The Holy Spirit Helps Us See The Truth

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John 16:4b-15

4b “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

 
 

Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to be with the Father. This ascension is recounted in the Apostles’ Creed. (I’ve bolded the relevant portion, below.)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended to the dead.
The third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty;
from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*universal, of or belonging to the whole

The ascension is a good thing, because before He ascended, Jesus could be bodily present only in one place at one time, but the Spirit whom He has sent can be with all the church at all times.

One of the things the Spirit now does is show the sinfulness of the world.

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged [John 16:8–11].

This is one of the ways that the Spirit helps God’s people walk in truth, by showing them the errors of the world.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Where do you need the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth (v.13) today?

P.S. The Gospel of John is filled with deep trinitarian language. For example: the Spirit glorifies the Son (16:14), who glorifies the Father (17:4), who glorifies the Son (8:54).

 

You Can't Say That Jesus Didn't Warn Us

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John 15:18-16:4a

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4a But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

 
 

The world hated Jesus. In fact, the world hated Jesus so much that it crucified Him.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Sometimes modern Christians seem to believe that if we were just nice enough, the world would love us and listen to the gospel. What these people forget is that Jesus loved the world and yet was still crucified. Success is not measured by how popular the church is in the world, but by how faithful the church is to Jesus.

 

Is This True?

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John 15:12-17

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

 
 

Jesus has already taught that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (see John 10:11). Here, He expands on that idea and tells the disciples that He is laying down His life for them, and so that they—His friends—ought to be prepared to do the same.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Do you think what Jesus says is true? Is giving your life for another person the highest form of love?

 

What Does "Abide" Mean?

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John 15:1-11

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

 
 

In 14:20, Jesus has spoken of the “indwelling” presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life:

20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you [John 14:20].

Here, with the “I am the vine, you are the branches” metaphor, Jesus explains what that means. What does it mean, practically, to “abide?”

In John 8:31b–32,

31b “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” [John 8:31b–32].

Here, Jesus goes further when He says:

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you [John 15:7].

Very practically, one of the things it means to abide in Jesus is to continually keep His words in your mind and heart.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
How can you abide in Jesus today?

P.S. One quick note: Jesus is making a play on words in verses 2-3. In Greek, the verb translated here as “prunes” could also be translated “trims clean.” So, Jesus says, “the Father trims clean unfruitful branches, and you folks are clean because of the words I have been speaking to you.”

 

Stormy Surface But Tranquility In The Depths

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John 14:15-31

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

 
 

The Father has sent the Son, which is why the Father is “greater” than the Son (v.28.) But, when Jesus leaves, the Holy Spirit will be given to them, and He will teach them and help them remember Jesus’s commands. Remembering and doing Jesus’s commands is essential, because:

23 If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him [John 14:23].

In other words, the way to live in the reality of God’s eternal life is to obey Jesus.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Jesus makes the point that the peace He provides is unlike the peace of the world. Why? This is because Jesus has promised that His disciples will have difficulty, but that nevertheless their “heart” will have peace. Jesus’s peace is not an absence of conflict, but a deep assurance of God’s goodness in the midst of conflict. It is the peace of deep water, despite the storms that blow on its surface.

 

If You've Seen The Son, You've "Seen" The Father

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John 14:8-14

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

 
 

From the prologue of his Gospel, John has been teaching us of the mysterious trinitarian relationship between the Father and the Son.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth….18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known [John 1:14 & 18].

Here, Jesus tells Phillip the same thing:

9b Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10a Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? [John 14:9b–10a].

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Sometimes a son will look unmistakably like his father. That’s what Jesus says here to Phillip: if you know what I look like, then you’ll know what the Father looks like.

P.S. Jesus doesn’t tell them, “Ask for whatever you want and you’ll get it.” Rather, He says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.” The implication is that we are to pray as if we were Jesus—praying in the Jesus way.

P.P.S. The “greater works” the church will do (14:12) refers to what Jesus tells the disciples after the resurrection:

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” [John 20:22–23].

What Jesus is talking about here is the incredible responsibility He has given His church to testify to the world of the reality of sin and the opportunity for repentance.

 

The Way Is A Person

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John 14:1-7

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

 
 

Jesus tells the disciples not to be worried at His death and that there is a place for them in heaven. He states:

4 And you know the way to where I am going [John 14:4].

Thomas is confused:

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me [John 14:5–6].

The disciples are looking for a path, but Jesus tells them that the way is a person. Jesus is the way! That is, the way to know the Father and to live eternally with Him in heaven is to know Jesus. If you know Jesus, then you know the way.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Modern people are often troubled by the exclusivity of Christ—that He is the way. But shouldn’t we instead be grateful that the Father sent the Son to the world so that all who believe in Him could know the way to life?

 

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

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John 13:36-38

36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

 
 

Jesus has said in v. 33:

Where I am going you cannot come.

And so, here, Simon Peter asks a follow-up question:

36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward” [John 13:36].

In the epilogue to John’s Gospel, Jesus will predict that Peter is going to be crucified, as He does here. Peter seems to understand that Jesus is referring to His death and so Peter makes the bold claim that he would die for Jesus.

Jesus gently corrects him and tells him that rather than dying for Him he will end up denying Him, and even that very night.

38b Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times [John 13:38b].

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
As we shall see, before the resurrection, the disciples are fearful, but after they meet the risen Lord, they are fearless, even though following Jesus will cost them their lives. Peter is only able to truly follow Jesus after the resurrection.

 

Jesus Gives Them Their Mission

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John 13:31-35

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 
 

The Gospel of John is filled with Trinitarian language and theology, of which vv. 31-32 are a good example:

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once [John 13:31–32].

Jesus will be glorified on the cross, which means that the Father will also be glorified, because the glory of the one is the glory of the other.

Jesus is going away, and so He gives His disciples their mission:

33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” [John 13:33–35].

Having provided the foot washing as an example of humble service, Jesus now tells the disciples that their love for one another will be an important sign to the world of their commitment to Him.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“To love is to will the good of the other.” That’s my favorite practical definition of love, which comes from the medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas.

 

John The Author Writes Himself Into The Gospel

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John 13:21-30

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

 
 

When we started our study of the Gospel of John on January 1(!), we discussed the identity of the author of the Gospel.

Who wrote the Gospel of John?
From the very earliest days, the church has always attributed the Fourth Gospel to “John.” John was a popular Jewish name in the time of Jesus; there are five different Johns that are specifically referenced in the New Testament:
• John the Baptist;
• John, the father of the Apostle Peter;
• John the Apostle, brother of James, son of Zebedee;
• John Mark (often just called Mark);
• John, a member of the high priest’s family.

In addition, the author of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:4) identifies himself as “John.” So, which of these Johns—if any—wrote the Gospel of John? Unlike the letters of Paul, e.g., nowhere in the text of the Fourth Gospel does it say, “this book was written by John.”The reason the church has always called the Fourth Gospel “John’s Gospel” is because “The Gospel According to John” was scrawled as a title atop even the most ancient manuscripts, thereby attributing the Gospel to John. (The other three Gospels are attributed the exact same way— “According to Matthew, “According to Mark,” “According to Luke.”) Who wrote the Gospel of John? Opinions differ and complete certainty is impossible—our best way forward, therefore, is to read the text itself and see what we can conclude about the author with the information he has given us in the text itself.

John has written himself into the Gospel at key points.
John never identifies himself by the name “John” in his Gospel—rather, he calls himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Why does he do this? The Gospel of John is a brilliant work of art, and John has slyly written himself into the story at key points to remind his readers that he was an eyewitness to some of the most crucial events he relates, most importantly at the Crucifixion itself.

By calling himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved” John is making it clear he was in the perfect position to tell the story of the Gospel, and by not specifically naming himself, he ensures that the focus of the story is on Jesus, not on the one telling Jesus’s story.

Here, in chapter 13, is the first time that the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is used. Chapter 13 is when the narrative has permanently moved to take place in Jerusalem. (This detail makes it seem reasonable to conclude that John lived in Jerusalem and not in Galilee.)

The disciples are eating the evening meal, and Jesus is deeply troubled, presumably by the upcoming betrayal and the suffering it will cause.

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me” [John 13:21].

Peter then motions to the disciple whom Jesus loved to inquire about the identity of the betrayer. The disciple whom Jesus loved is in the perfect position to see what happens next.

22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot [John 13:22–26].

Jesus wants Judas to leave so He can speak candidly to the other disciples, so He urges him to get going.

27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night [John 13:27–30].

The other disciples are clueless about the meaning of Jesus’s words or about the true character of Judas.

Remember, that “night” is an important—and ominous—detail in John’s Gospel. The betrayer has left, and it is now “night.”

Indeed. What follows will be dark.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I always find it fascinating that the other disciples had no idea that Judas would be the betrayer.

 

If You Know It, You'd Better Do It

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John 13:12-20

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

 
 

Jesus’s point is simple:

If He, the leader, served His followers in such a humble way, then they, the followers, should expect to serve other people in humble ways:

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him [John 13:16].

What Jesus says next is important:

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them [John 13:17].

P.S. The reason Jesus foretells of Judas’s betrayal is so, among other reasons, the other disciples won’t think He made a mistake. After all, Jesus “chose” Judas along with the others (see 6:70). But this wasn’t a mistake—Jesus knew He was choosing one who would betray Him, but this is how it needed to happen: Jesus came to die for the world, and Judas’s betrayal is the means by which that could take place.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
How can you humbly be of service to someone—especially someone undeserving—today?

 

Jesus Washes The Desciples' Feet

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John 13:1-11

13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

 
 

I think v.3 is the interpretative key to this episode:

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God...[John 13:3].

It is not just Jesus as the rabbi and leader of the twelve who gets down in a humble position and washes His disciples’ feet, it is the Word Himself!

P.S. In v. 7, yet again, we get an example of how the disciples cannot truly understand Jesus until after the resurrection.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY
What does it say about the nature of God that Jesus washes His disciples feet? What does it say about the nature of reality that this is what God is like? Would more unbelievers come to faith if they understood that this is what God is like?

 

How The World Will Be Judged

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John 12:44-50

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

 
 

Jesus is about to conclude His public ministry; in chapter 13 He will pivot to mainly private teaching of the twelve disciples as He prepares them for His departure. Here, He again states that people who believe in Him—the Son—are also at the same time believing in the Father. (And vice versa—see 6:45–46).

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me” [John 12:44–45].

As we have seen, the public ministry of Jesus seems in many ways to be a failure, as the Jewish people on the whole refuse to believe in Jesus. But Jesus again stresses that His purpose in coming is to save, not to judge. Nevertheless, if Jesus is the lifeguard and is there to save people from drowning, those who refuse will end up going under — but that’s their choice, not His. By not believing, they are condemning themselves.

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day [John 12:46–48].

The world will be judged by the words of Jesus—those who turn toward Him in repentance will receive life, but those who reject His invitation to life will be judged by the fact that they rejected that invitation.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The Father sent the Son so that those who believe will receive the life of the Spirit. This is the gospel, and it is good news! But this also means that those who refuse to believe will not receive life. This is why it is so urgent that we share the gospel with all who will hear it, before it is too late.

 

Why Did The Jews Reject Jesus?

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John 36b-43

36b When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

 
 

36b When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them [John 12:36b].

This marks the end of Jesus’s public ministry. From now on, He will withdraw from public view and spend His last few days speaking to His disciples in private.

37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him [John 12:37].

In earthly terms, Jesus’s ministry is a failure. Though He has matched His words with deeds and performed many signs for the people, they have still failed to believe in Him. Why? Why didn’t more of the Jews believe?

Isaiah was an Israelite living in Jerusalem in the decades around 775 B.C. One day he had a vision of God’s heavenly temple:

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke [Isaiah 6:1–4].

Isaiah is stricken with fear when he sees the majesty and glory of God’s throne room—he knows he is unworthy to be anywhere near it.

5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” [Isaiah 6:5].

But the Lord makes atonement for Isaiah’s sin, in a mysterious way involving an angel and a burning coal:

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” [Isaiah 6:6–7].

After this, Isaiah hears the Lord asking if anyone would be willing to obediently carry out a divine mission, and he eagerly volunteers:

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me” [Isaiah 6:8].

If you have more than a passing familiarity with the Old Testament or have been around church for a number of years, you are probably familiar with Isaiah’s story so far. But what’s fascinating (and nearly always overlooked) is what happens next.

Verse 8 ends with Isaiah saying, “Here I am!”

Verse 9 begins like this:

9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed” [Isaiah 6:9–10].

Isaiah’s commission from God is to go to the Israelites and speak to them and have them guaranteed to ignore him! The passage is deeply ironic. The Lord basically says to Isaiah, “Your job is to talk to people who won’t hear or see or be curious, and the reason this is so bad is because if they would only just listen, things would go well with them.”

It’s as if Isaiah says to the people, “You know what? You should just keep on not listening. Great idea. I mean, it’s not as if God would want you to actually listen to what He’s telling you, is it? It’s not as if God has good things planned for those who actually change the way they are living.”

The point is not that God wants the people to have hard hearts— the point is that God is preparing Isaiah for the painful task of the prophet: to talk to people who refuse to listen to an invitation to repentance.

One of the ways we know that Isaiah did preach a message of repentance is because of what happens in the very next chapter, Isaiah 7. There Isaiah tells the king to repent, and that if he does, everything will be okay, and the king ignores him.

This passage is quoted in each of the four Gospels as well as the Book of Acts, because the early Christians saw that Isaiah’s prophetic words perfectly captured the hard-heartedness of so many of the Jews in the time of Jesus. Despite the signs that Jesus did—culminating in the ultimate sign of the resurrection itself—many of the Jews refused to accept Jesus as Messiah.

Now, John wants us to know that, of course, there were Jews who believed, rather, it was just that, as a whole, the Jews were willfully blind to what was happening in front of them.

42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God [John 12:42–43].

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Yes, as a whole, Israel rejected the Messiah. However, God used the rejection of Israel to bring about salvation, because the Messiah died in the place of His unfaithful people.

28 In all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good [Romans 8:28].

 

Sooner Or Later, Everyone Has To Respond

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John 12:27-36a

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36a While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

 
 

Remember that we have broken up longer passages for easier daily reading. So, today’s reading is part of a longer passage (see last Friday) in which Jesus, having been told by Philip and Andrew that some Greeks want to see Him, says:

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him [John 12:23–26].

He goes on to say:

27a “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? [John 12:27a].

Jesus has been speaking of death, and He is troubled by the thought. So, should He pray that He doesn’t have to die? No, He rejects this idea:

27b But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28a Father, glorify your name.” [John 12:27b–28a].

Instead, He prays a version of the Lord’s Prayer: “hallowed be thy name.” This prayer prompts the Father to reply audibly from heaven:

28b Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again” [John 12:28b].

The people hear the voice but are confused.

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die [John 12:29–33].

In John’s Gospel, the phrase “lifted up” means “crucified” when applied to Jesus. So, Jesus explains here how He is going to die.

All of this connects back to His earlier statement about the seed falling to the ground to die. Rather than “falling,” Jesus explains that He will die by being “lifted up.” And just like the grain of wheat, His death will yield a rich harvest:

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself [John 12:32].

This is a puzzling verse. Does Jesus imply that everyone will be saved? The entirety of the Gospel of John makes that interpretation an impossibility, as many people throughout the Gospel account will come to Jesus and then turn away from Him. (See John 6:66, e.g.). No, what Jesus means is that, by way of the cross, Jesus confronts the world, and the world has to respond—the only way to have life is to have faith in Jesus as the crucified Messiah.

The reason we know about Jesus is because of His crucifixion and resurrection. It is Jesus, “crucified under Pontius Pilate” who is Lord of the world.

After the crowds on Palm Sunday, the Pharisees imply that the whole world is paying attention to Jesus.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him” [John 12:19].

Then, some Greeks want to see Jesus:

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” [John 12:20–21].

Jesus’s response is that the Pharisees are right. The whole world will be drawn to Jesus, but not as Jesus the teacher, but as Jesus the crucified Lord:

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself [John 12:32].

So, in v. 32 we get a response to the desire of the Greeks to see Jesus, mentioned in 12:21, that they want to see Jesus. Jesus tells them they will see Him—the world will see Him—but only when He is lifted up on the cross.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Sooner or later and in one way or the other, everyone must respond to Jesus. (If you choose not to respond, that’s still a response.) Sooner or later, Jesus says, “all” will have to decide how they will respond to the crucified Lord.

 

Dostoevsky's Epigraph

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John 12:20-26

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

 
 

As usual, someone has come forward to Jesus with a question or a remark, and as usual, Jesus replies cryptically in a way that seems to be a non sequitur or otherwise irrelevant. Philip and Andrew tell Jesus that some God-fearing Greeks want to see the man that everyone is talking about, but instead of directly addressing that request, Jesus says:

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified [John 12:23].

Remember, in the Gospel of John, Jesus’s “glorification” is actually His crucifixion. He will be “lifted up” on the cross. So, whenever you read “glory” or “glorified” or “lifted up” or “glorification” in John, you need to think of the crucifixion.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit [John 12:24].

Here, Jesus makes a profound point about how life comes through death. If the seed stays attached to the stalk, there will be no new life. It’s when the seed “dies” and is detached from the stalk that new life is possible.

25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life [John 12:25].

Jesus then applies this point to His followers—the people that are willing to lose their lives for Jesus will, paradoxically, actually keep their lives, whereas those who hold on to their lives will ultimately lose them.

26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him [John 12:26].

Jesus then tells His followers that they will have to go where He goes, and that if they do that, the Father will reward them.

The Greeks want to see Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t seem to answer their request. (His answer comes in v.32). Then, Jesus says that His followers will have to go where He is going, but Jesus doesn’t specify where that is.

We’ll have to read on to see how He ties His response to the Greeks’ request with information as to where He is heading.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
Why does Jesus make the point that life often comes through death?

P.S. The little spiritual aphorism from Jesus about the grain of wheat (vv. 24–25) is the epigraph to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s great novel The Brothers Karamazov, and whenever I see John 12:24–25 quoted anywhere, it always makes me think of that book. (Highly highly recommended, by the way.)

 

Everything Only Makes Sense In Retrospect

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John 12:16-19

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

 
 

It is only after Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection that the disciples really understand what Palm Sunday meant. The crowd hailed Jesus as the deliverer of Israel—and He was—but the way Jesus defeated His enemies was not through killing them, but by dying for them.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Our lives will only make sense in light of the cross and resurrection, and ultimately only in retrospect. The things that seem so painful and puzzling now will one day be revealed as a part of God’s gracious plan.

P.S. V. 18 is a specific reference to Jesus’s sixth sign, the raising of Lazarus.

 

Why "Palm" Branches?

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John 12:12-15

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”

 
 

John is the only one of the Gospel writers who specifically mentions “palm” branches, and so it is from John’s Gospel that we get the name Palm Sunday. The crowd goes out to meet Jesus and the implication is clear: He is entering Jerusalem as a conquering hero.

Some background: In 167 B.C., about 200 years before Palm Sunday, a priestly family of Jewish military and religious leaders called the Maccabees started a revolt in Israel. A pagan Greek king had taken over Jerusalem and had defiled the Temple, and in the subsequent revolt (which lasted several years) the Maccabees and the resistance fighters succeeded in driving the Greeks out of Jerusalem. The Jews only had a small amount of oil to use in the temple rededication ceremony, but it miraculously lasted for eight days. (This is where Hannukah comes from.) What’s relevant to Palm Sunday is what happened when the Maccabees entered Jerusalem:

51 On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred and seventy-first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel [1 Maccabees 13:51].

The palm branch became a symbol of Jewish nationalism and so it is significant that when Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowd greeted Him with palm branches—the crowd sees Jesus as the deliverer of Israel.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY
If the crowd so rapturously greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday, why were they so quick to turn on Him and cry out “Crucify Him, crucify Him” on Friday?

 
 

The Plot To Kill Lazarus

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John 12:9-11

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

 
 

In chapter 11, we saw that Jesus’s decision to go back to the area around Jerusalem to save Lazarus would lead directly to His own death—life for Lazarus would mean death for Jesus. Here, we see that the leaders of the Jews would also like to have Lazarus murdered as well, since his very existence meant that people were believing in Jesus.

The reason the crowd’s arrival is important is because it shows the chief priests that they won’t be able just to grab Jesus in broad daylight—they will need another way to get at Him when the crowds aren’t around. Judas will be the one who gives them what they need; he betrays Jesus on the night of the Last Supper, when everyone in Jerusalem is preparing for the Passover meal.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The chief priests would rather commit murder than have the people believe in Jesus, even though believing in Jesus would mean life for Israel. It is a remarkable statement of human wickedness—we would rather kill than admit we were wrong.

 

Is This The Reason Judas Betrayed Jesus?

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This is where we left off:

Jesus has had to flee Jerusalem because the Jewish authorities are seeking to kill Him. However, hearing that His friend Lazarus is deathly sick, Jesus makes the decision to return to Bethany (a small village situated on the Mount of Olives, just outside the city limits of Jerusalem) to save him. This decision to come back to danger to save His friend will end up costing Jesus His own life. This is where things stand as we begin part four.

In this final volume, we will cover the week of Jesus’s life that leads up to His crucifixion, and then we will read the delightful and moving accounts of His resurrection appearances. We will conclude with what, I believe, might be the sweetest and most perfect chapter in all the Bible: John’s epilogue, chapter 21.

John’s Gospel has covered three years of Jesus’s ministry, but about half of the Gospel is concerned with just one week of Jesus’s life. So, we will see the narrative slow way down and give more space to the teachings of Jesus about the reality of life and death and love. The insights that John provides in this section are breathtaking and deep, particularly as we read what Jesus has to say about the Trinity itself, and the life that the Father, Son, and Spirit share.

So, as we conclude our six-month study through the Gospel of John, I’ll say it one final time:

If you read the Gospel of John with an open mind and an unhurried spirit, it will change your life and bring you joy. Amen.

P.S. Asbury is a Bible-reading church. To that end, I’ve divided up John’s Gospel into manageable readings for each weekday and written brief commentary to help us get the most out of our reading.

 
 

John 12:1-8

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

 
 

It is one week until the crucifixion, and everything we read from John 12:1 through 20:25 will take place in the next eight days.

Jesus has had to flee Jerusalem because the Jewish authorities are seeking to kill Him. However, hearing that His friend Lazarus is deathly sick, Jesus made the decision to return to Bethany (a small village situated on the Mount of Olives, just outside the city limits of Jerusalem) to save Him. This decision to come back to danger to save His friend will end up costing Jesus His own life.

The reference to Passover marks the third Passover that John has specifically mentioned (see 2:13 and 6:4), and this detail is why we traditionally think of Jesus as having a three-year ministry.

While Jesus is dining in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, Mary does something recklessly extravagant: she anoints the feet of Jesus with very expensive perfume. This is the first of two anointings of the body of Jesus for burial. (The second anointing is when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus anoint the body of Jesus again when they place it in the tomb on Saturday evening—see 19:38–42.)

Judas objects to what he claims is the poor stewardship in using expensive perfume in this way, but John tells us that the true reason for Judas’s objection is because Judas liked skimming money out of the group’s funds.

Jesus approvingly praises Mary’s action: there will always be time to help the poor, but Jesus’s bodily presence with His disciples will not last forever.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
There can be a utilitarian temptation for the church to focus on the concerns and needs of this world at the expense of honoring God. (There can be a temptation in the other direction, too, whereby the church only seeks to honor God and neglects the poor.) I think, though, that when the church spends money on making something beautiful that will honor God in future generations, that that is the right approach. Can you imagine how sad the world would be without the magnificent cathedrals of Europe, or the breathtaking works of art created for the glory of God?

How can you extravagantly honor Jesus today?

P.S. I wonder if this act by Mary and Jesus’s approval of it is what finally set Judas off on his decision to betray Jesus.