It's all about Him

I got a bright idea and went to YouTube on my computer to see if I could find audio of Scripture I could listen to while making dinner. Success!

As I was paying attention to the man with the pleasing British accent reading the Gospel of John, I also had in the back of my mind the upcoming presidential primaries and the substance of campaign speeches. The candidates will be trying to sell themselves to the populace, but they will also have to give a realistic imitation of caring about the issues, not only themselves. “It’s the economy, stupid—campaign strategist James Carville’s winning slogan for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign—reminds us that elections are not (or at least should not be) about the men or women running for office but about the interests of the populace. If an office aspirant comes under the plausible charge of making the election about himself, this is construed as a dishonor to him.

But Jesus is different. I listened closely to the first chapter of John: It was all about Jesus and not about issues. I listened closely to the second chapter of John: Again, it was all about Jesus—who He is, what He came for, why He is important. John Chapter 3: all about the person of Jesus. Chapter 4: ditto, and so on all the way through.

Suddenly, this was fascinating to me. You may search through the entirety of the Gospels, and the epistles as well, and what you will find is the same: The subject is Jesus, the topic is Jesus, the truth being urged on every page is Jesus. Jesus is never falsely self-deprecating in changing the subject to issues like poverty, happiness, or even sin, primarily. When it comes to what is most important in Scripture and in your daily life, “It’s about Jesus, stupid,” you might say (though God is not so rude).

This makes for interesting Bible reading, especially for the bemused or disinterested inquirer who watches closely to see how Jesus is able to pull off the seemingly impossible feat of making Himself the uppermost issue while at the same time demonstrating the epitome of human humility for our imitation. Read the New Testament once through only with this particular focus, and you come away more amazed at the blend of divinity and humanity than before.

So Nicodemus tried to talk about theology. And Jesus, humble of dress and demeanor, had to set him straight that it was not about theology but about Him. And the woman at the well wanted to talk about religious issues, too. And Jesus, without being at all censurably boastful, had to set her straight and say that it was not about which mountain one worships on, it was all about Him.

The upshot for me is that this Christian faith we have is, in its essence, not about our doctrine—though doctrine is important. This Christian faith of ours is all about our Savior Jesus and about our relationship with Him. As Francis Schaeffer put it in True Spirituality:

“Doctrine is important, but it is not an end in itself. There is to be an experiential reality, moment by moment.”

Jesus is the biggest fact of your life. It’s not the economy, stupid. That is a fairly important business in the short run, but one day it will not matter. When Judgment Day arrives we will be evaluated on just one thing: what we did with Jesus.