I love those words, ‘In him was life and that life was the light of all mankind’ (John 1:4). I find it completely captivating. What does it mean that in Jesus was life? Jesus contains physical life. He is the author of life (Acts 3:15) and thereby has the power to create life. He was there at the beginning creating life by the power of his words, ‘and God said, “let there be light”’ etc (Genesis 1:3). And we see throughout the gospels Jesus speaking and touching people and life-giving power flows from him to heal the sick, the lame, those with paralysis and others with skin diseases. He delivers people from demons and raises the dead.
But also, in Jesus is Spiritual life. The Greek word for life, Zoe, refers to the life Jesus brings. It can be described as ‘fullness of soul’. Jesus said ‘I have come that you might have life in all its fullness. (John 10:10). Life flows from his mouth, breaking strongholds, bringing cleansing and forgiveness to the sinner, wholeness to the broken, joy to the sorrowful and freedom to the captive. He gives eternal life so that those who trust him belong to him for eternity.
Can you imagine the joy of meeting the risen, victorious, glorious, joyful conquering Jesus on Easter morning? He greeted his disciples with the words ‘peace be with you’. All the Shalom-wholeness of God be yours because I’ve risen from the dead. He was saying, and continues to say to each of us, his followers, ‘I’ve defeated sin and death forever and all the forgiveness of God is yours. Live in my fullness, my wholeness, my completeness, my victory. All my riches, all the victory of the cross is yours because I’m risen. I lavish on you all my goodness, all my joy, all my blessings. Live in the fullness of all that is God, all that is grace, all the freedom and victory that flow from my love.’ This is what he means when he promises in John 14:19 ‘because I live, you also will live’.
The life he offers is a glorious, victorious, death defeating life. It’s uncontainable, indestructible, unquenchable life. It brings deep assurance and joy in the face of pain, grief, sickness, death and all the other hardships of this life because we have Jesus! I don’t say this to be crass or out of a sense of cold hardness. I have felt his victorious life in the place of long suffering, and he gives me hope. The following is taken from my journal;
“I open the door, invite him in. His life-giving presence fills the room of my heart. Jesus comes with all his life, his goodness, his joy, his fullness, with all the intensity of the glory of Jesus, and I am free. The fragrance of Jesus fills my heart. He is light and all shadows flee, all darkness is dispelled and I am full of His presence, his peace.”
Jesus said ‘Eternal life is to know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent’ (John 17:3)
Rebekah Jasper