“What’s A Jesus?”

 

    What comes to mind when you hear this question asked? Have you thought about the reality that there are still people in this world who have never heard about Jesus at all? 

 

    In MERGE (our Young Adult ministry), we have been working through a series entitled “Stories from the Front” where we read firsthand accounts of missionaries serving on the front line of Gospel advance. Portions of this devotion today are taken from this series. This account was written by Dr. Greg Pruett, President of Pioneer Bible Translators, as he received this question in a crowded market amongst a people group that had never heard The Gospel. 

 

    In his account, Dr. Pruett shares that he would often ask a friend of his how ministry was going, and his friend told him, “I ask people if they’ve ever heard of Jesus, and the typical response I get from these people is, ‘What’s a Jesus?” Hearing this, Greg wanted to experience this frontline missions work firsthand, so he joined his friend on the field for a short-term trip. Among many highlights in his journal, Greg shares the heartbreaking moment this question came to life for him. 

 

    In the market, bumping shoulders with countless people, he realized the reality that the people he was bumping up against in this busy village market most likely had never heard of Jesus. But he writes honestly that he was troubled that while thinking on this, he wasn’t intensely concerned for the people. He even writes that he thought, “Shouldn’t I feel what Jesus felt for these people?” And as Greg wrestled with this thought, he shared that he stopped to ask God why he wasn’t feeling intense concern for these people who hadn’t heard of Him. As he wrestled with this, he noticed a group of children shyly following him. He writes that they, “were old enough to be curious about these strange-looking foreigners in their village, but not old enough to realize they weren’t hiding very well.” Greg and his friend finally encouraged the children to come over and meet them and ask them any questions they had for these strangers to their village. Greg shares that they asked him to see what American money looked like, and things like that, and then Greg shares that it was his turn to ask a question, so he asked them, “Have you ever heard of Jesus?” The children looked around and at each other and then answered, “No, not at all. What is a Jesus?” Greg shares that when he heard that answer, his heart sank, and he began saying to God, “No, not them too. Not these little ones.” That is the moment Greg shares God opened his eyes to his struggle before, feeling no real concern for those he was bumping up against in the market that hadn’t heard of Jesus. Greg shares that this is the realization God shared with him in that crowded village market. God feels the same way he (Greg) felt looking at those children who didn’t know who Jesus was, those children who thought Jesus was an object or a place. God loves all people and desires that we all come to a saving faith, just like Greg so desired for those little children. Greg shares that after they asked this question, as he was still gathering himself, his friend, who served as a missionary to these people, responded to the children’s question with this beautiful answer, “Jesus isn’t a what, He’s a person, He’s The Son of God who came to die so you can live.”

 

    How do you answer this question? How will we help answer this question as a body of Christ? Mark 16:15-16 gives us the perfect response for us to help those with this question. 

 

Mark 16:15

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

 

In Him, 

Pastor Jordan

Romans 8:31