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John 8:25 - So they said to Him [Jesus], "Who are You?" He said to them, "Just what I've been telling you from the beginning."
This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.
Have you found that you don't really know something until you need to know it? My mom must have realized this about me when I was 16 and she was explaining to me for the umpteenth time how to work our clothes washing machine. I'm sure she explained it well, you know, the difference between permanent press and prewash, bulky versus delicates, and so on. But between you and me, I wasn't really listening. At the time, I didn't care to know it, because I figured it didn't need to. It's true in other cases, too. We don't give our full attention to something, to truly learn or understand it until our situation demands it.
This truth is reflected in the life of Jesus, as depicted in John's Gospel. People don't truly know who Jesus is because they don't think they need Him. They're getting along just fine. It goes like this for God, doesn't it? If you believe you don't need a Creator to understand your place and purpose in the world, then you rule out the possibility of getting to know your Creator. Even if you agree, in theory, that there probably was a Creator back there, eons ago, but you don't feel a need for a Creator now, because you're doing just fine, then practically, it's the same result. If you don't need God, you won't know God.
But what if you became aware of your need? Even if you hadn't named the need as such. You've felt it. You felt it when those things you thought were certain seemed shaky all of the sudden: your health, reputation, retirement. You felt it, also, when everything was going right, when you made it to the top and your hard work paid off. And you realized it's still not enough. Something's still missing. You felt it that morning when you woke up, walked outside, saw the sun rising, and the day was charged with wonder, and you had this urge to say, "Thank You" to someone. You felt it. You felt your need for God. It's always there, beneath the surface—a summons, an invitation, God inviting you to know Him.
Only in that context does Jesus make sense. Otherwise, He'd just be a figure from history. But the people who got to know Him said He was different. No one ever talked like this Man (see John 7:46). No one ever did the kinds of things He did or in the way that He did them. He polarized people. They said—either He's the Creator become human, or demon-possessed. This was the controversy that got Him killed, crucified. But then, three days later, He showed up again, His body still bearing the scars, alive from the dead. And He sent out His followers to spread His Name around the globe because people need Him—you need Him.
But what if you don't feel your need for Him? Then you won't truly know Him. But even if you don't know or feel the depth of your need, Jesus does. He created you. He felt your need when He died and rose for you and sent His Word and Spirit to live in you, even before you knew what you needed; sort of like a mom patiently explaining to her 16-year-old the difference between permanent press and prewash. I didn't know what I needed. But she did. And so with Jesus—He knows you. And patiently loves you. And He came so that you would know, even as you are fully known.
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, show me the depth of my need, so that I may know You more deeply. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.
Reflection Questions:
1. Can you think of an example from your life, when you didn't know until you needed to?
2. We need Jesus to take away our sin, but how does our need for Him extend beyond that? In what ways did Adam and Eve need God even before they sinned?
3. How has Jesus been revealing to you the depth of your need for Him?
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