy life that human beings desire have meaning only in the ultimate life, resurrection. What would a good job, salary, and family mean if you lost your life? The resurrection of Jesus is the final proof that he is the Son of God, that is, God. Today's text does not explicitly mention the resurrection of Jesus, but the entire Gospel of John already presupposes it. It is a prerequisite for all Gospels, not just the Gospel of John. The text that Jesus goes to the Father or that he can only go to the Father through Jesus points to such a situation.
We feel so far away because we hear so often about the resurrection of Jesus. I hear it as a strange rumor that Jesus died and rose again. I have hope that if I go a little further, I will die and come back to life. It's good to think about it that way. The problem is that the resurrection is not deeply connected with our lives. It remains as a story of others, or it remains only as a vague feeling that one day it will resurrect. It means that the Resurrection is not at the center of the faith. Why can't we focus on the spirituality of the resurrection? This is because they do not take seriously the fact that the foundation of this great knowledge and faith that Jesus is God is the resurrection. What do you mean? There is no real belief in the fact that Jesus is God.
There are two practical beliefs in the teachings of the Gospel of John that Jesus is God. First, we can now experience God in the car, not outside. The God of the Old Testament is fundamentally extraneous. The Old Testament says that those who see God will die. It's a plausible story. He who can only be known through the whole world cannot be directly experienced by humans living in a very short time and space. But because of Jesus, we can experience God in this history. This is because Jesus, who lived in a human existence just like us, is God. Now we do not seek God far away. Here, God refers to the absolute life. Without Jesus, we would still be waiting for the Messiah like the Jews, clinging to philosophy like the Greeks, or trying to rule the world like the Romans.
Second, if we believe that Jesus is God, we must now live a life that is in harmony with the words and actions of Jesus and all his destiny. Paul said he was in Christ, and Christ was in him. Because only in union with Jesus can we overcome sin and death and enter into the true life. Don't think this is too obvious. True life through union with Jesus is not a game of words. Neither religious sensitivity nor self-rationalization. It is the unique spirituality of Christianity and the unique power of life. Do you want to know how you can align with the destiny of Jesus and what life powers come from it? Most of you are probably familiar with this. The New Testament always speaks of it. I will not explain it again here. I will give you only one aphorism that is indirectly appropriate for this. That's the adage of seeing as much as you know. The more you know Jesus Christ, the more you will participate in His destiny. To know here refers to true enlightenment. It can be said to be love.