Jesus Christ is God’s complete expression of grace and truth. Jesus makes God known to us and to the world. The law is given through Moses, but we receive God’s grace and truth through Jesus. But many do not recognize Jesus, including “his own” people, his neighbors in Nazareth and the Pharisees, Sadducees, and high priests in Jerusalem.

Laws provide boundaries and rules that seek to control behavior and protect society. We can all acknowledge that societies need laws in order to function. Some law also shapes identity. The “Law of Moses” shapes the identity of the Jews. But the law does not reveal God to the people. John proclaims that the grace and truth that comes through Jesus Christ makes God known to us.

We live in an age that New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman calls “the Age of Accelerations.” Friedman describes how humans are losing the capacity to adapt to the pace of technological innovation and expanding information. One way to react is to tighten laws that have proven dependable in the past in order to protect identity and prevent change.

The struggle between the followers of the law and Jesus becomes a key theme of John’s Gospel, which concludes with Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection proves the Jewish leaders wrong and implores Peter to demonstrate his love for Jesus by feeding and tending others. (See John 21:15-19.)

How do you feed and tend others in ways that demonstrate your love for Jesus and reveal the grace and truth of God to them? If Jesus is how God is made known to us, how do you now feed and tend to others in a world facing such difficult and complex challenges?