Another John dot Com

Eternal life is both a gift and a mission.

It was a mission for Jesus. Our Lord knew God sent him to proclaim eternal life. That mission was the fulfillment of all God’s law.

Remember that powerful text from Deuteronomy. In it God says, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

God offered life to the people of God. We know that sometimes they took advantage of such a promise and other times they squandered it. They didn’t listen to the prophets’ words. Time and time again they turned to their selfish ways. That’s just like us.

In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus to offer a completed promise: eternal life.
Jesus understood and made it clear that God’s purpose for his life was to share that message. And so he did.

He did when people loved what he had to say. He did so when people wanted to throw him off a cliff. He did as more and more people followed him and as he was executed on a cross.

Eternal life was Christ’s mission and it is our gift.

People assume I love my name so much that I chose John as my favorite book of the Bible. Yes, that would be a John thing to do. After all, John refers to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” Growing up, I always wanted a more flashy name. John sounded pretty boring and I never thought of myself as boring.

Then I understood the meaning of the name: Yahweh has been gracious. There’s nothing boring about that!

I love the book of John because it centers on eternal life. And who am I without that? God has been too good for me to not accept such a gift. 

Eternal life, then, remains both a mission and a gift.

Christ offered us eternal life. We received it; we receive it every time we pray. Now, his mission becomes ours. Just as Jesus used signs to show that he was God’s promise, we have signs, too, that point to Jesus.

We may not walk on water, but we forgive. We do so because the love of God compels us. Besides, actually forgiving someone these days may be more of a miracle. We may not be able to make a blind man see, but we can offer compassion and care for him. You and I may never see complete freedom and equity for all people, but we can stand up for the people we do know who face oppression and persecution now.

And our mission isn’t predicated on whether people believe us or not. Again, Jesus took his mission to the cross. We share the news of eternal life simply because it’s the gift we have received.

Stay blessed…john