Who is Jesus? Saviour (Part 3)

2. Presence Leads to Peace

It is also helpful to realize that the presence of Christ leads to peace. Jesus was who these disciples wanted to be with. He is the one they wanted to listen to. Jesus was the Master they wanted to follow. Being with Christ must have filled these men with peace, while the prospect of losing Him might lead them into feelings of pain and loss.

            In this passage Jesus reveals that He was going to prepare a place for His disciples to dwell. After He did this He would return to them and take them back to be with Him. Knowing that they would one day be with their beloved Lord should have filled their hearts with peace, even in the midst of separation.

            At a night of prayer at our church we sang the song The River by Brian Doerksen. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

            To the river I am going bringing sins I cannot bear,

Come and cleanse me, come forgive me, Lord I need to meet you there.

In these waters, healing mercy flows with freedom from despair,

I am going, to that river, Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready to surrender every care

Take my hand now, lead me closer, Lord I need to meet you there.

As the congregation was singing, I simply imagined myself by a beautiful river bend, surrounded by green grass on a warm day. I pictured myself meeting my Lord and Saviour there by that river. And I felt wonderful joy and peace and rest in my soul. Have you tasted the peace that the presence of Christ brings? Do you wish to know this peace for all eternity?

Who is Jesus? Saviour (Part 2)

1. Faith Leads to Peace

            Just prior to this passage, Jesus reveals to His disciples that He would soon be leaving them. He would be going away and they were not able to follow Him, at least not yet. This must have filled these men with great confusion and sadness. They had put their hope in this man. They were incredibly blessed by this man. They had given up everything to follow this man. And now He was taking off!

            Have you ever been abandoned by someone you cared deeply for? A husband or wife? A mother or father? A boyfriend or girlfriend? A best friend? At such times the pain is unbearable. Nothing else in the world matters.

            Jesus tells His followers not to be troubled. Even though He was leaving them there was reason for hope. It was possible to feel peace. They were not going to be apart from Jesus forever.

            Rather than being troubled, the disciples are told to believe: “Believe in God; believe also in me.” If these men believed in Jesus, they would not feel troubled. Why? Because faith leads to peace.

            It does so for two reasons. First of all, faith is embracing the promises of Christ with confidence. In this passage, Jesus reveals that His followers would be with Him in the future. Jesus was not abandoning them. He would return for His beloved. Trusting in this knowledge would bring peace to their hearts. Secondly, faith brings peace because it is through faith that God saves. And one of the blessings believers ought to experience is peace.

Who Is Jesus? Saviour (Part 1)

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:1-6

The Christian author and editor Philip Yancey writes: "I first got acquainted with Jesus when I was a child, singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Sunday school, addressing bedtime prayers to “Dear Lord Jesus,” watching Bible Club teachers move cutout figures across a flannelgraph board. I associated Jesus with Kool-Aid and sugar cookies and gold stars for good attendance.

            I remember especially one image from Sunday school, an oil painting that hung on the concrete block wall. Jesus had long, flowing hair, unlike that of any man I knew. His face was thin and handsome, his skin waxen and milky white. He wore a robe of scarlet, and the artist had taken pains to show the play of light on its folds. In his arms, Jesus cradled a small sleeping lamb. I imagined myself as that lamb, blessed beyond all telling.

            Recently, I read a book that the elderly Charles Dickens had written to sum up the life of Jesus for his children. In it, the portrait emerges of a sweet Victorian nanny who pats the heads of boys and girls and offers such advice as, “Now, children, you must be nice to your mummy and daddy.” With a start I recalled the Sunday school image of Jesus that I grew up with: someone kind and reassuring, with no sharp edges at all—a Mister Rogers before the age of children’s television. As a child I felt comforted by such a person." (The Jesus I Never Knew, p. 13).

            What are your earliest impressions of Jesus? I remember Him as a very white man wearing a white robe and a blue sash. He also had a cartoon quality about Himself, seeing as I often saw representations of Him from the Picture Bible.

            But more importantly, who is Jesus? Is He the good moral teacher many North Americans make Him out to be? Is He a dangerous and intolerant right-winger? Or is He merely one of God’s many prophets or spokespersons?

            The founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, A. B. Simpson, taught that Jesus was our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. I would like to take some time to explore these ideas, beginning with Jesus as Saviour.