Jesus Came From Galilee (Part II)

What Did Jesus Do?

Some said, “This really is the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?”
So there was a division among the people over him.
John 7.40-41, 43

We noted in an earlier WDJD that the really important question is not where is Jesus from, but rather who is he (See WDJD for 3/16/11). If we know the truth about who he is we will eventually understand all there is to know about where he is from.

Have you ever noticed what most people want to know about you? Typically the first thing someone asks upon meeting us for the first time isn't “Where are you from?” but “Who are you?” But, especially down here in North Carolina—where everybody notices that I talk kind of funny (I grew up in New Jersey, enough said)—even if they ask who I am, what they really want to know is where I'm from! And often when we tell folks about who we are, much of what we say is about where we're from. Seemingly, people have always placed great importance on knowing where other people are from. Knowing where someone comes from informs what we come to think about who they are. But, I'll say it again, with Jesus the important thing is to know who he is. If we know he is the Son, that tells us he comes from the Father!

Now, if it is important to know who Jesus is, then, as Christians, the most important part of our identity isn't where we are from, but who we are. And the most important thing for people to know about us is—that we are Christians! Think about it some more. When we tell others about ourselves we include where we are from, something about our family, and typically what kind of work we do. Most people don't mention Jesus when they tell others about themselves. But if he is the most important part of our life, and he should be, shouldn't the first thing we share about ourselves with others be about our personal relationship with the Lord? I don't know, but it almost seems that Jesus might not be as important in our life as we like to think he is when we consider how far down the line it is before we mention him when talking about ourselves.

I have to think about this some more. But, even though it might put some people off, might even cause some division between me and a lot of other people I meet, I believe I ought to start introducing myself to others by saying something like this, “Hi, I'm Jim, and Jesus saved me!” Wouldn't that tell a stranger what he or she most needs to know about me, and about the most important person in my life? Somehow I think the conversation, if folks stick around after an introduction like that to actually have a conversation, would be about something more important than the weather, or sports, or politics. I don't know. It would be risky, wouldn't it, to boldly begin by letting someone I meet for the first time know that the most important thing about me is that I needed saving, and that Jesus saved me?

Picture this. I'm sitting down at IHOP for some apple-cinnamon pancakes, and the server says, “Hi, I'm Sally, and I'll be your server today!” and I reply, “Hi, Sally. I'm Jim, and Jesus saved me!” Do you think Sally might ask someone else to take her table? Or maybe she'd go and tell the manager that there was a customer causing a disturbance? But, after all, if Sally is considerate enough to tell me what, in the context of IHOP, I need to know about who she is, shouldn't I, in the context of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ, tell what she needs to know about me, which amounts to telling her what she needs to know about Him?

Or, how about when I am substitute teaching at one of the local schools, and I introduce myself to a class for the first time? What would happen if I were to say to them, “Good morning! I'm Mr. Wilken, and Jesus saved me”? I mean, could there possibly be anything more important that I could tell them about myself, is there anything more important that I could teach them? Of course, I might not ever be invited back to sub if a parent were to complain.

Maybe some of you are already doing this when you meet people. I can't say that I ever remember meeting anyone who introduced themselves to me in such a manner. I wonder what might happen if more and more believers did something like this? When I think about the whole “What did Jesus do” conversation we've been having for more than a year and a half now, it seems to me that it might be a way for Jesus to keep doing what he did—save sinners.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4