Who believes in Jesus ...

Tuesday, Sept 11, 2012. What is it that we mean when we say “we believe”? When you ask around, people have very different ideas. So we should have a look into the New Testament and see what Jesus means when he talks about faith and belief. Today, we just look a little bit around there …

“Who believes in me …” …

John 12:44 Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who … … He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. … Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. …

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” … Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!

John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. …

Believe …

The above statements of Jesus are taken from the Gospel of John. Belief is something, which has influence on our way to live, on our way to feel, on our mind, on our eyes, on our desires and wishes and hopes!

Jesus is explaining the truth around faith in images. For example, there is the old image of light and darkness. Who believes will not live in darkness, but in light. Faith provides light! Faith opens our inner eyes, the eyes of our heart. Faith provides insight into what is important, and what is less important. Living in light is an image which is used several times in the New Testament.

What is meant with “come and eat and drink”? It coincides with the image about the “bread of life”. Some theologians interpret as an image to say: Jesus is as important for us as bread, the basic food. I think they are right, but the image wants to tell us more, otherwise Jesus could have said us differently. Eating and drinking is about a process of our soul. It is about our hunger for life. It is about our plans, about satisfaction and fulfillness. With Jesus, our life will be complete, our life will be full, it is fantastic and thrilling, full of meaning, full of a dynamic peace which superseeds our strongest hopes! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts