John 1:14-18. Jesus Christ is Everything

When C.S.Lewis wrote his space trilogy for adults, he wanted people to discover the message behind the stories. In ‘Perelandra’ he fantastically recreates a whole new world on Venus. The sky is a golden canopy, the sea is emerald green. There were ‘bubble trees’ that burst as you walk underneath them, releasing a beautiful and indescribable refreshment. The animals were fascinating, the porpoises could be ridden on, and there were little dragons with red and green scales that could be turned over to have their tummies rubbed. It was all very inviting and entertaining but also very instructive. It is meant to represent the ideal world, the new world, life without sin.

In the Bible, Adam and Eve were the prototype of perfection, a man and a woman who lived in a perfect world in close harmony with God their creator. Everything around them was good, as the beginning of the book of Genesis repeatedly makes clear. There was social perfection. Eve was taken from the Adam’s side, from his flesh, to depict the close intimacy God intends in marriage. The Garden of Eden is meant to be an inviting, ideal scenario that people long to belong to.

However all that was lost when Adam and Eve decided to turn their backs on God and go their own way. Social disharmony then appeared. After they decided to go their own way, God asked Adam,

“Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

The reply Adam gave, blaming his wife, was a certain way to produce marital discord,

“The woman you put here with me – she gave me some of the fruit and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12

From then on, man’s relationship with God and other people was damaged. We are never satisfied, we now grow old and will die.

When Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave his Templeton Prize address he said that the tragedy of the modern world was, ‘You have forgotten God’. In a subsequent interview with Bernard Levin, published in the Times, he explained that he now considered that the goal of man is ‘not happiness but spiritual growth’. He had learned this from Jesus.

Solomon understood that this is man’s greatest problem. Near the beginning of the book of Proverbs he said,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7

A little later he explains that everyone has made a decision on this matter,

“Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.” Proverbs 1:29

The widespread dissatisfaction is a common symptom that comes from this refusal to allow God to hold his proper place in our lives.

The glory of Jesus

This is what John wants everyone to grasp - how magnificent this good news about Jesus is.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14

Jesus, out of his love for humanity, left his home with his Father and entered his world to be with us and to save us. In the Old testament God’s presence with his people was symbolised by the ark of the covenant that was housed in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle. The tabernacle was where God was understood to dwell with his people. The word John uses here is significant, literally it reads,

“ . . . the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” John 1:14

This is God’s grace reaching down to sinful, rebellious man. God literally came to live amongst us. This verse continues,

“We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Rules and discipline have their place but are certainly not so attractive as a person exemplified by grace and truth. That combination is dynamic. John continues,

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

This is why religion in all its guises cannot compete with the person of Jesus. What our creator longs for is that we all enter into a personal relationship with him through Jesus his chosen King.

Full of grace

Grace is God reaching out to us in our sin whereas mercy is God reaching out to us in our misery. We cannot see or comprehend the full glory of God. John partially describes something of this in the book of Revelation, chapters 4 and 5. Here John stresses that what they saw most of God’s glory was the grace and truth seen in Jesus.

Grace is an attribute of God, where he gives himself to help others. It is what makes some people so attractive. It is a major reason why Jesus is so attractive. In Iran today, many people are turning to Christ because they have seen something of this grace of God both in Jesus and in his people. This contrasts with the lack of grace seen in the Islamic rulers. It is this love that lifts us up. John continues,

“From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:16

In the original Greek this is worded ‘grace upon grace’. This grace of God keeps flowing. Jesus is the fountain through which God’s grace pours out upon us. This is only possible because of who he is. Paul wrote,

“For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:9

The glory of God is seen in the grace of Jesus, the embodiment of God. This is why a prime feature of Christ’s people must be the same overflowing grace. God shows this grace to both unbelievers and believers and we must emulate him.

God’s grace gives us everything we need.

In 1725 a ship’s captain had a son but his mother, who taught him the Bible died of tuberculosis when he was just six years old. When eleven he went to sea with his father. However he was later press ganged into service as a midshipman with the Royal Navy. He tried to desert but was caught, publicly flogged with 96 lashes and reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Later he transferred to a slave ship but was unpopular with the crew and was left in West Africa with a slave dealer where he was as badly treated as the slaves. In 1748, after three years of misery, he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked to search for his son by his retired father. However on the return trip, the ship he was on was caught in a severe storm off the coast of Donegal, Ireland. The young man was terrified, had he been rescued from slavery just to die? He prayed to God for mercy on March 10th 1748 and from then on his life changed. He began to want to live as God wanted him to. He started to study the Bible which confirmed to him that God was indeed a God who is full of grace and would even accept a wretch like him. His life gradually changed, he no longer swore, gambled or drank alcohol and he came to understand how deep the grace of God for him was. For a further six years he continued to sail, trading in slaves and merchandise, but then he gave up the sea and began to study. He was later ordained and eventually became an influential minister for Christ in London. His name was John Newton. In 1772 when he was a curate in Olney, Bedfordshire he wrote the words of his famous hymn,

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

Shout, shout for glory,
Shout, shout aloud for glory;
Brother, sister, mourner,
All shout glory hallelujah

John Newton loved to talk about the amazing sufficiency of God’s grace. He knew that there was no-one who was beyond the power of this grace. This grace is only available for those who recognise that they cannot become the people God wants without receiving God’s grace. This is freely available to all who come to God on his terms. The lifebelt has been thrown to the drowning person, all they have to do is to grasp it and hold on. The Bible teaches,

“Christ died for the ungodly . .” Romans 5:6

God’s grace enables us to face every difficulty in life.

Grace is not only sufficient to save us, it also brings beauty and meaning to life. Adam and Eve, before they fell from grace, enjoyed God’s presence. It is this grace that gives us the promise of eternal life.

The prospect of death loses its fear for those who are in Christ. The great 19th century evangelist, D.L.Moody once said, with reference to the promise of eternal life,

“You may read in the paper one day that D.L.Moody is dead. Don’t you believe it.”

One day we will be physically perfect, we won’t tire and we will enjoy God’s creation more than we thought possible. All hang-ups and social inhibitions will be gone. Our future with God will be bliss. John had a vision of this wonderful new world with life in all its richness,

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing down form the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. . . . and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night.” Revelation 22:1-5

God’s grace changes people.

John Newton, after a life of debauchery, philandering and alcohol, married a lovely lady and they enjoyed a marriage that was a glorious example to people around them. Relationships are transformed by Christ. Even our decaying bodies will be transformed. Our physical bodies are immortal and when we are resurrected we will be transformed gloriously, that will be the work of the grace of God - how immense is the privilege of being united to Christ. Paul wrote,

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fulness in Christ . . .” Colossians 2:9

When the grace of God enters our lives and is allowed to take over, everything changes. Our lives become rich and overflowing and we begin to live as we were meant to live. Grace had a remarkable effect on a Levite from Cyprus called Joseph. The apostles gave him the nickname, Barnabus which means ‘Son of Encouragement’. Joseph had become generous and a pleasure to be with (Acts 4:36-37).

The 16th century church reformer, Martin Luther wrote,

“This grace is inexhaustible. It is full of grace and truth from God. It never loses anything, no matter how much we draw, but remains an infinite fountain of all grace and truth. The more you draw from it, the more abundantly it gives of the water that springs up into eternal life. Just as the sun is not darkened by the whole world enjoying its light and could indeed light up ten worlds, just as ten thousand lights can be lit from one light and not detract from it, just as a learned man is able to make a thousand others learn it, the more he gives, the more he has. So it is with our Lord Jesus Christ, an infinite source of grace, so that the whole world can draw on his grace and it wouldn’t be depleted at all”.

The grace of God enables us to see reality

We can see where faults are ours and stop blaming others. A girl got into a fight with her young brother. Her mother heard the noise and, entering the room, said to her daughter,

“Why did you let the devil put it into your mind to pull your brothers hair and kick him in the shins?”

The girl thought for a second and replied,

“Maybe the devil put it into my heart to pull his hair, but kicking his shins was my idea.”

Grace is not just for salvation, it continues to give us purpose and power to become more like Jesus until we eventually meet him face to face. Isaiah understood the glory that is to come and Paul quotes from Isaiah when writing to the troubled church at Corinth that were beset with false leaders and false priorities.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” Isaiah 64:4 and I Corinthians 2:9

Our eternal destiny is only ours because of God’s grace.

Why do we not experience this grace more? When we become Christians we are shown something of God’s grace in his forgiving us and accepting us into his kingdom. But that is just the beginning. We need to learn to receive ‘grace upon grace’. To be sold out in out devotion to Jesus and longing to please him, is the way to more joy and more outpouring of His Spirit on us.

Full of truth

A little boy had repeatedly been told by his mother that he must always tell the truth. One day they were travelling on a bus and standing next to them was a grossly overweight lady. The little boy blurted out loudly and truthfully,

“You’re fat.”

His embarrassed mother realised that her boy needed to learn another lesson fast, grace must have precedence over expressing the truth.

Grace and truth should not be in opposition but should be two sides of the same coin. Truth is essential. Unfortunately, most decisions that people make are primarily based on our emotions. What sort of car shall we get – oh, a blue one. Career choices are so often based on memories of someone we liked or even on advertisements. In the United Kingdom in 2019 over 22 billion pounds was spent on advertising!

Yet in deciding on the major issues of life, rational decisions are vital. ‘Who should I marry?’ is best decided, not just on looks but on a wide range of features, and in this friends and family can often see more clearly than those whose thinking is clouded by the veneer of being ‘in love’. Similarly when deciding what the basis of my whole life will be, it is vital to look beyond selfish emotions, about what I like, to what is true. Jesus stands at the crossroads of life and points us to God’s way, on the basis of his grace and the fact that his way is true. Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

The case for Christ is so strong. Science cannot explain how our world began, how all the constants of the universe are so precisely right for the universe and man to exist, how the language of DNA developed and how the code that defines the resulting organism has been altered in such short times for new species to appear. Science can only give us the laws by which the world works, it cannot create anything. The evidence for Jesus being extraordinary is immense. He convinced his disciples that he was God and they sacrificed their lives on this conviction. Were they all deluded? Did Jesus rise from the dead after being publicly crucified? Over five hundred people later saw him alive on just one occasion and his disciples, who saw the risen Christ on several occasions, were certainly convinced. There are over 330 prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah – they all point to Jesus. He was a direct descendant of king David, he was born in Bethlehem, he did perform extraordinary miracles. He still reigns. On top of that his teaching is sublime. If anyone has not read through John’s Gospel to think through what Jesus taught it is likely that they really do not want to know the truth.

I was discussing with a group of hospital consultants how ‘truth’ should be defined. They had great difficulty. One suggested that truth must be ‘consensus’ but the others ridiculed this as consensus can so easily change or be manipulated, as many politicians have found. Plato realised that truth has to have an absolute dimension. God alone knows exactly what has happened and how the world works, we are trying to discover the truth by investigation. This is so in the law courts, in medicine and in science. Instinctively we know there is a truth out there and we are trying to discover this by what is called a dialectic process. This simply means holding to one position until a stronger rival overtakes it. Truth must be defined as a concept compatible with God. Jesus puts himself in the centre and says,

“I am the truth!” John 14:6

There is certainly a place for emphasising all the evidence for the claims of Jesus but arguments seldom win people for God if there is no personal need. Too many young Christians think they can argue people into accepting the Christian position. Without God preparing people and without grace in the speaker, convincing people with arguments seems to be relatively ineffective.

‘Grace and truth’, however, are the two main means by which people are drawn back into a relationship with our creator.

John the Baptists’ message

John the Baptist’s message was the same as that of the church today,

“(John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, ‘This is he of whom I said, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me”’) John 1:15

John’s message was about Jesus and the church must also tell people about Jesus. How we need to ‘cry out’ to our world and tell people that God has entered this world to save us. Our message must be the same as the apostle John, who when talking about Jesus said,

“No-one has ever seen God, but God, the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” John 1:18

What a wonderful message the church has – Paul recognised this,

“All this is from God, who reconciled the world to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” 1 Corinthians 5:18-19

BVP

John 4:43-54 Believing without Seeing

A young man said,

“I would love to have your faith but it is just not happening.”

John’s gospel is all about helping people find faith in Jesus, becoming ‘believers’ in him. That this is the purpose of his book is clear from the number of times the word ‘believe’ is used. John the Baptist came teaching people with this specific end in sight,

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light . . . ” John 1:7

When Jesus himself came to his people they largely rejected him, but the Messiah was for people of all nations who become his followers,

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

To help people believe, the apostle John brought together in his book a number of different accounts of people who came to put their trust in Jesus.

The first miracle that Jesus performed was at Cana in Galilee where he turned the water in six large water jars into top quality wine. The result of this was,

“ . . . and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:11

The next story John selected concerns an eminent Jewish scholar, Nicodemus, who was on the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. Jesus explained to him how he could make a new start in life by accepting himself as his Lord and Saviour. The moral and religious behaviour of Nicodemus could never give him eternal life. It was what Jesus taught him that led to his becoming a believer. The good news about who Jesus is and how, by becoming his followers, people can be saved for eternity, is the recurrent theme of this book.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The vital importance of having this faith is then spelt out,

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned alreadybecause they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:18

John then tells the story of a Samaritan woman whose life left much to be desired, she had had five husbands and she was not even married to her present partner. Jesus explained to her that he alone could give her the living water she needs for eternal life. They had a discussion about how people must worship God, which leads to the question of the Messiah. Jesus explained,

“I, the one speaking to you, I am he.” John 4:26

She returned to the town and invited her friends to come and hear what Jesus had to say.

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” John 4:39

They came to listen to Jesus,

“And because of his words many more became believers.” John 4:41

The Samaritans from Sychar then told the woman what had led them to believe that Jesus was God’s one and only Messiah,

“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world.” John 4:42

The differing stories that John recounts appeal in different ways to different people but the goal is always the same, that individuals should become believers in Jesus as God’s Messiah through what they hear.

The next story is striking.

​Jesus heals an official’s son

43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’

49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’

50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’

53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.

54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54

The scene shifts back to Cana in Galilee, Jesus had returned there, possibly because he had family in that area. Whilst there he is approached by a royal official who has travelled the 16.5 miles from his home in Capernaum in order to talk urgently with Jesus. The time was around one o’clock in the afternoon. He had come out of concern for his son who was so ill that he was close to death and he asked Jesus to heal his son. The purpose of including this account is clear; it is again about how people come to believe in Jesus. Verse 50 reveals that the royal official ‘took Jesus at his word’ and the episode ends with the glorious statement,

“So he and his whole household believed.” John 4:53

The fascinating point is that the official had to believe before he saw the miracle he had heard that Jesus had done for others and that he longed to see heal his son.

A Warning

Immediately after the royal official makes his request, Jesus says something revealing a deep concern that Jesus has. He is not speaking personally to the official as the word ‘you’ is in the plural, he is speaking of people in general,

“‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told them, ‘you will never believe.’”

Jesus is clearly despairing of the people who are following him. Their motives are wrong. They enjoy seeing the miracles but not the implications of what the miracles imply. The miracles were to confirm who Jesus is, as John confirms at the end of his book.

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:30-31

John realises that too much focus on the miracles can distract from true faith. Belief in Jesus is the object of his book. Religious excitement, through a fascination with miracles, is not the goal, people must become true disciples of Jesus, that is believers who follow and obey him.

Jesus is certainly not advocating that his followers should adopt a ‘signs and wonders ministry’ to help people to become his adherents. The New Testament repeatedly speaks against that sort of advertising to appeal for followers.

“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:2

But equally there was no reluctance by Jesus and his disciples to give enough evidence to confirm his credentials to be God’s Messiah, his one and only Son and chosen king, who had entered this world as a human being.

This story is the second of seven ‘miraculous signs’ that John describes to give us enough evidence about Jesus.

The term ‘signs and wonders’ is used despairingly in the four gospels about the ministry of false teachers who emphasise signs and not the nature and teaching of Jesus. People are incredibly gullible and will follow anything. So often this is how sects develop. Elsewhere Jesus warned that even Christians can be seduced by such ministries. It did not take long for such superficial pedlars of a ‘signs and wonders ministry’ to start travelling around Asia Minor and Israel. Such pedlars still exist today, seducing people to give them money in exchange for their prayers.

“Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he’ and will deceive many.” Mark 13:5

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard . . .” Mark 13:22-23

History teaches us that people of every nation will believe anything so long as it is attractively packaged and is impressive outwardly.

An enquiry by School Inspectors into Church of England schools revealed that most children, by their early teens, have given up believing the gospel stories but they still believe in ‘Batman’ and ‘Flash Gordon’ almost to the extent that they think that kind of world exists. They are typical of this age where people find it easier to believe in flying saucers, the Lock Ness Monster and Father Christmas than in the deity of Jesus Christ. It is as if evidence has no relevance to what people believe in today. However the Bible stresses that a true faith must both be evidence based and change the way we live.

Joseph Smith was a young lad in a troubled family that had a hobby of treasure seeking. Joseph even professed conversion to Christ. One day he claimed that, on a hill outside New York, he had come across two golden plates. These apparently had strange hieroglyphics written on them which were incomprehensible to him. But then, by chance, he came across a very large pair of angelic spectacles and, by putting these on his nose, he was able to decipher the hieroglyphics which Joseph called ‘Reformed Egyptian’. This text, he claimed, revealed the ancient history of America. He showed no-one the golden plates but he claimed to have copied the text. Professor Charles Anthon, a noted linguist was shown this copy and made the following comment,

“A very brief investigation convinced me that it was a mere hoax, and a very clumsy one too. The characters were arranged in columns like the Chinese mode of writing, and presented the most singular medley I have ever beheld. Greek, Hebrew, and all sorts of letters more or less distorted, either through unskilfulness or from actual design, were intermingled with sundry delineations of half-moons, stars and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a crude representation of the Mexican zodiac.”

An analysis of the content of the book reveals similar fantasies. Genetic studies have shown that Red Indians are not related to the lost ten tribes of Israel but have a Mongolian origin. There is no evidence whatsoever that a people called the Nephites ever existed. So much more could be said, yet in 2012 there were an estimated 14.8 million Mormons, with roughly 57 percent living outside the United States. How can they believe this teaching? Many Mormons are upright well dressed citizens but the fact is that they have been deceived because they have not paid enough attention to evidence.

A similar critique can be made of the origin of Islam. There are no copies of the Qur'an and no quotes from it before about 693AD. Yet Muhammed, the soldier, was born in 571AD. The earliest mosques do not point to Mecca as the Qur'an dictates, but to Petra, the Nabotian capital. It is only after 725AD that mosques all point towards Mecca. Many stories in the Qur’an are taken from apocryphal Jewish writings. Such evidence strongly suggests that the religion of Islam was invented around 693AD and that it is not an ‘evidence based’ faith.

Other religious faiths such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Theosophy, Christian Science and Scientology similarly fall when their founding credentials are examined. This is not to say that there is not much of great value in different faiths; most advocate honesty, love and integrity, just as Jesus does. There may be some similarity in moral values but the question is whether following that creed can make us acceptable to Almighty God. In this, Jesus is unique because he alone is God. By believing in and following him, he gives his people his righteousness. Righteousness is the only ticket to heaven.

When interviewing people for employment posts, a wise interviewer looks behind the flashy C.V.’s that tell of all the benefits applicants say they offer, into seeing how long they stayed in past posts and how they relate to others and what a range of referees say about them. A wise man looks beyond flashy ‘signs and wonders’ and thinks, ‘Do I trust this person?’ Would I trust them to lead this group, would I want people to be like them? Similarly when looking for a life partner similar questions should be asked, just looking at the outward appearance can be a recipe for disaster.

Jesus stands there, with his honesty, integrity, gentleness and winsomeness. There is so much to support his claims. The decision to follow him should not be based on just the miracles but on, ‘Do I trust him?’ He makes such tremendous claims about himself. He says he is equal with His heavenly Father and should be similarly worshipped. He repeatedly foretold that he would be executed but would rise again, just as the Old Testament prophecies foretold, and he kept his word. Jesus’ claims are not substantiated just by his miracles but by everything else about him.

The Official’s Real Faith

The Royal official has clearly done his homework. He wouldn’t travel so far on just a whim. He simply asks Jesus,

“Sir, come down before my child dies.” John 4:49

He doesn’t question Jesus or debate with him, he is begging Jesus, whom he knows can change his life, to help him. He had a real need.

Paul Ackland, son of the actor Joss Ackland, died of a heroin overdose in 1982, aged 29. He started to experiment with drugs, when he was just 14 years old, after meeting a pusher outside his school gates in Highgate. His life became a mess, although drugs had promised much. If only he had investigated before getting involved and addicted. His father, Paul, made a worrying statement,

“Every single child in secondary school will be offered drugs in the next two years, if not already.”

It took fifteen years for his son to die. At the end of the article were these telling words,

“One of the few things that will bring men back to their senses is a discovery of God.”

Wouldn’t it be better, for our nation’s children, if our churches gave them all information about Jesus, who can really change their lives for the better. Some would oppose such a proposition as they want to live in a godless society where they can behave as they like. David Foster Wallace, an award winning post war author was giving a speech to a gathering of Kenyon College graduates in the United States. He is not a Christian, but he said,

“In the day to day trenches of adult life there isn’t such a thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping, we all worship, everyone worships. The only choice we get is what we worship. The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God is that pretty much everything else you worship will eat you alive.”

It is not whether we worship but who we worship! Most people worship themselves.

The Royal Official was not debating theories, he knew he needed help and he recognised that Jesus was uniquely able to help him. Why else would he travel so far to meet him? It is a truism that few turn to God without a real need being apparent to them. A faith based just on rationality and upbringing leads to theorising Christians who love to argue their case, whereas those who have had a real need met by Jesus will overflow with their love for him and that love is contagious.

The Word of Jesus is Enough

The official had asked Jesus to go with him but Jesus replied,

“Go, your son will live.” John 4:50

He could have argued his case, and said,

“I need more proof. Don’t you know who I am?”

The reality was that he recognised who Jesus was and consequently he did as Jesus said,

“The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” John 4:51

The word of a man of honour is enough and the official recognised this. He probably stayed listening to Jesus and it was then too late to travel back at night, so he started his return journey early in the next morning.

John wrote his book some time after the resurrection of Jesus and he wanted to answer enquirers’ questions. Here he is answering a question that remains a question for many today,

“How can I put my trust in Jesus without seeing him?”

Yet people put their trust in many things without seeing them or understanding them. Why do we trust our lives to a surgeon? Why do we travel by aeroplane? We are very happy to do these things because of the evidence so why are so many not happy to trust Jesus when his credentials are so impressive. In particular what he says, his word, resonates with all we are as human beings.

Faith in Christ means taking Christ at his word, just as the official in this story does. What we need is the ‘Word of God’ and this we have in Scripture. Faith is listening to Jesus and then living as he requires. We commence a life of faith when we say to Jesus,

‘Thank you for what you have done for me, take over my life so that, from now on, I live for you as you have taught in your Word.’

Jesus has given us many promises that we can depend on:

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24

We can depend on these promises of God.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I have told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.’” John 6:35

Here again Jesus repeats his promise, people have seen him but this did not lead therm to faith. But Jesus gave his word to this official and that was sufficient for him, as it is for all Christians. He was told that when he got home his son would be well. The evidence only came later, he acted on faith just as we must. It does not matter how we have messed up in the past, he will always accept those of us who come to him on his terms. Jesus continued,

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37

This is the Christian good news. We all know that we are unacceptable to God, because we have all been rebels against him, yet we have been accepted because we now belong to the Lord Jesus. Doesn’t that thrill you? The response of all of us must be,

“I come to you, believing these promises that Christ has made.”

Faith at Work

Can you imagine what the royal official was thinking as he travelled the long journey home. I suspect he was full of excitement. Jesus has promised so all will work out alright. Can you not see the joy on his face when his servants come to meet him with the good news that God’s promise had been fulfilled. There must have been a dramatic improvement for them to come with such dramatic news.

Can you imagine the conversation he had with his servants? ‘At what time did my son get better?’

“Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” John 4:52

“Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘You son will live.’ John 4:53

Our Lord gives us abundant evidence that we can trust his word, but that evidence nearly always comes after we have taken a step of faith. Can you not feel the excitement when he reached home and hugged his beloved son and can you imagine the conversation as the official told his family about Jesus? The man’s faith was contagious. The verse continues,

“So he and his whole household believed.” John 4:53

A person with convictions about Jesus, and what he does for us, will inevitably want to share the news with those around him. He had proved that God’s word gives life and he had become a believer. Whenever we take Jesus at his word we experience a new dimension to life and a longing to live it out faithfully.

So this short passage contains clear teaching for us all,

1. It challenges a naive, superficial faith that just wants excitements or to debate issues.

2. We are tested whether we are willing to live by the Word of Jesus. We must make a decision.

3. We will need to get to know the Bible well by reading it ourselves, meeting up with friends to study it and being disciplined in regularly attending a Bible teaching church that prioritises the teaching of the Bible. Discipline becomes the mark of a disciple.

4. Believers have the responsibility, as well as the joy, of sharing the news of new life in Christ with others around us.

Jesus has great sympathy with those who genuinely would like to believe. A little later in John’s book he explains the solution.

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” John 7:16-17

Again the emphasis is on the word of God. Jesus claims that he is giving us God’s message. Any person who makes the decision to live as Jesus teaches will quickly realise that these are the very words of God. The problem lies in that commitment to obey what God has said, not with the truth of those words.

We must listen to what Jesus says. Our biggest problem is that we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply. Biblical belief is to hear, accept and obey.

BVP

John 4:1-26. Thirsting for Life?

In June 1945 the new battleship, USS Indianapolis, was traveling from Guam to the Philippines in the preparation for the invasion of Japan. There were no escort ships as it passed through enemy infested seas. Disaster struck. She was hit by two torpedoes and sank within twelve minutes. Surprisingly nine hundred, of the total crew of twelve hundred, escaped into life boats. However after four days of drifting on the hot seas only three hundred sailors were left alive. What had killed them? The ship’s doctor, Dr. Louis Haynes, wrote in his memoirs that the biggest problem wasn’t the Japanese, wasn’t the sharks, but was thirst.

“There was nothing I could do to keep the men from drinking saltwater. When the hot sun came out, in the midst of this crystal clear water, you couldn't believe it wasn't good enough to drink. I remember striking one of the men with an oar to try and get him to stop drinking. Young ones, in hope, will drink the saltwater and then they would become more dehydrated and then they would die.”

In the remarkable discussion that Jesus has with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, he invites her, and us all, to question the water we're drinking. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah referred to the same problem.

“My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

In Jeremiah’s day, people had forgotten the Lord who had saved them and had moved elsewhere. They had turned to other sources to try and find satisfaction. The containers that they had dug out for themselves were broken and could not satisfy. They had forgotten God.

We all have an insatiable thirst. We are surrounded by things that offer satisfaction in the short-term. Careers, power, family life, hobbies, sports, and even religious activities can satisfy us - in the short-term. These are like the crystal clear waters and can look so promising and refreshing. We imbibe them, and even worship them, but they still leave us thirsty.

David Foster Wallace, an award winning American post-war author and not a Christian, was giving a lecture to some graduates at Kenyon College. He said,

“In the day-to-day trenches of adult life there isn't such a thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping; we all worship, everyone worships. The only choice we get is what we worship. The compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of God is that pretty much everything else you worship will eat you alive.”

So it is not whether we worship but what we worship, not whether we drink but what we drink. The question is, ‘Can what we worship deliver or will it leave you thirsty?’

Life can leave us thirsty

As Jesus began to teach in Jerusalem and around Judaea, the Pharisees became jealous and Jesus felt it right to move back to Galilee in the north again. The quickest route was through Samaria, although most people preferred to take the longer route bypassing Samaria and travelling up the Jordan Valley. John adds an interesting detail,

“Now he had to go through Samaria.” John 4:4

Why was this? It could be that he feared meeting opposition on the common route but it seems more likely that he felt he had to meet this woman and have this conversation with her. God certainly does organise affairs so that people can meet Jesus. As Jesus and his disciples walked north under the hot sun, they became thirsty and hungry. They approached the town of Sychar and Jesus sent his disciples into the town to buy some food whilst he went to the well outside the town. It was midday and Jesus felt tired from the long walk.

The water was at the bottom of this deep well but help was at hand; a Samaritan woman approached on her own. She had a bucket with her so Jesus opened the conversation by asking her for a drink. The woman was shocked, it was against their social convention for a man to talk to woman in public and especially for a Jew to speak with a Samaritan, as Jews considered them to be heretics. Furthermore this woman seemed to be an outcast. The usual practice was for a group of women to come and collect water together in the cool of the day; this woman had come alone and at midday. The probable reason for her isolation is given later, she had been married five times and she was not married to her present partner.

We're not told that cause of these multiple marriage break-ups but it would seem likely that she had moved from one relationship to another looking for love, peace and security. This story reveals that she was not only physically thirsty but also spiritually thirsty. Jesus claims to be the solution to her deepest spiritual needs and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Jesus is saying that he can give her life, love, and security in its fulness. The woman doesn't realise that Jesus is not talking about a literal well:

“‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’” John 4:11

Jesus's reply is profound:

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” John 4:13-14

Nothing else will satisfy our thirst for long. A recent article has compared life in the United Kingdom today with that of the 1950s. Now there is far more entertainment and sexual activity and yet people are unhappier. There is no comparison - people are looking for ‘life’ in the wrong place. The source of real life is God. We have the same problem that Jeremiah described. We dig our own cisterns. We take the good things in life that God has given us such as romantic relationships, career or even family, and put on them weights they cannot possibly bear.

Good things become ‘god things’, good things become our idols.

David Foster Wallace continued his profound speech.

“If you worship money and things, if that's where you tap into the real meaning of life, then you will never have enough, you will never feel you have enough. It's the truth - worship your own body and beauty and sexy allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start to show you will die a million deaths before your family even plant you into the ground. Worship power and you'll end up feeling weak and afraid, you will need ever more power over others to numb you from your own fear. Worship your intellect and being seen to be smart and you will end up feeling stupid and a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they're evil or sinful, it's that they are unconscious, they are our default setting.”

We must surely all consider what ‘good things’ we cherish so much that they become ‘god things’. What really satisfies us? If our aim is success in the realm of status, family or even experiences then we will be spiritually thirsty. As we get older we increasingly realise that what we used to value is passing away. What or who will satisfy us as we are dying or afterward that? Jesus is clear there is a judgment to come. Drinking the wrong water can be deadly.

Jesus can quench our first John 4 v. 10-26

Jesus said,

“‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” John 4:13-14

The woman doesn't understand the metaphor Jesus is using. How can ‘The living water he offers well up to eternal life?’ This water is found not in place but in a relationship with our creator. It begins now and goes on for ever. Only Jesus offers this as he alone is our creator. She needs this living water, it can quench her spiritual thirst and make her spiritually clean.

At this point Jesus seems to change the subject. He says to her,

“Go, call your husband and come back.” John 4:16

This is so profound, Jesus is not trying to rub her face in her history of multiple failed relationships. Just the opposite, he wants to show her that she has a need for eternal life - just as he wants to show this to all of us.

The woman responds well, she is honest with Jesus.

“I have no husband.” John 4:17

Without an honesty before God no-one will ever find eternal life.

“You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What do you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17-18

From this insight the woman recognises that Jesus is someone special but his presence gives rise to a theological problem for her.

“I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:19

How easy it is to get into a theological dispute in order to divert a conversation. She's asking where people should go to meet God, should they go to the Samaritan mountain of Gerazim or go to Jerusalem? This was an old debate between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus is clear which side of the argument was right in the past. The Old Testament is clear, there has been only one place to meet with God and that was in his temple in Jerusalem. However, all that was now changing because now God himself has entered his world. A relationship with Jesus is a relationship with God. He is the one person who can satisfy our spiritual thirst and wash us clean from the consequences of our sin. Rituals will be replaced by a relationship. Jesus said,

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet the time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:21-24

Today a church building or cathedral is not the temple of God, Jesus himself is now the temple. To be close to God, we need to live closely with Jesus. We worship not in a place but a person, it is not where we worship but who. That woman is now beginning to understand that God’s representative needs to be involved. She said,

“I know that the Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”| John 4:25

Jesus responds very simply and with absolute clarity,

“I who speak to you am he.” John 4:26

Nothing could be clearer, either for the Samaritan woman or for us. Life will leave us all thirsty but Jesus can quench this spiritual thirst.

Jesus was later to go to Jerusalem to die. Some of the last words he said on the cross are very significant,

“I am thirsty.” John 19:28

Again it would appear that Jesus is talking physically as well as spiritually. He took on himself our sin, our spiritual thirst so that we can enjoy his living water. He died that we might all be able to enjoy ‘life in its fullness’ into eternity.

The woman left her water jar

John does love to include details that have a double meaning.

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’” John 4:28

That water jar symbolised that her old way of quenching her thirst was being left behind. She was now starting a new life because she has come to know Jesus.

Another consequence of knowing Jesus is that we, like this woman, will want our friends and family to come and meet Jesus too.

When we become Christians we start a new life and this is radically different. Our satisfaction is found in pleasing Jesus in all we do.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

BVP

Based a talk given by Rev Andy Palmer at Christchurch Balham

John 6:1-15 Pseudo – Belief

The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that is recorded in all four gospels. It clearly had a great impact on the twelve disciples at the time. It is a disaster for some teachers to suggest that this was really just a ‘miracle of human kindness’. They have suggested that the people responded to Jesus’ teaching about ‘loving their neighbour’ and consequently they shared what food they had with others. Others have tried to explain this event away by suggesting the story was inspired by an account in Homer’s Odyssey where Telemachus and Athena found a crowd of 4,500 who say down in groups of 500. Such views completely undermine the clear intent of the text, the effect this had on the disciples as well as the subsequent teaching that Jesus based on this miracle – that he is the ‘Bread of Life’ that is given to a needy humanity. The Lord fed his people when they were in the wilderness after leaving Egypt so it should be no surprise that the same Lord fed his people when he came to earth.

1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

The whole point of John’s gospel is to convince his readers that Jesus is indeed the Lord of the universe and he unashamedly records a selection of his very impressive ‘miraculous signs’ to convince people. He would have no time for any who try to explain these signs away.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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.” John 20:30-31

The main reason for this miracle being recorded to to confirm who Jesus is – the Messiah, the only Son of God, who gives life to his people. It is clearly a historical account. It occurred on the ‘far shore of the Sea of Galilee’. It occurred when ‘the Jewish Passover was near’ that is in early spring. To some extend this was all planned by Jesus.

“ . . . he had already in mind what he was going to do.” John 6:6

Specific details such as the ‘five small barley loaves and two small fish’, the role of Philip and the full ‘twelve baskets’ all help to substantiate this as a factual miracle. A great crowd witnessed the event and some would still be alive when John’s gospel was publicised. Even Jesus’ opponents recognised that he ‘could perform miraculous signs’.

The problem is that then, as now, people can follow him for the wrong reasons.

The Effect of the Miracle

The effect of this miracle was dramatic.

“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” John 6:14

Did they think that he was to be a Saviour in the way the Maccabees had freed Israel form the oppressive regime of Antiochus Epiphanes and his Seleucid empire and founded the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled from 167 BC to 37 BC? Did they want him to lead a revolt against Rome and tread on Rome’s hated Eagle. Independence gives the opportunity for both material and political progress. They could live in a fairer society. Jesus had the ability to attract people to his side. He’s a winner. The text seems to infer this:

“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself” John 6:15

Clearly to be a worldly king was not Jesus’ intention. He withdrew to be alone. However he remained God’s king, God’s Messiah, but he is just not the sort of king the crowd wanted. This is striking. Jesus was willing to turn his back on masses of people if they are not wanting to follow him in his way. Yet, in spite of his refusal to follow the crowd, he wants his disciples to be clear that he is God’s eternal King. Surely this is why, that same evening, he walks on water to come to his troubled disciples in their boat, and using the divine name, says to them,

“It is I; don’t be afraid.” John 6:20

He is saying, I am still God’s king!

However the crowds were not to be put off. They went ‘in search of Jesus’. However it appears that their motives were selfish. It is understandable to some extent as the poor could spend 70-80% of their income on food. The following verse is very significant, Jesus answered the crowd following him,

“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” John 6:26-27

The crowd were not so interested in the significance of the miraculous signs as in the material benefits for them in this life. Jesus longs for them to receive eternal life that can only be found through faith in him.

The term ‘Rice Christians’ has been coined because, in poorer societies, people can be drawn to missionaries because of the benefits they offer, whether food, education or jobs. They may formally turn and call themselves Christians but unfortunately this does not mean that their hearts are really committed to living and dying for the Messiah. Some mission groups can actively encourage such techniques. The group that offers better schools, a better education, better buildings, better jobs will prosper whereas christian groups who encourage people to become self-supporting will be less attractive, even if the teaching is better. One missionary wrote of such a competing mission:

“They use their money to buy people. It puts us in an unpleasant situation. It is almost impossible to explain to Christians why we do not hand out things.”

The opposite can also be true. Those who have much material wealth can aslo drift away from a close walk with the Lord Jesus. It is the mindset that matters.

Job

The story of Job comes from the earliest of times, possibly around the time of Abraham. He was a very rich but a wonderful God-fearing man with great integrity. He would regularly offer sacrifices to God in case his children had dishonoured the Lord. The Lord said of him,

“There is no-one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear god for nothing?” Job 1:8-9

In other words Satan was suggesting that Job was only into faith because of what he has got out of it. The only reason he serves God is for the material benefits. So God responds,

“Very well then, everything he has is in your hands but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Job 1:12

John 12:1-11. Responses to Jesus

In John’s gospel, the first 3 years of Jesus’ ministry is covered in chapters 1 to 11. The rest of the book, chapters 12 to 20 describes the events of just one week. This surely demonstrates how central the death and resurrection of Jesus is.

This story about Mary pouring an expensive ointment onto Jesus marks the start of this last week. It also demonstrates how Jesus Christ divides everything. People either love him or detest him. Jesus divides humanity, families, friendships and our eternal destiny. He divides the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the light from the dark, the forgiven and the unforgiven. He has divided dates into Before Christ, BC or after Christ AD.

Does everyone here know why John wrote his gospel? Please turn on to the end of chapter 20:31 where John writes:

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31

John wrote to tell everyone that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh, fully God and fully man. He is the only Saviour, our only hope of eternal life, we must believe in him which in Bible terms means we must really love him.

Let us look at:

1. The Setting

2. The Guests

3. The Division

1. The Setting

Chapter 11 gives us a detailed description of how Jesus’ friend Lazarus died. Jesus is told that Lazarus is ill but he delays returning to Bethany saying:

“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4

Two days later Jesus, the Son of God decides to travel back to Jerusalem where there were many who hated him:

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” John 11:8

The disciples did recognise that to return to Jerusalem would be a death sentence, certainly for Jesus:

“Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11:16

Jesus was determined to be in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and the reason is clear, he knew that he himself was going to be the Passover lamb that was to be sacrificed.

So Jesus returned to to Bethany, a small village just two miles east of Jerusalem, on the road that goes past the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. When they arrive at the home of his friends Mary and Martha they learn that Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days already. It was the organised Martha who told Jesus this news.

“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:23-27

It was soon after this that Jesus goes to raise Lazarus from the dead. The effect on a large crowd there was dramatic. Many came to believe in Jesus. However the news that Jesus had returned and was doing miracles got back to the Pharisees who immediately called the Sanhedrin together. Caiaphas then made that profound statement:

“You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” John 11:50

The Sanhedrin made the decision:

“So from that day on they plotted to take his life.” John 11:53

After Lazarus had been raised it seems that Jesus then left the area. It was too early for his death. Jesus was to be the final Passover lamb who would die at Passover time. Just as the first Passover lamb was slain so the Jews could be freed from Egyptian slavery so Jesus was to be slain so that many from all nations could be saved and put right with God. Jesus had to wait till the passover feast approached.

“Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.” John 11:54

John carefully describes the atmosphere in Jerusalem:

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.” John 11:55-57

No wonder no-one expected Jesus to be there, to attend the passover would be fatal for him. This background is important as it explains what Mary did at that supper.

2. The Guests

It was now the Saturday, six days before the Passover. The following Friday Jesus would be crucified. All four of the gospel writers describe this meal and the guests - they all recognised that it was important. Matthew and Mark say that it took place in the house of Simon the Leper who also lived in Bethany. He couldn’t still be a leper as all lepers had to be strictly isolated. He must have been Simon the ex-leper. The only way that could have happened in those days is if Jesus had healed him. It must have been quite a meal, can you imagine the conversation that went on with those three special guests, Lazarus, the ex-dead man, Simon an ex-leper and Jesus who was about to be killed because he had helped save these two men.

At the end of chapter 11 the authorities had demanded that if anyone knew the whereabouts of Jesus they had to report him. Yet Simon, Lazarus, Mary and Martha meet together to celebrate Jesus. Can you imagine the scene, all relaxing, lying around a low U-shaped table. Martha, of course was the one who served the meal.

Martha

Martha does get a bad press because of what Jesus said to Martha earlier when she had complained that her sister Mary preferred to listen to Jesus than help with the dishes:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

But surely her attitude of service is essentially admirable. Martha is the sort of person who works hard and keeps everything going. The Bible always honours those who serve. Jesus asked:

“For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Luke 22:27

Jesus also looked ahead to his second coming when astonishingly he himself, the master, will serve us, his servants:

“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” Luke 12:27

Paul could say to the Ephesian elders:

“I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.” Acts 20:19

Yes, we Christians are all called to serve the Lord Jesus in his church:

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13

Martha’s mistake was not being servant hearted but to worry so much about the details that she was missing what was really important, loving Jesus deeply.

So serving others is a noble role, but it must be based on first listening to and serving God. Meals are significant for a short time, listening to the Lord has eternal value.

Mary

She is the heroine of this story. Jesus is deeply valued. Mary shows us what a proportional response to the Lord Jesus really is. At first what she does seems a bit unhinged and over the top. To behave in situations in a rational balanced way is what we want to see in our children and grand-children. At supper you often hear words such as ‘I hate this’, when they should really be saying ‘I am a little disappointed by this choice of menu.’ Their response is not proportionate.

What is the proper response to the Lord Jesus, how much is he worth? A Christian who had recently become a Christian was told by his parents,

“It is lovely that you go to church and have some good friends but we wonder if Jesus is taking over your life a bit too much.”

A politician said,

“We recognise that Christianity offers an important social function, so long as people don’t get too worked up about it.”

So was Mary’s response a bit unbalanced when she took a pint of pure nard? Matthew tells us that this was contained in an alabaster container. This was a white jar that had been carved out of stone. Nard is a very rare herb, grown in high pasture lands in China, Tibet and India. Judas tells us that it was worth 300 denarii, roughly a years wages so today would be worth about £35,000.

There are several ideas about why such perfumed ointment was kept. It could be used to coat the body when someone dies, but Lazarus had died a little earlier and it hadn’t been used for that. Had she kept it for Jesus? It could also be kept as a valuable item so it could be used as a dowry or it could simply be used to make ladies smell nice.

Matthew 26:7 and Mark 14:3 both tell us that Mary broke the alabaster jar and poured the perfume on Jesus head. In the Old Testament kings were anointed with oil, just as the sovereigns of England still are. When the head of Jesus was anointed it is surely out of recognition that he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yet John emphasises that Mary anointed his feet and then let her hair down to wipe his feet. The difference is because Matthew and Mark are emphasising Jesus is King and was anointed just as Saul, David and other kings in the Old Testament were. John is emphasising the mission of Jesus and we need to understand the meaning of feet in the Bible, how it talks of ‘the feet of one who brings good news’, how our feet are ‘shod with the readiness that comes form the gospel of peace’, but there isn’t enough time to explain this in detail now. If interested go to my website (www.bvpalmer.com) and write in the search box ‘feet’ and you’ll find an article there.

John adds that the whole house was filled with the aroma of this perfume - now we Christians are the aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:15).

This was the second time that Jesus had been anointed. The first was up in Galilee at a supper in the house of a Pharisee. We can read about this in Luke 7:37. On that occasion the woman was someone who had been a prostitute, whose tears fell on Jesus’ feet which she then kissed, wiped with her hair and then poured on some perfume. The reason that woman had done this may have been that Jesus was reclining at a meal so it may be that only his feet were accessible. The reason she did this was because she understood that God had forgiven her many sins in contrast to the Pharisee who didn’t realise how much he needed to be forgiven.

On this occasion in John’s gospel the lesson is very different. Why did Mary pour out this very valuable commodity on Jesus?. It was lavish, to the point of being ridiculous. It was generous to the extreme. It showed humility to the point of humiliation. John however wants us to understand that Mary got this right.

The evidence is that this was not just a spontaneous whim of the moment but a carefully considered action. She would have had to bring the jar of perfume with her as that meal was not in her house. Remember the sequence, in the previous chapter her brother Lazarus had died and then Jesus had raised him to life. Mary, as well as Jesus’ disciples, knew that the authorities were determined to kill Jesus because the raising of Lazarus had resulted inso many people were turning to believe in Jesus. Everyone knew that there was an order out for his arrest and what that would mean.

Lazarus is obviously key, he is mentioned in verses 1, 2, and 9. In the previous chapter we read three times that Jesus loved Lazarus. It was because of the public reaction to the raising of Lazarus that led to the High Priest being determined to kill Jesus. Jesus had been warned that if he goes down to Jerusalem he would be killed and it was the raising of Lazarus that had kindled this hatred.

At this dinner party it seems clear that Mary knew that Jesus was facing an imminent death. What would you do for the person you knew to be God’s Messiah and who has shown God’s power and glory by giving life back to your dead brother? This Jesus had been willing to come and help them in their time of need and he had done this at the almost certain cost of his own life. Here before her was the man who was so full of love and yet he would probably soon be dead. This was one last chance to show her love for her king and her God.

Surely nothing is too much to give for the Lord Jesus. Remember the response of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus after Jesus had been executed. They openly asked Pilate for his body and that took great courage, it was a risky thing to do in that environment. A proportionate response to who Jesus is and what he has done for you and me, is to give all to him.

After his resurrection Jesus asked Peter, who had denied him three times,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me, do you really love me?”

“You know I do”.

Peter then went on to give his life in the service of Jesus to the point of being killed. That was some price too! His subsequent actions showed he really did love Jesus.

If anyone listening to this is feeling a failure, hard done by or worn down by problems this can be a hard message but actually it is the road to freedom. Like Peter the door is always open to start again. Giving our whole lives in the service of Jesus sets us free.

Judas

Judas undervalues Jesus, he does not repent, and consequently he is always the bad guy in the New Testament and has been ever since. A traitor is always called ‘a Judas’. John can’t mention him without adding ‘who was later to betray him’ (John 12:4). However, look at verse 5, doesn’t Judas have a point, the poor surely do matter to God? In Matthews gospel we read that what Judas thought was actually shared by the other disciples:

“When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Matthew 26:8-9

They had all misunderstood Mary’s motives. How easy it is to misunderstand people.

John Calvin in his commentary wrote,

“There are times when Judas’ argument would be true.”

Deuteronomy 15 demands that God’s people have an open hand and generous heart for the poor. Surely it was a scandal for medieval bishops to spend vast sums of money on their palaces, expenses and luxuries but Mary’s point is different. She is saying that someone matters even more.

Judas motives were wrong. He was a thief who kept dipping his hand into the groups expenses purse. Jesus recognises people’s motives and he knew Mary’s motive:

““Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” John 12:7-8

Mary loved Jesus and she understood, much better than the others, that Jesus was soon to die. She believed what he had repeatedly said to his followers.

From this time on the countdown to his death has started, Jesus really would become the Passover lamb, so that people could be saved for eternity. Do you remember how the passover lambs had to be close to the family for a week before it was killed? Here is Jesus close to his friends just a week before he dies. Mary seems to have understood all this, the men were much slower!

Judas is called a robber but was this just his pilfering? The real reason was that he could look at Jesus, his life, his glory and his death full in the face and not care less. He was self-centred, not like Mary. He only cared for himself, he only thought in this world’s terms. He was so foolish to treat Jesus in the way he did and only came to understand what he had done too late. He is saying, in contrast to Mary, ‘I do not love him’ even though he was in the privileged position of being a member of Jesus’ inner group. Sadly there are people today in our churches whose hearts do not really love Jesus.

Mary certainly did love Jesus and this was shown by what she did. Judas’ hypocritical relationship with Jesus was also shown by the way he thought and acted. The way people think and act shows what we really think about Jesus.

3. The Division

Wherever Jesus goes he divides people such as Mary and Judas. He divides people over the use of money, do we value our belongings more than we value Jesus. To we give generously to support his rule?

There are two other groups in this story.

The crowd

“Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.” John 12:9

They seem to have been as interested in Lazarus as much as Jesus. They were probably fascinated byJesus because of the miracles and they wanted to see this man who Jesus had raised for the dead. Look on to verse 12:

“The next day 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!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’ John 12:12-13

Jesus knew how fickle people are. Later they cried, ‘Crucify him’. Today it is not hard to fill a church if you give them the spectacular but sham Christians don’t really love Jesus in the way Mary did.

The religious leaders

What a tragedy this is when religious leaders, church leaders, put pleasing the world above pleasing the Lord Jesus. They are happy to keep a belief in God and to keep religious observances but they hate what Jesus stands for because he undermines what they are doing and their reputation:

“So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.” John 12:10-11

Religious leaders not only hate Jesus and what he taught but also all those who promote Jesus.

Look at what happened to men such as Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley and Tyndale. They were hated by political church leaders at the time and were killed for their faith. They all had an eternal dimension to their thinking in contrast to the worldly religious leaders in power. Latimer’s last words to Ridley, as they were burned at the stake in Oxford on October 16, 1555 because they proclaimed the faith Jesus taught, the same faith that we teach here:

“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

Latimer’s words encouraged Ridley to stand firm, believing their sacrifice would ignite a lasting movement for the Gospel. Their love for Jesus, shown by the way they stood up for him when others didn’t like what Jesus and his apostles taught has indeed been a light for us to follow ever since.

Jim Elliot was a young man with a deep passion for spreading the Gospel. He was preparing to become a missionary when he wrote in his diary:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

The quote reflects his willingness to give up his life for the sake of bringing eternal salvation to others. Some years later he left to evangelize the unreached Auca people in Ecuador, knowing the risks involved. He and his four friends were killed by Auca warriors. Despite their deaths, their work led to the eventual conversion of the tribe, including some of those who had killed them. His wife, Elisabeth Elliot, later continued their mission among the Aucas and they became a Christian tribe.

Ourselves

Will our love for Jesus be costly like that of Mary. Does the death of Jesus mean as much to us? Are we willing to publicly align ourselves with Jesus? Do all those we work with and our neighbours know that we love him?

Does serving Jesus cost us financially. Are we supporting both financially and with our time groups that promote the sharing of the message about Jesus and who tell people how they can be saved and put right with God? Serving Jesus on that day cost Mary a year’s wage. Does Jesus mean that much to each of us?

BVP

John 1:1-5 Jesus is God!

When John wrote this summary of the meaning of Jesus’ life, he was addressing a church whose faith was being undermined. He wrote this towards the end of the first century, probably when he was the Senior Elder of the church inEphesus. The times were far from easy, there was persecution from both some inside the church and from outside. He wrote with the knowledge that the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke were already widely distributed throughout the young churches. He therefore carefully selected his stories to fit in with his stated purpose that he mentions at the end of the book.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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.” John 20:30-31

John wants people to be convinced about who Jesus is. His aim was not to give people a fuzzy emotional experience butto understand that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the only Son of God. Only by recognising who Jesus is will people be given ‘life in his name’. Belief in Jesus means his taking over all aspects of our lives. John is writing to convince people about Jesus by sharing the truths about what Jesus did and taught.

This is what all churches should teach. It is relevant to Christians, to seekers and to honest sceptics. John emphasises that God knows what is going on in the hearts of all people, God knows the real reasons that lie behind our reactions to Jesus; all have made a decision about him.

John insists that what he says about Jesus is the absolute truth. Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna at the beginning of the second century had known John when he was younger. He described a scene in Ephesus when John was seen rushing out of one of central public baths in Ephesus shouting out,

“Let’s flee, lest the bath house falls down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is within.”

John didn’t want to be killed if the building collapsed under the righteous judgment of God! This strong reaction was because Cerinthus was one of the gospel’s chief opponents at that time. Cerinthus taught that Jesus was not divine but was the natural child of Mary and Joseph.

People were asking then, just as they continue to ask today;

1. Why did only a minority of Jews become Jesus’ followers?

2. Why are the majority of Jesus’ followers from among the less sophisticated and less educated people?

Both the newspapers and broadcasters today keep hinting at the same questions. A new survey from the MORI Social Research Institute found that sixty per cent of Britons say they believe in God. This reveals a small drop over the past five years, down from sixty four per cent in 1998. Eighteen per cent say they are a practising member of an organised religion, and a quarter, a non-practising member. A further quarter (24%) are spiritually inclined but 'do not really belong to an organised religion', whilst 14% are agnostic and 12% are atheist.

John wants to make it abundantly clear at the outset what he is aiming to prove. He introduces us to Jesus as nothing less than the all powerful, omniscient, creator God of the universe.

In the introductory ‘Prologue’ of John (1:1-18), Jesus is described in divine terms. He is the ‘Pre-existent Word’ (1:1-5), the ‘Light of the World’ (1:6-13) and the ‘Incarnate Son of God’ (1:14-18). In this article we will focus on the first five verses where Jesus is portrayed as the ‘Pre-existent Word’. Mark starts in a similar way, his opening line says what his book later will substantiate and he starts by saying,

“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1

Jesus is the Eternal ‘Pre-existent Word’

John says Jesus existed before time and creation began. Athanasius put it this way,

“There never was, when he was not.”

Why did John introduce Jesus as ‘the Word’? Words communicate and share ideas and Jesus, being the incarnation of God, certainly has communicated to mankind what God wants us to understand. The word ‘logos’ would mean much to both Jews. and Gentiles.

Jesus is our Creator

Scientific research is suggests that at the beginning of time there was a ‘big bang’ in which nothing exploded into something. However that is clearly impossible according to the laws of science. This passage provides the answer. There never was nothing - God was present even then and it was he who created the universe. Science is interested in finding answers to ‘how this happened’ but God wants us to learn ‘why we are here’.

Jews would remember the beginning of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

There was a beginning, ‘in the beginning’ - ‘en arche’ in Greek. It doesn’t say when or what mechanisms were used but the instigation for the coming of this world and this universe was ‘’the word’ of God. This doctrine is emphasised in Psalm 33,

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.. . . . For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” Psalm 33:6,9

It is striking that the origin of this word is a person,

“For the word of the LORD is right and true. He is faithful in all he does.” Psalm 33:4

The Bible emphasises that this word was spoken by the ‘pre-existent word’, the Son of God. The Bible teaches that the universe and everything in it, was created by Jesus, the Son of God,

“God . . .has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

John also reminds us that it was Jesus who created this universe:

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

Greek mythology also taught that the world was created by the ‘logos’, but for them this was force was impersonal. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus appears to be the first to have used the word ‘logos’ to refer to a rational divine intelligence, which today is sometimes referred to in scientific discourse as the "mind of God." The early Greek philosophical tradition known as Stoicism, which held that every human participates in a universal and divinely ordained community, used the ‘Logos’ doctrine as a principle for human law and morality. So when John starts his ‘good news’ he used a phrase that was universally understood.

When the wise men came from the East, following a star, they came to worship a baby who was just over a year old. This baby was the incarnation of the creator of the universe and of the star they had followed. The three gifts had a significant spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of his kingship, frankincense (an incense) as indication of his deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of his death. Origen of Alexandria (c.184 – c.253 AD) in his book ‘Against Celsus’ wrote:

"Gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who was mortal; and incense, as to a God."

There are many around who consider that the Christian message is essentially ‘be kind, be good’ but how far from the truth this is. The church’s message is about Jesus who was God come in the flesh, who came to teach us and then die for us so that all people could have their relationship with God restored. The Christian message is not trivial, it is the most important message any one can hear, that God loves us enough to send his Son into his world.

Jesus is a real person

John starts his gospel by telling us that Jesus, ‘The Word’ was a real person who pre-existed with God,

“. . . the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1-2

Thomas Whitelaw, a nineteenth century Christian commentator wrote,

“The theme of the evangelist’s discourse was not a metaphysical abstraction or a political personification but a veritable person.”

John wants us all to know that the Christian message is not a philosophical idea or poetry dressed up as mythology. He is claiming that what he writes about the man Jesus really happened and has eternal significance.

When John began his first letter he stresses these same facts. He again uses the phrase that Jesus was ‘en arche’, ‘from the beginning’, yet he was also a real human being who could be seen, heard and touched.

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” 1 John 1:1

John must be either completely deluded or he’s lying or he’s telling the truth. He wrote this book, to help people know that he is telling the absolute truth about Jesus. John will later go on to explain why this is important, people must believe in Jesus to receive eternal life,

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

Towards the end of this book John confirms why the stories he has selectively written about Jesus are so important.

“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.” John 20:31

This brings a challenge to all people. If people are determined not to know the truth they will never investigate and sift the evidence. We can at least give John the opportunity of giving us the evidence he gives us. Imagine him to be a witness in a court case. Remember that if John is right, then God is real and it is God who is very keen to convince us of this truth. Why don’t people ask God to make himself known to them? Perhaps its because of the obvious consequences. Such a prayer to God should naturally end,

“If you convince me about Jesus, I will follow you for the rest of my life.”

There are religious groups, such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians who admire some of what Jesus taught but reject this fundamental claim both of Jesus and of the apostles that Jesus was none other than the eternal God who entered his world to save us. The difficulty these sects have is that if Jesus is not God, his sacrifice of himself on that cross cannot be the eternal sacrifice that can take away the sin of all who turn to him for forgiveness. Jesus never gave up his ‘godness’ when he took on our humanity. As he faced his imminent horrifying death whilst praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, he looked forwards to returning to be with the other two members in the godhead,

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” John 17:5

Again the question poses itself, ‘Is Jesus telling the truth, is he deluded or is he a liar?’

When Jesus told the ‘parable of the prodigal son’, he must have empathised with the son who longed to go home to live with his Father again.

Jesus is God

John affirms,

“The Word was God.” John 1:1

This is the heart of the Christian message. The missionary and Bible scholar, Martin Goldsmith, has said,

“If … we deny the deity of Christ as the second person of the Trinity, his incarnation, his divine-human person, his redeeming work on the cross, his resurrection and ascension, then … we are no longer talking of the truth revealed in the Bible nor of the faith of the Church throughout Christian history. However we may call our new religious concoction “Christianity,” it actually has little relationship to the Christian faith. We have in fact invented a new religion which has changed or denied every major point in the Christian faith.”1

Some ask philosophical or theological questions that they think prevents them from addressing the one vital question, ‘Who is Jesus?’. They may have issues about the possibility of a virgin birth, about the possibility of miracles, about the possibility of the resurrection or have questions about how God will judge those who die at birth. However, when the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ has been answered, then the possibility of miracles is resolved. Miracles are possible and furthermore God, who will be our judge, knows the answer to these and other tough questions. Science proclaims that our very existence is a miracle, so why shouldn’t God be able to perform occasional miracles for a particular purpose?

‘Who is Jesus?’ is not just a theoretical point. John continues,

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1:4

What does ‘In him was life’ mean? It must be more than biological life. In view of how the verse continues ‘life’ means ‘life’ for mankind. Later in this prologue we can see that to have life has a spiritual meaning, it means to be a ‘child of God’.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

Jesus frequently taught people in such terms. He said,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

To believe in Jesus is to be committed to him not just for this life but for eternity. The light not only shows us the way we should live but enables us to see what life is all about. In summary, Jesus is the only way for us, selfish people, to obtain a relationship with God. Jesus said to his disciples,

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6

Jesus is the Son of God

There is sometimes confusion over what this means. A Hindu, who became a Christian, had no difficulty explaining this:

“The son of a lion is a lion, the son of a monkey is a monkey, the Son of God is God.”

In the Old Testament, the son of God is distinguished from but equal to God.

In Psalm 2, God is angry with those people and nations who reject his sovereignty, but he equates his son with himself,

“The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his anointed one.” Psalm 2:2

The term ‘anointed one’ means the Messiah, God’s chosen king who will rule eternally.

“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying, ‘I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.’” Psalm 2:6

Later the Psalm explains the relationship the Messiah will have with the Lord,

“He said to me, ‘You are my Son’ . . . Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession. . . Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way.’ . . . Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:7-12

It is clear that our relationship with the Son of God, his Messiah, must be the same as that with God himself

Daniel also foresaw that God’s Messiah would be a man who has the same authority as God himself, he is worshipped as only God can be worshipped and his rule is eternal – a staggering prophecy:

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

Another prophet in the Old Testament is seeking to know the God who controls the winds and seas and land of the earth:

“Who has established the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!” Proverbs 30:4

We do know his name now - his name is Jesus Christ. The word ‘Christ’ is a Greek word that means the same as the Hebrew ‘Messiah’- both mean ‘God’s chosen king’. Jesus is God’s eternal king who all people must worship if they are to be at peace with God.

Jesus stands out

The life and character of Jesus is so much brighter and significant than that of anyone else who has ever lived. The following are some quotes by notable people about Jesus the person but unfortunately many of these have failed to recognise who he really is - the Son of God.2

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” Napoleon, military and political leader

“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.” H.G. Wells, author

“Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.” Philip Schaff, theologian and historian

“Jesus Christ is to me the outstanding personality of all time, all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today and that is something you can say of no other man, dead or alive. There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him.” Sholem Asch, Jewish writer

“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount. As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting. No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind. Kenneth Scott Latourette, former President of American Historic Society

“The character of Jesus has not only been the highest pattern of virtue, but the strongest incentive in its practice, and has exerted so deep an influence, that it may be truly said that the simple record of three years of active life has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind that all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.” W. E. H. Lecky, historian and political theorist

“I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history..” George Bancroft, historian

“All that is best in the civilization of today, is the fruit of Christ’s appearance among men.” Daniel Webster, politician

“All history is incomprehensible without Christ.” Ernest Renan, historian, religious scholar and linguist

“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.” Carnegie Simpson, historian

“No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so devoutly loved.” John Knox, theologian

“Even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardour of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, author

“A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.” Mahatma Gandhi, leader

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” Albert Einstein, scientist

“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” H.G. Wells, author

“You will find that He is divinely human. It is no mean joy to us of the house of Israel to recognize, to honour and to cherish among our brethren, Jesus the Jew, who has influenced the world more than any other man.” Stephen Wise, rabbi

“If all the illustrious men of history were gathered together and Shakespeare should enter their presence, they would rise to do him honour; but if Jesus Christ should come in, they would fall down and worship Him.” Charles Lamb, author/poet

“It is interesting and significant that a historian, without any theological bias whatever, should find that he cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving a foremost place to a penniless teacher from Nazareth. A historian like myself, who does not even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centring irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man.” H.G. Wells, historian

“The historical result of [Jesus Christ's] activities was more momentous even from a strictly secular standpoint, than the deeds of any other character of history. A new era, recognized by the chief civilizations of the world, dates from his birth.” The Historians’ History of the World

“If ever the Divine appeared on earth, it was in the Person of Christ...the human mind no matter how far it may advance in every other department, will never transcend the height and moral culture of Christianity as it shines and glows in the Gospels.” Goethe, writer

“The name of Jesus is not so much written as ploughed into the history of the world.” R. W. Emerson, writer

“It would require much exotic calculation...to deny that the single most powerful figure - not merely in these two millennium but in all human history - has been Jesus of Nazareth.” Reynolds Price, writer

“The ages have come and gone and this Man stands out from among all others. There was a purity within His life that changed men who came in contact with Him. And it has changed others since then, as well. Men discovering Him have gladly lived and laid down their lives for Him - and this often by cruel deaths. But it has mattered not, because of that which He did within their lives. Just now, take a few minutes to read what others have said about Him - the most amazing Man in all recorded time. They want to introduce you to the only Man in history who can radically lift you - and change you - for the better.” Vance Ferrell, writer

“Jesus was the greatest religious genius that ever lived. His beauty is eternal and his reign will never end. He is in every respect unique and nothing can be compared with him.” Ernest Renan, author/historian.

“Will Jesus ever be surpassed? Nineteen hundred years have passed, and his equal has not risen. This is not true of the world's other great ones. Every generation produces geniuses worthy to be compared with those who have gone before. It can be said of no one man, 'He stands alone; he has no rival; no equal; no superior.' But this is true of Jesus. Nineteen hundred years, instead of diminishing His greatness, have accentuated it.” Editor, The Los Angeles Times.

“The life of Christ, the holiest among the mighty and the mightiest among the holy, has lifted with its pierced hands empires off their hinges and turned the stream of centuries out of their channel, and still governs the ages." Jean Paul Richter, writer

“Christ is the great central fact of the world’s history. To him everything looks forward or backward. All lines of history converge upon him. All the great purposes of God culminate in him. The greatest and most momentous fact which the history of the world records is the fact of his birth.” C. H. Spurgeon, pastor

“His character forbids possible classification with men.” Horace Bushnell, minister

“There is no one else seriously bidding for the heart of the world except Jesus Christ. There is no one else in the field.” Brahmo-Samajist to missionary E. Stanley Jones

“Christ's system of morals and religion as He left them to us is the best the world has seen or is likely to see.” Benjamin Franklin

“Jesus Christ cannot be adequately understood in terms of any category applicable to man...He is a category by himself.” George MacDonald, author

“Everything that is really worth while in the morality of today has come to the world through Christ. Dismiss his standards of right and wrong and try to draw up your own ethical code, and see where you will be!” G. Campbell Morgan, preacher

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, author

C.S.Lewis, the author of the Narnia stories, had been an atheist but, because of the evidence reluctantly became a theist when aged 31. He became a Christian, when 33 years old, following a long discussion about the Christian faith with J.R.R. Tolkien, another Oxford academic and writer of the Hobbit books. Lewis concluded,

“In a civilisation like ours, I feel that everyone has to come to terms with the claims of Jesus Christ upon his life, or else be guilty of inattention or of evading the question.”

I was thinking of finishing this article with an illustration of someone who realised how much they needed Jesus and how they turned to him, but decided to ask some questions instead.

1. If you are a Christian, can you explain why and how you turned to Christ.

2. If you are not yet a Christian, can you explain what is preventing you turning to Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord?

BVP

1Martin Goldsmith, ‘What About Other Faiths?’ (1989; repr., London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2008), https://books.google.com/books?id=C0Y5AgAAQBAJ.

2http://www.glenarmbaptistchurch.co.uk/quotes-jesus-influence-on-history/471

John 1:6-13 The Light Shines in the Darkness

With liberty comes laxity. In the fourth century AD, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The threat of persecution was reduced but another major danger replaced it. The church became powerful, prosperous and political. A deadly formalism and corruption crept in. The church, like traditional Judaism was becoming darkened.

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom was determined to oppose this decadence and darkness. He was born in Antioch in Syria to a Greek family in AD 347. John was given a good education and learned rhetoric – the skill to speak effectively in public. After a reckless youth he turned to Christ in his twenties and he took his new commitment seriously. He became a monk, living such an austere lifestyle for several years that it affected his health. Of greater long-term benefit were his efforts to memorise the entire Bible. John moved from the monastic life for the church and was ordained as a presbyter in 386 AD. For twelve years he remained in Antioch, preaching frequently and drawing large crowds. John was more than just a clever speaker. He spoke clearly to ordinary people with messages that were simple and practical and used illustrations from everyday life. John constantly appealed to the Bible as God-given authority. It is claimed that his eyes shone ‘like burning torches’.

John Chrysostom had intended to stay in Antioch but the Emperor felt that Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire, needed someone of quality to occupy the pulpit. The result was that John was kidnapped in 398, taken to Constantinople and persuaded to be bishop. It was not a happy appointment! The authorities wanted a superstar preacher; instead they got a man of God. Standing on the authority of the Bible, John sought to reform both the church and his society. Rejecting all attempts to pressure or limit him, he attacked extravagance and immorality and did all he could to deal with corruption within the church. He preached against excessive wealth: ‘It is foolishness and a public madness to fill the cupboards with clothing and allow men who are created in God’s image and likeness to stand naked and trembling with the cold so that they can hardly hold themselves upright.’ He practised what he preached. He sold off some of the art in the Bishop’s palace, refused to give lavish dinner parties, and criticised anything that involved excessive wealth and spending. Straightening out a corrupt financial system, John saved enough on his expenses in his first year to build a hospital for the poor. His attacks, not just against excessive wealth but against a whole range of social ills, gained him the friendship of the downtrodden and the hostility of the powerful. He refused to play politics and so it is hardly surprising that after five years he found himself banished from Constantinople to the edge of the Black Sea. There, in exile, he died in 407 and his last words were,

‘Glory be to God in all things. Amen.’

John Chrysostom was a model evangelist. He had fire in his belly and logic in his brain; he preached Christ with urgency and life in a language that all could understand. There was an extraordinary urgency to his message. As he said,

‘There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others.’

He was also an evangelist with vision. In marked contrast to most of his contemporaries he saw beyond his own city and community, sending out church planters into the Danube Valley and eastwards to what is now Iran.

John was a man who preached that right beliefs had to be matched with right actions. He wanted to see his society and his church cleaned up.

John was a Biblical man. He took his stand on Scripture and taught that it had supreme authority. He encouraged his hearers to read the Bible too.

John proclaimed a simple lifestyle. He consistently opposed excess wealth and self-indulgent luxury.

John Chrysostom is an awesome figure. In troubled times he spoke out for an authentic Christianity; a faith centred on Christ, guided by the Bible and utterly independent of every pressure of culture. John was indeed a ‘golden mouth’ for the gospel: our age needs more men and women like him today.1

The Light is rejected

Looking back at the history of the church, it appears that God regularly raises up people who will oppose the staid ritualistic church and point people back to its foundation, the Lord Jesus. Men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, John Calvin, George Whitfield, John Wesley and many others have courageously brought people back to the Biblical gospel. The apostle John wrote his gospel to do just this – he wanted everyone to know that Christianity is based on a relationship with the man who was God, Jesus Christ. This is how he summarised his message,

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:5

This statement is so simple, yet so profound. ‘Light’ for the scientist means ‘energy’, to the philosopher it means ‘wisdom’ and to the theologian it means ‘purity and perfection’. Surely John has all these concepts in mind. He has just reminded us that Jesus embodied all these characteristics. He had:

Energy - ‘Through him all things were made.’ John 1:3

Wisdom - ‘In the beginning was the word.’ John 1:1

Purity and perfection - ‘We have seen the glory, the glory of the one and only.’ John 1:14

The verb ‘understood’ that comes at the end of this verse has a double meaning. In the King James Version it is translated as ‘comprehend it’ whereas in the NIV it is translated ‘overcome it’. Surely both are intended. Those who are in the dark cannot ‘comprehend’ the gospel of Christ but at the same time it can also mean that the darkness cannot defeat or overcome the gospel.

In English we also have several words that also have double meanings. ‘Grasp’ can either mean to grasp with the mind or understand or it can mean to grasp in order to capture and destroy. The same Greek word is used of the boy Jesus healed who appears to have had epilepsy - he was grasped by these attacks,

“Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid.” Mark 9:18

All the early translations and commentaries use this meaning, that ‘darkness cannot seize or overcome the truth.’ This assumes that there is a spiritual war going on. This is so true, the darkness does attack but we are assured that it cannot seize or destroy God’s truth. In the parable of ‘the Four Soils’, commonly called ‘the parable of the Sower,’ Jesus describes this spiritual battle when the bird, representing Satan swoops down and seizes the seed or word of God from an individual to prevent it germinating. When Jesus first preached in the synagogue, a man with an evil Spirit called out, ‘Who are you?’ There is a spiritual war going on that all of us are involved in. John is telling us that whenever the light shines, whenever the gospel is proclaimed, darkness will attempt to snuff it out. We have all experienced this. When people first hear the gospel and are thinking it through, so often someone will come along and try to dissuade them. ‘Thinking of joining the God Squad’ are you?’ The battle is then raging in an occult way, in both meanings of the word! The voice of Satan may snuff out an initial interest in getting right with God, but in the wider picture God’s church will never be snuffed out, the darkness will not prevail. When we are tempted a battle rages within us.

The other meaning used by many modern commentaries is ‘to understand.’ To really understand a subject we have to grasp the opportunity to grasp its meaning. Paul used this word to encourage the Corinthians to grasp the spiritual prize being offered to them,

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets (or grasps) the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

The gospel has to be grasped for the prize of eternal life to be won. There is no place for a laid back, casual, lazy approach where the gospel is concerned. It must be seized in the same way that Paul and Chrysostom seized it.

The English word ‘master’ has a similar double meaning. Our verse could be translated,

“Light shines in the darkness but darkness has not mastered it’ John 1:5

In a recent Cricket Test series, the English fast bowlers were trying to master the opposing batsmen, just as Satan is trying to master us. In South Sudan, Ethiopia and Nigeria and in many places of the world Satan is trying to outwit the churches, often by violence. But John, as God’s mouthpiece, tells us that the darkness did not and cannot master God’s truth.

However the word ‘to master’ can also mean ‘to understand.’ I have recently been trying to master ‘OBS’, a computer programme that enables church services to be broadcast on YouTube but I haven’t ‘mastered’ it or fully understood it yet. When we were medical students we used to take ward services in the London Hospital once a month. Patients enjoyed coming but it was obvious that most hadn’t the foggiest idea what the Christian message was about.

Surely what John is saying is that if I don’t take the opportunity to grasp, seize and understand the gospel I will have no share of its benefits. In fact I will inevitably be in the opposing camp and will even try to destroy it. This is the sad news that John writes about at the start of his gospel.

John the Baptist

The opening phrase about John the Baptist is striking,

“There came a man who was sent from God . . .” John 1:6

Our free will clearly does not determine everything! God arranged for the Baptist to come as a fore-runner to the Messiah.

Jesus describes John as being the greatest of men. He acted as the ‘best man’ of Jesus (John 3:29). What made him so great?

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that, through him, all men might believe.” John 1:7

This teaching has been so underplayed in Western churches, Christians must learn how to testify concerning Jesus to those around them. Furthermore we must learn to testify in such a way that people put their faith in Jesus. It is unfortunately possible to speak of Jesus in such a way that we can put people off Jesus!

There are some Christians whose message seems to focus more on them and their experience than on Jesus. John was not like that.

“He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” John 1:8

In John chapter 3, the apostle John tells us a bit more about what John the Baptist was trying to do. Clearly his aim was to ‘testify’ about and point people to Jesus. He said,

“The one who is from above is above all . . . The one who comes from heaven is above all . . For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God . . .” John 3:31-34

John the Baptist’s message was the same as that of Christians today,

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36

No wonder Jesus considered him to be the greatest of men. There was no compromise in the clarity of his message!

Jesus, the Light of the World

Let us look on at how the apostle John continues in John 1:9-12

a. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:9

The gospel is unique, there are not versions of it – the definitive article is used. It is true, and this truth is for every person in the world. It is God’s light to our lives. We instinctively know that what Jesus represents and taught is true and the facts about his death and resurrection and the reliability of the gospel records can be substantiated. Yet only a minority of people want to recognise this light.

b. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.” John 1:10

What a tragedy it is that the creator of this world is rejected. This teaching that Jesus is our creator is a repeated theme in Scripture:

“. . . all things were created by him and for him.” Colossians 1:16

“. . . he (God) has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

The refusal to recognise Jesus is deliberate. We don’t want him to be our creator, as that would necessitate our living under his authority. Instead people make up excuses, such as suggesting that ‘evolution’ removes from them the necessity of considering Christ’s claims. However the laws of nature have no power to create anything, they can only describe the rules that the creator has used in his creation. Nature is often personified and even given a mind, with people foolishly saying ‘nature decided that . . .’. It is a tragedy that people try to hide behind such shallow thinking, They are empty excuses. The light has shone into people’s lives but people refuse to investigate whether Jesus’ claim to be God is valid. He is supported by the prophecies about the coming Messiah in the old Jewish Scriptures and the evidence that he did rise from the dead as both Jesus and the Scriptures had foretold. Were those disciples all duped somehow or were they all telling the truth?

c. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John 1:11

The Messiah came to his own people, the Jews. He gave them every opportunity to investigate his claims. But just as the Jews had rejected the prophets God had sent to warn them in previous generations, now they rejected their own Messiah - ‘his own did not receive him’.

However there is now good news - a gospel to share,

d. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . .” John 1:12

To ‘receive Jesus’ means to believe in him. Our word ‘believe’ comes from an Old English word ‘lieben’ - to love. It has remained the same in modern German. To ‘be-lieve’ is to be personally committed to a person. It was in Victorian times that the meaning of ‘believe’ changed into accepting an idea or concept. However the ‘belief’ that God demands is much more than intellectual acceptance – it is a commitment to the person of Jesus, to love him, to follow him and to obey him. The book of Hebrews says:

“He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:9

Paul reminds the Romans, both at the beginning of his letter and again at the end that without obedience there is no saving faith:

“We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” Romans 1:5

“ . . . so that all nations might believe and obey him.” Romans 16:26

What is the Christian Gospel?

Can we all explain the gospel if asked?

The gospel is the message about Jesus, who he is and what he has done to save us. He is the Messiah, God’s chosen king, who entered his world to give his life as the once for all time sacrifice for our sin. To become a member of God’s kingdom, individuals must repent of our old life, lived without God, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. The Light needs to be understood and grasped if it is to be of benefit. Jesus’ message to all people is to repent - to change direction,

“The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:15

Jesus is the King of this kingdom. Men are opposed to God because of our sin, and God is opposed to us because of his holiness. The separation is wide but was resolved by what Jesus did for us.

In the last book of the Bible there is a good illustration of what it means to receive Jesus Christ. Jesus is talking to a comfortable church of people who are not committed to living for him. It is a salutary warning that it is possible to be in a church but not to be a converted person, not to be ‘born again.’ These church people were ‘poor, blind and naked’ spiritually. Jesus tells them that they must respond to his warning – his love is not like cotton wool, it apprehends, shakes us up and wakes us up. Jesus says,

“So be earnest and repent.” Revelation 3:19

No-one should be casual and insincere about their relationship with God, we must be in earnest. How does a person start this relationship? Jesus says,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me” Revelation 3:20

Jesus is knocking on the door of their lives. They may be Jews, God-fearers or complete outsiders but the opportunity for a relationship is there for all who change direction, who repent, and allow God to have his rightful place in controlling how they live. The thrill is that Jesus then starts a new relationship with us which is highly enjoyable. This is illustrated by him enjoying a meal with us.

Some who read this article will realise that they have previously kept Jesus outside of their life but realise that Jesus is knocking. We can either let the light in or reject him, in this latter case darkness will have engulfed us.

When the gospel is taught, there are those who are reluctant to respond. They prefer to remain in the dark. If that door is kept shut by them it is extremely hard to open it later in life. This is why the Bible teaches, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts . . .” Hebrews 3:7

All of us must decide whether we are going to seize the light and take Jesus to heart. It we don’t respond we will return to the darkness and we will forget that the light has shone into the world.

BVP

26 September 2020

1Taken from ‘Heroes of the Faith’, a blog by Canon J.John

Born Again? John 3:1-15

When Bradley Wiggins won his cycling gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics, people were desperate to see him and even touch him. It must have been similar with Jesus. He had performed many miraculous signs in Jerusalem and was the talk of the town.

“Many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and ‘believed’.” John 2:23

But Jesus didn’t trust them. He knew there was a form of superficial belief that was not what God required.

One man, Nicodemus, was clearly keen to understand Jesus at a deeper level. Who is Jesus? What is his message? He longed for a private interview.

Nicodemus himself was no ordinary person. He was a member of the seventy strong Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. He was also the Regius Professor of Theology in Jerusalem. Jesus describes him as ‘the teacher of Israel’. He clearly had a great reputation. Like many Pharisees, he was a highly moral, respected leader of society. Yet he still had important questions he wanted answered by Jesus.

So Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Presumably this was when the crowds had dispersed. The phrase ‘at night’ was also an allusion to the fact that, in spite of Nicodemus being a moral upright leader of Israel, he was still ‘in the dark’. As a religious Jew, he would have had every qualification outwardly but, in spite of this, Jesus says he was not yet a member of God’s kingdom.

Everyone needs to understand this today. Outward rituals such as being baptised, confirmed, even ordained, do not give a person the right of admission into God’s kingdom, into heaven.

It is interesting that the great Nicodemus calls Jesus ‘Rabbi’, when he had no official right to that title. Indeed Jesus had no formal religious qualifications we know of, but clearly there was something about Jesus that made people sit up and think.

Nicodemus needed to be taught three truths by Jesus, and these same truths are relevant for all of us.

1. THE NECESSITY OF THE NEW BIRTH v. 1-10

“Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” John 3:3

Jesus repeats this three times to make the point absolutely clear.

“I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’. John 3:7

Notice the emphasis Jesus gives. ‘I tell you the truth’ is a phrase Jesus used when he wanted to emphasise something strongly. ‘Must’ leaves no room for doubt - even good religious people ‘must’ be born again to enter God’s kingdom.

What is this ‘kingdom of God’? It is a phrase commonly used by the writers of the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke but seldom by John. John speaks more of ‘eternal life’. A kingdom speaks of the rule of a king. It is a dynamic relationship. God’s kingdom is entered when we become subjects of King Jesus, but will be complete later when the king returns. Matthew, Mark and Luke look forwards to this fulfilment a lot. John emphasises what God gives to his people now – eternal life.

Here Jesus speaks to Nicodemus in terms of God’s kingdom. If he wants to see the kingdom of God – then he must be born again and accept the king, yes, even a man such as Nicodemus must submit to Christ. The king has arrived, his kingdom has now begun, and he is still not a member of it.

Nicodemus is puzzled even though Jesus is using Old Testament language. In Ezekiel, God describes the new beginning that God will give to his people, and this will involve two features.

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” Ezekiel 36:25

Jesus is repeating Ezekiel’s message. When discussing this passage with my grandchildren, I asked what water was used for. They immediately replied, ‘For washing.’ This is what Ezekiel is alluding to. God will cleanse his people from all their sin. This is why baptism occurs at the beginning of a Christians life as it signifies that Christ has washed our sins washed away – all our impurities have been cleansed. The false God’s we have served will be washed away. Without forgiveness of sin no-one can stand before God.

But something else happens when we become Christians. He will give us his Holy Spirit so that we will want to live for God. Ezekiel continues and explains what it means to have a ‘new heart and a new spirit’,

“I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:27

It is not enough to be washed of our sin, we must have a new heart that makes us want to live as our new Lord wants us too. These are the two major features of what happens when a person becomes a Christian.

Paul expanded on this idea,

“You however are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

I recently attended a conference of a missionary society. One of its striking features was the way many of these missionaries were so content and satisfied, even though they were working in very tough areas with little or no public recognition. Their ambitions were different to those of many religious people, they really wanted to live for God and not themselves.

A minister asked a young boy in his church this profound question,

“What do you have to do to go to heaven?”

He thought for a moment before replying,

“You’ve got to die.”

How true this reply was. Clearly no-one can experience heaven until we have died physically. However to be admitted to God’s kingdom we have to die to self now. Paul understood this,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus) who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Nicodemus, for you to be admitted to God’s Kingdom you must die to self and be born again.

It is a popular misconception that if we are pleasant, moral, religious people then God will look favourably on us when the judgment comes. This is not true. Nicodemus had to learn this.

The message of all religions of the world on how people can satisfy God all begin with the same three letters.

M E R . .

The vast majority teach that people are accepted by God because of the good way they live, that is through

M E R I T

Jesus’ message is utterly different. His message is that people can only be accepted by God through

M E R C Y

He says that his mercy is given to everyone who truly trusts in God’s Son, Jesus.

Nicodemus still couldn’t quite understand this. So Jesus used the analogy of a gust of wind.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

So it is with the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand everything about God, but we can experience the life-changing effect He has on people. We have all seen this change in some Christians. When I was a student, it was one of the first things that made me interested in Jesus, the effect he has on others. It is God’s spirit that stirs us to be concerned about our relationship with God. We cannot understand it, but the effect is real.

So Nicodemus, great as you are in human terms,

“You must be born again.”

This idea is often mocked today but Jesus taught it emphatically. Each of us must respond individually and allow God’s Spirit to work in us so that we die to self and live a new life for Christ.

Bishop Taylor-Smith was a corpulent Chaplain General to the Forces. One Sunday morning he was preaching in Salisbury Cathedral on this passage. In order to emphasise this necessity of the new birth he said,

“My dear people do not substitute anything for the new birth. You may be a member of a church, but church membership is not new birth. Jesus said, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’.”

On his left sat the Archdeacon in his stall. Pointing directly at him the Bishop said,

“You might even be an Archdeacon, like my friend in his stall, and not be born again. Remember, ‘Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’.”

A day or two later he received a message from the Archdeacon.

“My dear bishop, you have found me out. I have been a clergyman for over thirty years, but I have never known anything of the joy that Christians speak of. I never could understand. Mine has been a hard legal service. I did not know what the matter was with me, but when you pointed directly at me and said,

“You might even be an Archdeacon and not be born again; I knew in a moment what the trouble was. I had never known anything of the new birth.”

Next day the Archdeacon and the bishop met up and they went through the Bible together. Then the Archdeacon knelt before his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and took his place as a sinner who desperately needed Christ’s MERCY.

George Whitfield was an eighteenth century evangelist who often preached on this same verse? Someone complained to him,

“Why do you preach on this text so often?”

He answered,

“You must be born again!”

2. THE ORIGIN OF CHRIST’S MESSAGE v. 11-13

Jesus claimed to be the Lord God who had come down from heaven to earth in order to take men from earth to heaven.

“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” John 3:11

What Jesus teaches is God’s word or message to us. We cannot pick and choose those bits of the Bible we like and reject those bits we dislike such as judgment and hell.

“You don’t believe me when I have told you about things on this earth, how can you believe if I speak of heavenly things.” John 3:12

Today there are many people who are uncertain whether what the Bible teaches and what Jesus says are really from God. Yet this is exactly what the church has believed since Jesus’ time. John wrote his gospel to convince people that Jesus was indeed God in the flesh. He gave compelling evidence about the life and teaching of Jesus. His aim was that as people investigate the evidence, they should believe in Jesus. This was vital as personal commitment to Jesus Christ results in individuals being given eternal life. John summarised this,

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples that are not recorded in this book. 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.” John 20:30-31

The lesson is clear. If anyone wants to know the way to heaven we must become followers of the one and only person who is ‘the way’ – ‘the one who came from heaven’ (John 3:13).

3. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRIST’S DEATH v. 14-15

Jesus again uses a story from the Old Testament that Nicodemus would have known well. In Numbers chapter twenty one a frightening incident is described. The Israelites were in the wilderness, hoping to find a way into the Promised Land, just as we hope to gain admission to heaven. The people became impatient, they seemed to be going nowhere and life was far from easy. They started to grumble against both their leader, Moses, and against God. They moaned, complained and as often happens exaggerated their problems – they said they had no bread and no water, yet they were still alive enough to complain!

But God is never to be trifled with. He sent them some poisonous snakes that should have reminded them of what happened to Adam and Eve. Many people died from the snake-bites.

As often happens, problems can bring people to their senses. They learned that it is a fearful thing to oppose God, to moan, disagree and not trust God’s promises.

They said in desperation,

“We have sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.”

Then the Lord told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole so that everyone could see it.

“Anyone who is bitten can look on it and live.” Numbers 21:8

This story, that Jesus refers to, reminds us all that God’s judgment will come to all who rebel against him, but it is also a reminder that he is a merciful God who also provides the way of salvation.

The British Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) uses the picture of the snake on a pole in their regimental badge. They see themselves as the hope for people injured in battle, just as the gospel is the hope for those damaged by sin.

In the Bodleian library in Oxford there is a Medieval Manuscript containing a remarkable picture. This depicts a prominent Moses on the left, looking at the brass snake on the pole. Around him are several people, each signifying a message.

1. One man is asleep on the ground. He doesn’t think there is much to worry about. The bite of sin is only a little thing. A serpent is even whispering in his ear, probably saying, ‘There is no need to worry’. Yet he is dying.

2. In the top left a man is fighting ferociously with a serpent. Apparently he thinks that salvation will come through his own antagonism against evil. He has not grasped that the only solution is to look at the brass snake.

3. Another man is busy dressing the wounds of a friend, but neither are looking at the brass snake. It is as if the artist is saying about him, ‘Surely if I am kind and helpful, I will be cared for by God’. This is not true, the bite of the snake kills all.

4. Another man is kneeling and looking at Moses. He thinks that his religion will save him. However religion has never saved anybody.

5. But there is another man behind Moses who has a calm peaceful look on his face. He is looking at the serpent of brass, and not at the snakes, at Moses or at himself. He stands for the man who believes God’s word and lives.

God’s message to all of us is the same. We can react in different ways to the salvation that God offers to all who will look to his Son, who was also ‘lifted up’ on our behalf. Jesus longed for Nicodemus to understand the prophetic meaning of the story of the serpent on the pole.

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15

Why did God tell Moses to make a brass serpent, when a serpent represents sin, instead of a lamb representing purity? Surely this is significant. It is to teach that salvation of mankind was to be obtained by someone who would become sin for us.

“God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

As Jesus hung there on that cross, lifted high, he became sin for me. He took my sin on himself. The analogy is precise. Just as the Israelites had to look and trust when the snakes troubled them, so for us to be saved, we must look to and trust in the Lord Jesus who became sin for us. He became our substitute. He is the King, who rules the Kingdom of God, but he came to die to take men and women from earth to heaven.

4. LESSONS JESUS WANTS ALL TO UNDERSTAND

1. I need to be ‘born again’.

Just as the respectable Nicodemus needed to be ‘born again’ so do all of us. Jesus says that this involves accepting two facts.

a. I must trust that Jesus is telling us God’s truths.

“I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.” John 3:11

There is no new birth for those who reject what Jesus teaches.

b. I must commit myself to Jesus

“. . . that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14-15

To believe in Jesus means to trust him personally. It is all too easy to have an intellectual believe that is not personal.

A vicar overheard his young son praying one Sunday night at bedtime.

“Lord, please help the faith of daddy to drop a foot”

“What do you mean?” his father inquired.

“Well, we learnt in Sunday School today that God doesn’t just want us to believe in our heads but in our hearts.”

At my preparatory school, if the winter was very cold, the headmaster, Mr. R.J. Mowll, would take us down to the big lake when it was frozen over. First he would walk on the ice, then he would allow the senior boys on and finally, if all was well, he would invite the rest of us all onto the ice. Some went boldly, others timidly. What mattered however was not the confidence or faith of the boys, but the reliability of the object of our faith, in that case the strength of the ice. We all have different personalities, some throw themselves into something new with gusto, others hesitantly, what matters however is that we take that step and have faith.

If any reader is still keeping Jesus at arm’s length, like the Archdeacon, what is there to prevent you taking that step of faith by telling the Lord Jesus that you will trust him from now on? We know that Nicodemus did make that commitment to Christ. After Jesus crucifixion he and Joseph of Arimathea showed their commitment to Christ by publicly collecting Jesus’ body for burial.

2. The New Birth is the most important happening of anyone’s life.

Being ‘born again’, my conversion to Christ, may be a gradual event or we may be able to remember the day when we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives. This acceptance by God is more important than our career decisions, our marriage or any spiritual experiences. We should not chase experiences. The real ‘second blessing’ comes when we die and see Jesus face to face. Till then our conversion is the most important feature of a person’s life.

This teaching of Jesus is wonderful. It means anyone can be ‘born again’ of the Spirit because Jesus died on our behalf. We are ‘born again’ when we accept the lord Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We look to him, trust him and as a consequence we are given eternal life.

BVP

Aug 2012

CHRISTIAN PRIORITIES 2. John 15 - The Vine

We now come to John 15, the story of the vine. This continues the same theme. Jesus is leaving the world and is concerned that the world will know the good news.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business.” 15:15

We do know his business -

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)

Why did Jesus go on to say,

“Everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15

if it was not that they should also pass this knowledge on to others? The next verse makes this abundantly clear,

“I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit –fruit that will last.” 15:16

As would be expected from the context of Jesus’ imminent departure, these chapters are all ‘mission minded’.

When Jesus uses an illustration to make a point he very often takes an idea used in the Old Testament. The illustration of the vine is used at least 7 times in the Old Testament. In every instance it refers to God’s people. It is particularly striking however that every time it is used it refers to a people who have failed, in some respect, to fulfil what God intended. (See Isaiah 5, 27:2, Psalm 80:8-16, Jeremiah 2:21, Ezekiel 15, 19:10, Hosea 10:1) The vine referred to the people that God had called out to be his people but who had not been faithful.

The idea of ‘the vine’ in John 15 is very similar to the section in Isaiah 27 where a ‘fruitful vineyard’ (v. 2) is discussed. In verse 6 it says,

“In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.” Isaiah 27:6

There is no doubt that God’s people are meant to pass on God’s message to the world where it will be received by some but rejected by others. As is described in the previous chapter it is possible to have the appearance of being productive but not to achieve God’s ends.

“We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world.” Isaiah 26:18

In John 15 there are several key words.

Fruit

What does bearing fruit refer to here? If you are anything like me you may immediately think of the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ passage.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Gal 5:22

We must however be careful about taking the meaning of a word from one context and applying the same meaning elsewhere. For example, what does the word ‘lion’ associate with in the New Testament? In Revelation it refers to Jesus himself, the ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5). However Peter uses the word to refer to the devil himself, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)

In John’s gospel the word has been used earlier and here the meaning is clearly to do with evangelism.

“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop (Gk fruit) for eternal life.” John 4:35-36

In John 15 the context also makes the meaning of the word clear – bearing fruit is to continue the work of Jesus. God wants fruitful Christians, people whose lives are not just respected (literally meaning that people ‘look again’ at them) but whose lives reflect their Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

If you meet people who seem to say, “I want my character to become like Jesus but not my lips or feet”, beware. Such a distinction was never in the mind of Jesus. Lives consecrated to Jesus will and must include lips that speak out about Jesus. The Bible is very clear about this; an inward faith must be associated with going and telling, both are necessary..

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.”

“For it is with you heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9,10

This is what every Christian must be about today – living that the Lord Jesus may be known about, so that the world may be saved.

What prevents this? Is it the changing theological perspectives? Perhaps, but I suspect that these new perspectives have a common root with the real problem, the ‘S’ word, that we don’t like to talk about. That word is ‘sin’.

Sin

Sin is ultimately the downgrading of Jesus. In the next chapter the work of God’s Spirit is again discussed. “He will convict the world” (note again God’s great concern) “in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me.”

Sin is to reject the Lord Jesus, the Son of Almighty God. It is sinful for us not to acknowledge the absolute necessity for all people to believe in Jesus. Do we tend to fail in this?

All too often we see sin in terms of its symptoms, sex outside marriage, voyeurism, violence, lying, drunkenness and the like. Voyeurism is a common effect of sin in Christians. We love to watch others doing wrong things, whether in films or in magazines or in books. And deep down we enjoy these things. They are all symptoms of a drift from the Lord Jesus

The epistle to the Romans reminds us that Jews and Gentiles are all under sin.

“There is no-one righteous, not even one, there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God.” Romans 3:9

Paul goes on to describe the symptoms of rejecting God in terms of people’s speech (verses 13-14) and their actions (verses 15-18). This second section is striking as it starts,

“Their feet are swift to shed blood . . . ” v. 15

Feet are very important. It ends,

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” v. 18

The only remedy is described in verse 22.

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

We remain sinners even though we have been forgiven and the process of sanctification, becoming more like Jesus, is occurring.

Many have been duped into thinking that it is nice respectable people that God wants; and we overlook the horrendous eternal consequences of sin, a rejection of Jesus, God’s only Son.

Dag Hammarskjold, once General Secretary of the United Nations, was a deeply committed public servant. The writer, W.H.Auden, described him as a “great , good and lovable man”. But Dag knew what he was really like and bemoaned “that dark counter-centre of evil in our nature” and in particular he worried over the perversion that “makes our unselfish service of others the foundation of our own self esteem.”

Sin is placing ourselves at the centre of our lives when Jesus belongs there. Susannah Wesley, used to say to her son John Wesley,

“Whatever cools your love for Christ, that for thee is sin.”

Anything that dethrones Jesus is sin and we Christians can so easily fall for it. We are meant to live for the “glory of his name”. Do you remember the verse in Psalm 23 that goes?

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his names sake.” Psalm 23:5

Our lives are meant to be lived for the honour of the Lord Jesus and not ourselves.

I will never forget a famous Senior Consultant, who was on the Council of Reference for the Christian Medical Fellowship, who said to me,

“My medicine has become my Christian service now. This does mean however that I am too busy to go to church much now.”

The doctrines were still there but I never heard him talk about the Lord Jesus to others. The prime concern to live for Jesus seemed to have vaporised. The only explanation is that sin has found a foothold. After a while other symptoms of sin will often become apparent. The joy of being in Christ vanishes.

A godly bishop once visited our church. After the morning service he went into the hall to talk with the children in the Sunday School. He sat on the floor and talked about the joy Christians should have. The children had to guess what the letters of JOY stood for.

They got the J for Jesus and Y for Yourself quickly but they got the O wrong. It does not stand for ‘Others next’ the bishop said. No, the way to have real joy is to put Jesus first, yourself last and have nothing in between him and you.

“Whatever cools you love for Christ, that for thee is sin.”

This is very clear from John 15. Jesus tells three things we must do to produce fruit.

1. Remain in Jesus

The word ‘remain’ comes 11 times between verses 4 and 10. Jesus knows that the first aim of Satan, the liar, will be to cause us to drift away from Jesus. Note whose responsibility this is. As a preacher once said,

“If Jesus seems a long way off, who do you think moved?”

The place where we are to remain is not primarily in the church, but in Jesus. This whole passage is incredibly egocentric. It begins with Jesus saying, “I am the true vine.” In the Greek this is “ego eimi”, the “I am” title of God. After this, Jesus uses the words “I”, “me” and “my” 36 times in this passage. We are to remain close to him, not in good activities and not in religion.

I recently received an unsolicited e-mail. The heading was “For Christians Only”.

“We are now providing this unique opportunity for Christians all over the world to purchase Holy Water from the most prestigious of all pilgrim centres. Direct from Lourdes. You can use it for yourself or you can also use it as great gifts to your loved ones and family.”

Then, in red, it said,

“Click here to place your order today. Hurry, supplies are limited.”

This is rather different from what Jesus said about himself to the woman at the well in Samaria. He emphasised that it was he himself who was the water.

“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once said,

“The Lord Jesus received is holiness begun, the Lord Jesus cherished is holiness advancing and the Lord Jesus counted upon as never absent and always Lord would be holiness complete.”

There are great similarities between this last words of Jesus to his disciples and the last words of Moses to God’s people in Deuteronomy 32. There, at one point, he sarcastically calls God’s people ‘Jeshurun’ which literally means “The Upright One”.

“Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Saviour. . . . You deserted the Rock who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.” Deut 32:15, 18

Some may be thinking that this is in the Old Testament, and we have God’s Spirit now and so we shouldn’t be talking like this. 1 Corinthians 10 reminds Christians why these Old Testament warnings were given; they were to be warnings for us,

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us on whom the fulfilment of the ages has come. So if you think you are standing firm be careful that you don’t fall” 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

It is unfortunately all too easy to get immersed in Christian activity and find that the relationship with Jesus quietly gets colder. After I became a Christian, I became active in the Christian Unions at both my university and my medical school in London. I was a member of a thrilling church where the Bible teaching was exceptionally good. I was elected President of the Christian Union and we saw some remarkable things happen. A friend and I then went to Uganda to help with work in a mission hospital in Uganda. We were well taught and felt we had a lot to offer. One afternoon my friend and I were strolling up Namirembe hill, in the centre of Kampala, when we met a Ugandan Christian coming down on the other side of the road. He had a broad smile with bright teeth, and a very deep dog collar round his neck. "Hello," he called. We crossed over the road and started talking.

"What are you doing in Uganda?" he asked.

"We are working in Mengo Mission Hospital."

"Oh, that's lovely. Does that mean that you are Christians then?"

"Yes, we both are," we replied.

"That's good, but tell me, how are you getting on with Jesus?"

I had never been asked a question like that before, but gave a typical English reply,

"Very well, thank you, and you?"

We may have blushed but somehow the Ugandan minister must have seen our embarrassment because he switched the conversation to himself, still with that open smile on his face, and said:

"I became a Christian when I was 29 years old and was working as a schoolmaster. I became very active in my church, but somehow, in spite of all my Christian activities, my walk with the Lord was cold. Then I learnt what the problem with me was. I was active for God but he was not closely involved in what I was doing. I then learnt to keep Jesus busy in all I was doing. If I failed him, I learnt to say sorry quickly; when everything was going well I learnt to keep thanking him; when there were problems I learnt to involve Jesus at the beginning. That's the secret, I have learnt to keep Jesus busy. I must go now, but please don't forget, keep Jesus busy."

He then disappeared down the hill. I have no idea who that Christian was, but one day in heaven I will thank him from the bottom of my heart for giving me those five minutes. That is the secret, it is not just obedience that God wants; above all, he longs for a close friendship with each of us.

2. Remain in His word

It may seem superfluous to say this, but to remain in Jesus must mean to remain in what he teaches. It is amazing how some modern churchmen want to dissociate the two. The word ‘Command’ or ‘Word’ comes seven times in this passage.

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.” John 15:10

We must remain true to the teaching of Jesus if we are to remain true to him. Moses made the same point in his last words to God’s people.

“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you - they are your life.” Deut 32:46-47

A sure sign that someone has God’s Spirit in them is that they are regularly imbibing God’s words and are doing what God says.

In medicine ‘audit’ is the in thing. The way to audit whether we really believe the Bible to be the word of God is to note how we feed on it, how often and with what quality do we study it. Individual study of God’s word has always been seen to be important. All the kings of Israel were expected to write out all that they had of the Bible in their own handwriting and then to study this individually every day.

“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Deut 17:18-20

Perhaps one of the greatest needs in the church today is for more amateur Bible teachers. I use amateur in its original meaning. Amateur is derived from ‘amare’ – to love. How we need more people, both paid and unpaid, who will teach the word of God to others with enthusiasm, out of love.

3. Remain in His Church

The Christian faith is a corporate faith.

“Love one another.” John 15:12

We do need the love of other Christians to encourage us. We may not see when an individual’s private walk is drifting away from Jesus. We may not see when their Reading of the Bible is tailing off. But this last stage of decline, not meeting with other Christians, is apparent to all. If you see this happening, do something urgently as it is already serious. Visit them, invite them for meals or some other activity. It is very serious when Christians stop meeting together. Prevention however is much better than cure. Let us keep on finding ways to encourageg each other in our walk with and service for Jesus.

Dissent amongst Christians also impoverishes our witness. The story of the relationship between Lot and Abram is told in considerable detail. At one point,

“Quarrelling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot.”

The writer then puts in an interesting sentence;

“The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.”

He then continues,

“So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine.”” Genesis 13:7

Surely the reason for this insert is to remind readers that others are watching us all the time. Loss of love between God’s people will weaken us as well as our witness for Christ.

Don’t forget the example of the church in Ephesus. Paul himself had taught there for about two and a half years. They had been sent the glorious ‘Letter to the Ephesians’. Yet within one generation God, through John, has to rebuke them sternly.

“I know your deeds, your hard work and perseverance. Yet I have this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:4-5

The temptation we have is the same as is ‘common to man’. If we are not careful we will all drift from our love for and close walk with Jesus. We must all endeavour to do the things we did at first. Pray and study the Bible daily, stay close to God’s people and especially stay close to Jesus himself. Don’t allow sin to have its way. Let us all determine to train ourselves to be conduits for the gospel.

A previous Archbishop of Canterbury visited Uganda. Erica Sabiti, the Archbishop of Uganda, met him at Entebbe airport. As they walked from the aeroplane, arm in arm, Erica asked the Senior Primate of the Anglican Church,

“Tell me, how are you getting on with Jesus?”

Are we bearing fruit for Jesus, making him known to the world? Let me ask you,

“Tell me, how are you getting on with Jesus?”

CHRISTIAN PRIORITIES 1. John 12-14

James Hervey was one of the original ‘Holy Club’ members in Oxford in the eighteenth century. John and Charles Wesley, who were subsequently to have such a radical effect reviving Christianity in England, were its leaders. James was ordained but was plagued with tuberculosis, which restricted his ministry. When only 44years old he started to have violent, colicky abdominal spasms and a hacking cough. He rapidly lost weight. It was obvious that was dying. A local minister talked with him about their Saviour, to which James replied,

“Oh, how much has Christ done for me and how little I have done for so loving a Saviour. I have not taken every opportunity of speaking for Christ.”

Doctor Stonehouse, his local doctor, visited and told James that he had only 3 to 4 days to live. The doctor was a Christian and spoke of the many “consolations through Christ that a true Christian enjoys”. To this James replied,

“True, doctor, true the only valuable treasures are in heaven. What would it avail me now to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is godliness not grandeur that avails a man.”

What does God want to say to his people today? What priorities does he want to see in us? We could not do better than look at the teaching Jesus gave just before his execution. It reveals the deep concern of Jesus and is highly relevant to western Christianity today. For this study we will be looking at John’s record of the gospel, majoring in chapter 15 – 17, but it is essential that we first put it in its context. As has been so wisely said,

“If you take a text out of context you are left with a con.”

How many errors many groups have fallen into by not taking note of this rule. This chapter will therefore look at the underlying emphasis of John 12-14.

The Major Theme of John 12

As this was being written, I received a phone call from the husband of a patient. He gave the bad news that his wife had just died of advanced cancer. He went on to describe the discussions they had during that last week.

“We shared everything we wanted to share before she died.”

It was surely this longing to share what was on his heart that was behind all that Jesus said during those last days. There is a common theme behind everything he says in these chapters 12 to 17.

In chapter 12, Jesus has been publicly recognised as the ‘King of Israel’, the Messiah ‘who comes in the name of the Lord’. Yet this earthly glory of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey was soon over. As he anticipates his coming execution, he spends the next four days preparing his disciples for all that lay ahead. He prepares them both for death and resurrection but also for their subsequent mission. He wants them to continue spreading the message that he is the only Son of God, the Saviour of the world and that only his followers are acceptable to God. He teaches that all people must believe in him.

When people have a discussion, what people say at the beginning can be indistinct whereas, towards the end, the meaning is usually much clearer. This is why some people who read an Agatha Christie crime novel begin by reading the last chapter first. Knowing the answer helps them understand the relevant clues in the earlier story. With this in mind, let us first look at a section towards the end of the chapter.

When reading John 12 verses 37 to 46, one idea keeps recurring. The repetitive use of a word is one way early writers would stress a point. There are no prizes for what that word is

​37Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
   "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
40 "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them."

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;

43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

44 Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.

45 When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:31-46

It will become increasingly clear, as we study what Jesus taught at this time, that his greatest concern was that all people should believe in him. It matters that much to him because he loves them.

​Belief in Jesus is a Universal Need

Recently some leaders in an English church complained to their minister,

“Why is there so much emphasis on evangelism in our church?”

The minister replied,

“Because that was the emphasis of Jesus.”

If we now look back at the rest of this chapter, it is apparent that this theme underlies all that John is writing. He wants all kinds of people to learn about him.

​Ordinary People

After the story of Palm Sunday we are told that the crowd who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the tomb understood the significance of what had happened. They,

“. . . continued to spread the word.” John 12:17

It was because people talked about Jesus that others came to meet him.

“Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.” John 12:18

​Religious People

Religious people can find it the hardest to trust in Christ. The Pharisees were deeply upset and complained when others believed in Jesus,

“Look how the whole world has gone after him.” John 12:19

It is clear that ordinary people were beginning to believe in Jesus. Rejection of God by religious people is a major theme of the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments.

​Foreign People

God wants to establish his kingdom of followers from all nations. The next verse again makes this clear. Some Greeks had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast who had clearly heard about Jesus. They came up to Philip, the disciple, and said,

“Sir, we would see Jesus.” John 12:21

This is clearly the main thrust of the teaching of Jesus over these four days. Jesus wants all people to believe in him and so to follow him.

​A Costly Role

To follow Jesus means to be involved in his work, to share the good news about salvation. In the next paragraph Jesus explains that his death will glorify God and produce many followers just as a seed’s death results in further plants.

“I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds.” John 12:23

This work of evangelism is costly, both for Jesus and his followers. But the cost we pay pales into insignificance in comparison to the cost Jesus paid. Our mission is to glorify God by the way we live and what we say. As if this were not enough, John comes back to the same theme by emphasising what Jesus’ ambition was,

“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” John12:32

The phrase, ‘lifted up’ refers to his crucifixion. He died to win people.

Jesus next gets into a discussion with the crowd, the very people he wants to win. They had understood from the Biblical prophets that the Messiah would rule forever, so how could Jesus be teaching that God’s Messiah must die? We do not know, in this summary of the conversation, if Jesus reminded them of the many prophecies in the Old Testament that teach that the Messiah will be a ‘suffering servant’. He may well have done. However he does give a demonstration to his followers of the sort of thing they should be saying to interested people,

“Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” John 12:36

Jesus was certainly not averse to making an evangelistic appeal. What better summary could there be of the Church’s message. Yet,

“ . . they still would not believe in him.” John 12:37

Real Faith

The sort of belief that God wants is a real belief where his followers put his reputation above their own.

​False Faith

In spite of this rejection there were still some who responded to his message but imperfectly,

“. . . many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue.” John 12:42

Openly acknowledging our commitment to Jesus to others is an essential feature of a faith that will save us. Paul states this very clearly in his letter to the Romans.

“If you confess with you mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

True Faith

When Jesus has explained that the cost for him to glorify God will be the loss of his life, he goes on to state that true saving faith will involve people being dead to their own selfish ambitions but committed to those of God instead. This means being a servant of Christ who does what he wants - this saving faith. Such a person is acceptable to the Father because the Son has taken responsibility for their sin on the cross.

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” John 12:25-26

​What is Salvation?

It is clear that Jesus wants people to follow him and then join others in publicly confessing him. This message that people must believe in Jesus keeps being shouted out,

“Then Jesus cried out, ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me..” John 12:44

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no-one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46

Jesus’ primary purpose in life was to be the gospel and to bring the gospel, the message of salvation, to the world.

“I did not come to judge the world but to save it.” John 12:47

Today many church people think of salvation in terms of social care and political benefits. Jesus defines salvation in terms of the judgement that will occur on the last day. He taught that the basis for that judgement will be what he has taught, which he says are the words of God.

“I know that his (the Father’s) command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” John 12:50

There is now a steady drift away from this teaching of Jesus. Christian leaders seldom teach and demonstrate the necessity of evangelism. As a consequence the majority of those people still involved with our churches are not living with this priority. Significantly this was also a major problem in the first century when the New Testament was being written. The writer of ‘Hebrews’ keeps emphasising the importance of Christians remaining true to the apostolic teaching. Without Christ people will be eternally lost. To prevent this drift everyone needs to both hear the truth and live by it.

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1

The apostles were clear that God required the gospel to be taught to all people and that it was the responsibility of all Christians to be involved in this ministry, even if in a support role.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. . . . You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.” 3 John 4-5

The stories that John has selected in his record of the gospel clearly demonstrate Jesus’ great concern that effective mission will continue after his departure.

​The Major Theme of John 13

​Why Feet?

John 13 begins with the story about Jesus washing his disciples feet. Why is this emphasised? When I was younger I was taught that this is to emphasise the primary importance of humility that Christian leaders need. It was a tradition in those times to give visitors to your house some water to wash their feet when they first arrived from the dusty roads outside. In more affluent homes a slave would be delegated to wash the feet. This was considered a menial task and consequently Jewish slaves were not permitted to do this. But is it just teaching the importance of humility?

In John 12, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with approximately a pint of pure nard, a heavily perfumed ointment. In the records of Matthew (26:6-13) and Mark (14:3-9) it is stated that she poured the ointment on his head though a subsequent verse says it was poured on his body. There is no disharmony here as it would be impossible to pour a pint of ointment onto someone’s head without it dripping over the whole body. The question is, “Why does John emphasise the feet?”

In the story of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet two other points need noting. Firstly this ceremony does not occur when they first arrived with dirty feet.

“The evening meal was being served . . . so he got up from the meal.” John 13:2,4

Secondly Jesus teaches that there is a hidden meaning in this that they do not understand at that time.

“You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7

What is or are these hidden meanings? It is clear that Jesus acted in this way because he understood his own authority.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal . . . “ John 13:3-4

Then it says that Jesus “took off his outer clothing” (John 13:4). After washing the disciples feet John specifically says,

“. . . he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand . . ?” John 13:12

This must be a picture of the work of Jesus, leaving heaven, taking off his glory to serve us, prior to returning to be with his Father in heaven. Paul takes up with same picture when he describes Jesus,

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness . . .” Philippians 2:6-7

The disciples clearly did understand the anachronism of Jesus, their leader, washing their feet. Could it also be that John also has a hidden emphasis on the word ‘feet’? Clearly Jesus is not concerned about head or hands, it is just the feet that need attention. If you look again at the story the word feet keeps being repeated – 8 times in all.

In verse 12 Jesus asks,

“Do you understand . . . ?”

The next phrase is interesting.

“You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. . . . you also should wash one another’s feet” John 13:13,14

Jesus is stressing that the disciple’s must serve one another and verse 16 clears up what the context of this service is to be.

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

It seems to be all coming together – ‘feet’ are the key. In the Old Testament, the prophet Nahum certainly understands ‘feet’ in this way.

“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace.” Nahum 1:15

Paul, in his letter to the Romans quotes Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:15

Feet are the symbol for going out to tell and live for the gospel. This work is tough and Christians need all the encouragement and support possible.

This also explains the strange injunction to widows,

“. . . well known for her deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.” 1 Timothy 5:10

If washing feet was to largely demonstrate humility, why just the saints’ feet? Surely this contains the same symbolism about Christians’ feet. Their role is to encourage the saints to go out to live for Christ.

At the end of Ephesians Paul reminds the Christians that they must have,

“. . . your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15

Has our understanding of the purpose of God become inadequate? We tend to think in terms of orthodoxy of our faith but overlook both ‘Christ-likeness of our lives’ and ‘Christ-likeness in our purpose’. We want to see full churches that are doctrinally correct, we want people to have experiences of God, but emphasise less our becoming like Jesus in thinking and action. We are not so concerned when we lose our tempers or say hurtful things about others. We make social and economic success our priority rather than having Christ’s priorities. Doctrine is dissociated from lifestyle.

Go into the World

A study of the rest of chapter 13 shows that it has the same underlying emphasis on mission – going out for Jesus. In verse 30 Judas went out in a different direction. Verse 34 says,

“Love one another.”

Why is this so important?

“. . . by this all men will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

Here it is again. Jesus’ concern is that the gospel of salvation should get out to all men. That is why close team support is needed, that is why disciples’ feet need to be washed.

Now comes the story of the prediction of Peter’s betrayal of Jesus.

“Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times.” John 13:38

The point here is not just to remind Peter of a weakness in his character. He is about to fail in what he and his colleagues were now to do – to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus.

When I was studying for the first part of the FRCS exam, my tutor, Mr Stansfield kept saying,

“The way to learn is constant repetition.”

How true this is. And John seems to keep reminding his readers of the same concern that Jesus had, that his followers should go out and spread the gospel.

The Major Theme of John 14

The disciples are naturally very upset by the approaching departure of Jesus and his teaching that they should continue his work without him. Furthermore he had told them that opposition is certain. Security is the need of most people under pressure. A child who falls over will run to her mother. Words such as, “I’m sure it will be alright” are often said to those in trouble. Jesus offers his followers more security than empty words. Note he doesn’t offer them an easy time, he does offer security. John chapter 14 sees Jesus reassuring his disciples on three grounds.

They have a secure home to look forwards to.

He promises his followers a secure home in heaven. These words are not written as a purple passage to be used at everybody’s’ funeral. They were specifically used by Jesus to reassure those who live for him that they are the ones who have a safe future.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:1-2

They have God on their side.

To have a strong bodyguard can be helpful to those in fear of enemies. Jesus reminds his followers that they have someone who cannot be beaten on their side. He again reminds them who he is.

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?” John 14:10

This is the reason that we can trust the promises of Jesus.

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” John 14:10-11

Financial insurance gives limited protection. God gives absolute security to those living for him.

They will receive the Jesus’ Spirit.

Jesus promises that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit so that his work can continue. His Spirit will motivate, remind and empower them to live for him.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” John 14:12

What had Jesus been doing? Look back to verse 6 for the answer – he was saying to people,

“I am the way” – the way to the Father. John 14:6

Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus, the little tax collector who wanted to see Jesus and climbed a sycamore tree to do so? Jesus told those who witnessed the change in Zacchaeus’ life that this was why he had come to this earth.

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

This also explains verse 12, which has muddled so many. No one has ever matched the miraculous work of Jesus but that was not primarily what he wants to continue, as the book of Acts shows clearly. He wants his church to ‘seek and save the lost’.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

Verse 15 is even stronger,

“If you love me you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father , and he will give you another Counsellor . . .”

Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit is similar to himself and his Father who “so loved the world.” That is why the emphasis here is on the world hearing the gospel,

“The world cannot accept him.” John 14:16

“The world will not see me any more.” John 14:19

The Godhead all have the same aims. What a disaster it is when Christians talk of the Spirit supposedly doing things today that Jesus never did and would never do.

His emphasis here is not living with a Christ-like morality but the passing on of God’s teaching. How can people obey God if they have not been told what God demands?

“He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” John 14: 24

​Don’t be Troubled

No wonder Jesus says,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled – do not be afraid.” John 14:27

What is he referring to? Is it just the prospect of bereavement or is he continuing the underlying theme of these chapters? Surely he is warning his disciples not to be too concerned over the troubles that will come their way as they continue Christ’s work in the power of His Spirit. They are still to go and make disciples of all nations, the world must learn about Jesus.

“The world must learn that I love the Father and I do exactly what the Father has commanded me.” John 14:31

Even the final phrase has a new poignancy with this insight,

“Come let us go”.

Go to Gethsemane or go to tell the world? The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches call their Eucharist services ‘the Mass’. This title is taken from the phrase used at the end of the Latin liturgy, “Ette missa est” meaning “Be sent out”. The crying need of the church is to be sent out again into the world with the gospel of salvation. Jesus’ message to the crowd had been,

“Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” John 12:36

This message must again become the church’s priority.