Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you.“

John 15:15

We need to know the people we have relationships with. If we don’t know them, we don’t have a relationship with them. There are varying levels of relationship and they are based on how well we know the individual(s). Romantic, sexual, family, corporate, online, friendships, well-wishers, acquaintances, colleagues, neighbour, educational, therapeutical, pastoral, medical, community, cultural, ethnic, belief system, and even with our pets or environment. Most of these can be broken up into sub-groups as well. There is an inherent need for humans to classify people into categories so that we can establish what exactly our relationship with them is. And there are social penalties for colouring outside the lines. In the end, it shows that we are hard-wired for relationships. We were designed to be social creatures. That it is NOT GOOD for us to be alone (Genesis 2:18). When it comes to Jesus, we NEED a relationship. But to have a close relationship we need to KNOW the other person. Which brings us to the most important question of all: who do we say Jesus is? (Matthew 16:13–16; Mark 8:27–29; Luke 9:18–20).

Jesus ministered for about three years all over Galilee, Judea, and a few other places. He spent time with His disciples. That included over eighty people, men and women. He spent the most time with twelve of them. These men started as strangers, got acquainted, and then became disciples. They did whatever He said, whenever He said it – not perfectly, but discipleship is a learning process. At the end of His time on Earth, they had become more than Rabbi and disciple. They had become FRIENDS. They had grown to KNOW Jesus the man. They knew things about Him. They knew He had a great prayer life. That He liked fish. That He liked sweet things like honey. They’d heard Him sing. They’d seen Him physically exhausted. They’d seen Him preach and minister the Word. They’d seen Him challenge the religious elite – those trying to bind up the people in rules for the sake of appearances. They’d seen Him perform signs and miracles. They’d seen Him walk on water and take authority over storms. They’d seen Him not get upset that His roof was pulled up. They’d seen Him angry at the right of people to worship get blocked. They’d seen Him devote time to children and teach women. They’d seen His generosity with the poor. They’d seen His compassion. They’d seen Him prioritize His relationship with the Father. They had spent countless hours in conversation. And that’s just what we know. Can you imagine how much else they knew? How much else they had experienced? They KNEW Jesus. But they didn’t always see who He WAS.

They had as much trouble as anyone in identifying who He really was. When they DID manage it, it was never because of their own thoughts and figurings. It was ALWAYS because of direct revelation from the Father to them (Matthew 16:17). They had seen the very human. They had seen the impossibly supernatural. They had even – some of them – gotten glimpses of the divine (Matthew 17:1–8; Mark 9:2–8; Luke 9:28–36). They STILL had trouble seeing it. We are in the same boat as they were. Except we have to believe it is true a step removed. We have eyewitness accounts of what happened. How He was and what He did. We have reports based on eyewitnesses of what happened. Everything written within decades and often when the eyewitnesses were alive and could dispute it – but didn’t because it was true. For us, though, we are thousands of years removed from what DID happen. We have to believe it, just like we do with other historical figures whose lives and biographies were written CENTURIES after they lived (like Alexander the Great, for example). We have to trust that the writers got it right. And then we have to decide for ourselves who Jesus is.

There are those who agree that Jesus was a great teacher, but try to connect Him with eastern mysticism or other world religions. They don’t like the gaps or jumps in Jesus’ early life. Except, Jesus wouldn’t have done anything incredible during that time. He was a boy living His life and then a man living His life. Studying, working (trained as a carpenter architect like His father Joseph), and living in His community (Matthew 13:55-57; John 6:42-45). Jesus had no supernatural power before His baptism (Mark 1:9–11; Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 3:21–22; John 1:32–34). There would have been no miracles. There would have been no supernatural phenomenon. Just a person growing up in wisdom and respect (Luke 2:52). Others agree He was a teacher and maybe even a prophet, but deny His divinity. Some even deny His death. Like, period. Forget about the resurrection, they say His death was faked. In all of these cases, they are seeing Jesus as something, but they are not seeing Jesus as the EVERYTHING that He is.

“Although God spoke long ago in many parts and in many ways to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world, who is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, sustaining all things by the word of power. When he had made purification for sins through him, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become by so much better than the angels, by as much as he has inherited a more excellent name than theirs” (Hebrews 1:1-4). This is who Jesus IS. He sustains us by the word of power. His Word. And Jesus IS the Word (John 1:1-5). Jesus sustains all of everything. He is the One keeping Creation created. That is so much more than being a teacher or a prophet. It is so much more than being a good man. It is so much more than being merely human. It is a unique position that only He could hold. He is I AM. As much Yahweh Elohim Almighty as Yahweh the Father and Yahweh Ruach HaKodesh. Unique. Himself. More than.

How do we know Him then? He is seated in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). He’s preparing our place there (John 14:3). Yet always with us (Matthew 28:20). How do we come to truly know Him when we cannot see Him face to face? Well, for those of us living in the world today it has never been easier to understand. Zoom. Email. Texting. These are all forms of long-distance electronic communication. We can talk all over the world with people we have never personally met. I have had some great relationships with people who lived on the other side of my continent. I’ve worked closely with people across oceans. I’ve had my name attached to products created in England, Australia, the Philippines, and the United States. I live in none of those places and haven’t visited three of the four. We uniquely understand the idea of fellowship with people we are not near, cannot truly see, and sometimes don’t see (I prefer texting to video conferencing). On one level, this is how we can know Jesus. We can interact with Him through prayer in that remote way. Two sides of the same conversation while physically very far apart. We don’t NEED to see Him to speak to Him, listen to Him, or to learn more about Him. We can remote relationship with ease because we’ve done it so many different ways already with so many different people in so many different locations. But that is not ALL we have available to us.

We have been given Jesus’ own Ruach. Ruach HaKodesh is our CONSTANT companion. We are NEVER apart. In ADDITION to Him, we have Jesus’ LOVE. NOTHING can separate us from His love. Not love in an abstract sense, but love in a very REAL sense. A love that brings warmth, identity, and validation. A righteous Ruach who guides, teaches, and corrects every misstep – when we are willing to repent and humbly submit. Everything we need to have a HERE AND NOW relationship with Jesus. Everything we need to start living eternally in our physical present (John 17:3). So who Jesus IS starts with Ruach HaKodesh. He is our revealer. He is Jesus’ biographer. The author of the Word. The trainer of disciples. The One who leads us straight to Jesus and then ministers and works to keep us there by His side. The One who can teach us how to be FRIENDS of Jesus through our getting to know all of who Jesus is and the depth of His love for us (Ephesians 3:14-21). The Word is the Way and Ruach HaKodesh is our Wayfinder.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 1 Corinthians 15:57

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” The love of Jesus is our victory (John 16:33). It washes us clean of Sin. It is the conduit through which power flows into our lives (Romans 8:11). It is the seal of the covenant (Ephesians 1:13). It is through Jesus that we get victory. Jesus wins it and then pulls us up into it with Himself (Ephesians 2:6). Jesus doesn’t require us to build the building. He requires that we trust it is a building worth occupying. He invites us into the structure that keeps us safe. That makes us secure. That brings us peace and sparks thanksgiving. He has done all the heavy lifting. We get the easy part: believe, rejoice, get thankful. Through Him, we get access to everything. Through Him, we have all there is that is worth having. It is our gift from Him. So let’s get grateful. Let’s bless His name for what He has done for us! For what He has accomplished for us! For what we are allowed to cooperate in! What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8