Sometimes people try to sell me things I don’t need. When buying an article of clothing, the cashier pitches a store membership. The dealership I bought my truck from keeps emailing me about the urgency of renewing my warranty. A few weeks ago, a man knocked on my door selling services to wash exterior windows. There is nothing wrong with these things. I just don’t sense any real need for them.
People can respond to the Gospel this way. They don’t dislike Christians, but when you tell them “Jesus saves,” “he’s good news,” that they should “give their life to him,” they just don’t see the need.
Missional Christians need to do some digging here. If Jesus saves, what does he save from? If Jesus is the answer, what are the questions? If Jesus is the way, where are we trying to go? The “I Am” sayings in John’s Gospel offer us some guidance.
Several times, Jesus uses rich metaphors that reveal the deeper needs and spiritual questions salvation addresses. Yes, Jesus purchases forgiveness of sins. But in John, he also tells us he is Bread, Light, the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, and more. In our sermon series this fall, The “I Am” Sayings of Jesus, we follow Jesus’ images of salvation back, like a trail of breadcrumbs, to the needs, wants, and problems he alone can solve. Then maybe we can better help people—and ourselves—feel our desperate need for Jesus.
