Milo

AUGUST 27

Reading 239

WITNESSES TO JESUS John 5

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given Me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent Me” John 5:36.Those who reject Christ do so despite the evidence, not because of it.

Overview

Jesus healed a paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (5:1–15). Jesus responded to critics by claiming Deity (vv. 16–18) and explained His relationship with God the Father (vv. 19–30). And He identified five witnesses that supported His claim (vv. 31–47).

Understanding the Text

“Do you want to get well?” John 5:1–6

The pool of Bethesda was a gathering place for the infirm, hoping to benefit from its healing waters. John focused on a man who had been paralyzed for most of his life. While the story is not symbolic, the situation and dialogue between Jesus and the man are filled with implications for us. Consider Jesus’ question, “Do you want to get well?” We might answer for the man, “Of course!” But think about it. For some 38 years the paralyzed man had lived a dependent life. He’d lived by begging, for he could earn no wages. If he were healed, who would give him food? It was considered a good deed in Judaism to give alms to the disabled. But not to the able-bodied, who were expected to work! Getting well would mean the man would have to take care of himself. So the question was a penetrating one. It’s a question we have to ask ourselves as Christians. Do we want Christ to heal the areas in our lives where we’ve been damaged? Or do we want to keep feeling anger and resentment, or bitterness, or hurt and betrayal? Too many Christians hold on tightly to the things that paralyze them spiritually. Christ can heal us of these things. But if He does, we’ll be left without excuses for the choices we make in the future—and the choices we made in the past. We’ll no longer be able to delude ourselves and cry, “My life isn’t my fault: others are to blame.” And so Jesus’ question echoes in our today: “Do you want to get well?” “I have no one to help me” John 1:7–9. The man did not answer Jesus’ question. Instead he offered an excuse. “I’m all alone. I have no one. There’s no one here to help me.” We can certainly feel for the paralyzed man. Over the decades the family into which he’d been born had died. Friends had left him. If he’d ever had a wife or children, they were gone too. And somehow, paralyzed as he was, he’d never grown close to anyone. Yet, while what the man said was true, this too was also an excuse. “There’s no one to help me” means “I can’t help myself.” And it also means “God isn’t here for me either.” Jesus paid no attention to the excuse. He told the man, “Get up and walk.” At once the cure came, and he got up and walked. It’s like this with us today. Jesus doesn’t come to us with a maudlin sympathy that accepts all our excuses, and moans “poor you” in harmony with us. He comes to us with a message of life and vitality. His message to us is, “Get up and walk!” In Christ, the cure is ours. In Christ, we do have Somebody. Not someone to drag us here and there on our mats. But someone who can bring life to our own limbs, and who therefore commands, “Get up and walk.” The man obeyed. And in obeying, he experienced the healing that was his. How many of us have in fact been healed by Jesus Christ, but because we have not obeyed His command, “Get up and walk,” have never experienced the healing? God’s work in our life is accomplished by God and grace alone. But it is experienced only as we obey. “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat” John 5:1–14. In John’s Gospel “the Jews” is John’s name for the Pharisees and those experts in the written and oral law of Israel who were Christ’s primary opponents. While the term is a pejoritive, it is not anti-Semitic in any sense. So it was “spiritual leaders” who jumped all over the restored paralytic for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. The act was not a violation of the Old Testament itself, but it was a violation of the rabbinic rulings which guided first-century Jewish practice. The restored paralytic had an answer for his critics. “The Man who made me well said to me, ’Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” The ecclesiastical establishment had done nothing to restore the paralytic’s health. He would obey the Man who had healed him. When John Wesley began to preach an evangelical message in England, the established church was scandalized. Soon Wesley was denied access to church pulpits—and so he began to preach outdoors. For 50 years Wesley crisscrossed the British Isles, and hundreds of thousands came to know the Saviour. Wesley, like the paralytic, is an example of a person who was undeterred by the opposition of the ecclesiastical establishment. He too determined to obey the Man who had healed him. So must we all. “My Father is always at His work to this very day” John 5:16–17. When the Jewish leaders criticized Christ for healing on the Sabbath, He had a fascinating answer. God doesn’t suspend His activities on the Sabbath! Natural laws continue to operate. If a person cuts himself, healing begins at that moment. In healing the paralytic Jesus was acting in complete harmony with the way God, His Father, operates! How often “religion” makes the simple complicated, and confuses human rulings with the gracious operations of God. Let’s trust in Jesus, and respond spontaneously to the needs of others. In nearly every case any “religious rules” that would block such a response will be as opposed to godliness as were the first-century rabbinic rules governing Sabbath observance. “Calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” John 5:18–30. Jesus’ answer infuriated “the Jews” (i.e., the religious leaders). They understood Him to claim equality with God. And He did! In His next words Jesus went on to define His relationship with His Father! Yesterday two Jehovah’s Witnesses appeared at our door with an “Awake” tract. My wife called out from the living room, “We’re Christians. We don’t want it.” One of the two answered, “We’re Christians too. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour.” That’s good. As far as it goes. But the next question that needs to be answered is, “Which Jesus?” There are many Jesuses in vogue today. There’s the “good man Jesus,” who was misunderstood and killed, and whose teachings are still wonderful. There’s the “liberation Jesus,” who calls for the oppressed to take up weapons and kill their oppressors. There’s the “Jewish rabbi Jesus,” who never thought of himself as God and was later dubbed with a title he would have hated by his enthusiastic followers-especially Paul. There’s the “a god” Jesus of several cults, who is either a sort of high angel, or a human being lifted to a higher spiritual plane. And then there is the God Jesus of John’s Gospel, who is equal to God in nature, and who from the beginning was God and is God. Here in these verses, in Christ’s own words as reported by John, is the Jesus of Scripture. He is: vv.     17–18: the equal of God the Father v.     18: the Son, not identical with the Father, but unified with Him v.     19: in total harmony with the Father in all His works, and submissive to His will v.     20: loved by the Father, with full knowledge of His plans and purposes v.     21: empowered by the Father, and able to give life as the Father has and does v.     22: entrusted with authority to judge v.     23: equal in honor with the Father v.     24: determiner of human destiny: the object of a faith that transfers from the realm of death to that of life v.     25: able to raise the dead v.     26: one who like the Father is uncreated, having life in Himself v.     27: as Son of man, God enfleshed It does make a difference which Jesus we believe in. How wonderful it is to know that the Jesus we believe in is the eternal Son of God. One of the earliest creeds of the church, the Nicene Creed, puts it this way: I believe in . . . one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. This is the Jesus of the Bible. This is the Jesus in whom we believe!

DEVOTIONAL

Jesus on Trial(John 5:31–47)

Every Christmas Miracle on 34th Street shows up on TV again. You know the story. A jolly little man goes to work as a department store Santa, and it turns out he’s the real Santa Claus. Persecuted by nasty folks, he’s put on trial, and the hero “proves” he is Santa by getting post office employees to deliver bags of “Santa” letters to him in the courtroom. Cute. But more a case of legal sleight of hand than hard evidence. In a way, though, the story parallels Scripture. There a young Healer and Miracle worker appears. He comes in conflict with nasty religious leaders, is persecuted, and claims to be the “real” God of Israel! But this time there’s no legal sleight of hand. He actually has witnesses to support His claim! In fact, in this passage in John, Jesus produced five witnesses to His deity! The first witness (v. 31) was Jesus Himself. While self-witness was not valid in Jewish courts, Jesus’ testimony counted, for He knew “where I came from and where I am going” (8:14). The second witness (5:32–35) is John the Baptist. John had heard God’s voice speak, and seen the Spirit descend. And John had told his disciples that Jesus was the Son of God (1:19–34). The third witness (5:36) was that of the miracles Jesus performed (cf. 10:25–14:11). The Gospel of John lists seven, each of which shows Christ’s power in a different arena of life (water to wine, 2:1–11; heal official’s son, 4:43–54; heal paralytic, 5:1–15; feed multitude, 6:1–14; walk on water, vv. 16–21; cure blind man, 9:1–41; raise Lazarus, 11:1–44). Each was a sign demonstrating Jesus’ power and His authority, and together they authenticated His claims of Deity. The fourth witness (5:37–38) is the Father Himself, speaking through but distinguished from Jesus’ miraculous works. The fifth witness (vv. 39–41) is the Scripture, for the Law and the Prophets both predict Jesus’ coming, and describe His ministry. For those who actually heard Jesus speak, the fifth witness was the most telling. For if the Jews had only believed Moses, they would have recognized Jesus and believed in Him. Even as, today, we who believe the Word of God accept its testimony, and through the Scriptures have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Personal Application

We can trust the Word about the Word.

Quotable

“It were better to have no opinion of God at all than such a one as is unworthy of Him; for the one is only unbelief—the other contempt.”—Plutarch

AUGUST 26

Reading 238

WOMAN AT THE WELL John 4

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this Man really is the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42).Testimony helps. But to “know,” we have to come to Jesus for ourselves.

Overview

Jesus identified Himself to a Samaritan woman (4:1–26). He expressed satisfaction at doing God’s will (vv. 27–34), and spoke of the harvest His disciples would share (vv. 35–38). Many Samaritans came to hear Him (vv. 39–42). Back in Galilee Jesus healed a nobleman’s son (vv. 43–54).

Understanding the Text

“He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee” John 4:1–3.

The other Gospel writers focused on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, and did not mention an early ministry in Judea. The early popularity of Jesus stirred up the Pharisees, leading Jesus to return to Galilee. John didn’t explain why Jesus left. “A Samaritan woman came to draw water” John 4:4–9. The Samaritans were descendants of pagan peoples settled by the Assyrians some 700 years before on land that had been part of the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel. They had adopted Yahweh who was viewed as the god of that land, but maintained many of their pagan practices. The centuries-old hostility between the two peoples, whose religion the Jews viewed as apostate, was still intense in the first century. This partly explains the woman’s surprise that a Jewish rabbi should ask her for a drink. Most religious Jews would view her as unclean, and would feel contaminated by any contact with her. We need to surprise people today with our willingness to reach out to “sinners.” Jesus here reminds us that God calls no person unclean, and that the godly person is not contaminated by ministering to sinners. The Samaritan woman came to the well but was ignored by the other women. This was unusual, as drawing water at the community well was a time for socializing in the ancient East. Perhaps this woman, who was sexually promiscuous (4:16–18), was an outcast in her own village. Jesus knew who and what she was, and still took time to lead her to faith. Let’s be guided in relationships with others by His example. “Go call your husband and come back” John 4:16. The instruction was socially correct. In that culture no rabbi would speak with a woman without her husband present. But Jesus had another purpose in mind. He wanted to get beyond mere conversation (vv. 10–15) to touch her deepest emotions, and lead her to face her need for redemption. While attending the University of Michigan I worked in a mental hospital. During that time I witnessed frequently to another ward attendant, who was in the Master’s program there. After leaving to go to seminary, I wrote him a letter in which I spoke very personally—and insulted him to the extent that I never heard from him again. Yet another person I witnessed to, a patient, responded to the personal approach. Though once a Sunday School superintendent in a conservative church, he shared his story of years of alcoholism and marital unfaithfulness, and turned back again to the Lord. I had the joy—against hospital policy—of contacting his wife, and helping the family build a new and different life together. In one case the personal approach led to the slamming of a door; in another to the rebuilding of broken lives. That’s what is so powerful about being open and personal in our witnessing. As we build a relationship, becoming personal breaks through the barriers of superficiality that people erect to isolate themselves. We need wisdom from the Lord as to how and when to attempt a breakthrough. And at times the personal approach will be rebuffed. Yet we need to help people deal with the basic issue of life to which the Gospel so powerfully speaks. “They are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” John 4:19–26. The woman tried to change the subject by bringing up a theological red herring (v. 20). Be alert, for almost every time you are close to touching a person’s heart, he or she will try to change the subject to theology! Jesus was undeterred. The question was set aside, and the issue pressed. God is Spirit, and seeks worshipers who will come to Him in spirit and truth (v. 24). It’s best to understand these words as a promise. God is looking for worshipers. All He asks is that we turn our hearts toward Him, and come to Him without pretense. The woman at the well knew the truth about herself: she was a sinner. God knew too and still sought her as a worshiper! Would she face the truth about herself, and come to God as she was? What a wonderful promise to share with others. God is looking for you! He’s seeking worshipers! Come as you are, not trying to hide your flaws. Turn your hearts toward heaven, where God awaits. “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming” John 4:25–26. This woman, who claimed not to know the difference between Mount Zion where the Jews worshiped and Mount Gerazim, where her people went, did know one thing. God had promised to send a Saviour, and He would have all the answers! That’s all we need to know today. It’s not our theological acuteness that saves us. It’s not our mastery of obscure Old or New Testament texts. It’s the simple belief that God has sent a Saviour, and He has the answers. You and I want to study and grow in our faith. But all we must know as we start each day is that God has sent us our Saviour. And He has the answers we need in order to live our today in God. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” John 4:27–34. When the disciples returned, the woman was just leaving. They urged Jesus to eat something. And they didn’t understand His reply. What Jesus said shows us how to find what our constitution guarantees we can pursue: happiness. Jesus found His deepest satisfaction in doing the Father’s will. And so will we. “They are ripe for harvest” John 4:35–38. God’s field is perpetually ripe. Each day is the “today” when some will welcome the Gospel and find salvation. Your part may be sowing the seed. Or encouraging its growth. Or perhaps gathering in a crop over which someone else has labored. No matter. Whenever a person is gathered into God’s kingdom, all are filled with joy. “We have heard for ourselves” John 4:39–42. As a college student I sold encyclopedias for a time. I was enthusiastic when I began, and sold 11 of my first 13 presentations. But then I began to think about what I was saying as I followed the script for my presentation. And I realized that much of what I was saying just wasn’t true. After that, though I kept on trying for a while, I could make no sale at all. That’s one thing that’s so exciting about presenting Jesus to others, as the Samaritan woman did. We can share with enthusiasm, for God’s promised benefits are assured. Whoever comes to see for himself or herself will be saved. “A certain royal official” John 4:43–54. Historians note that Herod tended to recruit Gentiles as royal officials, and so suggest perhaps this man was one of them. If so, the three stories found in John 3 and 4 prefigure the spread of the Gospel: to Nicodemus the Pharisee, a Jew (Acts 2; 4)-to the woman at the well, a Samaritan (Acts 8)-and to the royal official, a Gentile, representing the whole world (Acts 10–11; 13ff). If so, these three representative persons illustrate John’s theme. God gave His Son that the whole world might know salvation. “Whosoever will” includes everyone (John 3:16).

DEVOTIONAL

The Dilemma of Faith(John 4:43–54)

Nobody ever said having faith was easy. Certainly the Apostle John didn’t say so. In fact, this story shows just how difficult it is. Just glance through the story and you see first of all a frantic father hurrying to find Jesus. His son was close to death, and the only one who could possibly save him was Jesus! When he finally did find Jesus, Christ didn’t seem very sympathetic. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” He said, “you will never believe.” The saying wasn’t a rebuke. Jesus didn’t question the frantic father’s motives. In fact, the saying is intended to stimulate faith! For when the father begged Him again to come, Jesus simply said, “You may go. Your son will live” (v. 50). This is the dilemma of faith. God, in response to our desperate appeals, speaks to us and says, “You may go.” In other words, “It’s done. Go home and you’ll find the sick healed.” And what is there for us to do? If we keep begging Jesus to come with us, we display unbelief. But to go means to head home with no evidence at all that the promised healing has taken place! How terrifying a choice. Do we keep asking after Jesus has said, “You may go”? Or do we leave, trembling, believing despite the lack of proof? The royal official made the choice of faith. On the way excited messengers met him. His son was recovering. The fever had broken—at the exact hour Jesus had told him, “You may go.” Faith is still very much the same. We come to God desperate for salvation. And all He says is, “You may go.” The work is done, your healing accomplished. And, though we lack evidence then, if we are wise we turn, in faith, and walk away as Jesus said. But later we discover to our joy just how completely Jesus has performed His miracle within.

Personal Application

Believe. And go.

Quotable

“It is the heart that senses God, and not the reason. That is what faith is. God perceptible to the heart and not to reason.”—Blaise Pascal

AUGUST 25

Reading 237

GOD SO LOVED John 3

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).John summed up Jesus’ talk with Nicodemus in the most famous verse in the Bible: the “Gospel in a nutshell,” John 3:16.

Overview

Jesus explained “born again” to a leading member of the Sanhedrin (3:1–14). John summed up the Gospel, and defined the critical role of faith (vv. 15–21). He reported the Baptist’s delight in Jesus’ growing popularity (vv. 22–30), and commented on the primacy of Jesus Christ (vv. 31–36).

Understanding the Text

“A man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus” John 3:1.

Nicodemus reminds us that while the Pharisees were generally ranged against Jesus, there were good and godly men among them. Through this interview Nicodemus remained courteous, though obviously puzzled. Later references to Nicodemus suggest that he became one of Jesus’ followers (7:45–52; 19:38–42). It’s a mistake to judge individuals by their class alone. In Jesus’ time most people had intense respect for the Pharisees. Jesus showed that those of this class who opposed Him were hypocrites. Yet Nicodemus was honest in his desire to please God, as were many other Pharisees who later became Christians (cf. Acts 15:5; 23:6). As John pointed out in this chapter, the great dividing line between human beings is not race or class, but whether or not they believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:18). “He came to Jesus at night” John 3:2. We shouldn’t make too much of this phrase, though some have suggested Nicodemus sneaked in to see Jesus for fear of criticism. Social visits often took place in the late evening: most folks in first-century Judea worked during the daylight hours. What’s important is Nicodemus’ admission that “we know You are a Teacher who has come from God.” Even the few miraculous healings Jesus performed in the early stages of His ministry were recognized by the ruling class as a divine authentication. Jesus’ miracles did not produce faith. Later, members of the ruling counsel condemned Jesus to death despite many more miracles! What the miracles did was to win Jesus a hearing. They produced a kind of “pre-faith”: a realization that this Man must be heard. There’s a miracle that wins us a hearing today too. It’s the miracle God works within us, making us loving, caring people who reflect Jesus’ concern for others. This miracle will win a hearing for the Gospel. But don’t be surprised if the message of Jesus provokes opposition as well as faith. “Born of water and the Spirit” John 3:5. The meaning of this phrase has long been debated, with some insisting the “water” refers to water baptism. It does. But it refers to the baptism of John, in which water was a symbol of repentance. God saves no one against his or her will. While the new birth is a work of God within us, God just doesn’t grab folks around the neck and make them hold still while the Spirit inserts new life! No one can give themselves new life, but each person must acknowledge his or her sins, as John’s baptism symbolized. By a change of heart and mind we must open ourselves to God’s work within us. And so we are born again, by water and the Spirit. We acknowledge our sins and turn to the Lord. And He works His miracle within us. “As Moses lifted up the snake” John 3:11–14. Jesus told Nicodemus the source of His authority to promise a new birth: He had come down from heaven, and so He knew. To help Nicodemus understand what He had said, Jesus referred to an Old Testament incident. Once during the Exodus the Israelites disobeyed God, and were punished by an infestation of poisonous serpents whose bite was fatal. Moses made a bronze snake—a symbol of their judgment—and raised it on a pole. The people were then urged to simply look at the serpent, and were promised life. Soon Christ would Himself be lifted up on another pole, at Calvary. His death would symbolize the judgment all human beings deserve. And ever afterward, all people would be urged simply to look to Jesus, and receive new life. As the hymn writer says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow!” “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned” John 3:15–18. Here the Apostle John left off his report, and on his own commented. “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This, undoubtedly, is the most famous verse in Scripture. It links what God has done with what we must do. God has provided eternal life in Jesus. Our part is to believe. In John 1:12 the apostle defined “believe” in terms of “receive.” In John 3:15 “believe” is defined in terms of “repent.” Other images follow in this book that has been called the “Gospel of Belief.” Both repenting and receiving are aspects of a true belief in God. Biblical belief is turning from ourselves and our old ways to God, and trusting God enough to open our hearts to the gift He wants to give us. If you have turned to God and you trust His promise to give you new life in Jesus, you have eternal life, now! “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already, because he has not believed” John 3:18. Don’t suppose God condemns a person because he or she hasn’t believed. That’s not John’s point. John said a person “stands condemned” because he hasn’t believed. Suppose you and a friend are standing on a train track, and the train is coming. You jump off and live. He doesn’t move and is killed. In one sense he was killed because he didn’t get off the track. That would have saved him. But in another sense he was killed because he stood on the track in the first place. John wasn’t saying that God punishes people for not believing. He says that people who deserve punishment can avoid it only by faith in Christ. Sin puts people on the track along which God’s judgment is coming. Belief in Jesus gets them off the track and out of the way. If they are condemned it won’t be for not believing. But it will be because they did not believe. Don’t let folks confuse you on this. Jesus didn’t come to condemn anyone. He came that all who would believe might be saved. “Men loved darkness instead of light” John 3:19–21. Why, when people hear the Good News of God’s gift of eternal life, do so many of them not believe? John said that they love darkness. To come to Jesus means repentance: it means admitting that our deeds are evil and that we need to be born again. Some people are repelled by the Gospel because the evil within them dreads exposure. How foolish. And how tragic. One day every man’s deeds will be exposed anyway. And those who have not found forgiveness in Jesus will be condemned. “He must become greater; I must become less” John 3:22–30. How great a protection John’s attitude is from the Christian’s greatest temptation: pride. Even the little man is tempted to be proud that he’s so humble. And the Christian who knows success is in danger indeed! John wasn’t concerned about the smaller crowds that came to hear him when Jesus was preaching in the same district. His great joy was that Jesus become greater, and he himself less. The person who is ready to accept a John—like role in life will, like John, find himself often “full of joy” (v. 29). “Placed everything in His hands” John 3:31–36. Again the author broke off his report to comment. Why did Jesus deserve the priority that John the Baptist acknowledged? What a list of reasons he gave! Jesus has priority because He is above all (v. 31). Because He comes from heaven (v. 31). Because He knows by experience what He is speaking about (v. 32)-and all who accept His words discover personally just how truthful He is (v. 33). Jesus has priority because He speaks the words of God (v. 34). Because God gives Him an unlimited supply of the Spirit (v. 34). Because the Father loves Him (v. 35) and has placed everything in His hands (v. 36). Because He is the source of eternal life for all who believe (v. 36), the only way to escape the coming wrath (v. 36). This Jesus, who is preeminent, must have priority in our lives.

DEVOTIONAL

You Must Be Born Again(John 3:3–10)

This passage is the source of what today is the prime evangelical catchphrase: “Born again.” Most folks don’t really understand, though polls show a large percentage of our population claims a “born-again experience.” Running up against it for the first time, Nicodemus was totally confused. Yet according to Jesus, he should have understood (v. 10). As “teacher of Israel” this member of the supreme Jewish council should have grasped the meaning of Old Testament prophecies about the new birth. Take for instance Ezekiel 36:26–27. There God said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” This is what it means to be “born again.” It means to experience a spiritual rebirth: to know an inner transformation of the sin-hardened heart; a redirection of the life toward God. Only a supernatural work by God the Holy Spirit within us can accomplish so dramatic a change. And so when Jesus says, “You must be born again,” He simply means that to enter His kingdom, you and I must let God into our lives, to work there as He pleases. When we do, eternal life will be ours—now—and through the miracle of the new birth our life on earth will become fresh and new.

Personal Application

Don’t simply accept new life in Jesus. Live it!

Quotable

“The elect are the ‘whosoever wills’; the nonelect are the ‘whosoever won’ts.’ “—D.L. Moody

AUGUST 24

Reading 236

THE LAMB OF GOD John 1:19–2:25

“Then John gave this testimony: ’I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. . . . I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God’ ” (John 1:32, 34).Discipleship calls us to be ever aware of the power of God and to live confidently we are as in His presence.

Overview

John explained his mission (1:19–28) denying that he was the Christ and identified Jesus as the Son of God (vv. 29–34). Several future disciples, including Andrew and Peter, met Jesus for the first time (vv. 35–42) and returned with Him to Galilee (vv. 43–51). There Jesus prefigured His ministry of transformation by changing water into wine (2:1–11), and later His ministry of purification by driving money changers from the temple (vv. 12–17). At that time Jesus spoke of His coming death and resurrection (vv. 18–25).

Understanding the Text

“Who are you?” John 1:19–28

An official delegation questioned John the Baptist concerning his identity. Who did he claim to be? The Messiah? Elijah, returned from the dead? (cf. Mal. 4:5) The Prophet predicted by Moses? (cf. Deut. 18:18) John refused each of these important titles, and spoke of himself simply as a “road builder.” His mission was to make it easier for folks to meet the “One who comes after me.” And, John added, he himself was “not worthy” to untie the thongs of that One’s sandals. What’s significant here is that the lowest servant in the house was given the task of stooping to untie a guest’s sandals. John was saying, “I’m a nobody.” Yet later Jesus Himself said that John was greater than any of the mighty prophets of the Old Testament! (Matt. 11:11) John was a “nobody” only in comparison to the One he announced, who towered so much above him. I can think of nothing more fulfilling than to be “road builders” today. The “nobody” who introduces somebody to Jesus has become important indeed. “I myself did not know Him” John 1:29–34. John’s confession is one of the most interesting sidelights on Jesus to be found in the Bible. You see, John was Jesus’ cousin, and undoubtedly knew Him well. In fact, the other Gospels tell us that when Christ came to be baptized, John didn’t want to do it! The reason is simple. John knew Jesus as a truly righteous and good Jew. John called on people to be baptized as a sign of repentance of sins and recommitment to God. John didn’t think it was right for Jesus to “recommit,” when He had been committed all along! But why then didn’t John recognize Him? Probably because John, like all of us, had an image in his mind of what the Messiah would be like. And “a truly good man” wasn’t a major element of that image. Hopefully, folks around us will be surprised when they learn we’re Christians. No, not because we’ve tried to hide the fact, or failed to speak of Jesus. But because we won’t fit the image portrayed on TV and in the movies of narrow, bigoted, insensitive people who never have any fun, and hate to see others enjoy themselves either. How delightful when someone says, “Oh, you’re a born-again Christian? But you’re so friendly!” Or, “You’re such a good listener!” Or, “You’re so understanding!” Or best of all, “But you really care!” “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God” John 1:34. John fulfilled his mission in life by preparing folks to meet the Son of God, and then identifying Jesus as God’s Son. This also brings our ministry of road building into perspective. “I have seen,” John said. It’s very little help to others to engage in arguments over their beliefs, or over the interpretation of a verse in the Bible. What we need to do is to testify, as John did, to our experience of God’s truth. I don’t mean we shouldn’t share Scripture. I simply mean we should share Scripture through our experience. A good friend of mine, Dr. Paul Johnson of Seattle, had life-threatening cancer a few years ago. As he was going under the anesthetic before his operation, Paul felt himself falling, falling, falling. And then suddenly, he felt himself caught and held, and he realized he was being held in Jesus’ arms. Paul tells the story today, not as some mystic experience, but as an illustration of Scripture’s promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Josh. 1:5), and especially of the phrase, “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27). Paul’s faith in Jesus provided peace and hope in the darkest time of his life. You and I needn’t argue about the Bible. All we need to do is to share it, and say with John, “I have seen and I testify.” “Come . . . and you will see” John 1:35–39. John could and did point his followers to Jesus. But as today, each person must find out who Jesus is for himself. Curiosity may lead some to approach Jesus; a sense of need or desperation may move others. Yet each person must then come, and see for himself if Christianity “works.” Each person must meet Jesus for himself, listen to His teachings, observe His actions, and respond to His voice. One of the most important things we can do to help any inquirer is to encourage him or her to read the Bible—especially a Gospel like Luke or John. We can do so confidently. As Christ told the questioning pair so long ago, “Come, and you will see!” “The first thing Andrew did” John 1:40–42. This too follows a basic pattern. Evangelism is the spread, not just the sharing, of the Good News. Often sharing our salvation is one of the first things that happens to us as new Christians. Too often the failure of others to respond surprises and hurts us. For all too many, a negative first experience stops witnessing altogether. There’s a special word here, however, that will encourage us to keep on sharing Christ. Andrew told his brother, Peter. And Peter later became the chief of the apostles; the outspoken, enthusiastic and especially human disciple whom God used to preach the first Christian sermon to the Jews (Acts 2) and to the Gentiles (Acts 10–11), and to write two of the epistles in our New Testament. How is that encouraging? This way. You never know when you share Christ with someone how important that person may become! “He . . . drove all from the temple area” John 2:12–14. John’s failure to follow chronology in his report of events makes it difficult to place this incident. The other Gospel writers report that a similiar incident took place the last week of Christ’s life. John, however, organized events out of sequence, to impress his readers with their significance. And this event truly is significant. Christ, who transformed water into wine, also purified the temple. He drove out corruption, and insisted that the worship of God be holy and clean. He does this in our lives too. As He transforms He cleanses, until, purified, we exhibit a holiness which is appropriate to those who worship and honor God. Perhaps this is why John also places a reference to the Cross in this passage. The transforming and purifying ministry of Christ is costly. There is no cheap salvation. The price of our renewal was the sacrificial death of God’s unique and only Son.

DEVOTIONAL

I Saw You!(John 1:43–51)

I’ve always liked this passage, ever since as a young seminary graduate working with preschoolers I wrote a lesson for three and four-year-olds based on it. It illustrates how a simple story can convey the most profound theological concepts. The lesson I wrote was called, “Jesus Always Sees Me.” That’s another way of talking about the doctrine of omnipresence, which states that God can be and is everywhere in the created universe at once. He is always present with us: He sees us at all times. While Jesus did not exercise this attribute at all times, a number of biblical stories show that He was aware of events that took place beyond the range of sight. For instance, Jesus in Galilee knew that His friend Lazarus had died in Bethany, near Jerusalem in Judea (John 11). Nathanael, obviously accurate theologically, knew that there was no way Jesus could have seen him under that fig tree before Philip arrived, and came to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. And of course Nathanael had reasoned correctly. None of this, however, was important to the preschoolers for whom I wrote. They weren’t interested in solving the mystery of the theantropic person (God/Man). They didn’t care to debate to what extent Jesus surrendered exercise of the attributes of Deity when He took on humanity. But they did care that “Jesus always sees me.” They did care that even when Mommy and Daddy were out of sight, Jesus was watching over them. They did care that whether they were riding in a car, sleeping in the dark, or playing outdoors, Jesus was there, and could see. What a lesson for us today. Yes, theology is profound. But relationship with God is far greater than the most profound depiction of doctrine. And our relationship with God can be expressed in words just as simple as “I saw you.” And can be understood in the comforting terms of “Jesus always sees me.”

Personal Application

Let the assurance that Jesus is with you bring you peace.

Quotable

“In all thy actions think God sees thee; and in all His actions labor to see Him; that will make thee fear Him; this will move thee to love Him. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge of God is the perfection of love.”—Francis Quarles

John

AUGUST 23

Reading 235

THE LIVING WORD John 1:1–18

“No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known” (John 1:18).John introduced the ultimate mystery. God had somehow taken on human nature and become flesh.

Background

The Word.

In both Testaments “word” is a pivotal and complex concept. The Greek logos appears over 300 times in the New Testament, with a variety of meanings. Jesus’ identification as the “Word” has great theological significance. As the Word, Jesus is the expression of God’s person and character in the world: the One who reveals the Father. And as the Word, Jesus is also the powerful, active presence of God in the world: the One with ultimate authority over all natural and supernatural forces, able through infusions of grace not only to make alive but also to transform the inner nature of human beings to fit them for fellowship with God. While theologians tend to wax eloquent over the philosophical implications of logos, as we read John’s Gospel we can have a simpler, more direct meaning in mind. Jesus, the Word of God, is the One through whom we hear God’s voice. He is the One in whom we meet God, and welcome God into our lives.

Overview

The “Word”—the Creator and source of our life—preexisted with and as God (1:1–5). John the Baptist announced His coming (vv. 6–9), yet when He arrived His own people rejected Him (vv. 10–11). But all who do receive Him become children of God (vv. 12–14). He is the source of grace, the Son who, being God, reveals the Father to mankind (vv. 15–18).

Understanding the Text

“In the beginning was the Word” John 1:1–2.

Like the first verses of Genesis, John 1:1–2 catapult us back beyond the origins of time, into the mystery of God Himself. Christians have affirmed the New Testament’s teaching that the One God of the Old Testament exists in three Persons: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. John launched his Gospel with a powerful statement that the Man Jesus is God the Son, the eternal Word through whom God has always expressed Himself (see DEVOTIONAL). “In Him was life” John 1:3–5. In John’s Gospel “life” sometimes indicates biological vitality, but more often indicates spiritual life. John often described the life he spoke of as “eternal.” The life available to us in Christ has a supernatural quality and power, as well as endless extent. It is this eternal life which Christ offers that shines in our world as a bright light. Like a beacon to a lost traveler, the light shining in Jesus offers all men hope. Not only hope for life after death, but hope for a rich and meaningful life here and now. “The darkness has not understood it” John 1:5. The specific intent of the Greek verb, katelaben, has been much debated. Is it simply saying that men in darkness haven’t realized the nature of the shining light? Or does the word mean “overcome,” as in other passages in John? (6:17; 8:3–4; 12:35) Soon John would develop his theme of a basic conflict between good and evil, darkness and light. The world of men is not just ignorant of the character of the light, but hostile to it! An invisible war rages on Planet Earth. God and Satan are in perpetual conflict, and knowingly or not every human being takes sides. The light shed by the Son’s offer of eternal life makes the issues of the war more clear, and challenges everyone to take sides. How good to know that no matter how hostile men and women may be, they can never overcome Christ’s light. “A man who was sent from God” John 1:6–9. Luke told the Baptist’s background; John emphasized his mission. The fact that he was “sent from God” established his authority. His mission was summed up in the word “witness” (v. 8). Throughout this Gospel John would assemble evidence that established Jesus as the Son of God. The Baptist was the first witness, identifying Jesus for the Jewish men and women of the first century. Today too God sends men and women to witness of His Son. While Jesus Himself is the light, you and I must give testimony about the benefits of coming to Him for eternal life. “The right to become children of God” John 1:10–13. These verses, like much of John’s writing, are packed full of information. The “world” in verse 10 is first earth itself as the environment for life, and second a sinful social order which refused to acknowledge the Creator. While Jesus’ own people and nation would not receive Him, He continues to hold out the divine offer of eternal life to individuals. Those who do receive Him are given the right to become sons of God. The verses clarify two issues. First, are all human beings God’s children? While all human beings are His creations, and objects of His love, John reminds us that not all are spiritually related to God. Only the special gift of eternal life in Christ changes our nature, so that we become God’s tekna; His “born ones” who by spiritual rebirth share His divine nature. Second, what does it mean to “believe”? John began his explanation by equating “believe” with “receive.” New life in Christ is offered as a gift. Just as one who reaches out and takes a gift shows by his accepting it that he believes in the reality of the gift and the trustworthiness of the person who offers it, so in receiving Christ as Saviour, we demonstrate belief in the gift and in the trustworthiness of God the Giver. How simple it is. We hear the Gospel’s Good News, our heart welcomes Christ, and in a grand supernatural transaction we are forgiven and flooded with new life. We become God’s children, born anew by an act of God Himself. “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” John 1:15–17. The Law of Moses established a standard of righteousness for humankind. Jesus revealed God’s gracious attitude toward all mankind. Looking at the Law we see what we should be, and feel ashamed. Looking at Jesus, we realize God loves us despite our sins, and rejoice. “God the only Son” John 1:18. The essence of Deity is unseen because our eyes cannot detect Him. So God took on a form that we could see. “Only” here has the essential meaning of “unique.” Jesus is the Son of God in a way that we can never be, for He preexisted time itself. We become God’s children. Jesus is and has always been God’s only Son.

DEVOTIONAL

No Greater Love (John 1:1–2)

“Three gods! You’ve got three gods!” That misunderstanding of Christian faith is common in both Muslim and Jewish circles. And yet Christians claim, “No. We have one God, the God of the Old Testament, who is shown in the New Testament to exist in three Persons.” It’s nonsense to many, of course. And yet as we read John’s first verses, we see that this is just what the Bible teaches. The Word, a few verses later on identified as the Son incarnate, Jesus Christ, was there in the beginning. He was with God. And He was God. Many attempts have been made to find an analogy that will help us better grasp the mystery of the Trinity: the Three-in- Oneness of Scripture’s one God. All fall short. The Trinity remains a mystery. Perhaps the best suggestion though was made in the fourth century of our era by Saint Augustine. Augustine argued that God must be a Trinity, for God is love. Before the Creation of the world, God must have had someone to love, and some way to convey love. It follows, Augustine taught, that there must be Three within the oneness of God: a Father to love, a Son to be the object of that love, and a Holy Spirit to convey and express love. What a thought. Before God created, God was a Person who loved. Because He existed as a Trinity, God has always been able to express that love fully within His own being. And yet God’s love is so great that it overflowed beyond His own self. In love God created the world and populated it with persons in His own image. In love God gave those persons freedom of choice. And, in love, God sacrificed the Son He loved to preserve all who believe from the disastrous and eternal consequences of the choices they have made. The Gospel of John is not only the Gospel of belief and faith, as most empha-size. John is the Gospel of unimaginable love.

Personal Application

Considering who Jesus is can deepen your love for Him.

Quotable

“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but on what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”—Napoleon Bonaparte