Think about how life would be different if Gutenberg hadn’t invented the printing press, or if Edward Jenner hadn’t developed a smallpox vaccine or if Thomas Edison hadn’t invented the light bulb, or if the internet, smartphones, or A.I. hadn’t come about. Most of the time, we take for granted these inventions that have made an incredible difference to humanity. Yet, it’s hard to imagine life without them.
Could we say the same thing about our relationship with Jesus?
It’s possible to firmly believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead, yet he makes no significant difference in how we live from day to day. We can easily forget Jesus when it comes to handling anxiety, relating to difficult or hurtful people, or making decisions about the future. Practically speaking, our lives may sometimes look no different from those of people who don’t follow Jesus.
This marginalisation of Jesus in our lives is a strategy of sin. Sin resists Jesus’ demand for supremacy in our lives. Sin wants to make our idols big and Jesus small in our hearts. Its policy is to push Jesus into the corners of our lives where we see him less, and his voice is less clearly heard. Sin wants us to think that Jesus is limited, weak, distant, and unconcerned for us.
Jesus who makes everything different for those who follow him
But the Gospels tell us about the Jesus who is far more wonderful than we can imagine. In the Gospels, we meet Jesus the Healer, who knows our pain, and one day will give us the resurrection life that we are made for. We meet Jesus the Teacher, whose words bring truth, light, and comfort. We meet Jesus the Sacrifice, who laid down his own life for us to bring us forgiveness and hope. And we meet Jesus the King, who sees all and rules over all things, and one day will bring perfect justice. When we meet Jesus, we realise that he’s more awesome, powerful, and glorious than anything else in this world; yet he’s also tender, loving, and intimately concerned for us. This is the Jesus who makes everything different for those who follow him.
At our Sunday services over the next month, we’re going to think more deeply and practically about the difference Jesus makes in problems of life that we all experience. We’ll look at the difference he makes when relationships get hard, when life feels overwhelming, when it feels like the world is out of control, and when we can’t find meaning.
Jesus is a man who lived poor and died young – who never wrote a book, raised an army, or led a government – yet he became the most life-transforming, history-shaping person of all time. This is the Jesus who wants to be Lord of every part of your life, for his glory and for your good.
