If All I Knew of Jesus Was...
If all I knew of Jesus was
The story of his birth,
How once upon a time the angel
Gabriel, to earth,
Came down and to a maiden said
A son she would conceive
By God's own Holy Spirit, and
By faith she did believe
That it was so. And so it was
One very star-filled night
In Bethlehem the child was born,
While in the sky the light
Of hosts of angels did appear
Announcing what occurred,
As shepherds listened joyously
To every single word,
And then went off in search of Him,
The very Son of God.
If this was all I knew of Him,
I surely would be awed!
If all I knew of Jesus was
That He, a growing lad
Of twelve, went to Jerusalem
And in the temple had
A long and deep discussion with
The scholars of the day
Who all were left dumbfounded and
Astounded by the way
He questioned them and even taught
Them things they didn't know,
Extracting from the ancient scrolls
By scriptures that He'd show.
If all I knew of Jesus was
Whenever there was need
Of finding something good to eat,
Enough, in fact, to feed
The multitudes that flocked about
To hear his every saying,
Abundant food would just appear
The moment He was praying,
And all would have enough to eat,
A full, refreshing meal,
While all with disabilities
And sickness He would heal.
If all I knew of Jesus was
A bit of what He taught,
Some famous sayings that He said,
Some principles which ought
To be the basis of our lives
And how to interact
With friends and enemies alike,
And how we should react
To situations, good and bad,
By what we do and say,
The common things of life that we
Encounter day by day.
If all I knew of Jesus was
That sometimes what He said
Were words with power strong enough
To bring to life the dead,
I guess I'd think that quite enough
To cause me to believe
That He was more than just a man,
Like those who chose to leave
Whatever they were doing and
To follow where He went,
Convinced He was the promised One,
Messiah, heaven-sent.
But He did more than teach and heal
And show a better way -
He chose to take upon himself,
One dark and dreadful day,
The burden and the weight of sin
So heavy that He cried
In wordless anguish of his soul,
So crushing that He died
The death of separation from
The Father God above
Whose character and essence in
Totality are love.
For sin and love are opposites
That cannot coexist.
While hating sin intensely perfect
Love and grace consist
Of something far more powerful
Than sin and guilt and shame.
And thus it was He chose to die
While taking all the blame
To give us all a second chance
To choose the better way
That He himself exemplified
And lived out every day.
But Jesus' death and suffering
Did not complete his story:
After resting in a tomb
He rose to life in glory!
And thus it is his story really
Doesn't have an end,
For life eternal He provides
To all He may befriend.
And you may be his friend, you know,
As I may be one, too,
If that is what our hearts desire.
He's beckoning to you,
As He is reaching out to me,
To everyone who lives,
With promises of peace and joy
Through life He freely gives.
I'm glad I know the story of
His birth in Bethlehem;
I've heard about the multitudes
And how He cared for them.
I've read about his teachings and
The good things that He did;
I've known about most all of this
Since I was just a kid.
But most importantly, perhaps,
Is not what we may know
About this man called Jesus, but
Exactly how to grow
In knowledge that is personal
In close relationship,
By prayerful contemplation to
Be found in fellowship
Resulting in a change of heart
And inner transformation
Which God alone may bring about,
A sort of re-creation
Which changes our old selfish hearts
While filling them, indeed,
With selfless love for others
And concern for those in need.
Which motivates us hour by hour
Compelling us to share
The essence of his kingdom and
His goodness everywhere.
In all the ups and downs of life
Existing on this earth,
To day by day, as Jesus said,
Experience new birth
In spreading gracious love around
With all with whom we meet,
With all whose lives may touch our own,
At home or on the street.
His kingdom's based on righteousness,
Of justice balanced by
An equal weight of mercy which
Is all the reason why
He came to earth and said and did
Exactly as He's done
That you and I to God may be
A daughter or a son,
Beloved and precious to His heart
To share eternity.
I think that's what the message is
He shares with you and me.