Week 5—Saturday 1 John 3:1-3
Week 5—SATURDAY
JESUS FULFILLS THE TOTAL PERSON
We must look again at: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” These three things correspond with the three things that make up the human personality: intellect, feeling, will. “I am the way”—the will, the organ of acting; “I am the truth”—the feeling, emotion. Jesus thus fulfills the total personality. And he involves the total personality in his service.
When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in the law he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart [the affectional nature], and with all your soul [the volitional nature], and with all your mind [the intellectual nature]” (Matt. 22:37). And then [in Mark’s Gospel] he added “with all your strength.” This may be with the strength of the body, but it may be with the strength of all three of these. Some love God with the strength of the mind and the weakness of the emotion. This produces the intellectualist in religion. Some love with the strength of the emotion and the weakness of the mind. This produces the sentimentalist in religion. Some love God with the strength of the will and the weakness of the emotion. This produces the moral man of iron—ethical, but not very approachable. The really strong person loves God with the strength of the mind, the strength of the emotion, and the strength of the will.
So the Christian in following Jesus cannot follow him as the Way-only; or the Truth-only; or the Life-only. It must be all three in one—and at the same time if we are fully Christian. The Hindu has three ways from which you can choose: Gyana Marg—the way of knowledge; Bhakti Marg—the way of devotion or emotion; Karma Marg—the way of works. Jesus is all three ways in one, and when you are in him you fulfill all three ways. And you fulfill your personality—the whole person—intellect, feeling, which are all loving him and, hence, fulfilled in him. He is Life and, therefore, completes all life in himself.
O Jesus, I want to follow you with my whole being—no part left out. For if it is left out, that part will be dark. Everything in you is light and only light. “O may it all my powers engage” to do your will. For I cannot be less than yours without being less than myself. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: My all for his all—that is life for me.