Truth, Hope, Relief
It is in John’s gospel that we read that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.”
John’s words are a powerfully succinct description of the Savior. Paul expands
that thought in Colossians 1:19, affirming for us that the very fullness of God
dwelled in Jesus Christ. Jesus was—and is!—filled with grace and truth. Jesus
was—and is!—filled with the fullness of God. Grace and truth. The fullness of
God. These are awe-inspiring and humbling realities that should cause followers
of Jesus to pause and consider this great Savior after whom we have been
named.
Reading through the gospels, it is evident that Jesus brought truth, hope,
and relief into the world. The world in which Jesus lived—very much like the
world in which we now live—struggled to come to grips with truth (note Pilate’s
rhetorical response to Jesus in John 18:38, “What is truth?”). The world in which
Jesus lived—very much like the world in which we live—struggled to find hope.
The world in which Jesus lived—very much like the world in which we live—
struggled to find relief from sorrow, from pain, from oppression, from
hopelessness. Jesus offered relief from all of this, and he offered it with the
fullness of God.
–Ricky
