What are you looking for? I can’t even ask that question without the words of Bono ringing in my ear… “And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” I didn’t know, however, while the song was ringing in my ears, that it is somewhat rooted in Judea-Christian thinking. The third and final verse is clearly a reference to gospel themes: 

“I believe in the kingdom come

Then all the colors will bleed into one

Bleed into one

But yes I’m still running

You broke the bonds

And you loosed the chains

Carried the cross

Of my shame

Oh my shame

You know I believe it” 

U2 concludes with the repeated tagline of the song, “But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…” I found that intriguing. If they surveyed the cross and still didn’t find what they were looking for, then they didn’t really see Jesus there. What are you looking for? The truth is, that the most basic things for which humankind searches in desperation are only found in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul plasters this truth all over Ephesians, but gives special attention to chapter 2… 

We find everything we need in Jesus Christ. That profession of faith is the essence of the Christian faith, and it is rooted in the authenticating message of the cross. Notice six things Paul says we find in Jesus Christ. 

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, ¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility. (Eph. 2:14-16) 

In Jesus, there is peace. Paul doesn’t simply say, “Jesus provides peace,” he personifies Jesus as peace. This is comparable to the well-known, “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8, 16). Jesus is the great bridge-builder and at the same time the bridge itself. Through Jesus’ redemptive work, He makes peace a reality. This is not superficial jubilation or some emotive peaceful serenity. He makes peace with God. Jesus fixes that which is out of order, that which is alienated and at odds with deity (see Eph. 2:12). Because of sin, mankind does not have peace with God, but through Jesus, we can. Yet, this peace is not only about humans and deity, it is also about humans and humans. Jesus establishes peace between people. There is no longer a dividing wall that separates, there is no longer a great chasm between nationalities, races, or even previous religions. Through Him, all are brought together under the same banner, the royal banner of the cross. The positives are humbling, but the negatives are true as well. Only through Jesus can this occur, and thus apart from Jesus there is no hope (Eph. 2:12). Separated from Christ, there is still exile and enmity, and there is still disorder and distress. Everyone wants peace, and the way you get it is through the cross of Christ. 

¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the hostility.

In Jesus, there is reconciliation. Reconciliation is a big highfalutin religious term, but it expresses the idea of restoration. To reconcile is to restore what should be. This carries a special connotation of restoring a relationship. Thus, Jesus restores the relationship between sin-struggling creatures to the holy God of the universe. This is accomplished through great sacrifice, first and primarily His, then our own. Peace is experienced as fellowship is restored with God. There is a close association between the ideas of peace and reconciliation. The intersection wherein all this occurs is the cross of Jesus Christ. While humankind has an affinity for the concept of peace, the greater issue is reconciliation back to God. Since the fall in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3), mankind has been hungering in desperation for this close proximity to God. When we find Jesus, we find the solution. As Oswald Chambers said, “All of heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, hell afraid of it, while men are the only ones to ignore its meaning.” If we will avoid ignorance and humbly through ourselves at His wounded feet, we will find what we are looking for. 

¹⁸ for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

In Jesus, we find God. It is a shame our culture throws around the idea of God, but does not understand the Being for whom they long. People today are finding god in sports, pleasure, work, or any number of things. Yet, they are not finding GOD (big “G”). They are saturating their sojourn here, with the nonsense and frivolities of the temporal world, without giving proper honor to the One through Whom all came into being. Jesus does not reveal some generic notion of deity, not A deity. Jesus reveals THE Deity, the true and living God. In Jesus, we find God. God revealed in Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is typically described as the Doctrine of the Trinity (the Triune God). While the phrase is never used, the doctrine is firmly rooted in Biblical truth. This verse illustrates the point clearly enough. All three persons of the Godhead (another Biblical concept without a term for it in the Bible) are concerned with humanity’s redemption. All three persons of the Godhead are actively involved in YOUR redemption. The issue, generally, is that people will twist this concept to say things the Bible never does (esp. the Holy Spirit doing things the Bible never says He does). The Father initiates, the Son activates, and the Holy Spirit revelates. It is sad that sometimes people start thinking, “God is out to get me…” No, my friend. God is out to SAVE YOU. Are you as concerned about your soul as God is? 

In Jesus, we find value. I chose to not use a verse for this point because the entire section of verses discussed thus far makes this point emphatically. When we see the term “value” we think of our value. That isn’t the first place we should take this discussion. Restoring the relationship between God and mad, making the relationship, and establishing peace came at a great cost. This access to God, which denotes a restored relationship, cost Jesus His life. This is why we sing the song, “Jesus paid it all… All to Him I owe!” Now we can turn it introspectively and consider ourselves. In Jesus, we find our value. You matter to God. So much so, that He would send His only begotten Son to die on the cruel Roman cross for you (cf. Jn. 3:16). This is, of course, one of the fundamental flaws in an atheistic worldview. Without God, you have no value, no purpose, and no point. But, with God, you have value (proven in Christ), you have purpose (founded in Christ), and you have a point (glory of Christ). 

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone

In Jesus, we find family. There are few bonds as tightly held as the familial one, and for good reason. This a beautiful bond, and it is rooted in our ancestry in the Genesis creation (see Gen. 1-2). This is probably a more relatable way to describe the previous points on this list (e.g., peace, reconciliation, etc.), which are found in the family relationship. Notice the way Paul unfolds this, “no longer” this, “but you are” this. There was a time, before you became a Christian, when you were estranged from God, and you were counted as a foreigner (cf. Eph. 2:12). Not anymore! Now, instead of an outcast, you are brought near to God. You are called a fellow saint and counted as an equal shareholder in the household. Picture this image, you are a slave walking by a great estate with no claim to any portion of its bounty, and the Owner invites you inside. When you walk in there is a table overflowing with more than you could have imagined! You think you should go sit in the corner somewhere, away from all these folks. The Owner invites you to sit at the adult table and says you get just as much as everyone around you, and invites you to change your name to share His. And even after all that, your name is written into the will and you get an equal share of the inheritance. This is a poor illustration of something beyond this writer’s ability to adequately explain. In Jesus, you find the family of God. You find brothers and sisters bound to one another, not by temporal flesh and blood of familial ties, but by the blood of the enteral Son of God. 

²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

In Jesus, we find holiness. One of the primary requirements of God throughout history is for His people to be holy (cf. Lev. 11:44-45). This is the underlying issue that causes the chasm between God and man. God is holy and cannot be in a relationship with unholiness. When mankind sins, they are by definition, unholy. Yet the high and noble demand of Yahweh for people to be holy is finally accomplished through the person of Jesus. We find our identity in Jesus, and through Him, we discover the purposes of God. Christians are a holy edifice, constructed to His praise, honor, and glory. 

Poor Bono and U2, and most of humankind. They are all searching, digging in desperation, longing for something, though they do not know what. They are looking for Jesus Christ. What are you looking for? The substance, significance, and satisfaction is the Savior, Jesus our Lord.

Have you found what you are looking for? My friend, outside of Jesus Christ, you never will.