Light of the World, in theatres now, is an animated film about the ministry of Jesus, told through the eyes of the Apostle John, who is widely believed to have been the youngest of Jesus’ 12 disciples.

In this fictional reimagining, John’s family owes a debt they can’t pay, and tax collectors are threatening to imprison John’s father because of it. John has heard about a man named Jesus, who has been performing miracles, so he takes his father to meet Him.

“I’ve brought someone who can help. This is Jesus,” John proudly proclaims.

John’s father isn’t impressed by the man who claims to be the Messiah yet hangs out with fishermen and tax collectors.

“We’ve talked about this. It’s just a story,” he tells his son.

He thinks following Jesus is a waste of time. But John knows the right thing to do.

“He’s helping people,” he says. “I want to be a part of that. I want to show up.”

John follows Jesus, despite his father’s objections.

Over the next three years, John witnesses Jesus do many miraculous things: turning water into wine, healing people, walking on water. He celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Then days later, he permits Jesus to wash his feet at the Last Supper. At His Crucifixion, Jesus tells John and the other disciples, “This is not the end. It’s the beginning.”

Jesus was right. We know that John went on to write the Gospel of John, where he describes what he witnessed as a disciple of Jesus. He also wrote Revelation, the last book of the Bible, in his later years. The stories John wrote have had an eternal impact on billions of people. Biblical scholars believe John was just a teenager when he began to follow Jesus. The disciple whom Jesus loved, despite his young age, was a powerful force in the growing first-century church.

What’s in a Story?

In the movie, John’s father tells him that Jesus isn’t really the Messiah, and that “it’s just a story.” John follows Him anyway and he watches Jesus change the lives of countless people.

For Christians, the gospel isn’t just a story. It’s a life-changing event in their lives because Christians have met Jesus—probably not in person, but that doesn’t lessen the impact. Encountering Jesus and accepting His sacrifice on the cross changes where eternity will be spent, but meeting Jesus also changes how life is lived on earth.

Every Christian has a different story of meeting Jesus. For some, encountering Jesus means they were an addict and now they’re in recovery. For others, it means they were filled with shame, but now, they are redeemed and set free from the past. There are as many stories as there are people who’ve been changed by meeting Jesus.

Stories have power. Some people might be unwilling to hear Bible quotes, but they might listen to stories, what Jesus has done in some lives and how they can find the same healing in their own lives.

In the movie, John says following Jesus is his chance to “show up.” Maybe “showing up” is sharing stories of what Jesus has done. 

Do you have a story? If so, show up and share it!

Illustration: The Salvation Poem Foundation, Inc.

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