A “Good News” People
As we approach Easter weekend, we want to pause and remember that the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus is truly “good news” – on Easter, yes, and also in everyday life, all year long. But amidst competing worldviews, everyday busyness, and a context that prioritizes values over beliefs, it’s easy to relegate that “good news” to Sundays (or perhaps for some, this one Sunday annually), and live as if other forms of “good news” are better, more impacting, and more applicable to Monday - Saturday life, the rest of the year.
Even the Bible, church community, and religious practice can replace the gospel as our priority. In short, we don’t always truly see the gospel as good news, which impacts every aspect of life, and infuses our faith practices, conversations, and relationships.
“God’s people are created by God to be a ‘good news people.’
But the gospel is truly the best “good news” — and both followers of Jesus and those who don’t are desperately in need of the best good news! For all history, God’s people are created by God to be a “good news people.” We’re part of a counter-cultural family, existing within a broader world whose values look different from our beliefs. And we’re invited by God and empowered by his Spirit to believe in a better “good news” than any other, to see that good news change our everyday lives, and to share that good news with each other and the world around us in winsome ways that it actually sounds like good news.
Jesus himself showed himself to be good news in a broken, hurting, first century world, to broken, hurting, first century people. But he wasn’t good news in just one way; he met people in their specific stories! We can learn from Jesus today, as we seek to share Jesus as good news to broken, hurting, twenty-first century people… and not in just one way; like Jesus did, we too can meet people in their specific stories!
Here’s a glimpse of how Jesus was good news, in different ways to different people:
Nathanael was invited to follow Jesus, but responded with scoffing. Jesus valued his skepticism & questions, but didn’t “prove” himself intellectually. Rather, he showed Nathanael truth & beauty: Jesus is the true Logos, the only bridge between heaven & earth, & the answer everyone is truly seeking. Jesus is truth to the skeptic and the seeker.
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast. On one hand, he brought joy to a dying party, & covered a family’s shame & embarrassment at an event that was deeply meaningful to their society. On the other hand, John calls this event a “sign”; it pointed to something greater. By making wine in jars used for purification water, Jesus was looking toward his own death, at which his shed blood would cover a deeper shame, redeem all broken, & forgive all sin. Jesus is joy to the joyless and the lonely.
Nicodemus is one of highest most religious leaders in Jesus’ day. He is successful, respected, & morally upright. Most Pharisees shunned Jesus: they knew more of God’s Law, and performed more religious acts, than most Jews — and were very proud of that fact. But Jesus tells Nicodemus (and other Pharisees in other verses) that nothing they can do can earn their way to God, or make God love them more. Jesus is grace to the religious and the self-righteous.
Jesus crossed nearly every societal barrier to talk with an unnamed woman at the well. Through their conversation, he discovered many areas of her dissatisfaction — & helped her see that the people & places that she sought satisfaction were never enough. Everyone on earth is deeply “thirsty” and seeking something to satisfy our deepest needs. Jesus is satisfaction to the dissatisfied and the outcast.
Jesus is put to the test by religious leaders, regarding the right response to an anonymous woman caught in adultery. Rather than condemn the woman for her sin, Jesus shows her grace and offers forgiveness. But he concurrently invites the religious crowd to consider their own sin, and the forgiveness they had received from God. Jesus is forgiveness to the sinner and the shamed.
Jesus speaks with two very different sisters, his close friends Mary & Martha. In the first scene, an exasperated Martha wants Jesus to put Mary to work, while Mary merely wants to be with Jesus. In the second, both women are grieving their brother’s death. In both scenes, we see Jesus’ different responses to each sister’s personality & each one’s specific needs in the moment. But we also see Jesus’ unified answer to grief & weariness: Jesus is hope for the grieving and the weary.
While the New Testament talks about the work of the Spirit in many ways, Jesus promises to send his disciples the Holy Spirt, who he calls “another advocate”: throughout our life, the Spirit speaks to us on God’s behalf, and reminds us what is true despite our circumstances, and meets us in our moments of helplessness, and the injustices of this life. The Spirit also reminds us of our first advocate: Jesus is a helper for the hopeless and the oppressed.
Both the anonymous “rich young ruler” and Zacchaeus are wealthy and powerful; both engage with Jesus; he challenges their actions, and also their hearts, motives and worship. One man responds to Jesus well; the other does not. With wealth and power, many seem able to get whatever they need, or want… often at others’ expense. Jesus invites us to turn to a better God; he is freedom and a better god, for the rich and the powerful.
In the prodigal son and two other parables, Jesus shares the extent of God's pursuing love, and his willingness to leave the people a religious teacher would be expected to be with, for the sake of those far away — the hurting and the lost. We later see the extent of Jesus’ love in his Gethsemane prayer: he experienced deep sorrow, pain, and agony. He was deeply honest with God. And he still submitted himself to God’s will — on our behalf. Jesus was hurt, rejected, and even killed by his love for us. Jesus offers belonging to the hurting and the lost.
After Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to many people, who responded differently to Jesus’ resurrection: Mary, Peter, John, and Thomas were among the many whose hope was lost at Jesus’ crucifixion — despite hearing multiple times that Jesus would return! Resurrection is, by nature, supernatural: so doubt and disbelief are a common response today. But Jesus offers faith to the doubting and the hopeless.
These are just a few examples in Jesus’ own life, of how he is “good news” to every person in a unique way that meets them in their story! Jesus prayed a shocking prayer during his Last Supper: that God would not remove his followers from the world, but empower & protect us as they go into it. Jesus still sends his followers into the world to share this good news!
On one hand, do we truly believe the gospel is actually good news, for everyday moments, cultural issues, & our own needs/questions? Do we live as if Jesus gives us a truer story, deeper identity, greater hope, & better news? On the other hand, do we know how to share that good news with others?
“The gospel is utterly counter-cultural, even offensive!”
The gospel is utterly counter-cultural, even offensive! God's answer starts with remembering who we are in Christ, & what God & others did for us — and loving/praying for God & others more than ourselves. Only then will we display & declare the gospel as good news. Jesus promises that we go with his authority, Spirit, & protection — then he sealed those promises through his death/resurrection.
This identity is easy to forget, and this charge is easy to ignore. So it’s helpful to remember who we are, and how this vital message changes our lives. It’s helpful to remember who God made us to be, because of and through the miracle of Easter. We have good news that a broken and hurting world needs. This is God’s design for his people, all year every year — it’s the message he’s created us to share: we are a good news people!
Portions of this article were adapted from, summarized from, or influenced by Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs, Encounters with Jesus by Tim Keller, and How to Talk About Jesus Without Being ‘That Guy’ by Sam Chan. These themes became the backbone of a series of Sunday teachings and group discussions in Salt & Light Community (Fort Worth, TX), Fall 2023. You can listen in, starting here.
