What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
I could talk a walk down my street, asking people whether or not they believe in Jesus, and I think I’d be hard-pressed to hear someone answer with a “no.” Despite the fact my neighborhood would never be mistaken for heaven. So what does it mean? We’ve seen this word over and over again throughout John, so it must be pretty important.
Just today:
I told you and you do not believe
If I’m not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me, but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works.
And many believed in him there.
To believe in someone is to choose them. It is to choose to accept that their story is true. All of us live according to stories. (“I’ll never amount to anything.” “I’m an ‘A’ student.” “I can’t do that.”) To believe is to stare at two stories that contradict one another and choose one over against the other.
There is a story let loose in the world today. Everything is falling apart. The world is irreparably broken, diseased with no cure. Death, destruction, darkness, addiction.
Jesus comes with a new story. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly. It is a fundamentally different story. Grace and truth. Life and light.
To believe to have complete trust, to accept a source as fully reliable. This is something more than Jesus patting you on the back, saying, “It’s going to be okay,” when you’ve had a bad day. This is Jesus saying, “I. Am. Changing. You. I am changing everything.“
What story do you choose today? Do you believe in Jesus?
What about you? What do you see?
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