What Does Jesus Say? (Part 1 of 2)

The Gospel of John holds a unique position among the four canonical Gospels, providing profound insight into the identity and deity of Jesus Christ. A key feature distinguishing John is the frequent use of the phrase “Truly, truly” (or Verily, verily in older translations), a rhetorical device Jesus used 25 times to highlight the trustworthiness and overwhelming importance of the statements that followed.

This deep dive into Jesus’ own words—known as “WDJS” (What Does Jesus Say?)—begins with the powerful conclusion of John chapter 1, where Jesus confirms His role as the bridge between heaven and earth.

1. The Contextual Mandate: Why Study John’s Gospel?

To understand any verse, it is “vitally important” to consider it within its immediate and expansive context. The sources emphasize that failure to maintain this context can lead to “all kinds of dangers”.

The Stated Purpose of John

The Apostle John, an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry, wrote his Gospel with a clear objective. The purpose is found in John 20:31: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”.

This objective establishes a clear pattern throughout the book:

1. Signs/Evidence: Jesus provides evidence (miracles and teachings).
2. Belief: This evidence is intended to “command belief”.
3. Life: This belief issues in “life”.

It is not enough simply to search the scriptures or observe the evidence; one must “come to me that you may have life,” Jesus states. Life is not found in a strategy or a religion, but in a person—the lifegiver.

Beyond Moralism: The Failure of WWJD

While some have attempted to emulate Jesus using concepts like “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do), this approach often degenerates into “a kind of form of moralism” where individuals try to be “what we’re actually not”. The true message of the Gospel is the antithesis of this—that on the basis of what Christ has done and is doing in us, we become what we are not by his power. The focus must remain on “What does Jesus say?”.

2. The Identity of Jesus: Creator, Word, and Light

Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John does not begin his narrative with the stories of Bethlehem or the angels. Instead, John begins in eternity, introducing Jesus as the divine “Word”.

The Word’s Eternal Nature

Scanning the opening verses of John’s Gospel reveals the identity of the Word:

• The Word is eternal: “In the beginning was the word”.
• The Word is God: “the word is God”.
• The Word is the Creator: “All things were made through him”.

In the Word was “life,” and this life was the “light of men”. This “light shines out into the darkness” and the darkness “has never been able to put it out,” a reality reflected in the growing number of believers worldwide today.

The Fulcrum of the Faith: The Incarnation

The pivotal statement of John chapter 1 is verse 14: “The word became flesh and dwelt among us”. This is defined as “foundational Christianity”—the staggering reality that God, the creator of the universe, became human and moved into our time-space capsule.

In doing so, Jesus revealed His glory and His grace. This grace is “undeserved favor,” contrasting sharply with the “list of rules and regulations” that characterized the previous religious observations. Jesus also revealed the truth, which is the “answer to the riddle of life” and the “longings of the human heart”.

Unrecognized and Rejected

Despite His divine nature, Jesus was “unrecognized” in the world, particularly by the people who “would have been most likely to receive him”—His own. Yet, there were “exceptions.” Those who believed in Him were given the right to become the children of God.

3. The Setup Man and the Invitation: John the Baptist and Discipleship

Before Jesus fully steps onto the scene, the Gospel introduces John the Baptist, the “setup man” who came to “bear witness to the light”.

John’s mission was to point away from himself and towards Jesus. He fulfilled this calling by declaring, “I have seen and bear witness that he is the son of God“. He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who will die for the sins of the world to make people right with God.

The priority for all who share the Gospel should be to mirror John’s focus: telling people about Jesus—the Creator, the Lamb of God who grants forgiveness—rather than primarily focusing on one’s own personal conversion story, as individual pathways to faith are diverse.