John 20:30-31 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
“Spoiler Alert!” We see these words in book and movie reviews. These words let us know part of the plot that isn’t revealed until later in the story. They are plot twists that take you by surprise, that if you know in advance, you would not be transported through the story on the same trajectory that the author wanted for you.
But most movies produced here in the United States follow very predictable trajectories. Think about the Hallmark Channel movies. They are all the same, basically. Man and woman meet, don’t like each other, and then over time the end up getting married.
Sometimes there is a twist in there, like a secret comes out that temporarily breaks them apart. But even these twists follow the pattern. They take place at about three quarters of the way through the film and involve a back in forth between the two characters living their miserable lives, longing for each other.
But sometimes it is helpful to know the purpose of a story up front. It gives you direction as you read. This is what “thesis statement” are all about in academic writing. They tell us what we will be told in advance. They give us direction for our reading.
The Biblical writers also had a purposeful convention in writing. The expected their readers to bring later lessons learned in the text back into the earlier parts of the text. And since the Bible is one unified story, the very first lessons get carried forward to the end, weaving a tapestry that invites the reader into its unfolding layers.
Our text today is John’s gospel’s thesis statement. This is the reason John wrote, and he expected the readers, when they read this statement, to go back through the text and see this purpose unfolded. It would highlight those times when belief versus unbelief were laid out. It would bring them into sharper focus.
John wrote as he did in order to capture his audience and take them to a particular destination. And that destination was belief in Jesus, the kind of belief that restores the humanity in us and puts us on a path of serving God and others. This new way of living is truly life that way it was meant to be lived in the first place.
John was selective about what he included. He recorded some different events that the other Gospel writers did. He had a different purpose in writing and including these things. He was laser focused on bringing his readers to belief.
John wanted us to have life in Jesus’ name. This is the kind of life that transforms us, our families, our communities and our world. We serve in such a way that others are also drawn into a belief in Jesus that transforms them.
This account of Jesus’ life shows what happens when people believe in Jesus. Their lives are radically changed. But it also tells the story of what happens when rejection takes place. When evil is given full reign, we see the hatred and vitriol of the religious leaders, hellbent on killing Jesus. They will lie, deceive, plot and use political coercion to get what they want. Evil is real, and we see it here in this gospel.
This choice, to either trust what God says, or to try to figure it out for ourselves, goes back to the Garden in the very first pages of the Bible. They were given a perfect place to live with everything they needed. They chose to reject that idillic place in order to have their own way.
Are we rejecting in order to have our own way?
The Arnold Journey 