Did Jesus really die just for me? Or for a group of people of which, I happen to be a part, i.e., the Church? Some may ask, what difference does it make? He did die for all sin. Think about someone giving a large sum of money as thanks to the staff of the business where you work. You receive a share because you are part of the group even though the person giving the gift may not know your name. Contrast that to someone doing something just for you and only you. An age-old theological debate still exists over this issue. Did Jesus die for each individual or for the collective group of all people? Leaving out theological biases, probably the best conclusion is both. So, what does that mean to me?
The book of Hebrews says, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (Heb 2:9 NIV). Note translates from other versions: NET, he would experience death on behalf of everyone; MSG, he fully experienced death in every person’s place; HCSB, He might taste death for everyone. It does not say he merely tasted death. No, the writer adds, for everyone indicating individuals. His taste of death wasn’t a quick sip from a soup bowl with everyone in it; His death was a bitter experience. Death constitutes eternal separation from God. In Jesus death, He experiences eternal death for every person and for you.
We see Jesus’ concern for individuals in His ministry. He focused not just on Israel and the future Gentile church but individual people in the crowd. A multitude of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people lay at a pool at the sheep gate. When Jesus came to the pool, He could have healed everyone as a group, but He went to one man who had been there for thirty-eight years. To this one individual, Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk” (John 5:8). After going through a violent storm, Jesus and his disciples arrived in the country of Gerasenes. When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him (Mar 5:2). Jesus delivered him and when the town people came they observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind (v15). This frightened them and they begged Jesus to leave. Look at what Jesus did to minister to just one individual.
When the Pharisees and scribes saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and the sinners, they complained. Jesus responded with the parable of the lost sheep. What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it (Luk 15:4)? Jesus reassured His disciples that God cared so much for the individual that the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Mat 10:30). Once when I was deeply depressed and I felt like no one in the entire world cared about me, the Holy Spirit put this scripture in my mind; casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (1Pe 5:7). That was like an explosion of bright lights shining in my heart. Even if no one else cared about me, Jesus did. Since that moment, I understand I’m not just a nameless face in a sea of people. God knows me. Think about that, the God of all creation knows me as an individual and cares for me.
Jesus declared, I am the good shepherd (Joh 10:11). Important for this study is what he said back in v2. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name (v2). Like a shepherd who knows the names of his sheep, Jesus knows you as an individual, knows your name, and cares for you. Shepherds love and care for their flocks of sheep—a collective group. But they also know each one by name; they love, and care for them individually. A church is a collective group of believers. But our relationship with Jesus does not stop at the back door. We must know and embrace the truth that He is with us every second of everyday as just a single believer. Jesus suffered and endured the eternal punishment for your sin. He did this in order for each believer to have a personal relationship with Him.
If I know He is with me every moment, I will never be alone. Note this promise, He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb 13:5). ‘You’ both times are in the singular. He is with each person. If He is with me, I can know He is helping ‘me’. Paul writes about first defense, no one supported me, but all deserted me . . . But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me (2 Ti 4:16, 17). The first step in having a personal relationship is to realize He desired to be with you, minister to you all the time; second step, ask him. Even though addressed to the church at Laodicea, He addresses the individuals. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone [singular] hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him [singular], and he [singular] with me.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Just For Me? Yes, just for you. He’s waiting to be your constant companion.