 
Exploring the Word of God:

Reflections on the Gospel of John

By Joseph Tkach

With additional chapters by Jim Herst, Michael Morrison, and Paul Kroll

Copyright 2013 Grace Communion International

Cover art by Ken Tunell.

Scripture quotations, unless noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

## Table of Contents

Explore the Gospel of John: "They Might Have Life"

John 1: The Word Made Flesh

John 2: Turning Water Into Wine

John 3: An Odyssey of Faith

John 4: True Worship

John 6: 'Let Nothing Be Wasted'

John 9: A Blinding Light

John 10: Which Voice Do You Hear?

John 10:10 – The Abundant Life

John 11: 'Lazarus, Come Out'

Right Words, But the Wrong Reason – John 12:12-19

John 13: Footwashing: A Tradition of Service

John 14: "In His Name"

John 19: Crowned With Thorns

Can You Believe It? A Study of John 20:18-29

About the Authors

About the Publisher

Grace Communion Seminary

Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

**Introduction:** This project began in the mid 1990s. The first volume of _Exploring the Word of God_ was published in 1995. We were not able to print any more volumes, but we continued to study and write articles about Scripture. We have gathered these articles and are publishing them as e-books. We hope you find these studies useful and encouraging.

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## Explore the Gospel of John:  
"That They Might Have Life"

By Jim Herst

### Vital lessons from the Gospel of John

New Christians are often advised to begin their Bible reading with the Gospel according to John. Why? Because this book, more than any other, comprehensively explains Jesus' identity as the Son of God who came to earth in order to save the world from sin.

This truth is encapsulated in the most famous verse in the New Testament: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

John tells us that because Jesus is "God in the flesh" (fully divine yet fully human) he is able to reveal God to us clearly and accurately. So if we want to know what God is like, we only have to look at the life of Jesus of Nazareth who was, in the words of the apostle Paul, "the image of the invisible God.... For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1: 15, 19).

To appreciate the true significance of John 3:16, let's analyze it within the context of the book as a whole. We will center our discussion around what could be called the "twin pillars" of John's theology: Present Judgment and Present Salvation. We'll quickly see that there is far more to the fourth Gospel than a sentimental call to "give your heart to the Lord."

### Present judgment

John discusses the problem of sin more than any of the Gospel writers. In fact, he uses the word "sin" more than Matthew and Mark combined! This takes many Christians by surprise—probably because they don't usually associate John, "the apostle of love," with such an unlovely subject as sin.

But John makes it very clear that, unless sin is dealt with, human beings will perish eternally. The flip side of John 3:16 is that those who do not believe do not have everlasting life. We rightly cite this text to show that the ultimate demonstration of God's love is the provision he has made for the sins of humanity in the sacrifice of his only Son, Jesus the Christ. God forbid we should ever forget this central truth. But we must not overlook the fact that this love of God is aimed at saving us from a terrible fate. Those who believe are saved, but those who do not believe do not have everlasting life.

For John, the possibility of men and women perishing is very real indeed: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (3:36). And Jesus himself warns: "If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins" (8:24).

In other words, unrepentant sinners exclude themselves from God's gift of life and bring his judgment upon themselves. And this judgment is a present one: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only begotten Son" (3:18).

True, there is a final judgment of Jesus Christ (John 5:27-29), but this judgment is not only a future reality, it is already in operation: "And this is the judgment, that the light [Jesus Christ] has come into the world" (3:18).

The problem is that some men and women love the darkness rather than the light. They prefer darkness (living in sin) over the light (living in Christ) and thus shut themselves up in darkness. This, to quote Martin Luther, is "man curved in on himself." In such a state, human beings are slaves of sin (John 8:34). Without God's salvation, they cannot break free.

For John, then, men and women divide according to their attitude to Jesus. Either you are for Christ and on the road to life, or you are against Christ and on the road to death. So monumental is this aspect of Christ's ministry that he can be said to have come into the world for the express purpose of judgment: "For judgment came I into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind" (9:39).

This does not mean that Christ's primary purpose was to condemn the world. On the contrary: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (3:17). John is simply making the point that, when the sun shines, shadows are inevitable. And when the light of Jesus Christ shines, those who hide in the shadows are shown up for what they really are: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (3:19).

### Present salvation

Sin is not the central doctrine of the Bible. God is. And God tells us that his salvation — deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ — is available to anyone who asks him for it. Early in his Gospel, John salutes "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (1:29). This declaration of forgiveness is also not something that happens at some future judgment. Jesus himself tells us that it is a present possession of the believer: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (5:24).

Note the present tense "has." We have eternal life and we have crossed over from death to life. John is not denying or diminishing our glorious future with God in a life beyond death; he is affirming that Christians also have a present possession of life that death cannot destroy. Time and again, John stresses that eternal life is a present possession of all who believe (1:12; 3:16, 36; 6:33, 40, 47). To put it another way, we are not saved because Christ will come. We are saved because he has come.

In addition, John reminds us that this life is not something that we can grab for ourselves. It is a divine gift: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (10: 27-28; see also Romans 6:22 and Ephesians 2:8-9).

And more specifically than the other Gospels, John associates the giving of this gift with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

First, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin (16:8). Ordinarily, we human beings do not see ourselves as sinners. Only as the Spirit of God works with us do we begin to see ourselves for who we really are—as "enemies of God" (Romans 5:10). This same Spirit gives us life (John 6:33) and leads us into all truth (16:13).

Second, the Father also works with us by drawing us to his Son. Jesus said: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him" (6:44). And he repeats it with emphasis: "No man can come unto me, except it be given to him by the Father" (6:65). We must not deceive ourselves into thinking that we can come to God any time we are good and ready. We cannot. Perception in biblical matters and a willingness to become a true disciple of Jesus are not natural attributes. They only come as a gift of God.

Third, the Son makes possible the gift of eternal life by his atoning death on the cross. Jesus said: "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself." This "lifting up" in John's Gospel is always a reference to Jesus being lifted up on the cross (3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 34). Jesus' death will draw men and women to himself. Note, once again, that the initiative here comes from God. It is not a matter of human beings simply deciding to come to Christ.

Perhaps a similar thing is implied in Jesus' words to Nathaniel: "You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (1:51). Christ's words allude to the story of Jacob's ladder in Genesis 28:10-22 where a stone pillar at Bethel was the focal point of communication between heaven and earth.

In John's Gospel, the stone is replaced by the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. There is now communion between heaven and earth through Jesus. Our Lord explains: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him" (6:54-56).

Indeed, John's entire Gospel is concerned with the way in which God has brought us life through the sending of his beloved Son. John presents Jesus as the revelatory Word (Greek: _Logos_ ) of God, the unique and pre-existent Son of God who, in obedience to his Father, became a real human being to die sacrificially for the salvation of other human beings. In Christ's own words: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full" (10:10-11).

As such, Jesus reveals the "truth." But this "truth" is no mere set of dry doctrinal propositions. Jesus himself is the truth (14:6). He is also "the bread of life" (6:35, 48; compare 6:41, 51); "the light of the world" (8:12); "the door" (10:7, 9); "the good shepherd" (10:11, 14); "the resurrection and the life" (11:25); and "the true vine" (15:1, 5). In short, Jesus was and is the ultimate reality of God's own person and character. This is why Jesus could boldly proclaim: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (14:9).

### The core of the Gospel

Although John's Gospel is written in simple Greek, its plain words carry profound meaning. It contains theological concepts that are not easy to master in a short time. These concepts challenge even the most mature Christian. Yet, its reassurance of God's love for us can be understood by anyone. This fact is imbedded in the author's thesis statement: "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing, you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31).

John highlights the Gospel — the good news that Jesus offers us eternal life here and now. We are invited to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, whom we can trust implicitly because he is the Son of God. Indeed, it is only through trusting Jesus that we can understand God's plan for us and carry out his will in our daily lives.

Yes, John "the beloved disciple" of Jesus has given us a powerfully spiritual portrait of our Lord and Master, the Eternal Son of God. He knew that love, and he wants his readers across the ages to know it too. But we must never confuse this love with a shallow sentimentality that sees God as nothing more than a hip-pocket psychotherapist we use to meet our "felt needs."

Love, as John sees it, is not an invitation to indulge in a life of indiscriminate sentimentality or superficial spirituality. He asks us, instead, to soberly consider two great truths of Scripture: First, we are sinners who have brought the death penalty upon ourselves. Second, God has forgiven us because his only begotten Son died in our place. Genuine repentance acknowledges both the sentence and the acquittal.

In response, John tells us that God demands nothing less than our wholehearted allegiance. This is why we must not allow preachers (no matter how sincere they may be) to manipulate us into making a shallow "decision for Christ." God's calling is too important to be trivialized.

You can read the 21 chapters of John in a couple of hours. The Gospel is perfect reading for new Christians, but it also repays the study of a lifetime. It has changed millions of people. It can change you!

### Outline of John's Gospel

The Gospel of John has 21 chapters. By reading just one chapter per day, you can finish the entire book in just three weeks. The following outline will help you get a handle on the material. You might want to review it before plunging in to the actual text.

John opens with a beautifully written prologue (1:1-18) concerning the nature of what he calls "the Word" (Greek: _Logos_ ). Scholars who study the various forms of New Testament literature conclude that John has either reworked an early Christian hymn or composed one of his own against the backdrop of the Old Testament stories of creation (Genesis 1- 2: 3) and the giving of the law to Israel on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-20). "In the beginning" (John 1:1) is reminiscent of Genesis 1:1. "Was the Word" (John 1:1) brings to mind God speaking the various elements into their created order (for example, "Let there be light" in Genesis 1:3).

The prologue introduces many themes that the author expands on in the two main divisions of the book — divisions scholars commonly refer to as "the book of signs" and "the book of glory."

In "the book of signs" (1:19–12:50), Jesus reveals his divine nature through a series of miracles or signs. The first section (1:19-51) discusses the testimony of John the Baptist concerning the Messiah and shows how some of his disciples came to follow Jesus (1:35-51). Then comes the period of Jesus' ministry, beginning and ending at Cana (2:1–4:54). The next section (5:1–10:42) is a series of passages that show how the Messiahship of Jesus was foreshadowed in the various Jewish Holy days: The Sabbath (5:1-47); Passover (6:1-71); Tabernacles (7:1–10:21); and Hanukkah (10:22-42).

In the final part of the book of signs (11:1–12:50), Jesus resurrects Lazarus from the dead (11:38-44). Ironically, this provokes hostility from the Jewish authorities and leads to Jesus' own death and resurrection.

In "the book of glory" (13:1–20:31), God glorifies Jesus through the crucifixion and resurrection. First, Jesus eats the "last supper" with his disciples (13:1-30). He then comforts them with an inspirational discourse that should be required reading for all Christians (13:31–17:26). The passion narrative comes next (18:1–19:42) followed by the dramatic appearances of the risen Christ (20:21).

Finally, the epilogue describes additional post-resurrection appearances of Jesus and provides a suitable transition to the ministry of the early church by explaining the roles of Peter and the beloved disciple (21:1-25).

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## John 1: The Word Made Flesh

John does not start "the story of Jesus" in the usual way. He says nothing about the way Jesus was born. Rather, he takes us back in time to "the beginning." In the beginning, he says, was "the Word." Modern readers may not know at first what this "Word" is, but it becomes clear in verse 14: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." The Word became a human being, a Jewish man named Jesus.

When John talks about "the Word," he is talking about a Person who existed in the beginning with God, and he was God (verse 1). He was not a created being; rather, it is through him that all created things were made (verse 3). The question that I'd like to comment on now is, Why does John tell us this? Why do we need to know that Jesus was originally a Person who was not only with God, but he was also God?

### A great idea

By using the word _Word,_ John was using a term that had rich meaning to Greek and Jewish philosophers. They also believed that God had created everything through his word, or his wisdom. Since God was a rational being, he always had a word with him. The "word" was his power to think — his rationality, his creativity.

John takes this idea and gives it a radical twist: The Word became flesh. Something in the realm of the perfect and the eternal became part of the imperfect and decaying world. That was a preposterous idea, people might have said. That did not fit their idea of what God was.

John may have agreed with them: This was quite unexpected. God did not act the way we thought he would. Indeed, as we read John's Gospel we will find that Jesus frequently did the unexpected. He was not acting the way that people expected a man of God to act — and that is part of the reason that he came, and part of the reason that John tells the story. We had wrong ideas about God, and Jesus came to set us straight.

Jesus did not just bring a message about God — he himself was the message. He showed us in the flesh what God is like. Shortly before Jesus was killed, Philip asked him, "Lord, show us the Father" (14:8). And Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you for such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (verse 9).

If you want to know what God is like, then study Jesus. Jesus shows us the love that God has for us; he freely gave his life to save others. When the Word humbled himself to become a flesh-and-blood human, it was a change — something God had never done before — but it was not a change in God's nature. Rather, it was a demonstration of his unchanging nature — his unchanging faithfulness to us. It showed us the love that God has for us all the time.

The Greek philosophers imagined that God was so perfect that he would have nothing to do with messed-up human beings. Many Jews felt the same way — they emphasized God's holiness so much that they thought the people of God should have nothing to do with people who weren't careful about keeping the laws of holiness. They were right in saying that God was holy, but they had forgotten that his holiness includes love and mercy and his power includes tenderness.

### Life and truth

As a disciple, John did not start off knowing that his teacher was eternally pre-existent. This awareness came to him slowly, and may be reflected in the words of the disciples. Peter said, "You are the Holy One of God" (6:69); Martha said, "You are the Christ, the Son of God" (11:27); and after the resurrection, Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" (20:28).

John develops this theme throughout the Gospel, but he wants us as readers to know even from the beginning who Jesus is, so that we can watch the story unfold with a little more understanding. Jesus is "God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side" — and he "has made the Father known" (1:18).

This flesh-and-blood God had life, "and that life was the light of men" (verse 4). He was bringing eternal life, and his "light" reveals to us the way to eternal life. We can read the story knowing that this person is actually God in the flesh, showing us what God is like.

John the Baptist told people about Jesus, but most people could not accept what he said: "Look — the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (verse 29). But "the darkness" could not understand the light of the world. "The world did not recognize him... did not receive him" (verses 10-11). But for those who did believe, John says, they became children of God, born not in the ordinary way, "but born of God" (verse 13).

"We have seen his glory," John says, and it does not consist of blazing fire and thundering voice. Rather, the glory of God that we see in Jesus is "grace and truth." In his words and in his works, Jesus shows us that truth is gracious. Some people want "truth" to be a weapon that beats other people down, but Jesus shows us that it lifts people up.

"The law was given through Moses," but the law could not give us eternal life. Here's what we really needed: "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (verse 17). Yes, God gave the law, but the law could not reveal the true nature of God. God cannot be defined by a list of rules. He is revealed as a person who walked this earth as one of us, showed mercy to sinners, and died for others.

God did not have to do this, but the fact that he did shows how much he cares about us: "the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin" (Exodus 34:6-7). This had been revealed to Moses, but it seems that the Israelites had forgotten it, so Jesus came to reveal it in the flesh.

Even today, after nearly 2,000 years of Christian teaching, many people — even many Christians — think that God is a stern Judge, but Jesus stepped in and thwarted God's plan to punish us. The truth is that the love and mercy we see in Jesus is exactly how God has always been.

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## John 2: Turning Water Into Wine

The Gospel of John tells an interesting story near the beginning of Jesus' ministry: He went to a wedding and turned water into wine. Several aspects of this story make it unusual:

##### It seems like a minor miracle, more like a magician's trick than the work of a Messiah. It prevented a little embarrassment, but didn't really address human suffering the way that Jesus' healings did.

##### It was a private miracle — done without the knowledge of the main beneficiary — and yet it was a sign that revealed Jesus' glory (verse 11).

##### The literary function is puzzling. John knew of many more miracles than he had room to write about, and yet he chose this one to begin his book. How does it help achieve John's purpose — to help us believe that Jesus is the Christ? (John 20:30-31). How does it show that he is the Messiah, rather than a magician (as the Jewish Talmud later claimed him to be)?

### A wedding in Cana

We can start by examining the story in closer detail. It begins with a wedding in Cana, a small village in Galilee. The location does not seem to be important — what is important is that it was a wedding. Jesus did his first messianic sign at a wedding festival.

Weddings were the biggest and most important celebrations among the Jewish people — the weeklong party signaled the social status of the new family in the community. Weddings were such joyous occasions that when people wanted to describe the blessings of the messianic age, they often used a wedding banquet as a metaphor. Jesus used the image of a wedding banquet to describe the kingdom of God in some of his parables.

Jesus often used miracles in the physical world to demonstrate spiritual truths. He healed people to show that he had the authority to forgive sin. He cursed a fig tree as a sign of coming judgment on the temple. He healed on the Sabbath to show his authority over the Sabbath. He raised people from the dead to show that he is the resurrection and the life. He fed thousands to show that he is the bread of life. And here, he provided abundant blessings for a wedding to show that he is the one who will provide the messianic banquet of the kingdom of God.

When the wine was gone, Mary told Jesus about it, and he said, "Why do you involve me?" (verse 4). What does that have to do with me? "My time has not yet come." And yet, even though it was not yet time, Jesus did something. John signals here that what Jesus is doing is somehow ahead of its time. The messianic banquet is not yet here, and yet Jesus did something. The messianic age was beginning, long before it would arrive in its fullness.

Mary expected him to do something, for she told the servants to do whatever Jesus said. Whether she expected a miracle, or a quick trip to the nearest wine market, we do not know.

### Ceremonial water turned into wine

Now, it so happened that six stone water containers stood nearby, and they were not regular water jars, John tells us — they were the kind the Jews used for ceremonial washing. (For ceremonial cleansing, the Jews preferred water in stone containers rather than in clay pots.) They held more than 20 gallons of water each — far too heavy for picking up and pouring. That's a lot of water, just for ceremonial washing. This must have been at the largest estate in Cana.

This seems to be a significant part of the story — that Jesus was going to transform some water used in Jewish ceremonies. This symbolized a transformation in Judaism, even the fulfillment of ceremonial washings. Imagine what would happen if guests wanted to wash their hands again — they would go to the water pots and find every one of them filled with wine! There would be no water for their ritual. The spiritual cleansing of Jesus' blood superseded ritual washings. Jesus has fulfilled the rituals and replaced them with something much better—himself.

The servants filled the containers to the brim, John tells us (verse 7). How appropriate, for Jesus filled the rituals completely, rendering them obsolete. In the messianic age, no space is left for ritual washings.

The servants drew some wine out and took it to the master of ceremonies, who then told the bridegroom, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now" (verse 10).

Why do you suppose that John records these words? Was it advice for future banquets? Was it merely to show that Jesus makes good wine? No, I think it is reported because it has symbolic significance.

The Jews were like people who had been drinking wine (performing ritual washings) so long that they could not recognize when something better came along. When Mary said, "They have no more wine" (verse 3), it symbolized the fact that the Jews had no spiritual meaning left in their ceremonies. Jesus was bringing something new and something better.

### Cleansing the temple

In keeping with this theme, John next tells us that Jesus drove merchants out of the temple courts. Commentators write pages about whether this temple-cleansing was the same as the one the other Gospels report at the end of Jesus' ministry, or whether it was an additional one at the beginning. In either case, John reports it here because of the significance that it symbolizes.

John again puts the story in the context of Judaism: "It was almost time for the Jewish Passover" (verse 13). And Jesus found people selling animals and changing money — animals for sin offerings fellowship offerings, and other sacrifices, and money that could be used to pay the temple taxes. So Jesus made a simple whip and drove them all out.

It is surprising that one man could drive all the merchants out. (Where are the temple police when you need them?) I suspect that the merchants knew that they should not be there, and I suspect that a lot of the common people didn't want them there either — Jesus was simply expressing what the people already felt, and the merchants knew they were outnumbered. Josephus describes other occasions when the Jewish leaders tried to change the way things were done in the temple, and the people raised such an outcry that they had to stop.

Jesus did not object to people selling animals for sacrifice, or changing money for temple offerings. He said nothing about how much they were charging. His complaint was simply their location: They were turning the house of God into a house of merchandise (verse 16). They had turned the religion into a moneymaking scheme.

So the Jewish leaders didn't arrest Jesus — they knew the people supported what he had done — but they did ask him what gave him the right to do this (verse 18). And Jesus said nothing about the inadequacies of the temple, but shifted the subject to something new: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (verse 19). Jesus was talking about his own body, but the Jewish leaders did not know that. They no doubt considered it a ridiculous answer, but still they did not arrest him.

Jesus' resurrection shows that he had the authority to cleanse the temple, and his words foreshadowed its destruction. When the leaders killed Jesus, they were also destroying the temple, for the death of Jesus brought all the sacrifices to obsolescence. And in three days Jesus was raised, and he built a new temple — his church.

And many people believed in Jesus, John tells us, because they saw his miraculous signs. (Note the plural word "signs." John 4:54 reports the "second" miraculous sign; this makes me think that the temple cleansing has been reported out of sequence because it is an advance indication of what the ministry of Jesus is about.)

Jesus was going to bring about the end of the temple sacrificial system and the end of the rituals of cleansing — and the Jewish leaders were unwittingly going to help him by attempting to destroy the body of Jesus. But in three days everything would be changed from water to wine — from lifeless ritual to the best spiritual drink of all.

### Bringing it closer to home

What do these two episodes have to teach us today? First, Christians might well wonder if certain of our traditions have outlived their usefulness and blinded us to new developments in what Christ wants us to do. It might be the holidays that we keep, or the way in which we keep them. It might be the way that churches are organized and governed. It might be unnecessary restrictions on who can do what. It might be attitudes toward evangelism.

But we can do well to ask if our traditions have become as meaningless as water, and whether Christ wants to transform them into something more stimulating.

We can also ask about our attitudes about money. Has money become more important to us than our relationship with God? We can certainly ask this from a denominational perspective, or from a local church perspective as budget committees are being set up. And we can ask it from a personal perspective, whether we might be letting commerce take over time that should be used for the community and people of God. Do we allow shopping and banking to occupy space in our lives that ought to be devoted to worship?

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## John 3: An Odyssey of Faith

The Christian life is more than a simple path. It involves crises, transitions and surprises as well as victories and growth. Sometimes this never-ending odyssey with our Savior into eternal joy is a pleasant cruise, and sometimes it is a wild ride.

### A new start for every person

Jesus taught that every person must have a fresh beginning. In John 3:3, Jesus told Nicodemus, "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Nicodemus would hardly have been surprised at the idea that there would be a resurrection at the end of the age — many Jews already held that idea.

Jesus was talking about something more surprising — a new birth or a new start that enables a person to "enter the kingdom of God" (verse 5) _in this age._ He told the Pharisees, "The tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you" (Matthew 21:31). Even in this age, people are entering the kingdom of God, and they do it by accepting the good news that God offers his blessings on the basis of grace rather than law. But it takes a new start in life to experience the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus knew Jesus' statement could not be taken literally. "How can a man be born when he is old?... Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (verse 4).

So Jesus said it again, adding some words of explanation: "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit" (verse 6).

For physical life, a person needs a physical birth. For spiritual life, a person needs a spiritual birth. Nicodemus, and Judaism in general, focused on the physical. They were concerned about purity laws, time and place, rules and rituals. Although they knew that God was Spirit, they expected his kingdom to be a physical kingdom like the kingdoms of this world, with geographic territory, agriculture and the enforcement of laws.

So Jesus chided Nicodemus for not understanding (verses 7, 10). The Pharisees (just like the Samaritans — see John 4:2124) were too concerned with physical aspects of worship. Jesus is saying that there is more to the kingdom of God than having better crops, tame animals and people keeping rules and rituals. God is concerned with the spirit of a person, a transformation of the spirit, and that requires a new start in life.

Spirit, like wind, cannot be seen, but its results can be seen (verse 8). The Spirit changes people, and the change, although sometimes frustratingly slow, is evidence that the Spirit is working. We all need that kind of new start in life. As John 3 explains, it requires that we believe in Jesus, and trust that he gives us eternal life. When we put our faith in him, we are "born of the Spirit" — a new life has begun.

### Believe in the Son

Jesus' death atoned for everyone on earth (1 John 2:2), but only those who _believe_ can experience the kind of life that characterizes the age to come. That is why Jesus came: God loved the world so much that he gave up his only Son, "that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (verse 16).

God does not want to condemn us (verse 17). If we believe in Christ, we are saved; if we do not, we remain in condemnation, because our sins condemn us, and we have not accepted the only rescue that God offers (verse 18). The atoning sacrifice has already been given, but the benefits are not forced on people who don't want them.

The new life in Christ is a wonderful, yet sometimes frightening journey — an odyssey of faith filled with many ups and downs — always strengthened by the confidence that Jesus is with us, and that he will help us weather all the storms.

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## John 4: True Worship

Jews and Samaritans simply didn't get along. The trouble went way back, five centuries or so, to the days of the Jewish leader Zerubbabel. Some Samaritans offered to help the Jews rebuild their temple, and Zerubbabel rebuffed them. The Samaritans responded by complaining to the king of Persia, and the work stopped (Ezra 4).

Later, when the Jews were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the governor of Samaria threatened to take military action against the Jews. The Samaritans eventually built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, and in 128 B.C., the Jews destroyed it. Although their religions were both based on the laws of Moses, they were bitter enemies.

### Jesus enters Samaria

But Jesus was not shackled by the squabbles of the past. Although most Jews avoided Samaria, Jesus walked right into it, taking his disciples with him. He was tired, so he sat down at a well near the city of Sychar, and sent his disciples into town to buy some groceries (John 4:38). Along came a Samaritan woman, and Jesus talked to her. She was surprised that he would talk to a Samaritan; his disciples were surprised that he would talk to a woman (verses 9, 27).

Jesus shows us a simple way of dealing with people who have different religious beliefs, people who are from a different ethnic group, people who are traditional enemies: just treat them like normal human beings. Don't ignore them, don't avoid them, don't insult them. But Jesus had something much more profound than that to say.

He began in the simplest possible way: He asked the woman for a drink. He was thirsty, but he had nothing to draw water with — but she did. He had a need, she had a means of fulfilling it, so he asked her for help. She was surprised that a Jew would actually drink from a Samaritan water pot — most Jews considered such a vessel ritually unclean. And then Jesus said: I have something a lot better than water, if you want it. I am willing to ask you for a drink of water — are you willing to ask me for something that's better? (verses 7-10).

Jesus was using a play on words — the phrase "living water" usually meant moving water, flowing water. The woman knew quite well that the only water in Sychar was in that well, and there was no flowing water nearby. So she asked Jesus what he was talking about. He said he was talking about something that would lead to eternal life (verses 11-14). He was talking about religious ideas — but would the woman be willing to listen to spiritual truth from a religious enemy? Would she drink Jewish waters?

The woman asked for the living water, and Jesus invited her to get her husband. He already knew that she didn't have one, but he asked anyway — possibly to show that he had spiritual authority. He was the vessel from which she could receive the living water. The woman got the message: "I can see that you are a prophet" (verse 19). If Jesus knew the facts about her unusual marital status, then he probably knew spiritual truths, as well.

### True worship

After learning that Jesus was a prophet, the woman brought up the age-old controversy between Samaritans and Jews about the proper place to worship: We worship here, but you Jews say that people have to go to Jerusalem (verse 20). Jesus responded: The day will soon come when that won't be relevant. It won't matter whether people look to Mt. Gerizim or Jerusalem — or any other location. The hour is already here when people will worship God in spirit and truth (verses 2124).

Has Jesus suddenly jumped to a different subject? Maybe not — the Gospel of John gives us some clues about what he meant: "The words I have spoken to you are _spirit_ and they are life" (John 6:63). "I am the way and the _truth_ and the life" (John 14:16). True worship means listening to the words of Jesus, and coming to God through him. Worship does not depend on place or time or ethnic group — it depends on our attitude to God as shown in our attitude to his Son, Jesus Christ. True worship comes along with the living water.

Jesus was revealing a profound spiritual truth to this stranger — a truth just as profound as what he had discussed with one of Israel's religious leaders (John 3). But the woman was not quite sure what to make of it, and she said, When the Messiah comes, he'll tell us what's right (verse 25).

Jesus responded, I am he — probably his most direct claim to be the Messiah — and yes, what I am telling you is right. The woman left her water jar behind and went back to town to tell everyone about Jesus, and she convinced them to check it out for themselves, and many of them believed. They believed not just because of the woman's testimony, but because they listened to Jesus himself (verses 39-41).

### Worship today

Sometimes people today get too opinionated about worship — true worship has to involve a certain day of the week, a certain type of song, a certain posture or some other detail. But I think that Jesus' answer to the Samaritan woman covers it well: The time will come when you will worship God neither this way nor that, because God is not to be found in earthly places, rotations of the earth, cultural music or human gestures.

God is spirit, and our relationship with him is a spiritual one. We live in time and space, and we use time and space in our worship, but those details are not the meaning of worship. Rather, our worship centers in Jesus, and in our relationship with him. He is the source of living waters that we need for eternal life. We need to admit our thirst, and ask him for a drink. Or to use metaphors from the book of Revelation, we need to admit that we are poor, blind and naked, and ask Jesus for spiritual wealth, sight and clothing. We worship in spirit and truth when we look to him for what we need.

In marriage, different people express love in different ways, and some forms of expression are appropriate in public, and some are not. This is true of worship, too. We express our adoration in different ways, and some ways are more appropriate in private than in public. Certain activities, though they may seem worshipful to one person, may appear disrespectful or distracting to another person. When we worship together, we do not want our activities to put other people off. At the same time, believers who are more formal need to be tolerant of a little diversity. True worship is not defined by external matters, but by our attitude toward Jesus Christ.

When it comes to worship, though there will always be room for improvement and maturity, may we continue to learn from Jesus not only about what worship really is, but also the way we interact with people who think about it differently than we do.

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## John 6: 'Let Nothing Be Wasted'

Jesus saw a large crowd coming toward him, and he asked Philip, "Where will we buy enough bread for all these people?"

Jesus already knew what he was going to do, but he asked the question because he wanted Philip to think about it and learn something from it (John 6:5-6, my paraphrase, throughout). John included this story so that we could think about it and learn something from it, too.

### Spiritual significance

Let's fast-forward into the story so we can see what Jesus already knew would happen. He miraculously fed the large crowd, and they later asked Jesus to prove that he was the Messiah (verse 30). Jesus told them, "My Father gives you the true bread from heaven—bread that gives life to the world."

"Well then," they said, "give us some of this bread" (verse 34). Their response was like the Samaritan woman at the well: When Jesus said that he had water that would give eternal life, she said, "Give me some" (John 4:15), and eventually Jesus said that he was talking about himself.

And in John 6, Jesus also reveals that he is talking about himself: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty" (verse 35). Jesus is the bread who came down from heaven to give life to the world. Just as bread is nourishment for our physical lives, Jesus is the source of spiritual life and energy.

The miracle of feeding the large crowd pointed toward a spiritual truth, and that is why Jesus did it, and that is why he wanted Philip to think about it, and that is why John tells us the story. Jesus did many miracles that John did not include in his book, but John includes certain ones to help us have faith in Jesus (20:30-31) — not just believe that Jesus did certain things in the past, but that we would trust him with our eternal future. The miracles are signs pointing us toward Jesus' spiritual significance.

Let's look at the story again.

It was almost Passover, John tells us (verse 3). Bread was an important feature of the Passover season, but Jesus is revealing that salvation does not come from physical bread, but from Jesus himself. Jesus asked Philip, "Where are we going to buy bread for these people?" And Philip answered, "It would take (roughly) five thousand dollars to buy enough bread for this crowd!"

Andrew did not speculate about the price, but he must have been good with kids. He had already befriended a boy and learned that he was carrying a little extra food. "This boy has five small loaves and two dried fish, but that's not near enough, is it?" Perhaps he was hoping that the crowd included a few more boys who had the foresight to bring lunch.

"That's good enough," Jesus said. "Have everybody sit down." So everybody did. Jesus thanked God for the food, and gave everyone as much food as they wanted (verse 11). It was quite a crowd — larger than many towns are today — and the people began to talk among themselves, "Surely this is the Prophet" (verse 14).

They thought that Jesus was the leader Moses had predicted (Deut. 18:15-19)—and yet, ironically, they were not willing to listen to him. They wanted to make him a king by force — forcing him into their idea of what a Messiah should be — rather than letting Jesus do what God sent him to do.

When everyone had enough to eat, Jesus told the disciples: "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted" (John 6:12). Doesn't this strike you as a little odd? Why would Jesus want to gather all the leftovers? Why not let the people keep the extra? Or let it be a bonanza for the birds and chipmunks?

The disciples picked up 12 baskets full of leftovers, John tells us — but then he says nothing about what they did with all those half-eaten loaves. I think there's something going on behind the scenes. What is there in the spiritual realm that Jesus does not want to go to waste? I think that John gives us a clue later in the chapter.

### Walking on water

The disciples took a boat back home — but they left Jesus stranded there, without any other boat to pick him up (verses 17, 22). John does not indicate that anything was out of the ordinary with this, so I conclude that the disciples often left Jesus alone, presumably because Jesus wanted to be left alone sometimes. He needed some time on his own for prayer, no doubt. (As an aside, I might point out that this is also true for pastors today — they need some time to themselves, even though there will always be people who want more of their time.)

As far as I know, Jesus was not in a hurry. He could have walked back to town on the roads that went around the lake. Or he could have waited for a boat, like the other people did (verse 23). But he walked on the water, apparently to make a spiritual point.

In Matthew, the spiritual point is faith, but John says nothing about Peter walking on water or sinking and being saved by Jesus. What John tells us is that when the disciples took Jesus into the boat, "immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading" (verse 21). This is the feature of the story that John wants us to take note of.

If Jesus could do teleporting, why did he need to walk on water? Why not just zap to wherever you want to go? What's the point? You might have a better idea, but here's mine: The story tells us that Jesus is not limited by physical circumstances, and as soon as we accept Jesus, we are spiritually at our destination. It may not look like it, but Jesus is not limited by physical appearances. Spiritually, the reality is set; it has been done.

### The bread of life

The people searched Jesus out again, looking for another free lunch, and Jesus encouraged them to look for spiritual food instead: "Do not look for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life" (verses 24-27). "The Son of Man will give you this food," Jesus said, but instead of asking for this gift, they asked what they should do (verse 28). They were asking for works instead of grace.

"What does God want us to do?" they asked, wanting to meet the requirements of the messianic age. Jesus told them: "God wants you to believe in the person he sent" (verse 29). The messianic age has already begun, so don't try to work your way into the kingdom — just trust Jesus, and you'll be in. Just take that one step, and you'll be there!

Could it really be that easy?, the people wondered. They asked for evidence — as if feeding 5,000 people had not been enough! "What miraculous sign will you do that we might believe you?" As an example of a miracle they might be willing to believe, and in keeping with the Passover season, they mentioned a miracle of bread associated with the Exodus — Moses gave them manna (bread from heaven) to eat. Some Jews thought that God would provide manna in the messianic age, too.

But Jesus said that the real bread from heaven doesn't just feed the Israelites — it gives life to the world! (verse 33). "Give it to us," they said, probably wanting to examine it to see if it met their qualifications. Jesus replied that he was the bread from heaven, the source of eternal life for the world.

The people had seen Jesus perform signs, and they still did not believe in him (verses 33-36), because he did not meet their qualifications for a messiah. Why did some believe, and others did not? Jesus explained it as the work of the Father: "Everyone the Father gives me will come to me." He repeats this idea in verses 44 and 65: "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him... unless the Father has enabled him."

Once the Father does that, what does Jesus do? He tells us his role when he says, "I will never drive them away" (verse 37). Perhaps they can leave on their own, but Jesus will never push them away. Jesus wants to do the will of the Father, and the Father's will is that Jesus will lose none of the people the Father has given him (verse 39). He does not let anyone go to waste.

Since Jesus does not lose anyone, he promises to raise them up at the last day (verse 39). This is repeated in verses 40, 44 and 54. Jesus stresses that the person who believes in him has eternal life (verses 40, 47).

### Eating his flesh?

Jesus also says that people who eat his flesh and drink his blood have eternal life (verses 51, 53-56). Just as he was not referring to the stuff made from wheat when he called himself the true bread, he was not referring to muscle tissue when he spoke of eating his flesh.

Some of the Jews wondered, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (verse 52), but in the Gospel of John, it is often a mistake to take Jesus' words in a literal sense. For example, Nicodemus asked, How can people enter their mothers' wombs and be born again? (3:4). Similarly, the Samaritan woman said, Give me some of this living water so I won't have to come back to this well (4:15).

They pushed the literal meaning, but the story shows that Jesus meant something spiritual. Here in chapter 6, Jesus said, "The flesh counts for nothing; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (verse 63). Jesus is not making a point about his muscle tissue — he is talking about his teachings.

And his disciples seem to get the point. When Jesus asks them if they want to go away, Peter answers: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (verse 68). Peter was not worried about having access to the flesh of Jesus — he focused on the words of Jesus. The consistent message of the New Testament is that salvation is experienced through faith, not special food and drink.

### From heaven

Jesus repeats one more point several times in this chapter: that he is from heaven (verses 33, 38, 41, 42, 46, 50, 51, 58, 62). The reason that people should believe in Jesus is because he has come down from heaven. He is absolutely trustworthy, because he does not just have a message from heaven, but he _himself_ is from heaven.

The Jewish leaders did not like this teaching (verse 41), and some of Jesus' disciples could not accept it, either (verse 66) — even after Jesus made it clear that he was not talking about his literal flesh, but rather his words themselves were the source of eternal life. They were troubled that Jesus claimed to be from heaven — and therefore more than human.

But Peter knew that he had nowhere else to go, for only Jesus had the words of eternal life (verse 68). Why did he know that only Jesus had these words? Because only Jesus is "the Holy One of God" (verse 69). _That_ is the reason his words are trustworthy; that is the reason his words are spirit and life. We believe in Jesus not just because of what he says, but because of who he is. We do not accept him because of his words — we accept his words because of who he is.

Since Jesus is the Holy One of God, we can trust him to do what he says he will do: He will not lose anyone, but will raise us all at the last day (verse 39). Even the crumbs will be gathered, so that nothing goes to waste. That's the Father's will, and that's something worth thinking about.

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## John 9: A Blinding Light

"I am the light of the world," said Jesus. "I have come into this world so that the blind will see" (John 9:5, 39). And to demonstrate it, he healed a man who had been born blind. He came to help people see, to help them understand something about God's love for them.

But Jesus also said that he came to bring blindness: "I have come into this world so that...those who see will become blind" (John 9:39). This is a hard saying — it is easy to understand a physician who came to heal the sick, but it is hard to understand a physician who came to make healthy people sick.

### Whose fault is it?

Let's review the story in John 9. As Jesus and the disciples walked through Jerusalem, they saw a blind man. Somehow they knew that the man had been blind from birth, and the disciples used the opportunity to ask Jesus a theological question that had puzzled them: Whose fault is this, they asked, did the man sin before he was born, or is he being punished because his parents sinned? Problems like this, they assumed, are the result of sin, but who sinned?

Neither answer seemed right, and Jesus agreed. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus said, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (verse 3). Did God cause the man to be blind just so that Jesus could do a miracle? I don't think that is what Jesus is driving at.

Jesus seems to be talking about the result rather than the purpose or cause. The man was born blind, and it doesn't do him or anyone else any good for us to speculate about whose sin caused it. The man does not need a discussion about the causes of evil — he needs his sight, and Jesus said that the result of his condition is that "the work of God" would be seen in him. And by that, I think that Jesus was talking about more than a miracle.

"As long as it is day," Jesus said, "we must do the work of him who sent me." A modern proverb that is roughly equivalent is, "Make hay while the sun shines" — or work while you can, because, as Jesus warns, a time will come when you can't: "Night is coming, when no one can work." When will that be, we might wonder. When will it not be possible to do the work of God?

Jesus continued, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (verse 5). As long as he is here, it is daytime — but a time would come when he would go away and the work would stop. Fortunately for us, that "night" did not last long, for Jesus was raised from the dead and now works in and through his people. (We also need to work while we can, because a time will come for each of us when we can do no more.)

### Blind obedience

To illustrate what he meant by being a light to the world, Jesus spit on the ground, made a little mud, put it on the eyes of the blind man and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. It's hard to know from this account how much the man knew about Jesus. He knew his name, but may not have known much more than that. But he went to the Pool of Siloam anyway, and he was healed. It would have been interesting to see his reaction, but all we are told is that he went home (verse 7).

Now, why did Jesus heal the man in such an unusual way? If he just wanted to display a miracle, he would have healed him instantly. He could have said to his disciples, I can give spiritual sight just like this: snap! But the disciples did not see a miracle — all they saw was that Jesus put mud on somebody's face and then told him to go wash it off.

John never does tell us how they reacted when they eventually found out. So the story that John is telling here is not so much about the miracle — it is about how the man learns who Jesus is, and how he reacts when he does. This is the far more important work of God that is being demonstrated in this man's life.

The news got around, and the man told people that "the man they call Jesus" had healed him (verse 11). Then the Pharisees, the self-appointed judges of all spiritual truth, started to investigate this supernatural event. Some of them had already concluded that Jesus couldn't be from God because he worked on the Sabbath. (Even God had to keep their rules, apparently.)

Others were more open-minded, saying that sinners (at least the sinners they knew) couldn't do miracles like that (verse 16). So they asked the formerly blind man what he thought. "He is a prophet," the man replied. He is like Elijah, sent by God with a message.

The Jews, or at least some of them, didn't seem to like that answer, so they searched for a way to discredit the miracle. They asked his parents about it, and the parents verified the facts: He was born blind, but now he can see, but we don't know who did it. They didn't offer an opinion on whether Jesus was from God, because they were afraid of being expelled from the synagogue (verse 22).

I feel sorry for the parents. They had probably lived for years with the accusation that their son was blind because they had sinned. They needed the synagogue because faithful attendance was the only way they could show they were good people after all. Even though their son could now see, they were not willing to risk expulsion — and John probably includes this because it was precisely the situation that some of his readers faced. After Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70, the Jewish leaders regrouped and began demanding more conformity; they did not allow people to attend synagogue if they had any forbidden beliefs about a messiah.

John has set before us several types of people: 1) Some who have already made up their minds that Jesus is ungodly. 2) Some who are puzzled by Jesus but still try to discredit him. 3) Some who refuse to say, and probably don't even want to find out because they are afraid of the consequences. 4) The man who viewed Jesus as good, and was willing to learn more.

### Growing in faith

The Jewish leaders went back to the healed man and asked him again, and he told them again. "We know this man is a sinner," they said (verse 24). I'm not sure about that, the man replied, but I know for sure that I've been healed. He must have been a little exasperated with their attitude, for he asked, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" (verse 27).

The leaders were offended by this idea, so they responded with insults, drawing a line in the sand: "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses!" — and you can't be a disciple of both. John knew his readers needed to hear that, too. Don't worry about getting kicked out of the synagogue, he seems to say. You should have left it long ago, anyway.

The man became bolder, saying, You don't even know whether this man is from God, but he opened my eyes, and God doesn't listen to sinners! "He listens to the godly man who does his will" (verse 31). In other words, Jesus is a godly man who is doing the will of God. "If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." That's the central question that runs throughout the Gospel of John: Is Jesus from God? The man declared that Jesus is from God.

The Jewish leaders became angry at this layman who tried to teach them theology, and they expelled him from the synagogue. They didn't want him telling his story to more people.

Jesus heard about it and went looking for the man. "When he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?'" (verse 35). Here Jesus seems to be using the "Son of Man" as a messianic title, perhaps derived from Daniel's vision of "one like a son of man" who was given supreme authority (Dan. 7:13-14). "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him." If you say I am supposed to believe in somebody, then I will.

Jesus revealed himself to be the Son of Man, and the man worshipped him (verse 38). Just as he could see physically, he could also see spiritually, and in this way he displayed the work of God in his life.

### Judgment

Jesus now gives another theological lesson: "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." Jesus is the category by which all humanity will be judged. If people accept him, then God accepts them. But if they reject him, they are rejected. In other words, when a person refuses light, they have only darkness. Jesus is claiming to be the way, the truth and the life. Here he says he is the light, the one who enables people to see.

Some people refuse to see. Some are afraid, because Jesus nullifies their badges of righteousness. And when they turn away from Jesus, from the only true Light, they go further into darkness. In this story, the leaders of the synagogue would rather be blind than to admit that they had been wrong.

Some Pharisees asked, "Are we blind too?" And Jesus explained his parable: "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains" (verse 41). When he said, "Those who see will become blind," he was not talking about people who really had spiritual insight. Rather, he was talking about people who only _thought_ their insight was spiritual light, when it really was only darkness. They claimed to know spiritual truth, but when the Truth was right in front of them, they would not see it. Jesus did not _make_ them blind, but he showed that they were blind.

People are judged by the way they respond to Jesus. If they admit their ignorance and are willing to be taught, they are not counted guilty. But if they claim to see, yet reject the only true Light, then they are guilty.

When you look at Jesus, what do you see?

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## John 10: Which Voice Do You Hear?

Jesus told a parable and, as usual, the people did not understand him. So he explained it: "I am the gate for the sheep" (John 10:7). In this parable, the sheep are God's people, and they are entering a safe place, a sheep pen, representing salvation. We enter salvation through Jesus.

"I am the good shepherd," Jesus continued, and "the sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice" (verses 11, 4-5). God's people hear the voice of Jesus and recognize it, but they stay clear of other voices.

### The voices we hear

If Jesus has the voice of salvation, what are the other voices (the "strangers") that might call for our attention? In the first century, it might have been the Pharisees, who were trying to lead God's people. And it would have included the Dead Sea Scroll commune, who had their own path to pleasing God. The Herodians offered another approach to life: do whatever it takes to stay on good terms with the Roman government.

In our own day, various groups offer different paths to salvation: Muslims, Hindus, New Agers and others offer people different paths — even different ideas of salvation. For some, salvation is physical pleasure; for others it is the absence of feeling. Some focus on the afterlife, others on life right now. "Come to my sheep pen," they might be calling. "You'll be safe here."

But these voices do not sound like Jesus. They do not have the message of grace from the God who loves us. Instead, they usually offer a message of "Do this and try harder." Jesus says that we need a radical change, and just working harder will not be effective. Humans cannot save themselves — we can be saved only because God himself came into our world, suffered the pain of our corruption himself, and not only paid the ultimate penalty, but also lived the perfect life in our place.

Some versions of Christianity fall away from grace, and begin to preach works — good works, usually, but works nevertheless. There are conservative do-gooders and liberal do-gooders. Some people have the right words for Jesus (Lord and Savior, Son of God) but subtly drown out his voice by preaching about works as the key to salvation.

Such a message turns into a message about family values (which are very good) with a little Jesus thrown in for spice. Or it turns into political action, with a little Jesus thrown in for credibility. Some have even turned Jesus into merely a good teacher, a good example who encourages us to try harder and do more.

"Come into this sheep pen," they might say. "This will give your life more meaning" — and it does, since it gives a semblance of purpose in life, which is more satisfying than selfishness. But it still falls short of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because in the message of "do good and try harder," people always fall short. Jesus says, "Come into my sheep pen, where the burden is light and there is no condemnation" (Matt. 11:30; Rom. 8:1). Do we hear his voice, or are we attracted to the gospel of good works?

God made us to do good works (Eph. 2:10), but he also made us to find our meaning and purpose in Jesus Christ. We were made through him, by him and _for_ him (Col. 1:16), and we will never be fully satisfied until we find our meaning and purpose in him.

### Thieves and robbers

If people try to get to the sheep pen in any way other than Christ, they are thieves and robbers, Jesus says (John 10:1). They are trying to get something in an unlawful way — they are trying to give life meaning without the Creator of life.

They may mean well. Maybe they don't understand who Jesus is and what he is offering. Maybe Jesus' grace insults their ability to work hard and direct their lives on their own. Maybe they think grace sounds too easy, too cheap. Whatever the reason, if they try to achieve life's purpose in any other way, through any other gate, they will fail.

The people who offer other paths to salvation generally mean well. They honestly believe that they have a better way — and their way probably is better than what they had before. But it falls far short of what Jesus offers: full and unconditional pardon. They offer different sheep pens, and invite people to come in.

Many of us have tried those sheep pens. Some have tried Islam, some have tried Hinduism, some have tried liberalism and some of us have tried legalism. "My sheep hear my voice," Jesus says, but by that he does not mean that our response is automatic. Rather, he is encouraging us to hear him, to listen for him, to respond to him instead of the counterfeits. We need to train our ear so that we hear him better, so that we recognize a false gospel for what it is: a thief and a robber that will short-change our happiness.

The other gospels do not intend to maim and kill, but that's what they end up doing. They offer something attractive, something good, but it's just not good enough. It's not Jesus, it's not grace, it's not finding our meaning in Christ.

Many voices can lead us away from Christ. If we have drifted away from Christ, what voices are we listening to? Are we so consumed by business, sports, television, partying, politics, sex, alcohol or other diversions that we have little or no time left for Jesus? Such things, when they crowd Jesus out, become thieves and robbers. They take our time, maybe even the rest of our life, but they will not give us life.

### The shepherd who gives his life

"I am the good shepherd," Jesus said. "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away" (verses 11-12). All the other shepherds will let you down. Only Jesus died and rose for you. Only he deserves your full allegiance. Do you hear his voice?

## John 10:10 – The Abundant Life

By Paul Kroll

Many preachers quote John 10:10 as support for the idea that Christianity leads to physical prosperity and "every good thing." The verse has been used as a description of the Christian life, the normative pattern of life that Christians can expect because of God's blessings.

Other scriptures, including the salutation of 3 John 2, "I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health," are also used to teach that Christians are promised health and wealth if they have enough faith. However, the New Testament usually emphasizes a radically different result of following Christ. We are told that we will be persecuted, that Christ's message is divisive, that we will need to take up our cross and follow him, that the normative expectation for Christian is _suffering._ Job promotions, new cars, and throwing away crutches are not among the fringe benefits offered by Jesus Christ.

3 John 2 appears as a part of the introductory comments of the letter, and it was meant specifically for a man named Gaius. It was simply part of the polite way to begin a letter in those days, and similar greetings are found in other ancient writings. One manual of letter writing explains that this is the appropriate was to begin a letter. Someone today might begin a letter by saying, "I hope that this letter finds you in good health." It is not meant as a promise. Likewise, 3 John 2 should not be used as a promise that God applies to all his people. This scripture does not guarantee that Gaius, or any other Christians, will be rich or that they will never suffer from sickness or disease.

And in order to understand what John 10:10 means, we need to look at its context. Chapter 10 of John's Gospel develops the biblical theme of sheep and the shepherd. The shepherd is accessible to the sheep. Strangers do not have a personal relationship with the flock, but the good shepherd does. Verse 10 draws the contrast between Jesus and false shepherds, the thieves who come to kill, steal and destroy.

John 20:31 describes the purpose of this Gospel. Speaking of the miracles and signs, John says, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." _The New International Commentary on the New Testament_ comments,

Life is one of John's characteristic concepts. He uses the term 36 times, whereas no other New Testament writing has it more than 17 times (this is Revelation; next comes Romans with 14 times, and 1 John 13 times). Thus in this one writing there occur more than a quarter of all the New Testament references to life. "Life" in John characteristically refers to eternal life (see on 3:15), the gift of God through His Son. Here, however, the term must be taken in its broadest sense. It is only because there is life in the **Logos** that there is life in anything on earth at all." (John, page 82).

_The Expositor's Bible Commentary_ says this about John 10:10:

#### Jesus' main purpose was the salvation (health) of the sheep, which he defined as free access to pasture and fullness of life. Under his protection and by his gift they can experience the best life can offer. In the context of John's emphasis on eternal life, this statement takes on new significance. Jesus can give a whole new meaning to living because he provides full satisfaction and perfect guidance.

_Barclay's Daily Study Bible_ adds,

#### Jesus claims that he came that men might have life and might have it more abundantly. The Greek phrase used for _having it more abundantly means to have a superabundance of a thing._ To be a follower of Jesus, to know who he is and what he means, is to have a superabundance of life. A Roman soldier came to Julius Caesar with a request for permission to commit suicide. He was a wretched dispirited creature with no vitality. Caesar looked at him. "Man," he said, "were you ever really alive?" When we try to live our own lives, life is a dull, dispirited thing. When we walk with Jesus, there comes a new vitality, a superabundance of life. It is only when we live with Christ that life becomes really worth living and we begin to live in the real sense of the word.

In its volume on John, the _Tyndale New Testament Commentaries_ summarizes the passage that leads up to John 10:10:

#### Those who are really "His own" listen to His voice. They recognize that He has been sent from God, and are ready to follow Him as the good Shepherd, who by His sacrificial love rescues His flock from evil and death, and leads them into the best of all pasturage where they can enjoy a richer and a fuller life (9,10). He does not offer them an extension of physical life nor an increase of material possessions, but the possibility, nay the certainty, of a life lived at a higher level in obedience to God's will and reflecting His glory.

In summary, John 10:10 should not be used as though it gives some promise of an improved physical life for the Christian. Such a view, in light of the context, is shallow, and it overlooks the profound truth of the passage. The passage promises superior, superabundant spiritual life, life empowered by the indwelling of Jesus Christ. Because Christians "have" Jesus Christ, because he lives within them, they have the riches of the superabundant life. This is what Paul meant when he said he counted all things loss, that he might win Christ. John 10:10 promises a spiritual dimension to life, not physical abundance. A focus on the physical trivializes the profound depth of John 10:10.

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## John 11: 'Lazarus, Come Out'

Most of us know the story: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It was a tremendous miracle, showing that Jesus has the power to raise us from the dead, too. But there is more to the story than that, and John includes some details that may have deeper meaning for us today. I pray that I do not do injustice to the story as I share some of my thoughts with you.

Notice the way that John tells the story: Lazarus was not just a random resident of Judea — he was the brother of Martha and Mary, the Mary who loved Jesus so much that she poured perfume on his feet. "The sisters sent word to Jesus, 'Lord, the one you love is sick'" (John 11:1-3). To me, that sounds like a request for help, but Jesus did not come.

### Delay with purpose

Does it ever seem to you like the Lord is slow to respond? It surely did for Mary and Martha, but the delay does not mean that Jesus doesn't like us. Rather, it means that he has a different plan in mind, because he can see something that we cannot.

As it turns out, Lazarus was probably already dead by the time the messengers reached Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus said that the sickness would not end in death. Was he mistaken? No, because Jesus could see beyond death, and he knew that in this case, death was not the end of the story. He knew that the purpose was to bring more glory to God and his Son (verse 4). Nevertheless, he let his disciples think that Lazarus would not die. There's a lesson there for us, too, for we do not always understand what Jesus really meant.

Two days later, Jesus surprised his disciples by suggesting that they return to Judea. They did not understand why Jesus would want to go back into the danger zone, so Jesus responded with a cryptic comment about walking in the light, and the coming of darkness (verses 9-10), and then telling them that he had to go wake Lazarus up.

The disciples were apparently used to the mysterious nature of some of Jesus' comments, and they had a round-about way of getting more information: They pointed out that the literal meaning didn't make sense. If he's asleep, then he'll wake up by himself, so why do we need to risk our lives to go?

Jesus explained, "Lazarus is dead" (verse 14). But he also said, I'm glad I wasn't there. Why? "So that you may believe" (verse 15). Jesus would do a miracle that would be more astonishing than if he had merely prevented a sick man from dying. But the miracle was not just in raising Lazarus back to life — it was also the knowledge that Jesus had of what was going on perhaps 20 miles away, and the knowledge of what would happen to him in the near future.

He had light that they could not see — and this light told him of his own death in Judea, and of his own resurrection. He was in complete control of the events. He could have avoided arrest if he wanted to; he could have stopped the proceedings with a simple word, but he did not. He chose to do what he did because that's what he had come for.

The man who gave life to the dead would also give his own life for the people, for he had power over death, even his own death. He became mortal so that he could die, and what looked on the surface to be a tragedy was actually for our salvation. I don't want to imply that every tragedy that happens to us is actually planned by God, or is good, but I do believe that God is able to bring good out of evil, and he sees realities that we cannot.

He sees beyond death, and his mastery of events is just as good today as it was back then — but it is often just as invisible to us as it was to his disciples in John 11. We cannot see the bigger picture, and sometimes we stumble in the darkness. We have to trust God to work it out in the way that he knows is best. Sometimes we are eventually allowed to see how it works out for good, but often we just have to take his word for it.

### Martha's faith

Jesus and his disciples went to Bethany and learned that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. The eulogies had been given and the funeral was long over, and the doctor finally shows up! Martha said, perhaps with a little exasperation and hurt, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (verse 22). We called for you several days ago, and if you had come then, then Lazarus would still be alive.

But Martha has a glimmer of hope — a little bit of light: "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask" (verse 23). Maybe she felt that it would be a little too bold for ask for a resurrection, but she hints at something.

"Lazarus will live again," Jesus said, and Martha responded, "Yes, I know that (but I was hoping for something a little sooner)." Jesus said: "That's good, but did you know that I am the resurrection and the life? If you believe in me, you will never die. Can you believe that?"

And Martha, in one of the most outstanding statements of faith in the entire Bible, said: "Yes, I believe that. You are the Son of God" (verse 27). Life and resurrection can be found only in Christ — but can we, today, believe what Jesus said? Do we really believe that "whoever lives and believes in me will never die?" I wish we all could better understand that, but I do know for sure that in the resurrection, we will be given a life that will never end.

In this age, we all die, just like Lazarus did, and Jesus will have to "wake us up." We die, but that is not the end of the story for us, just as it was not the end of the story for Lazarus.

Martha went to get Mary, and Mary came to Jesus weeping. Jesus wept, too. Why did he weep when he already knew that Lazarus would live again? Why did John report this, when John also knew that joy was just around the corner? I don't know — I don't always understand why I weep, even at happy occasions.

It's OK to weep at a funeral, even if we know that the person will be resurrected into immortal life. Jesus promised that we will never die, and yet death still happens. It is still an enemy, still something in this world that is not the way it's supposed to be in eternity. Even if eternal joy is just around the corner, sometimes we have times of great sadness, even though Jesus loves us. When we weep, Jesus weeps with us. He can see our sadness in this age just as well as he can see the joys of the future.

### He stinks

"Roll away the stone," Jesus said, and Martha objected, "There's going to be a bad smell, because he's been dead for four days." Is there anything in your life that stinks, anything that you don't want Jesus to expose by "rolling back the stone"? There is probably something like that in everyone's life, something we'd rather keep buried, but sometimes Jesus has other plans, for he knows things that we do not, and we just have to trust him.

So they rolled back the stone, and Jesus prayed, and then he called out, "Lazarus, come out!" "The dead man came out," John reports — but he was no longer dead. He was wrapped up like a dead man, but he was walking. "Take off the grave clothes," Jesus said, "and let him go" (verses 43-44).

Jesus calls out to spiritually dead people, today, too, and some of them hear his voice and walk out of their graves — they come out of the stench, they come out of the self-centered way of thinking that leads to death. And what do they need? They need someone to help them unwrap the grave clothes, to get rid of the old ways of thinking that so easily cling to us.

That's one of the functions of the church. We help roll back the stone, even though there may be a stench, and we help the people who are responding to Jesus' call. Do you hear Jesus calling you to himself? It's time to walk out of your "grave." Do you know someone Jesus is calling? It's time to help roll back their stone.

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## Right Words, But the Wrong Reason –  
a Study of John 12:12-19

By Michael Morrison

Each year, one week before Easter, Christian churches observe Palm Sunday, commemorating the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while the people waved palm branches and shouted praise. The people were right to praise Jesus, but they were doing it for the wrong reason.

### Praise to the king!

John tells us that Jesus was in Bethany six days before the Passover (John 12:1). The next day, Jesus started walking to Jerusalem, and many people found out about it. "The great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

"Hosanna!" [a Hebrew word meaning "save!"]

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed is the king of Israel!" (John 12:13, quoting Psalm 118:25-26; NIV 2011 used in this chapter).

This is the way people in the first century greeted a visiting king—they would go out to meet him, praise him, and escort him into the city. These people were welcoming Jesus as a king. They were eager for Judea to have its own king, independent of Rome.

But the Romans did not want anyone to be king over Israel without their permission, and this parade for Jesus implied disloyalty to Rome. When the people waved palms, they were waving a Jewish national symbol. When Judea eventually did rebel against Rome, they put images of date palms on the coins. Palm trees represented a free and independent Judea.

Jesus knew that he was coming into the city toward his death, and that this same crowd would soon call for his crucifixion. Right now, the crowds cheered because they thought that Jesus would be a military hero, but he was not; they were badly mistaken about who Jesus was—and yet correct in their praise.

### Seated on a donkey

Jesus did something else that may have added to the crowd's excitement: He "found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 'Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt'" (John 12:14-15, quoting Zechariah 9:9).

Some of the people probably knew from Zechariah that the promised Jewish king would ride a donkey. But none of them, not even the disciples, really understood what Jesus was doing. "At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him" (John 12:16).

The disciples were probably thinking just like the crowd. Although Jesus had told his disciples that he was going to be killed, they did not understand it. Perhaps they thought it was a riddle, and they hadn't yet figured out the hidden meaning. But they understood it later—they understood that Jesus really was a king, and that he fulfilled the messianic prophecies, but that his kingdom was very different from anything they expected; it was "not of this world" (John 18:36).

But at this moment, the crowds and the disciples were excited because they thought Jesus might be the king who would deliver them from Rome (John 12:17-18).

Jesus could have gathered quite a large following if he had wanted to—and this terrified the Jewish leaders. They knew what Rome did to populist uprisings, and they definitely didn't want that. "So the Pharisees said to one another, 'See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!'" (verse 19).

They also spoke the right words, but for the wrong reason.

### The Greeks had a word for it: _eulogeo_

We get the English word "eulogy" from the Greek word _eulogeo;_ it comes from root words meaning "to speak well of." In eulogies, we speak well of people; we praise them.

The New Testament uses _eulogeo_ 41 times; the Greek Old Testament uses it more than 500 times, usually with the meaning to praise or to bless. James 3:9 says that we eulogize God—we praise or speak well of him.

When Jesus eulogized his disciples (Luke 24:51), he was _giving_ a blessing. To bless a person means "to ask God to bestow divine favor on... . In a number of languages the closest equivalent of to 'bless' is 'to pray to God on behalf of' or 'to ask God to do something good for'" (Johannes Louw and Eugene Nida, _Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains,_ I: 442).

In Ephesians 1:3, Paul says that God has already blessed us, already done good to us. When the people called Jesus "blessed" (John 12:13), they were saying that God had already been good to him. When Jesus blessed bread (for example, Luke 24:30), he was asking God to further his good purpose through that bread.

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## John 13:  
Footwashing: A Tradition of Service

Jesus, the evening he was betrayed, "poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him" (John 13:5).

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them.... 'Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet'" (verses 12, 14).

In the days of dusty roads and open-toed sandals, feet often became dirty, and it was the job of the lowest servants to wash the guests' feet. But Jesus set an example of service by doing this job himself, despite the protests from Peter.

### What did Jesus teach?

Jesus said, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (verse 15). We must ask, then, just what did Jesus do?

##### 1. He got up from the meal,

##### 2. took off his outer clothing,

##### 3. wrapped a towel around his waist,

##### 4. poured water into a basin,

##### 5. washed the 12 disciples' feet, and

##### 6. dried them with his towel.

If we look at this list, we will realize that Christians generally skip most of what Jesus did. We do not wash feet during a meal, take off our suit jackets or wrap towels around our waists. We do not pour water into a basin, or wash feet, or dry them with our own towel.

Most Christians do not literally wash one another's feet. Some churches do have an annual footwashing service, but if they do, people usually wash two feet that are already clean. Jesus washed 24 feet that really needed to be washed. Jesus performed a service that really needed to be done.

Did our Lord instruct his disciples to "wash one another's feet" (verse 14)? Yes. Then why don't we have any evidence that the apostles actually did it? They didn't do it the evening Jesus commanded it, and we see nothing about it in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, the epistles or in early church history.

The closest thing we find to it in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 5:10, which is about the qualifications of widows who may be put on a list of widows working for and supported by the church (we don't do that anymore, do we?). One of the qualifications is that she must be "well known for her good deeds, such as...washing the feet of the saints." Here, footwashing is a notable act of service, not something that all Christian women are expected to do on a regular basis.

Apparently the apostles understood Jesus to be talking about real service, not a ritual. When Jesus said, wash one another's feet, he meant, serve one another. He simply used a specific example as a figure of speech representing all types of service. (The Gospel of John has many such figures of speech that should not be taken literally.) Jesus is saying that we should humble ourselves and be willing to do even menial tasks for one another.

### Symbol of service

I am not saying that it is wrong for Christians to wash one another's feet. But we do not turn the figure of speech into a literal requirement.

The Bible was written in a specific culture, and its instructions are sometimes phrased with specific customs. Paul tells us to greet one another with a holy kiss, and footwashing is even more tied to culture than kissing is. It is based on foot travel, dusty roads and open-toed sandals. In Jesus' day, footwashing was a normal part of a formal banquet. Now it is not. It is no longer part of customary formality, and it is no longer viewed as an honor or service.

We obey the intent of Paul's command not by kissing, but by greeting one another with affection. We obey the intent of Jesus' command not by washing our guests' feet, but by helping them in other ways. There is no need to insist on taking one command literally and adapting the other to modern customs. Both may be adapted so that we obey the intent.

When we serve one another throughout the year, helping one another in our real needs, we are obeying the spirit of the law of Christ. We are "washing feet" when we give believers rides to church, when we help them move furniture, when we bring a meal for the sick, when we clean house for the bereaved. We wash feet when we encourage the depressed, are patient with the angry, spend time with the lonely.

There are a thousand ways to "wash the feet of the saints." Sometimes it might even involve washing their feet — even cutting their toenails and helping them with cleanliness. Real service for genuine needs is far more important than a sanitized ritual. As Paul wrote: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Gal. 5:13).

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## John 14: 'In His Name'

"Whatever you ask in my name," Jesus said, "I will do it" (John 14:13). Some people seem to think that Jesus is giving us a blank check — we can ask for anything at all, and he will sign his name to it and pass it along to the Father, and it will be done — guaranteed.

We all know that this doesn't work — and it's a good thing it doesn't! Some people pray for rain at the same time as their neighbors pray for sunshine. The home seller prays for a high price, the home buyer prays for a low one.

If God had to answer every request he was given in the name of Jesus, the world would be chaotic, driven by the whims of well-meaning but foolish people. Even if humans could all agree, we simply don't have the wisdom to be telling God how to run the universe.

So what did Jesus mean?

### Whatever we ask

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.... Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24). Does this mean that we fill out the request form, and Jesus signs it and sends it to his dad? "Hey, Dad, I've got a buddy here who wants a million dollars. How about doing it as a favor for me?"

No, that is not the way it works. Jesus is not a middleman who stamps his signature on our request, pretending that our request is really his. He says: "I am _not_ saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you" (verses 26-27). We have permission to go to the Father directly, because God loves us just as much as he loves his own Son. (Does that thought astonish you as much as it does me?)

Hebrews tells us that Jesus gives us permission to go to God directly. We do not need a middleman. So what does it mean to ask in the name of Jesus?

Let's imagine that we are in an ancient palace. The king is sitting on his throne, his prince at his right hand, dozens of guards at attention, hundreds of loyal servants waiting for orders so that every decree will be carried out immediately.

And now imagine that we go into the palace, and the guards immediately make way for us, knowing that we have permission to approach the king. They swing aside, snap to attention and give us the royal treatment. We walk into the throne room, bow before the king, bow before the prince, and then tell the king: "In the name of the prince, I ask you for a better job and a nicer home."

Maybe my palace protocol is a little rusty, but it seems a little odd for me to speak "in the name of the prince" when the prince is sitting right there. Maybe this is not what it means to ask "in the name of Jesus."

### More than pronunciation

Some people think that Jesus was talking about pronouncing his name in a certain way. They believe we have to get his name right — like a secret password — before the request will get through the heavenly filters. But when ancient peoples talked about someone's "name," they were not worried about the right pronunciation — they were referring to a person's status or importance.

We can see that in the book of Hebrews. It begins by telling us that Jesus has inherited a better name than the angels have. The name in that context seems to be "Son," but the precise word isn't really important — the point being made is that Jesus is superior to the angels. He has a higher status, a greater glory.

When we talk about the superior name of Jesus, we are really talking about his superior importance. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we are not dealing with a special word — we are dealing with a special person. When we pray in his name, we are praying according to the way that he is — according to his nature. Our praise and requests should be something that fits his character.

Let's use another analogy. Suppose that a police officer says, "Stop in the name of the law" — it means that the officer has the force of law behind the command. But suppose that same officer asks for a bribe: "Give me $20,000 cash in the name of the law." Using the words "in the name of the law" does not automatically give the officer legal support, does it? When the officer says "in the name of the law," he is supposed to be acting within the rules of the law.

In the same way, when we use Jesus' name, we are not obligating him to support our own whims and desires. Rather, we are saying that we are already in accord with what he wants. We are saying something that he has authorized us to say.

Rather than forcing him to conform to our wishes, "in his name" means the opposite: We are conforming to his wishes, we are acting within his will. When we speak on his behalf, we need to make sure that we are saying something that he would agree with.

When we say "in Jesus' name," we are conforming to the words of the Lord's prayer: Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let it be done in my life. If my request is not according to your will, then feel free to change it to what it needs to be. "In Jesus' name" is our affirmation that, as best we know, our request is within his will.

### Let your requests be known

However, if we have to pray according to God's will, what's the point of praying? Isn't he going to do his will whether we ask for it or not? Doesn't it go without saying that if we ask God to do what he already wants to, that he will do it?

But God is the one who is telling us to pray. In his wisdom, God has decided to do certain things only in answer to prayer. Sometimes this is so that we will learn, in the process of prayer, what his will is, and whether our request is for selfish purposes. We don't always understand what God's will is, and praying can sometimes help us come to a better understanding.

But I suspect that on many things, God's will is not set in stone. God may not have decided, for example, which person we should marry — but he has already decided how we should treat the person we marry. He requires that we choose the person, and choose each day how we will interact with that person. Prayer can help us here, too.

Prayer changes us — but it also affects what God does. Since he has decided to do certain things only in answer to prayer, he decides what to do based in part on what we do, on what we need in the situations we have chosen, and on what we ask him to do. He has the power to carry it out, the compassion to help us in our needs, and the wisdom to know what is really best for us.

"In everything," Paul says, "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). Whatever is on your heart, whatever it is that you want, ask God for it.

Jesus has given us the authority to ask — but it is a request, not a command. We can trust God to answer in the best possible way, at the best possible time. But whatever we do (prayer included), we are to do it for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). When we do that, we can be confident that we are praying in Jesus' name.

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## John 19: Crowned With Thorns

When Jesus was on trial for his life, the soldiers twisted thorns into a makeshift crown and jammed it on his head (John 19:2). They hung a purple robe on him and ridiculed him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews," while they punched and kicked him.

The soldiers did it to amuse themselves, but the Gospels include this as a significant part of Jesus' trial. I suspect that they include it because it has an ironic truth — Jesus is the king, and yet his rule would be preceded by rejection, ridicule and suffering. He has a crown of thorns because he is the ruler of a world filled with pain, and as the king of this corrupt world, he established his right to rule by experiencing pain himself. He was crowned (given authority) with thorns (only through great pain).

### Meaning for us, too

The crown of thorns has meaning for our lives, too — it is not just part of a movie scene in which we are overwhelmed with the suffering that Jesus went through to be our Savior. Jesus said that if we want to follow him, we must take up our cross each day — and he could just as easily have said that we must experience a crown of thorns. We are joined to Jesus in the crucible of suffering.

The crown of thorns has meaning for Jesus, and it has meaning for every individual who follows Jesus. As Genesis describes it, Adam and Eve rejected God and chose to experience for themselves evil as well as good.

There is nothing wrong with knowing the difference between good and evil — but there is much wrong with experiencing evil, because that is a path of thorns, a path of suffering. When Jesus came proclaiming the arrival of the kingdom God, it is no surprise that humanity, still alienated from God, rejected him and expressed it with thorns and death.

Jesus embraced that rejection — accepted the crown of thorns — as part of his bitter cup of enduring what humans endure, so that he could open the door for us to escape with him from this world of tears. In this world, governments jam thorns on the citizens. And in this world, Jesus suffered whatever they wanted to do with him so that he could redeem us all from this world of ungodliness and thorns.

The world to come will be ruled by the human who has overcome the way of thorns — and those who give their allegiance to him will take their place in the government of his new creation.

We all experience our crowns of thorns. We all have our crosses to bear. We all live in this fallen world and take part in its pain and sorrow. But the crown of thorns and the cross of death have met their match in Jesus, who bids: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

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## Can You Believe It?  
A Study of John 20:18-29

By Michael Morrison

Jesus died on a cross. So have many other people. But only one came back to life—Jesus. The early church announced the resurrection of Jesus, and it has been a key teaching of Christianity ever since. But some people find it hard to believe. There must be some sort of mistake—either a mistake in the diagnosis of death or a mistake in thinking that the person is alive again.

Jesus knows that it's hard to believe—an incident with Thomas illustrates this and has a lesson for us as well. In John 20, we are told that some disciples found that Jesus was no longer in his tomb. He soon appeared to Mary, and she told the other disciples about it. But one woman's word was not enough to convince them.

### The disciples see Jesus (verses 19-20)

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'" (NIV 2011). We do not know exactly how Jesus got into the room on that Sunday evening, but John implies that it was in some supernatural way. Jesus could still do miracles.

He greeted them with peace, and "after he said this, he showed them his hands and side." Apparently there were still holes in his hands and a spear wound in the side—although the wounds caused by scourging were presumably gone. "The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord." They believed.

### Authorized to preach (verses 21-23)

Jesus repeated his greeting and then added, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." This is John's version of the Great Commission. Just as Jesus was sent to earth with a mission, so now this mission is given to the disciples.

Jesus had promised that he would not abandon the disciples—he would come to them in the form of "another advocate...the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16-18). Jesus fulfilled that promise: "And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Some scholars think that Jesus was reissuing the promise and that it was not fulfilled until 50 days later, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Others say the disciples received the Spirit at this time, and the Spirit came again in a visible way on the day of Pentecost. We do not need to resolve that question now, but we see here that Jesus was not a ghost, vision, or apparition—he was a living, breathing human being with a real body.

Jesus described the results of their mission: "If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Does this mean that God may want to forgive someone but will be thwarted by disciples who are not quite so gracious? No, Jesus is not giving the disciples the power to control what God can or cannot do.

Rather, he is speaking about what people _experience._ The context is the mission of the disciples: preaching the gospel. When the disciples preach forgiveness, people will experience forgiveness. When the disciples don't preach it, people will not have the joy of knowing they are forgiven. Jesus wants the disciples to announce forgiveness to all the people God forgives (and that, as we find out elsewhere in the Bible, includes everyone).

### Thomas believes (verses 24-29)

However, one disciple was absent from the Sunday evening gathering. "Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'"

But he was skeptical. He said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." He wanted not just to see, but also to touch.

Jesus gave him what he wanted: "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'" Jesus not only appeared—he knew what Thomas had said a week earlier.

We do not know whether Thomas touched Jesus, but he responded with faith. "Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'" Earlier, Thomas had called Jesus Lord (John 14:5); now he calls him God. As John tells us in the opening verse, "The Word was God" (John 1:1). John wants Thomas's response to be ours as well, that we accept Jesus as our Lord and our God.

Jesus himself moves the discussion to future believers, including us: "Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" ****

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## About the Authors...

All the authors were employees of Grace Communion International when they wrote the articles that became chapters in this book.

Joseph Tkach is president of Grace Communion International; he received a D.Min. in 2000 from Azusa Pacific Seminary. He is author of the book Transformed by Truth, the e-book What Does the Bible Say About Worship, and numerous additional articles.

Jim Herst worked on the original series Exploring the Word of God; his work can be seen primarily in our e-books on the Old Testament.

Paul Kroll wrote most of the articles on the book of Acts, now published as a series of e-books.

Michael Morrison received a PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2006 and is Dean of Faculty and Instructor in New Testament for Grace Communion Seminary.

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## About the Publisher...

Grace Communion International is a Christian denomination with about 50,000 members, worshiping in about 900 congregations in almost 100 nations and territories. We began in 1934 and our main office is in North Carolina. In the United States, we are members of the National Association of Evangelicals and similar organizations in other nations. We welcome you to visit our website at www.gci.org.

If you want to know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we offer help. First, we offer weekly worship services in hundreds of congregations worldwide. Perhaps you'd like to visit us. A typical worship service includes songs of praise, a message based on the Bible, and opportunity to meet people who have found Jesus Christ to be the answer to their spiritual quest. We try to be friendly, but without putting you on the spot. We do not expect visitors to give offerings—there's no obligation. You are a guest.

To find a congregation, write to one of our offices, phone us or visit our website. If we do not have a congregation near you, we encourage you to find another Christian church that teaches the gospel of grace.

We also offer personal counsel. If you have questions about the Bible, salvation or Christian living, we are happy to talk. If you want to discuss faith, baptism or other matters, a pastor near you can discuss these on the phone or set up an appointment for a longer discussion. We are convinced that Jesus offers what people need most, and we are happy to share the good news of what he has done for all humanity. We like to help people find new life in Christ, and to grow in that life. Come and see why we believe it's the best news there could be!

Our work is funded by members of the church who donate part of their income to support the gospel. Jesus told his disciples to share the good news, and that is what we strive to do in our literature, in our worship services, and in our day-to-day lives.

If this e-book has helped you and you want to pay some expenses, all donations are gratefully welcomed, and in several nations, are tax-deductible. If you can't afford to give anything, don't worry about it. It is our gift to you. To make a donation online, go to www.gci.org/participate/donate.

Thank you for letting us share what we value most — Jesus Christ. The good news is too good to keep it to ourselves.

See our website for hundreds of articles, locations of our churches, addresses in various nations, audio and video messages, and much more.

Grace Communion International  
3129 Whitehall Park Dr.

Charlotte, NC 28273-3335

1-800-423-4444

www.gci.org

### You're Included...

We talk with leading Trinitarian theologians about the good news that God loves you, wants you, and includes you in Jesus Christ. Most programs are about 28 minutes long. Our guests have included:

Ray Anderson, Fuller Theological Seminary

Douglas A. Campbell, Duke Divinity School

Elmer Colyer, U. of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Gordon Fee, Regent College

Trevor Hart, University of St. Andrews

George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

Jeff McSwain, Reality Ministries

Paul Louis Metzger, Multnomah University

Paul Molnar, St. John's University

Cherith Fee Nordling, Antioch Leadership Network

Andrew Root, Luther Seminary

Alan Torrance, University of St. Andrews

Robert T. Walker, Edinburgh University

N.T. Wright, University of St. Andrews

William P. Young, author of _The Shack_

Programs are available free for viewing and downloading at www.youreincluded.org.

### Speaking of Life...

Dr. Joseph Tkach, president of Grace Communion International, comments each week, giving a biblical perspective on how we live in the light of God's love. Most programs are about three minutes long – available in video, audio, and text. Go to www.speakingoflife.org.

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##

Grace Communion Seminary

Ministry based on the life and love of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Grace Communion Seminary serves the needs of people engaged in Christian service who want to grow deeper in relationship with our Triune God and to be able to more effectively serve in the church.

Why study at Grace Communion Seminary?

 Worship: to love God with all your mind.

 Service: to help others apply truth to life.

 Practical: a balanced range of useful topics for ministry.

 Trinitarian theology: a survey of theology with the merits of a Trinitarian perspective. We begin with the question, "Who is God?" Then, "Who are we in relationship to God?" In this context, "How then do we serve?"

 Part-time study: designed to help people who are already serving in local congregations. There is no need to leave your current ministry. Full-time students are also welcome.

 Flexibility: your choice of master's level continuing education courses or pursuit of a degree: Master of Pastoral Studies or Master of Theological Studies.

 Affordable, accredited study: Everything can be done online.

For more information, go to www.gcs.edu. Grace Communion Seminary is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, www.deac.org. The Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

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## Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

Want to better understand God's Word? Want to know the Triune God more deeply? Want to share more joyously in the life of the Father, Son and Spirit? Want to be better equipped to serve others?

Among the many resources that Grace Communion International offers are the training and learning opportunities provided by ACCM. This quality, well-structured Christian Ministry curriculum has the advantage of being very practical and flexible. Students may study at their own pace, without having to leave home to undertake full-time study.

This denominationally recognized program is available for both credit and audit study. At minimum cost, this online Diploma program will help students gain important insights and training in effective ministry service. Students will also enjoy a rich resource for personal study that will enhance their understanding and relationship with the Triune God.

Diploma of Christian Ministry classes provide an excellent introductory course for new and lay pastors. Pastor General Dr. Joseph Tkach said, "We believe we have achieved the goal of designing Christian ministry training that is practical, accessible, interesting, and doctrinally and theologically mature and sound. This program provides an ideal foundation for effective Christian ministry."

For more information, go to www.ambascol.org

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