Let’s Focus More on Jesus This Year  

At our family gathering on Christmas Eve, some of us played a game one person had received as a gift. It involved trying to get others to guess a word or phrase, but you had to use only one-syllable words in the process. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. It takes effort to limit oneself to such simple language when there are bigger words that could better communicate what you are trying to say. And as the name of the game suggests, it really does make some people sound humorously like Neanderthals as they grunt out nothing but monosyllabic sounds.

Such an exercise should make us appreciate the extent to which God has gone to communicate with us. Think about how an infinite God must have to really simplify everything in order for us finite human beings to understand it. Not only are the concepts He is revealing to us so great – His nature, the Trinity, eternity, His vast love for us, His power that is beyond what we can fathom, and so much more – but He is having to translate it all into languages and ideas that we are capable of grasping. It is no wonder that He often resorted to stories, parables, and word pictures to get certain truths across to us.

However, the ultimate manner in which God has revealed Himself to us is through His Son, Jesus Christ. That is what we just celebrated at Christmas. In his Gospel, John puts it this way: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The title “Word” (Logos) has several connotations, but it basically affirms that Jesus was and is the best way for us to learn about God. He is the supreme revelation of God’s nature, character, and will. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. As scripture testifies elsewhere, Jesus is “the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3).

Therefore if we truly want to grow in our understanding of God, then we have got to look more closely at Jesus. That is what I have felt challenged to do as we go into this new year. For most of my life I have made it my usual practice to read through the entire Bible during the course of a year. I intend to still do that. However, I am also planning on zeroing in more on those Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. I am hoping to focus more on Jesus not only in order to gain a better picture of God, but also to help me get a greater vision of what God has called me to be like. After all, His goal for each of us is that we be transformed more into the image of His Son. So if I can see Jesus more clearly, then I will also see where I measure up in comparison to Him. I will see where I fall short, where I need to change and grow, and where God has helped me to become more like My Savior.

I would encourage you to do the same this year. Don’t neglect the rest of God’s Word. It is all important. However, focus more attention on Jesus – the real Jesus of the Bible, not the twisted images of Him which some in our modern society and churches try to put forth. Study the Gospels for yourself. Be willing to see the whole picture of Jesus. See this One who is full of both grace and truth, and seek to be more like Him this year.