Sunday marked the beginning of our Christmas series at my church. We will be looking at three different perspectives of the birth and incarnation of Christ from John, Matthew, and Luke. I’m excited about what God has in store through it.

As I studied the nativity accounts in both Matthew and Luke, and as I have been preparing for some future preaching series, I spent a lot of time looking at the reasons why Jesus came to earth. John’s gospel offers a lot of insight into that question as he covers the teaching ministry of Jesus.

One particular verse stood out to me. It’s a short statement Jesus made, and I’ve read it over and over, quoted it numerous times, and generally understood it. But something about it really jumped out this time through it. It’s found in John 10, right in the middle of Jesus’ discussion about being the Good Shepherd. In verse ten, Jesus tells us what the purpose of the enemy is for us, to steal, to kill and to destroy. But then he says this:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came so that we could have life. How many times have you read that? How many times have I? Probably too many to count. But have you ever stopped to consider just what “life” Jesus is talking about?

In the original Greek language of the New Testament, there are several words that are translated as “life” in English. Probably the most familiar is the word bios. In English, this refers to the medical status of being alive. Think of going to the hospital and watching a nurse check your vitals – your blood pressure, your oxygen level, your pulse. These are indicators of life, of physical life, of the state of being alive. In the Bible, this is also used to indicate the means of life, of subsistence. This is the word used about the widow in Luke 21:4, who put a couple of pennies in the offering, “all she had to live on.” She offered her life because that’s all that she had to exist on.

But that’s not the word John uses.

John uses the Greek word zoe. This term means more than just the basis of life, it’s more of the idea of “really living!” This term carries more of the meaning of a vitality of life that is worth pursuing! When you are really living life, that’s zoe life. It’s stopping on the side of the road to enjoy a sunset. It’s finding satisfaction in the smile of a mother as she looks at her newborn baby. It’s being surrounded by family and friends during the holidays, and taking the time to pause and appreciate what you’ve been blessed with. That’s zoe life!

Every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, we decorate our house for Christmas. One of our family traditions is that we buy a special ornament for each of our kids that reflects something from the previous year, that somehow reflects their life for the last 12 months. We have seven kids, and as the years go by, that can be a lot of ornaments! But it means we have a tree that is decorated with much more than baubles and lights. Every evergreen bough holds a memory. Every twinkling light reflects off of a moment in time in the life of our family.

As we decorated the tree with all of those ornaments, as the kids sorted through their boxes, and my wife hung up the ones that reflect the two of us as a couple, I just sat back and watched for a moment. I watched my kids’ faces light up as they pulled out hot air balloons, and little mermaids, and My Little Ponies, and broccoli… yes, a broccoli ornament. I saw the emotions on their faces as they reminisced. And I got a little teary eyed myself, just watching their joy, their life.

That kind of experience is a zoe experience! Those are powerful moments!

And John says that in Jesus we can find zoe! Jesus is life!

We need this life desperately. We live in a world that seems filled with darkness; and it seems to be increasing as time passes. But here’s the thing to remember about darkness: when a light shines in the darkness, it shines bright!

So this month, as Christmas draws closer, and as the world tries to distract us with sales, and movies, and TV specials, and all the rest, keep you eyes on the source of life. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Enjoy the zoe life that he offers. And allow that life to shine as a bright light into the darkness.

Enjoy life this Christmas season!

Question: How have you experienced zoe life recently? You can leave a comment by clicking here.