John 15:1-8. The Importance of Fruitfulness

Our daily paper inundates us every day with suggestions for holidays in exotic places - a cruise around South America, a visit to the Galapagos islands, or safaris in Africa. The problem is that they all seem so expensive and therefore unachievable. In these studies we are investigating the brochure for the Christian life. John is showing us who Jesus claimed to be and reasons why we should go his way. They also teach us all Jesus claimed he would do for those who follow him, which means those who obey him.

In John’s gospel there are seven distinct times Jesus says, ‘I am’, and these summarise who Jesus claimed to be and what he will do for those who put their faith in him. This present one is no exception.

Jesus’ Claims

The New Testament is blatantly clear about who Jesus claimed to be. In this passage we again have some of these stupendous claims,

“I am the true vine . . .” John 15:1

This reinforces the many previous claims of Jesus,

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9

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

“Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1

“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words.” John 12:48

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord, . . . I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” John 11:26-27

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

The real Jesus is very different from the Jesus in Dennis Potter’s play, ‘The Son of Man’. His Jesus doesn’t know who he is or where he is going. In contrast the real Jesus puts himself right at the centre of everything. Jesus was shortly to say,

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

He follows this with a claim no Christian could dare claim even for one day, as none of us have kept God’s commandments perfectly even for a short time.

“ . . . just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 15:10b

Jesus unashamedly says that he has always done what is pleasing in God’s sight. Imagine the reaction there would be if a political or religious leader said something similar today. There would be uproar from his enemies. It is striking that no-one was able to attack Jesus about any aspect of his personal life! Yet he goes on to put himself in the centre and says,

“If you obey my commands . . .” John 15:10

A Christian follows not just God’s commands but those of the Lord Jesus – because they are the same. Jesus is telling people what to believe and what to do. He is saying that if we want to be godly we must follow him. Whoever has made such a claim when clearly sane?

‘I am the true vine’

In the Old Testament the vine was used as a picture of Israel. During the time of the Maccabees, when rebel warriors who defeated the Seleucids and ruled Israel between 167 to 37BC, coins were minted that showed a bunch of grapes as a picture representing the Israeli nation. The Old Testament prophets often referred to Israel as a vineyard or vine.

Isaiah, prophesying seven hundred years before Christ, wrote,

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes . . .” Isaiah 5:1-2

God’s people were privileged, cared for and protected. God was looking for fruit from them, and what was the result?

“ . . . it yielded only bad fruit.” Isaiah 5:2

Isaiah goes on to say how God reacted,

“What more could I have done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it only yield bad?” Isaiah 5:4

God continues to say that as a result of Israel’s unfruitfulness he will lay the vineyard to waste. No wine would come from this vineyard until Jesus came and said to his disciples in the upper room,

“I am the true vine.” John 15:1

This sentence itself is strange. If in the Old Testament the Israelites were vines in the vineyard that God had made, why did Jesus not say instead,

“The old people of God are finished but I have now introduced a new people whom I have set on a new path. You will lead them and become my new Israel.”

For many people today, churches act as a stumbling block for many people wanting to find God. In spite of many exceptions where there is real life, overall churches are discouraging. It is often hard to see much joy, power or attractiveness so people wonder why they should join. When I was at school, religion seemed to be a dry ethical business that was, to be honest, for a teenager, utterly tedious. I refused to be confirmed as most of my classmates were. However when I went to university some friends there encouraged me not to look at the churches and their failings but to look at Jesus instead. He is the vine, not the church.

Jesus is surely saying, ‘Don’t look at the old vine and its failings, don’t even look at the failing churches in the future but look to me.’ Institutions all become imperfect, dry rot will enter in, but God’s people have a higher association that is with Jesus himself. If we want to learn how to live we must look to Jesus and obey him. When Jesus made his seven ‘I am’ statements he was really saying ‘look to me and look only to me’. The church must rest on Jesus and what he said.

Martin Luther was a remarkable Christian who sought to bring the church back to its origins, back to the Jesus Christ revealed by his apostles in the Scriptures. Some people have said that the true church is only found in Peter and his descendants. Luther repeatedly reminded people how fallible human church leaders were, saying instead,

“Where Christ is, there is the Church.”

He appealed to all, ‘Return to Christ and to the Scriptures and new life will begin’. Try to prop up decaying and fine-tweak institutions and nothing will happen. Go back to Christ, to living as he wants and spiritual fruit will come.

Who is a Christian?

This passage also gives us a very clear picture about who is really saved.

a. A Christian has a living union with Christ

When I was working as a surgeon I amputated many legs. As soon as the limb was disconnected it was useless, just as a disconnected branch will die. A true Christian has a living relationship with the Lord Jesus. Trying to follow a Christian ethic or being an admirer of the Christian story is no substitute for a living relationship with him. There are church leaders, preachers and miracle workers to whom Jesus will say at the final judgment,

“I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers.” Matthew 7:23

In contrast any person who has come humbly to Jesus and accepted him as his Lord and Saviour finds that real life begins to flow through him, just as the sap of the vine invigorates its branches. Become disobedient and that joy and peace that comes from our relationship with Christ quickly disappears.

Any person can have transient religious feelings. At Christmas time the spirit of Christ does come closer to people, transiently. We give presents, we have family members around and we try hard to enjoy each others company, but too often this is ephemeral or short lasting. A local pub put up a telling sign,

“Christmas spirit served here!”

The Christian good news, that all churches should proclaim, is that God, by his Spirit wants to transform every life by a process that continues over the years, through life’s disappointments and successes. Jesus enters our lives and then remains with us. A Christian remains in close communion with the Lord Jesus.

b. A Christian will bear fruit

A major purpose of this passage is remind all Christians that we have been chosen to bear fruit for Jesus. Look again at verses one and two where the requirement for fruit is emphasised. Look at verse 8

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be my disciple.” John 15:8

The purpose of the vine is to bear fruit, and this is also the purpose of all Christians. If we are not bearing fruit we will, like Isaiah’s vineyard, be removed from God’s presence.

“ . . . my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.” John 15:1-2

This is a solemn warning; we must regularly examine ourselves to see if we are producing fruit for Christ. What is this fruit? An apple contains seeds that can grow into another apple tree, which will itself produce more apples. So the fruit of being a Christian is to become like Christ, both in character and in purpose. Unless we live closely with the Lord Jesus we will never change and become more like him. And the absence of fruit means we will be removed form God’s presence and his people. The Christian life has been compared to a seedling as it begins to grow from a seed. A root is essential and that represents the intimate involvement with the word of God, through which all Christians obtain their nourishment and teaching. The two little leaflets or cotyledons represent the two aspects of the fruit God wants to see developing in us all. One is a Christ-like character. Paul was later to write,

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

The other characteristic is a longing to win others for Christ. These characteristics must be developing and growing in all of God’s true people.

The focus of these chapters, that describe Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples, is to prepare them for a life of effective mission, sharing the gospel with others throughout the world. This aspect of fruitfulness does appear to be the emphasis here for the following reasons. Jesus said,

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.” John 15:8

Just as the fruit of a vine is another grape, so Christians need to go out into the world to make disciples for Christ,

“You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” John 15:16

John is using the same meaning of fruitful that is seen right at the beginning of the Bible.

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it.’’’ Genesis 1:28

This fruit that Jesus expects to see requires us to go out into society for Christ. A little later Jesus explains how this new fruit will be gathered,

“ . . . the spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify . . .” John 15:26-27

As we begin, perhaps nervously, to represent the Lord Jesus in our families and amongst our friends and work colleagues, we need to remember,

“Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

Jesus is to become the focus of all we are, we are to depend on him.

As we become older and the problems of effective evangelism become all too obvious, we can lose heart. Then we need to remember what Paul learned,

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

How we need to keep reminding ourselves of these truths. We can become despondent as we see numbers fall and enthusiasm dwindle. With Christ anything is possible, without him nothing will work. This is why personal and corporate prayer is vital for our ministry.

George Burton was not the typical Christian. In his book, ‘Contradictions’ his old character is laid bare. This is no Victorian Christian biography in which all warts are carefully airbrushed out. George was, by nature a selfish, mean man. He was jealous, fearful, very vain and very rude. He was a big, arrogant man. But he became a Christian and brought many lads in Canning Town to a real faith in Christ. This is so encouraging. It reminds us that God can use anybody to bear fruit for himself, so long as we abide I in him,

“If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.” John 15:5

This is so encouraging. The Lord doesn’t look at our past, that has all been forgiven by Christ who died to cover our sins. What matters is the present as that will affect the future.

“If a man remains in me . . .”

That is today’s decision. To remain in Christ means to remain obedient to his wishes. God’s enemies are disobedient to Christ. The world wants to go its own way, not God’s,

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” John 14:23

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. . .” John 15:9

There is therefore no place for drunkenness, sexual immorality or dishonesty amongst God’s people. However, the good news is that our past can be forgiven by God, and that means forgotten, when we return to walk with the Lord. Our failures are not the end of the road because of the character of God who is so gracious. Moses was told of the character of God and this is frequently repeated in Scripture,

“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34:6

c. The Christian life is far from easy

Christians live under the loving judgment of God.

“ . . . while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

We are pruned by circumstances that we do not enjoy, illness, family problems, redundancy and troubled relationships. Pruning shears are sharp and being pruned is not pleasant. It is however vital for us to be pruned by God if we are to mature as Christians. How important it is to remember that our Lord is in control of all that happens to us.

Those who have an easy life do not seem to either mature in their Christian character or become effective and productive in winning others for Christ. Maturity needs hard work to overcome the difficulties of life. In Peter’s last letter, written from Rome shortly before his execution, he reminds his fellow Christians how they can escape the lures of this world and become more productive Christians,

“He has given us his great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:4

This change requires commitment and hard work,

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7

This is a lifetime’s work.

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:8

What better ambition could there be, with all its eternal benefits, than to train my life in these spiritual gifts so that I can be effective and productive for God? If I don’t set my sights on this goal then I am blind,

“But if anyone does not have them, he is short-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sin.” 2 Peter 1:9

If we have experienced the Lord pricking our consciences, if we have lost the peace God wants to fill our hearts with, then be sure that the Lord is pruning us so that we become more godly and therefore more useful for him. He prunes us so that we can produce more fruit.

Effective pruning does need to be radical, as any rose bush that flowers effectively in the summer will tell you. It is firm pruning that produces good fruit and a beautiful display.

So often it seems that there are many in the world who are clearly ungodly and yet for whom everything seems to go well. They become rich and have romances that make others jealous. They seem to get their own way in everything . But judgment will come. Sometimes it will come in this life as Saddam Hussein, and some famous people have recently found to their cost, but it will eventually come to all who retain responsibility for their own sin. King David recognised the attractiveness of sin, he nearly succumbed to its lure, but then he realised that it will eventually have to be paid for,

“But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued with human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace.” Psalm 73:2-6

David came to realise there were two reasons for not thinking like this.

“If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” Psalm 73:15-17

God allows adverse circumstances to come our way so that we can be pruned to become more like Christ. The Bible does warn the pagan for whom nothing seems to go wrong, who get their own way all the time, and who are success personified. They don’t seem to be affected by the secateurs of God’s judgment – at present. Surely Jesus wants to remind us all that it is far better to face the pruning judgment of God now than to wait and face it in that eternal judgment.

d. Christians need each other

Just as we are bound to Christ, so we are bound to others who are also in the vine of Christ. No Christian who tries to go it alone is effective for Christ; they will not produce any fruit for him. How we need each other. We do need to spend time alone each day in God’s word, talking with our Lord and Saviour, but we also need to be in a close fellowship of a Bible centred church and home group so that we can be encouraged and can encourage others. No group is perfect. Bishop J.C.Ryle once said,

“If you spend five years looking for a perfect church and then join it, it will, ipse facto, then cease to be a perfect church.”

We are all so self centred. We naturally think of ourselves at the centre of life, the ‘I am’ is what matters, but it is not until we come face to face with the great ‘I am’ that we can see ourselves in our true light. How we need the Lord Jesus.

Herbert Read, in his great book, ‘The Philosophy of Modern Art’, tells how Paul Gauguin deliberately deserted his wife and four children to go and live in Tahiti for twenty years. He had nothing to do with them whilst there. After twenty years he had a letter from his wife in Paris saying that their daughter Aline had died from pneumonia. He wrote back,

“I have lost my daughter. I no longer love God.”

On receiving this letter, she is reported to have said,

“His ferocious egotism revolts me every time I think of it.”

All he did was to think of himself. Yet so many modern people also have ‘I’ at the centre. That is what makes life so ugly. This is why family life today is so fractured and divorces and separations are so common. The only way to be released from the ‘I’ that we all hate in our own lives is to submit to the ‘I am’ of Christ. Those who refuse to accept the ‘I am’ of the New Testament will have to live forever with the ‘I’ that lives in each of us. What an awful fate!

Summary

All Christians have been called to ‘bear fruit’ for the Lord Jesus, for God. If this is not our ambition we need to ask ourselves whether we are really Christians. A patient of mine was wearing a beautiful silver cross. I asked her if this meant that she was a Christian,

“Yes, I am,’ but then she hesitated and added, ‘It depends what you mean by a Christian.”

We were in a busy clinic so I simply replied,

“Surely it is someone who has sold out to the Lord Jesus.”

To this she replied,

“Oh, then I’m not.”

I couldn’t think what to say so just replied,

“Oh dear! I am sorry.”

BVP

John 14:12. “He will do even greater works than these”

It is important for all of us to question the source of our beliefs. The Pharisees claimed that their beliefs came from Scripture but Jesus made it clear that they had misunderstood what God was saying to them. The source of true beliefs must be Scripture and not our traditions. This is a danger for all of us whether we are in independent, Pentecostal or other traditional denominations.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness . . .” 2 Timothy 3:16

We, like the Corinthian Church, have been warned,

“Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Corinthians 4:6

The following sentence that Jesus said to his disciples shortly before he was crucified is astonishing,

“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

During the last hundred or so years there has been a new understanding of this verse and this has come not from liberal scholars but from those who do want to exalt the Lord Jesus. This itself can be a problem as this new understanding may gain a credence that it does not deserve. What is this modern teaching? It is that the church can and will do even greater miracles than Jesus did and these miracles will authenticate its ministry in an unbelieving world. We are told that the reason these miracles are not occurring more widely is because of a lack of faith and possibly sin. The new teachers will emphasise the next verse,

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” John 14:13

There have been some extreme doctrines derived from this verse such as the teaching that any Christian can ‘name it and claim it’. One preacher suggested people pray for a red Lamborghini car and then wait to see it appear. Some of the prevalent ‘Prosperity Gospel’ teachings are linked to this verse.

Attractions

Overlooking such extremes, we can surely accept that this doctrine is held today by some of the most enthusiastic branches of Christianity. Many contemporary Christians in traditional denominations feel disconnected from the vibrant, Spirit-filled ministries of the prophets and apostles described in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God delivered the people of Israel from Egypt through a chain of miraculous events. In the New Testament, those who watched the ministry of Jesus were seized with amazement at the miracles he performed (Luke 5:25), and didn’t the apostles in the early church regularly perform signs and wonders among the people (Acts 5:12). It is true that many of our dull and dreary churches often have little expectation of seeing God at work in a supernatural way and cannot appreciate the power the Living God still has and uses.

Christians all believe in a supernatural God who is able to do anything. It is impossible to be a Christian and not believe that God is the creator who made our universe out of nothing. All Christians have experienced a miracle in the new creation, our own rebirth spiritually; we now want to live for the glory of God and his Son and not for ourselves. God is clearly able to give people a red Lamborghini if he wishes. The question we must ask is whether this is what Jesus meant .

In support of this new view, it does seem to be the clearest basic interpretation of the text and the straightforward is the usual way to understand the meaning of Scripture. There is however always a danger of being over-literal. When Jesus referred to Herod as ‘that fox’ it is clear that we should not understand this literally. Christians are often asked,

“Do you take the Bible literally.”

A simple answer of ‘Yes, I do,’ or No, I don’t,’ will lead to many misunderstandings. It is much better to say,

“I take the Bible very seriously.”

We should wrestle with the text and try to understand what was originally being taught. Some people have tried to take the book of Revelation literally and this has resulted in some weird doctrines. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught by the Watchtower organisation that the 144,000 mentioned in chapter 7 is the literal number who will be with God in heaven. As the numbers of Jehovah’s witnesses has increased to many more than this number they have had to come up with new allocations, with much embarrassment. Their problem is accepting an over-literal interpretation of the meaning of the text.

Similarly a Roman Catholic will be told that at communion the wafer is transubstantiated into the body of Christ because of an over-literal interpretation of such texts as, ‘This is my body’ and ‘Unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you’ (John 6:53). They do this in spite of Jesus saying later in the chapter that he is speaking spiritually and not literally.

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63

Nicodemus made the mistake of understanding the words of Jesus, ‘You must be born again’ (John 3:3) in a literal sense but recognised that that was impossible. Jesus was talking about a spiritual restart or rebirth in which the new life centred on himself. Jesus wants us all to think clearly and take the true meaning of his words into our hearts; a literal adherence saves nobody.

The Problems

If this new interpretation is correct, we are all manifest failures. It is not just the evangelical churches who have failed, the Pentecostal churches have failed too. No churches are doing or have ever done greater miracles than Jesus did. Jesus raised the dead, all the sick who came to him were healed, he walked on water. His miracles were not performed in theatrical environments where peoples’ expectations and emotions have been raised using psychological techniques, they were real miracles where the laws of nature were broken during normal everyday existence and they were publicly acknowledged even by his enemies. It does look as if this modern interpretation is over the top, what Jesus did is not happening widely today. So often, when we pray for the miraculous, such as when a friend or member of the family falls serious ill, what we ask for does not happen.

Some have answered,

“Well, it did happen in the early church.”

At least this argument brings us onto common ground - the Word of God. We do have the infallible description of what happened in the early church in Acts chapters 1-28 and we have the letters of the apostles written at that time to see what their concerns were. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews summarised what happened when the church was being established,

“This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Hebrews 2:3-4

It is clear that the apostles were attested in their early proclamation of the gospel by their performing mighty signs and wonders.

However if you compare the four gospels with the book of Acts it is already clear that there was no comparison between the number and range of the miracles of Jesus and those of the apostles. The feeding of the five thousand, the healing of a man born blind, the walking on water and the raising of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, were out of this world. The miracles of the apostles largely copied those of Jesus. In a similar way the words of Jesus were incomparably greater than those of the apostles who largely recounted what Jesus had taught them. The temple guards were right when they reported back to the Chief Priest and Pharisees, after refusing to arrest Jesus,

“No-one ever spoke the way this man does.” John 7:46

The apostles did perform miracles but these were relatively few. They largely copied the miracles Jesus had performed and these were used by God to authenticate that they represented Jesus. It was the apostles, and not ordinary believers, who performed these miracles, a fact often overlooked.

“The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.” Acts 5:12

“The things that mark an apostle – signs wonders and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.” 2 Corinthians 12:12

Note that Luke and Paul and the writer of the letter to the Hebrews all speak of these miracles in the past tense and that they were performed by the apostles.

Other misunderstandings

Is there a way to be sure about the meaning of what Jesus said. For example, after his resurrection he entered the upper room, where the disciples were hiding and said to them,

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:22-23

On this verse the superstructure the Roman Catholic view of confession and absolution has been built. We can discover what Jesus meant by seeing how the disciples understood him. Did the apostles develop the practice of the ‘confessional’? There is not a shred of evidence to suggest they did. The apostles never gave people absolution from their sins in the way Catholic priests do. They simply shared with people the promises of God such as,

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has passed over from death to life.” John 5:24

So an important approach to understanding Biblical texts is to see how the apostles understood them. How did the apostles understand John 14:12? There is no impression from their actions or from their letters that they taught that Jesus’ followers would perform greater miracles.

Paul discussed the question of supernatural gifts in his letters to the troubled church at Corinth. There the ‘pseudo apostles’, who had great influence, were misleading the church. Paul wrote to bring them back to God’s truth from their extremes of extrovert showmanship. After chapter 12, which deals with spiritual gifts, he writes,

“And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1

He then gives us, not a purple passage to be used at so many wedding services, but a critique of a mystical religious life that has omitted the very essence of God, his love. The following famous passage is really a judgment of the Corinthian pseudo-spirituality.

“Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude,, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. . . “ 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

If you study the other epistles they are all about who Jesus is, the status of those who have become his followers and the kind of lifestyle he expects his followers to obey. There is no mention of Christians performing miracles in these new churches, and there is no expectation such things were to be expected. The power of the Spirit was to be demonstrated in a faith that changed lives. The fruit of the Spirit’s presence was to be ‘love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control’ (Galatians 5:22-23).

The role of the Spirit

So let us return to the text and see its context.,

“He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

This phrase, ‘I am going to the Father’, often appears in John’s gospel. A little later during this teaching session Jesus said,

“But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7

Jesus is making it clear that he must leave before the Holy Spirit can come. Jesus is saying that there was an ‘Age of Christ’ and an ‘Age of the Holy Spirit’. No-one believes that the age of the Holy Spirit is greater than the age of Christ, the Spirit always points people to Christ. Yet Jesus says that it is to our advantage that he goes away so that the Spirit may come. What will the Spirit do? Jesus continues,

“When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” John 16:8

There is an important point here. The Spirit will ‘convict the world of sin’. Jesus’ ministry was localised to Israel, the ministry of the Holy Spirit will be to the whole world. Jesus convinced a small number of sin. At his cross we only read of one man, a poor penitent robber who was convicted of his sin before God. The Spirit’s ministry was to be to the whole world. Just before his ascension he said to the disciples,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Luke wrote his history in two volumes, his gospel and the book of Acts. The first is about the life and teaching of Jesus and the second, the life and teaching of the early church as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. At the end of volume one, his gospel, the disciples are dispirited, they flee and hide behind locked doors. Jesus is left alone with just a few faithful women. This was a very tiny victory. At the end of volume two, Acts 28, Paul arrived in Rome, the centre of the whole of the civilised world. He was there under house arrest but many came to him and were converted. This is a vivid contrast, within about thirty years there is a mighty victory that has continued ever since, especially amongst Gentiles.

This contrast can be seen in the words Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple guard when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane,

“Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come to me with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour, when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:52-53

It appears that the forces of darkness, the forces of state and of religion have won as they chain Jesus up and lead him away to his execution. But on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to all Christ’s people, the powers of State, religion and paganism were broken.

No wonder Jesus said,

“It is for your good that I am going away.” John 16:7

When the Holy Spirit comes, he will do a greater work, largely through his church. This is not because the Holy Spirit is more powerful than Jesus, but because, in the plan of God, this was to be how God’s ministry to the world will work out. God has always intended to use his people to achieve his ends. Jesus was to initiate the process and be the Saviour, the Spirit would then promote Jesus to the whole world. Jesus could only be in one place, his Spirit is with all God’s people. This is surely a much ‘greater work’.

“He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

The meaning of ‘works’

The literal translation of the original Greek of John 14:12 reads,

“Truly, truly, I tell you, the [one] believing in me the works which I do that one also will do, and greater [than] these he will do, because I to the Father am going.”

Modern translations use the word ‘deeds’ instead of works. It is a shame that the Greek word erga is not translated uniformly throughout John’s gospel in many versions. The Revised Standard version does consistently translate it ‘works’. This word must surely refer to the extension of God’s kingdom on earth and not just to miracles. Let us briefly look at where this word is used elsewhere in John.

“But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John [the Baptist]; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent the Son.” John 5:36 RSV

Jesus expanded on John the Baptist’s message about the necessity of repentance, that is a personal turning back to God, but he also embodied God’s message, and this was supported by his ability to perform miracles.

“I told you, and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me.” John 10:25 RSV

Here again it is what Jesus said as well as his miracles that embodies his ‘works’.

“ . . . because I said ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father then do not believe me.” John 10:37 RSV

“If I had not done among them the works which no-one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” John 15:24 RSV

There is a Greek work, dunamis, from which we get our word ‘dynamite’, that is used elsewhere in the Bible for miracles, where the laws of nature are broken’. It would therefore appear that the word ‘works’ is a technical phrase summarising every aspect of the mission of the Lord Jesus into this world. It would appear to be an allusion to the great work of God in creating the world. He had sent his son to ‘remake’ his world. Genesis talks of God’s ‘creation’, John’s gospel talks of God’s ‘re-creation’.

The works of Christ are all the redeeming acts of Jesus to save mankind. These would include his teaching, his godly character as well as his miracles. The Father had sent him to do these works so we must not limit the works of Christ to his miracles. Miracles are a very real way he convinced the world that he alone was the Christ who had come to save people in the world from their sin. He stands out from everyone who has ever existed in having this power.

Throughout John, ‘the works’ of Christ are illustrated by the miracles. Jesus came to give himself, the ‘bread of life’ for people and he illustrated this by miraculously feeding the five thousand (John 6). He came to open the eyes of the spiritually blind and he illustrated this by healing the man born blind (John 9). He came to bring life to the spiritually dead and he proved his ability to do this by raising Lazarus from being physically dead.

There is a use of the word ‘works’ in John that is not associated with a miracle,

“My food is that I may do the will of the one having sent me and may finish of him the work.” John 4:34 [Literal translation of the Greek]

He had just been talking to the Samaritan woman, a foreigner, who was not a member of God’s kingdom, it was his work to bring her and her friends into God’s kingdom by believing in him. The work of the Father is to bring the gospel to the whole world.

Many churches are active in relieving social distress. This is not wrong if the priority is to introduce them to the Saviour of the world. But alas too often social work has become a substitute for gospel ministry. Early in his ministry Jesus was being pressurised to increase his healing ministry. After rising early one morning to pray he made a decision,

“Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38

Confusion abounds

The miracles that Jesus performed were astounding feats when the laws of nature, better called the Laws of God, were broken. It may seem like a miracle when a pain in the back or arm improves but, with time, that is normal. We must be honest and not fall for the modern propaganda of some sincere Christians. Some years ago we took out to lunch a young man who was to become President of his Christian Union. During the conversation he said that God had spoken to him and told him that everyone in his hall of residence was going to become Christian. He added that there were over a thousand in his hall! He saw the doubts cross my face and added,

“We believe in miracles. In our church the dead are raised, the blind see and the lame walk.”

When I asked him if he had witnessed any of these miracles he did admit that he had not, but added,

“I have been told, on good authority that these things are happening.”

Needless to say very few became Christians in his hall that year! Faith is never blind, it must be evidence based.

However the Lord is still a miracle working God. His nature has never changed. Just as he created this world miraculously so he can re-create us selfish people into his likeness and draw us into a loving fellowship with him, obeying his wishes. He can still break his own laws when and if he wants to. It is important to remember that no-one has ever matched the miracles of Jesus. We must always take seriously what Jesus did then. For some reason God is not readily doing these miracles today in our churches, not even in Pentecostal ones. There have been many proper studies that have shown this.

The danger is that we can be shy of talking about those extraordinary coincidences that the Lord is doing today. It was William Temple who was asked why he bothered to pray. He replied,

“I find that when I don’t pray, coincidences don’t happen; but when I do pray, coincidences do happen.”

As a result of prayer, amputated legs of humans appear not regrow today , the terminally ill with cancer are hardly ever raised from their death bed back to normal life. Too often enthusiastic Christians tend to forget those prayers that the Lord has not answered in the way we want. But the great work of God today is that he is still changing people miraculously and filling them with his Spirit.

A good example is the story of Joni, a paraplegic who broke her neck after diving into shallow water is Chesapeake Bay in the USA. She and others often prayed for a miraculous healing but God did not answer those prayers. Instead he enabled her to come to terms with her disability as the second volume of her biography clearly demonstrates, and she has helped many find a real relationship with God, the great work of God today.

Another great miracle will be when we are raised from the dead and given new bodies without our present disabilities – God has promised that we will see this. We do have a miracle working God, but he demands of us his followers that we remain honest and carefully work out what the Scriptures really teach.

Jesus was asked,

“What must we do to do the works God requires?’

He replied,

“The work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29

BVP

John 14:1-24. G od’s Love and Our Response

This passage is so key to understanding the Christian message that it bears a further look.

When I was at school, I longed to be one of those included in the inner circle, the ‘Options’ with their blue ties. Most of us have experienced what it is like to be left out of that inner circle. God has always been a God of love since before time. Incidentally, this is a very strong argument for the Trinity as love cannot exist without someone to love. The three persons of the Trinity have always loved each other with an eternal love, joy and peace and they spoke as one.

The Garden of Eden was primarily the first home of God on earth and he created man to share this with him, in this wonderful loving abode. The problem came when mankind turned its back on God’s love and as a consequence was expelled from this loving relationship. The third scene is the coming of the Lord Jesus to enable us to be restored into this circle of love with God. John wrote earlier,

“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

We can have a longing to be restored into this loving relationship. One of the Psalms talks about this longing,

“As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2

Augustine of Hippo, one of the greatest bible teachers, recognised that this desire is found in all people, and wrote,

“You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless till it finds its rest in you.”

Blaise Pascal was a great mathematician and philosopher. When just 30 years old, shortly after his Father had died, he had a remarkable experience of God that lasted for two hours. He immediately recorded this,

“FIRE.

GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob
not of the philosophers and of the learned.
Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.
GOD of Jesus Christ.
My God and your God.
Your GOD will be my God.
Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except GOD.
He is only found by the ways taught in the Gospel.
Grandeur of the human soul.
Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you.
Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy. . .”

For the first time he experienced something of what it meant to be admitted into this circle of God’s love and it changed his life. This sheet of paper was found sewn into the seam of his cloak when he died.

The context of John 14 is that Jesus has just told his disciples that he will soon be leaving them and they are distraught.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. As I have loved you . . .” John 13:33

The next three chapters record the intimate conversation Jesus had with his closest followers, just before his execution. Up to this point the disciples had experienced being within a loving circle that centred on Jesus, but now he was going to leave them. They believe him but do not understand. No wonder they are frightened and troubled.

Jesus reassures them that when he goes everything will change for the good. Indeed these improvements can only occur if he leaves them and these he enumerates.

1. The Promise of God John 14:1-10

Jesus does not want his followers to remain distraught.

“Do not let you hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1

He reassures them that he will continue to care for them although he is physically absent. This is yet another time when he equates himself with God. Because Jesus is about to be crucified, rise again and then ascend to heaven, they can be confident that all will work out for the best because he will remain in charge. Future security is a marvellous strength as we face the tensions of life.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. And I will go and prepare a place for you.” John 14:2-3

That is not all.

“I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

This is astounding. He has often talked about God being his Father but now he says he is going to prepare his Father’s home for them. He then says that it will be he who welcomes them and they will live there with him! For a Jew to speak in such a way,, equating himself with God is outrageous if he is not God.

It is only by his dying that the door to heaven can be opened for sinful people. Unless Jesus dies to pay for our sin, admission to this circle of God’s love would be impossible.

Thomas then expresses what most of the disciples were thinking.

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:5

Jesus has already told them in verse 2 that he is going to his Father’s house. Jesus was not talking about the temple, he was speaking about being in the presence of his Father. Jesus is making a profound point here. The only way into this circle of love is through having a relationship with himself. Religion cannot be a substitute for this, it must be personal. Judas Iscariot was shortly to illustrate this by walking out of this relationship with Jesus. Jesus answered Thomas’ question and all who have this desire to know the way back to God,

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know the Father as well. From now on you know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

Surely Jesus could not be clearer, yet at least one of the disciples still hadn’t understood. Philip replies,

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” John 14:8

So yet again Jesus spells out what he wants everyone to understand,

“Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?” John 14:9-10

If we belong to Jesus we need have no fear of the future with God because Jesus is God.

But there is more. The words that Jesus has given us all are extremely important for one reason,

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather it is the Father, living in me who is doing his work.” John 14:10

The ‘work’ of Jesus is a technical term and includes his love, his teaching, his character, his prophecies and his miracles, all of which reflect his heavenly Father. Jesus explains this when he mentions two of the aspects of his ‘work’, his words and his miracles.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”

We can trust the Word of Jesus because it is the Word of God.

2. The Privilege of Christians

As a result of Jesus returning to the Father, we, his followers, will be empowered to continue this ‘work’ of the Father. All Christians are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to this end. What a joy and privilege this is, that through us others may enter into this loving relationship with God.

“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

This is extraordinary. Jesus says that every believer will be gifted in this way, that means everyone who believes in Jesus. All Christians will see the ‘works’ of God being fulfilled through them. What is even more astounding is that these ‘works’ will be even greater in dimension than those that Jesus achieved. This is staggering teaching. The clue as to how this will be possible is explained,

“ . . . he will do even greater things than these , because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

It is as we pray for Christ to be glorified that God is glorified.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13

These are ‘the works’ that God wants to continue, the glorification of the Lord Jesus by every believer.

3. The Power of God

Surely this ‘work’ will be achieved by every Christian because every Christian has been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. At the time of our conversion to Christ, the beginning of the new life, this is the gift from God that we all receive.

“And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

“Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:2-3

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour . . .” Titus 3:5-6

Jesus later explained that unless he goes back to his Father, the Holy Spirit could not empower his people.

When Jesus returned to his Father he asked for this gift of the Holy Spirit to be given to his church so that those who love Jesus, a love revealed by our obedience to his wishes, can continue this ‘work’ of God. Without the determination to obey Jesus, which is called repentance, there can be no gift of the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth.” John 14:15

Jesus next explains that the Holy Spirit is also God. Just as the claims of Jesus were rejected by many, so will the Holy Spirit’s work, even though he is both the Spirit of truth and has such beneficial effects on those he indwells.

4. The Presence of God

What a great promise is given to the disciples and to every Christian. Just as Jesus and the Father are equated, so Jesus and the Holy Spirit are equated and what is astounding, Jesus says that this presence of God will be with us all too. We will be included in this loving relationship with the Trinity. We will not be left alone to glorify Christ.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me any more but you will see me.” John 14:19

This statement could either refer to his resurrection appearances that were just to his followers, or to his reappearance at the end of time but that would not be ‘before long’, or could refer to the effect the Holy Spirit has on enabling all Christians to see how God wants us to behave. These are all possible as Jesus continues to emphasise that this day will be associated with the realisation about who he is,

“On that day you will realise that I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14:20

Jesus then continues to make it abundantly clear that he is referring to all belonging to the Lord Jesus, the ‘whoever’ who are continuing his ‘works’.

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” John 14:21

Judas, (not Judas Iscariot) was still puzzled over who Jesus was talking about; was it just the twelve disciples or is this teaching for all his followers? Jesus replied,

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23

Jesus’ answer is no longer imprecise, he is referring to his coming to be with every believer, to the ‘anyone’s’ who hear him speak to them and respond. This is the secret coming into the heart of every believer. When Jesus returns in glory at his second coming he will then be seen and acknowledged by all, but for those not committed to Christ, that occasion will be too late.

Jesus then gives a warning that none of these privileges will be given to those who are not committed to following him, which is shown by the desire to complete ‘his works’ in this life.

“He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” John 14:24

The Lord is not interested in our religious affiliations or church membership. He wants us to know that people are only Christians if we love him and this will be seen in our obedience to what he teaches.

BVP

John 14:1-7. Only One Way

During an exclusive golf outing for top business and entertainment executives on October 9, 2006 Tiger Woods was put on the spot by another guest of Nike.

That day, 30 people gathered at the Trump golf course in Los Angeles for the 2006 “Tee It Up with Tiger Woods” event, which included a private golf session and lunch with the living legend. During the lunch, there was a question-and-answer session with Tiger. Most people asked about their swings or golf questions. However, one guest of Nike stood up and asked two questions:

“Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? And if not, prayerfully, would you?”

A source present at the lunch said later:

“You could have heard a pin drop. People were mortified. But Tiger was as unflappable as he is on the golf course.”

Tiger said,

“My father was a Christian—of course Christianity was part of my life. But my mother is Asian, and Buddhism was also part of my childhood. So I practice both faiths respectfully.”

In this passage Jesus has much to say about this very common view.

1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

The context was clear. The disciples were perplexed, in spite of three years training by Jesus. They had just been informed that one of their number would betray Jesus, that Peter would deny Jesus and, worst of all, that Jesus was shortly going to be killed. It is no wonder that the disciples were troubled. This section has much to say to all of us as we face problems of bereavement, or with families, money and jobs. Jesus says to us all, as he said to his disciples,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.” John 14:1

Although life will inevitably throw many awful situations at us, to some extent how these affect us will be in our hands. Jesus tells his disciples that they should remain in control and not allow circumstances to swamp them,

“Do not let . . .”

Jesus wants his followers to trust his words as what he says is utterly reliable – his words are the words of God. Jesus continues,

“Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1

He continues to reassure them with a glorious picture of what heaven will be like,

“In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

Whatever fears we may have now, there is a glorious certainty ahead for those who belong to Jesus. He has promised a certain, secure future for us and he wants all Christians to be certain of this.

Jesus clearly wants his disciples in all times to have a real experience of his love for us. We are not just to teach cold doctrine and moral behaviour. The Christian faith is about a living daily relationship with a very real person who loves us and who has prepared a safe future for us. How glorious this thought is.

This passage teaches us all three very unexpected truths.

1. Faith has an unexpected focus

Although the passage does tell us something about heaven and the fact that it is possible to be certain that that we will be going there, the real emphasis of what Jesus says is on himself. He is so egocentric which is extraordinary in someone so humble. Nowhere does Jesus come across as a teacher of morality, he has much more to say than just to tell people how to live better lives. He was constantly pointing people to himself. In the first four verses he uses the words ‘I’, ‘me’ or ‘my’ nine times.

a. Jesus puts himself in the centre of life

His emphasis to all of us is,

“Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1

Jesus puts himself alongside God!

A secretary was taken to church by her boss to hear a clear gospel message. As they left she wanted to reassure her boss,

“I do believe in God, you know! It is just that I am not sure where Jesus fits in.”

Jesus is saying that people don’t really believe in the true God if they do not believe in him. Jesus had repeatedly explained,

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

Jesus’ central theme is not that there is a real after-life but that he and he alone is the only way to get there.

b. Jesus will be the centre of the next life

When Jesus talks about the home in heaven that awaits his people, the striking feature is who the focus will be in heaven. It will be himself!

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

The use of the phrase ‘I am’ is yet another instance where Jesus uses the name of God and applies it to himself.

c. Jesus is the only way

Thomas, in his usual blunt way does not understand what Jesus says about the next world,

“You know the place where I am going.” John 14:4

He seems to think that Jesus is talking about going somewhere in this world and responds,

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way.” John 14:5

Thomas is so like many today, who do not understand that this world and our short existence on it is just a preparation for eternity. As Jesus has been repeatedly saying to everybody, the only way into the real world, into God’s kingdom, is through following him. Jesus replies,

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

In the early church, Christianity was sometimes referred to as ‘The Way’ (Acts 9:2, 19:9,23). They knew that there was no other route back to God. In today’s world where people think it is possible to have their own personal thoughts that they call ‘truths’ Jesus reminds us that there is only one ultimate truth, that is God himself. All ideas that are true must be compatible with him. When Jesus claims to be ‘the truth’ he is again saying to the thinkers and philosophers of this world, ‘I am God’. The only way to experience eternal life as well as ‘life to the full’ is in living closely with him.

This has always been what Christians have taught. Jesus is the great ‘I am’. A few months later, after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, Peter and John were on trial before the very court that had arranged for the execution of Jesus. There, at great risk to himself, Peter announced just what Jesus had taught them,

“Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Romans 4:12

Faith in Jesus is not an option, it is vital for our eternal salvation. He is the only way to God because he is God in the flesh – no other religious leader or prophet can or even dares to claim that! Jesus continued,

“If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:7

This centrality of Jesus is the test of orthodoxy in our churches. Abraham Colfe was vicar of Lewisham from 1610 to 1657. He founded Colfe's School and instituted an annual sermon to teach the pupils God’s word. This sermon was to last one hour! Recently the preacher spoke on,

“How to use your talents to get on in life.”

A person with no faith or holding to another faith could speak to that! In the gospels the parable of the talents has nothing to say about being a success in this world but urges everyone to use responsibly what we have been given now because the time will come when we will all have to give an account to God for how we have lived. A Christian sermon must always lead up to the importance of Jesus, the Christ, God’s chosen king.

There have always been people who have sought experiences of God using mystical techniques. Over the centuries, since introduced by the ancient Greeks, a wide variety of drugs have been used to enhance such pseudo-experiences. Philip, one of the two disciples with a Greek name, says to Jesus,

“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” John 14:8

Jesus’ reply is so clear,

“Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me?” John 14:9-10

To demote Jesus to being a great prophet, as the Qur’an does, or to being a minor god, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons do, is to turn away from what Jesus clearly teaches about himself. Jesus is adamant that what he says about himself is God’s truth. He continues,

“The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather it is the Father, living in me who is doing his work.”

2. Faith must be rational

There are those around who say, perhaps rather condescendingly,

“It must be nice to have a faith like yours but for me there is just not enough evidence.”

Jesus is saying that all people should believe in him because of the evidence. Subjectively, what he teaches resonates with with what we know to be true about life and in our consciences. Honesty, love and integrity do matter and we all know that when God examines our lives we have all fallen woefully short of his standards. We really do need the forgiveness that only Jesus can give us. Objectively there is the evidence for the life, miracles and resurrection of Jesus. Furthermore there are all the prophecies about the coming Messiah given in the Old Testament. We are told where he will be born, his family line, many specific details about his life, how he will die and that he will die to carry the responsibility for the sins of many people. Their presence is miraculous. Jesus affirms that there are many convincing reasons for our believing, but his teaching is primary.

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” John 14:11

The Greeks word that is translated here as ‘miracles’ usually has a wider meaning of ‘deeds’. We will spend some time next week looking at what these deeds are.

3. Faith must be productive

There is an awful doctrine going around that says that people are saved by being ‘Christian’, and by this they meant being formally accepted into the church through baptism and holding to the tenets of the Christian faith. The Bible teaches that this is not true. Faith must be productive, it must result in changed lives, lives that are now centred on living to please the Lord Jesus. The apostle James reminds us,

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

Jesus also stresses that faith in him will become life-changing. Jesus’ priorities will become ours. As he lived, so will we.

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

This begs the question, what was it that Jesus was ‘doing’. He certainly cared for those with problems, the poor and the sick, but the main purpose of his life was to teach people the way to get right with God and how to experience God’s power in their lives. Early in his ministry when he was becoming inundated with requests for healing, he went off early one morning to pray, and then announced to his disciples,

“Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38

Consequently this must also be the priority of Christ’s church.

The next phrase is remarkable although it has recently been misunderstood,

“He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

Some have used this verse to suggest that the church will be able to do greater healing miracles than Jesus performed. This is patently untrue. No-one ever has or ever will match Jesus’ healings. The dead were raised, the paralysed walked, and the congenitally blind saw. What Jesus is surely talking about is the prime purpose of his coming and the prime purpose of his church, to share his gospel around the world. In this and in no other area has the church been more effective than Jesus. The purpose of the church is not just to heal the sick, dig wells, feed the hungry and satisfy social needs, but through all that we do and say, to give glory to God and teach people the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” John 14:13

The purpose of our lives should be to bring glory to the Father. God wants to be intimately involved with us, as we live for him. As we face the daunting task of explaining the importance of Jesus to those who, at least outwardly, don’t appear to be interested, we have the guarantee that God is also at work supporting and applying what we say and do. He will not answer any prayers, such as a request for a red Ferrari, but he is active in making himself known.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14

This verse is so often taken out of context. We will not be given whatever we ask for, but he is intimately involved in what is ‘asked in his name’, that is asked for him.

4. Faith is very attractive

Professor Budzisewski was an atheist academic who found there were arguments to debunk almost everything. He had had no experience of God and he certainly couldn’t prove his existence so that concept was rejected. He found no basis for moral values so they had to go too. He then realised that his nihilism had left him with nothing, but in his heart of hearts he knew that honesty, integrity, beauty and kindness were real The only way he could reconcile this dilemma was to put God back in the centre, with him everything made sense. He then realised that he fell far short of God’s standards and that he needed Jesus. He became a Christian. He has described this change in some of his YouTube lectures that are well worth listening to.

Jesus says to his disciples,

“I am going there to prepare a place for you . . .” John 14:2

Jesus says that he cares for us and all our problems and in the end everything will work out well for those who are his people. He deals with the big questions of life such as, ‘Where did I come from?’, ‘Where am I going?’, ‘What is the purpose of my life?’, ‘Is there a God?’. People want to know the answers to these questions and it is surely wrong to inhibit youngsters in our schools from asking them.

Jesus can give us real answers to such questions because he is ‘the truth’ (John 14:6). He answers such questions head on. Reading through John’s gospel will confirm that he doesn’t avoid them.

Some try to counter Jesus’ claims by saying that in practice he is a killjoy and that becoming his disciple will be the start of a boring routine life with no excitement. This is a lie from the devil of the worst kind. He makes sin seem attractive but its joys are very short term and always result in harming us. In one way or another Jesus countered it head on,

“The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:10

Satan’s temptations attract us because we covet what others seem to have. We imagine, then dream and finally put our dreams into reality. We steal others’ reputations and belongings, we chase illicit sexual relationships and think that worrying about ourselves is the way to keep ourselves safe. Yet all these temptations are destructive. In contrast, to live for the glory of our maker and redeemer, is a thrilling life now and will have its eternal rewards. If we listen to the thief, we will find that he has stolen what we most long for, he actually steals eternal life from us. His way is the road to disappointment and regret, yet we still listen to him again and again.

If we think as God thinks, that is evidence that we are on ‘the Way’, that we are truly Christians. We know the truth and are walking in it, we are no longer in the dark.

A candidate in Freemasonry is told to knock on the door, with his clothes in a funny state and say,

“I knock as a poor candidate in a state of darkness.”

No Christian can say these words. We are not in a state of darkness, the light has shone into our lives and this is the light we live by.

5. Faith brings unexpected unpopularity

There are some in our churches who love to preach an inclusive gospel, stressing that because God is a God of love he will not reject anybody. Such people love the idea,

“In my Father’s house there are many rooms . . .” John 14:2

A preacher on the radio gave a very moving talk based on the first part of verse 6,

“I am the way, the truth and the life . . .”

But he failed to mention the second half of the verse, probably because he knew that many will baulk at what Jesus goes on to say,

“No-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6b

If we don’t accept the second part of the verse, we do not believe the first.

There are too many funerals of those who have rejected the rule of the Lord Jesus during their lives where the minister will try to comfort the relatives with words such as,

“He has now gone to a better place.”

Jesus warned us that there are only two destinations after we die. After we have faced God’s judgment, our fate is either heaven or hell. Heaven is reserved for those who love God’s Messiah and have followed him. Being religious is no substitute. Jesus forewarned us that religion saves nobody when he said,

“Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out many demons and perform many miracles?’ then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.’” Matthew 7:21-23

Some will respond to this message by saying,

“That may be what you think but I have my own truths - I think differently.”

Jesus replies to such people with a warning,

“I am the truth.” John 14:6

Every area of life depends on objective truth. In medicine, it is known that we need to find the true diagnosis for symptoms in order to give the optimal treatment. In law, witnesses must swear to tell the truth as that is what the court is trying to discover. In science we are trying to unravel the truth about our material world. Existentialists claim that everything is relative and that truth is my truth. Try saying to a policeman who has stopped you for speeding at 50 miles an hour in a 30 mph limit,

“That’s just your interpretation of speed!” and see where it gets you.

Try repeating that to the judge and he will not be pleased. In God’s court, to try and plead ignorance or to reject the validity of what he says can only be treason.

Jesus claims to be the only way to enjoy the favour of God. He allows no compromise with non-Christian religions. He claims to be the unique Son of God and the only person who can save us for eternity. It is he who says, ‘Follow me.”

BVP

John 13-17. Jesus’ final instructions

As D. L. Moody, the American evangelist, walked down a Chicago street one day, he saw a man leaning against a lamppost. The evangelist gently put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked him if he was a Christian. The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed,

“Mind your own business!”

“I'm sorry if I've offended you,” said Moody, “but to be very frank, that IS my business!”

At the conclusion of his gospel, Matthew summarised the business of the church, it is called ‘the Great Commission’,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

John gives us an extended version of Jesus’ final instructions in John chapters 13-17. Immediately after this Jesus goes out to his death. They are therefore a very significant section for the church to understand.

Jesus teaches

He reminds his disciples that their task was to let all men know about him,

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34

Jesus reminds them that his service would not be easy. He says to Peter,

“Will you really lay down your life for me?” John 13:38

Jesus goes on to reassure his followers that they should not be worried about the opposition their service to him will cause, because he cares for them.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1

Jesus then emphasises that he has come that all kinds of people may have eternal life. He had not come just for the disciples, he has come for all people, the ‘no-ones’ and ‘anyones’ of this world.

“No-one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9

“Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.” John 14:12

Jesus then says something most significant,

“He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

Jesus came to share the gospel with humanity and this is the only ‘greater thing’ that his followers have ever done. No man has done greater miracles than Jesus but we can and do share the gospel with those around us and lead people to Christ.

To obey the commands of Jesus is essential and Jesus keeps repeating this. It may be daunting, but we are promised help to fulfil his command,

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth.” John 14:15

Then Jesus teaches that he wants his people to ‘bear fruit’,

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit.” John 15:1

How are we to bear fruit? A clue is given is a subsequent verse,

“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” John 15:3

That is what the church has been commissioned to do – to share the word of God with those around us.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8

God’s words are not to be static within us but shared, that is how people are won for Christ. There is no greater joy than seeing a friend turn to Christ and then to see their life turned round as they live for him. Jesus clearly recognises this,

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11

The fruit Jesus is talking about here is not the internal ‘fruit of the Spirit’ we read about in Galatians 5:22-23, but winning others for Christ. God’s people must go out from their comfort zone to obtain this fruit

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” John 15:16

The book of Acts confirms that God’s people would be dispersed to share the word of God with others. Often their message, their teaching, would not be well received,

“If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. . . Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” John 15:18-20

The church must teach the world the Word of God. Jesus was primarily persecuted because of what he said and this will be true for his followers. If we say nothing, but just live good lives, there will be very little persecution. It is the claims of Christ that are offensive to those of the world.

The meaning of Jesus in this section, that Christians must testify about Jesus, supported by the role of the Holy Spirit is again made clear,

“When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27

One of key features that will keep people walking closely with Christ is the determination to witness for him, whatever the cost,

“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” John 16:1

After Jesus left this world he gave his church his Spirit who was given to help in this work of sharing the gospel throughout the world.

“When he comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin because men do not believe in me . . .” John 16:8

Jesus Prays

At the end of this teaching Jesus prayed and again this prayer shows Jesus’ great concern. He first prays for the disciples,

“For I gave them the words you gave me . . . they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father protect them by the power of your name . .” John 17:11

That the Word of God Jesus shared with his disciples was not to be kept to themselves is clear,

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them.” John 17:14

Then again comes the clear reminder what Jesus is saying to his followers,

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” John 17:18

It is the word of God that all Christians must share with others around us. Some will be called to travel afar but all are called to share the gospel.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. . . May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me.” John 17:20-21

This is the prime function of the church, to share the Word of God with others around so that we may all become united in the service of God.

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23

The greatest concern of Jesus is that there are many people who do not know the good news God wants us to share with all people. Jesus finishes his prayer with the reminder that the message God has shared with us will continue to be shared with others.

“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” John 17:26

Foot washing

If this way of understanding these chapters of John is correct, why does Jesus begin by washing his disciples feet?

In the mid 1950s Alan Paton wrote a book, ‘Ah, but your land is beautiful’, which is about the apartheid problems in South Africa. He wrote this soon after the dreaded ‘Pass Laws’ were introduced in 1952. This law made it a criminal offence for blacks not to carry identity Documents and prevented free movement. Paton was a courageous writer, better known for the more famous ‘Cry the beloved country’. The following is an excerpt from ‘Ah, but your land is beautiful.’

“One week before Christmas, a pastor, Isaiah Buti, has invited a white supreme court justice to visit his church where one of his servants was a member. On the evening before Good Friday, Judge Olivier set out privately for the Holy church of Zion in Bokabela. He parked his car near the church and set out to walk the short distance. The judge was welcomed at the door by Mr. Buti and was taken to a seat at the back of church.

“I am sorry to put you at the back, Judge, but I don’t want Martha to see you.”

He began to speak.

“Brothers and sisters, this is the night of the last supper. And when the supper was over, Jesus rose from the table and put a towel round himself, as I do now, in remembrance. Hannibal Mofferking, I ask you to come forward.”

The old woman was brought forward by her son Jonathan, himself a white haired man of seventy, and Mr Buti washed her feet, dried them and asked her to go in peace. Then he called for Esther Maloi, a crippled child, who was brought forwards in her chair, and then called for his own daughter Maloi Buti, who washed and dried her feet. Then both girls were told to go in peace.

“Martha Fonteyne, I ask you to come forward.”

So Martha Fonteyne, who thirty years earlier had gone to work in the home of the newly married advocate Olivier of Bloemfontein and had gone with him to Cape town and Pretoria, where he had become a judge, and returned with him to Bloemfontein where he became Justice of the Appellate Court, now left her seat to walk to the chair before the altar. She walked with her head downcast as becomes a modest and devout woman, conscious of the honour that had been done to her by the Rev. Isaiah Buti, and then she heard him call out the name of Jan Christian Olivier, and though she was herself silent, she heard the gasp of the congregation as the great judge of Bloemfontein then walked up to the altar to wash her feet. Then Mr. Buti gave the towel to the Judge, and the Judge, as the Word says, girded himself with it, and took the dish of water and knelt at the feet of Martha Fonteyne. He took her right foot in his hands and washed it and dried it with a towel. Then he took her other foot in his hands and washed it and dried it with a towel. Then he took both her feet in his hands, with gentleness, for they were no doubt tired with much serving, and he kissed them both.

The Martha Fonteyne and many others in the Holy church of Zion fell aweeping in that holy place. The judge gave the towel and the dish to Mr Buti who said,

“Go in peace.”

Mr Buti put the shoes back on the woman’s feet and said to her also,

“Go in peace.”

And she returned to her place in a church silent except for those who wept.

“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1

Jesus knew the time for his death was fast approaching, and that this would entail pain, agony and humiliation. However before describing Jesus’ final instructions and prayer he first tells this strange story of the washing of his disciples’ feet. John is the only gospel writer not to include an account of that last supper on which our communion services are based. It is as if he is saying that what Jesus taught is more important than rituals.

So what are we meant to learn from this story?

1. Christ’s staggering love

The chapter begins,

“He now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1

But then comes a blast of cold air. The very next verse tells of Judas’ determination to betray Jesus.

“The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.” John 13:2

This is followed by a wonderful verse that describes how Jesus remains confident that his Father is in control, whatever opposition he faced.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” John 13:3

This is what it means to live by faith. Jesus knew exactly who he was, which makes his humiliating, self effacing action so astonishing – at first. His humility was so much greater than that of Judge Jan Christian Olivier because of who he is.

Notice how John has sandwiched Judas’ treachery in between an account of Jesus’ love (verse 1) and Jesus’ power (verse 3). This emphasises the horror of anyone rejecting Jesus and his love. Jesus was not insecure at all, so he was able to cope with immense humiliation.

So Jesus takes off his cloak and wraps a towel around his waist. Talk of embarrassment! Those disciples couldn’t have known where to look as their Creator, Sustainer, Saviour and Lord washes their dusty toes. Washing of feet was specifically excluded from the duties of Jewish slaves and was seldom even asked of Gentile slaves. People usually kept their shoes on.

This action of Jesus describes what genuine godly power does with its power – it serves. Jesus loves and serves. He clearly want those with authority in his church not to lord it over others but to be their servants.

If it was impressive for a Supreme Court Judge to wash an employee’s feet, how much more impressive it is for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to get on his knees to serve his disciples. It goes beyond words. No wonder the disciples were confused.

When proud Peter is approached by Jesus he says,

“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” John 13:6

Jesus insists but adds that the problem Peter has is because of his limited understanding!

Peter is stubborn,

“No! You shall never wash my feet.” John 13:8

But Jesus lovingly persists,

“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8

The point is clear. All people need to be washed of the effects and penalty of sin if they are to be in God’s kingdom. Being a church member and using religious words is no guarantee that someone has been washed of their sin. Peter’s pride had again got the better of him.

I was talking with a man at a funeral recently when he arrogantly said,

“I don’t need God’s forgiveness!”

So proud yet so wrong!

Mohammed Ali had just won another World Boxing Championship and was returning home by plane. An air stewardess politely said to him,

“You need to fasten your safety belt, Sir.”

Ali replied,

“Superman don’t need no safety belt.”

To this the stewardess politely responded,

“Superman don’t need no plane either. Please fasten your seatbelt!”

Peter is still confused, he suggests that if Jesus insists on washing him he wants his hands and head washed as well. This suggests that Peter is at last grasping that something symbolic is going on here. Jesus confirms this when he says,

“A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” John 13:10

This last phrase was a reference to Judas, who was about to betray Jesus. The point is that when we come to the Lord Jesus and ask him to be our Lord and Saviour, we are baptised. We are symbolically washed completely clean of our sin. We are made righteous in God’s eyes. Jesus has taken all our sin on that cross.

Jesus’ washing of his disciples feet would have been messy, with muddy splashes on the towel, possibly his clothes and the floor. It is a picture of the messy business Jesus was about to go through, when he accepted all of sin’s hatred and dirt onto himself as he died. He literally became the world’s greatest sinner ever known, and he willingly did that for you and me.

But when we have been accepted by Christ, by becoming Christians, God sees us as having Christ’s righteousness. The Lord Jesus has done something for us that we could never do for ourselves. He gave us his righteousness when he took our sin. Now that is real love!

2. Washed for service

Christ has washed us so that we can serve others.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

Does Jesus mean us to go around ritually washing feet? Ironically a foot washing ceremony can represent the opposite to what Jesus intended – it can reinforce the superiority of a religious hierarchy, in a perverse sort of way. Surely Jesus is saying that we also must sacrificially love others.

One of the first children’s camps I went to as a leader made a great impression on me. At the pre-camp meeting of all the leaders, the various responsibilities for the camp were shared out. ‘Who would lead the swimming?’ Several volunteered. Who would lead and help with the various sports. There was even more enthusiasm for these roles. ‘I’m afraid we have another job that is important. Who will be responsible for cleaning the toilets?’ There was no response; all of us looked down at the floor! Then the most senior man present, the minister of a very prestigious university church, said simply,

“I’ll do that.”

Jesus surely wants us to look in the mirror. How do I measure up to verse fifteen?

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

We shouldn’t look at the floor or look at others. I must ask, ‘What am I doing?’ But how do I know if I have a servant attitude?’ The answer is simple,

“How do I react when I am treated like one?”

Ouch!

What enabled Jesus to behave as a slave to other people? His outlook was determined by the way he thought.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” John 13:3

Jesus knew who he was and that he was safe in his Father’s hands in every situation. But haven’t we been given the very same security?

Do I come to church to get or to give? It is noticeable that those who give the most are always the ones who are most satisfied with a church. Sometimes people will say,

“I left that church or group because it wasn’t meeting my needs.”

How sad that is, for it demonstrates a wrong attitude. Do we ensure we are early at church to set up, to welcome others and to pray. Do we stay on later to serve the church and others needs? Am I giving generously of the income God has given me? Do I use the home God has given me to welcome and get to know others? Judas cared greatly for money and for this betrayed the person who loved him the most. If we understand Jesus’ love, there will be no limits on our love for one another.

3. Why are feet significant?

Why did Jesus wash the feet and not the disciples’ hands or lips? What is the significance of feet? Is there more to this story than demonstrating humility? Jesus hints that there is more.

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

Looking at other Biblical references to feet should give us a clue.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace and bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.” Isaiah 52:7

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

“As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:15

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

Clearly feet symbolise going out with the gospel.

There is another reference to feet in the New Testament that at first seems strange. In order for widows to go on the roll of those supported by the local church they had to meet various criteria.

“No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good 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 5:9-10

Why should a widow do what no slave was expected to do? Why should it be the feet of Christians and not other people? In the light of these other references to feet in the Bible, this all makes sense. They are to be known for supporting gospel ministry, even when it hurts.

Chapters 13 to 17 of John’s gospel describe Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples before his death. He is preparing them for their lifelong mission – to represent him to the world. They are to become the servants of others and so share with others the good news of salvation through Christ. He wants you and me to be clean, he wants our feet to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel; Christ wants his people to be those who readily pass on the good news about Jesus.

Are you saved?

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, evangelist and founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, told a simple story from his life. It seems that one day Dr. Chafer was walking along the street when he encountered a flagman sitting in a little house at a railroad crossing. He noticed that the man was reading a large family Bible. Though a sign on the door said, "No Admittance," Dr. Chafer went boldly through the door to greet the man. In reply to a question from Dr. Chafer, the man said that he read the Bible a lot. So Chafer asked a second question; one most people are too timid to ask these days;"Are you saved?"

The answer of the flagman carries the sentiments of many:

"I never could be good enough to be saved."

Dr. Chafer countered,

"Friend, if God would make an exception of your case, and give you salvation outright as a gift, would you receive it?"

"Mister," the flagman replied, "I don't know what brand of fool you think I am that I wouldn't take a gift like that!"

Chafer asked the flagman to read John 10:28. It took the man awhile to find the passage, but then he read,

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish..."

Then Chafer directed him to Romans 6:23, where he read,

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The flagman was amazed. He said to Dr. Chafer,

"Stranger, I don't know who you are, but you've done more for me today than any other man."

Chafer crisply replied,

"What have I done for you? I've got you in a trap. You told me that if it was a gift, you'd accept it. Now, what are you going to do about that?"

"I will accept it right now," the flagman responded. And he did. Dr. Chafer prayed with him and left.

That is the simplicity of the gospel. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 1.

Fear says, "How will I be received? I may not know what to say. I may make a mistake, I may drive them away. I may foul up." The one word used most in these fear-rooted statements is "I." Fear is centered in self. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that pride is at the root of fear. There is no fear in love. You are not afraid of a person you love. When you love Jesus and people, you will do your best to lead them to Him.

"I don't want to get involved with people anymore. Every time I do, I get hurt," some will say. Indeed, involvement with people sometimes brings pain, but who do we think we are to be exempt from pain? The Lord we profess to follow became totally involved with people to the extent that it killed Him! The servant is not greater than his Master. If we follow Him, we will risk being hurt to share Him and glorify Him.

Never forget that those without Christ are in a desperate situation, regardless of how comfortable or prosperous they may appear on the outside. People usually can't extricate themselves from desperate situations. They need help. They need someone to intervene. Without the loving intervention of someone, the situation is unlikely to change.

Intervention is necessary to reach others for Christ. Unless a Christian cares enough to take a chance in sharing the Gospel of Christ, the lost will likely die without hope, separated from God. There is always risk involved when you share Jesus. But agape love and trust in the Holy Spirit will enable the Christian to exercise the intervention of personal witnessing.

I'll never forget what an emergency nurse told me one day: "I want to thank you for teaching me how to share Jesus. Reaching those who don't know Christ reminds me of doing CPR in the emergency room. My ER training tells me that when they bring in a patient who's not breathing and whose heart isn't beating, Do something! Even if you don't know what to do. Do something! If you don't, they're gone."

Even when we're not sure of what to do, we must trust the Holy Spirit and love enough to intervene. Sharing Christ is vital to those around us.

Our Daily Bread, May 8, 1995

Cedarville College president Paul Dixon tells the story of a high school girl who was in the audience several years ago when he was speaking about the need to tell others about Christ. As she listened, she decided she wanted to make a difference in her high school. She asked God to give her an opportunity.

The next day at school, one of her teachers who was fed up with the way things were going walked into his classroom and said, "I've had it. I'm tired of the hassle of teaching kids who don't have any respect. If any of you can tell me what life is all about and what our purpose is, go ahead."

Surprised, the girl raised her hand and explained that she had found answers to those questions in Jesus Christ. The teacher, who was an agnostic, invited her to stay after class and explain her beliefs. When she suggested that he attend an evangelistic meeting, he agreed. That Friday night he put his trust in Jesus as Savior, and today he's active in Christian service.

A Challenge

As a Christian, do you know how to communicate the message of Christ to the different audiences you encounter? Or do you use the same old formula time after time, no matter who is listening? For that matter, do you remain silent when you have the opportunity to speak up for Christ, because you simply don't know what to say?

Paul had no prepackaged gospel message. He varied his approach with the situation. He was as aware of the differences between his audiences as he was of the content of his faith. Acts records numerous encounters, among them:

1, Jews in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:14-43). Paul reviewed the history of the Jewish faith, summarizing it from the Old Testament (vv. 17-22). He told how that history led to Jesus (vv. 23-37). He pointed out his audience's need to accept Jesus as their Messiah (vv. 38-41). He responded to their resistance by clearly explaining the alternative (vv. 46-48).

Result: Many chose to follow the way of Christ (v. 43). Others reacted negatively and opposed Paul (v. 45). Troublemakers incited city leaders to persecute Paul and his companions (v. 50).

2. Intellectuals at Athens (17:16-33). Paul prepared by observing and reflecting on their culture (v. 16). He addressed them on their own turf, the Areopagus (vv. 19, 22). He established common ground, beginning with what was familiar and meaningful to them (vv. 22-23a, 28). He bridged to a description of God as the Creator and sustainer of life, distinguishing Him from the pagan idols that the Athenians worshiped (vv. 23b-29). He challenged them to repentance and appealed to the resurrection of Christ as proof that what he was telling them was true (vv. 30-31).

Result: Some mocked (v. 32). Some wanted to hear more (v. 32). Some believed (vv. 34-35).

3. An angry mob in Jerusalem (21:27-22:21). Paul built a bridge by reminding them of his own Jewish heritage (21:30). He reminded them that he, too, had once detested Jesus' followers; in fact, he had persecuted them (22:4-5). He explained the process by which he had changed his mind and joined a movement that he once opposed (vv. 6-17).

Result: Already at fever pitch (21:27-30), the crowd erupted violently, demanding Paul's death (22:22-23).

4. High officials in a Roman court (26:1-32). Paul described his religious heritage (vv. 4-5). He related his view of his opponents' charges against him (vv. 6-8). He recalled his previous opposition to Jesus' followers (vv. 9-11). He recounted his own life-changing encounter with Christ (vv. 12-19). He explained the fundamentals of Jesus' message and the implications for his non-Jewish listeners (vv. 20-23).

Result: The rulers listened carefully (vv. 24, 31-32). They challenged his application of the gospel to them (vv. 24, 28). They passed him on in the Roman judicial process, thereby foiling a Jewish plot against him (vv. 31-21).

The gospel itself is forever the same, but as Christ's followers we are called to shape our message to fit our various audiences. How do your coworkers and friends differ from each other? What effect should that have on your life and message for them? What aspects of the good news would they most likely respond to? Do you know how they view faith? Why not ask them&md;before you speak?

Gen. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, could never be accused of mincing words or doing things half-heartedly. He believed if he could hold each of his young Salvation Army officers over hell for a few minutes, he would never have any trouble keeping them motivated about being witnesses to Christ.

The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 202

A man once testified in one of D. L. Moody's meetings that he had lived "on the Mount of Transfiguration" for five years. "How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?" Moody bluntly asked him. "Well," the man hesitated, "I don't know." "Have you saved any?" Moody persisted. "I don't know that I have," the man admitted. "Well," said Moody, "we don't want that kind of mountaintop experience. When a man gets up so high that he cannot reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong."

Moody's Anecdotes, pp. 73-74

A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him.

So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do.

"Well," said the chaplain, "you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don't provoke them."

For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked &md;

"By the way, did you take my advice?"

"I did, for two or three nights."

"How did it work?"

"Well," said the young man, "I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed."

"Well," asked the chaplain, "How did that work?"

The young soldier answered: "We have a prayer meeting there now every night, and three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest."

Oh, friends, I am so tired of weak Christianity. Let us be out and out for Christ; let us give no uncertain sound. If the world wants to call us fools, let them to it. It is only a little while; the crowning day is coming. Thank God for the privilege we have of confessing Christ.

BVP

1. Darrell W. Robinson, ‘People Sharing Jesus’, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995, pp. 86-87

John 13:18-35. Such Extraordinary Love

Christians have been told by the Lord Jesus,

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

In his book ‘Mere Christianity’, C.S. Lewis wrote,

“Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour, act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets of life. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.”

A wife came into the office of George Crane who was both a newspaper columnist and a minister. She was full of hatred toward her husband saying,

“I do not only want to get rid of him, I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he hates me.”

Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan,

“Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you've convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Then tell him that you're getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.”

With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed,

“Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!”

And she did it with enthusiasm, acting “as if” she loved him. For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, sharing. When she didn't return, Crane called.

“Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?”

“Divorce?” she exclaimed. "Never! I discovered I really do love him."

Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often repeated deeds.

The actions of Jesus showed his love. The disciples were in the upper room to celebrate the Passover meal. Jesus has symbolically washed his disciples feet and then asked them,

“Do you understand what I have done for you?” John 13:12

The washing of feet is not just a sign of humility to others, a reminder that Jesus wants to keep us clean from sin, it is also a sign that we should all support gospel ministry. Jesus then reveals what is deep in his heart; he addresses his followers who are to continue his work,

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

Jesus is about to send his people out into the world with a message to share; both their demeanour of service and the content of what they say are vital,

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:16-17

Real love is really practical. When we love our emotional feelings will change. This was demonstrated to us by the Lord Jesus and his extraordinary love for Judas Iscariot.

Love Demonstrated

At this point the Jesus must have felt very hurt as he knew that one of those present would not be blessed by God.

“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfil Scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’” John 13:18

By quoting the Old Testament Jesus yet again affirms that its authority is from God. Yet the quote is very interesting. It is from a Psalm written by David when he was feeling weak and in deep trouble, yet he knew that the Lord was with him.

“Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble” Psalm 41:1

This beautiful Psalm is often taken to be a reminder that the Lord is always with all of those who are faithful to him and whatever the enemy’s weapons, whether slander, lies or gossip, the man of integrity will be preserved. However Jesus clearly understands this psalm in a more specific way. He thinks it is talking about what would happen to him, the Son of David.

“The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; and he will bless him in the land and will not surrender him to the desire of his foes.” Psalm 41:2

David recognised that even those who had sinned could be restored. Jesus must have been greatly comforted by this as he was about to take responsibility on himself for the sins of the whole world.

“I said, ‘O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.’ My enemies say to me in malice, ‘When will he die and his name perish?’” Psalm 41:4-5

Jesus’ enemies wanted to do away with him and his teaching and let his name pass into oblivion but the Lord will not allow this. The enemies of both David and Jesus, with their devious techniques, did seem to have the upper hand,

“Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then one goes out and spreads it abroad. All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me . . .” Psalm 41:6-7

Yet both David and his greater offspring have not been forgotten.

What hurt David more than anything was that his close colleague, Ahithophel, who had a place at David’s dining table, had later turned his back on the king and became a supporter of Absolom when he tried to take the throne from his father David (2 Samuel 15:12). Ahithophel was possibly the grandfather of Bathsheba. He had a son, Eliam, who, together with Uriah the Hittite, was a member of the Thirty Club, the elite leaders of Israel (See 2 Samuel 11:3 and 2 Samuel 23:34 and 39). Eliam had a daughter called Bathsheba. Ahithophel later hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23-24), in the same way that Judas was to end his life.

It is likely that David was talking about the Ahithophel he loved when he said,

“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” Psalm 41:9

In the same way, Jesus grieved because of the treachery of Judas, who mimicked the behaviour of Ahithophel, David’s friend

“He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” John 13:18, Psalm 41:9

How Jesus must have longed for a last minute change of heart in Judas who probably had the most privileged background of all the disciples. In all likelihood, he was raised in Kerioth; Iscariot means, ‘of Kerioth’, an ‘up-market’ town ten miles south of Hebron. Judas was not a Galilean like most of the other disciples. His education and social gifts could explain why Judas was trusted to be the treasurer of this little group – he was the gentleman of the group. Yet social privilege does not mean that people will be privileged by God.

What a tragedy it is when today, those who have been active in Christ’s church fall to the world’s temptations and turn their backs on the Lord Jesus. Jesus felt that even Judas could still turn back to him, but to his eternal shame Judas persisted on his treacherous course.

Jesus wants everybody ‘to believe in him’ and as a result of this relationship to turn our backs on sin and worldliness. After saying that someone close to him will betray him he explains why he has made this limited news public at this stage,

“I am telling you now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.” John 13:19

Jesus knew what was about to happen to him and this foreknowledge was yet another proof that when he said, ‘I and the Father are one’, he was telling the truth. This was to be the apostles’ message and the church’s message. Jesus keeps reminding them of this; to believe in him must involve sharing that belief. So Jesus continues,

“I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” John 13:20

This is a profound truth. Just as the Lord God is intimately associated with Jesus, so his followers are intimately associated with him. This is why it is so important that we reveal Jesus by the way we think, act and speak.

How the demise of one of these, his chosen people, hurt Jesus deeply,

“After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.’” John 13:21

On the eve of his crucifixion Jesus is deeply distressed that his friend Judas was going to betray him for a fleeting pleasure offered by this world.

There was an old hymn written by Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925) that portrays this,

“Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus . . .”

Francis had a spiritual turning point as a teenager when, one night, he was thinking about committing suicide when on a bridge over the River Thames. He then experienced the love of the Lord Jesus for him and went on to author many poems and hymns. He was also a preacher as well has having a career as a merchant. This love of Jesus that reached out to Judas is still reaching out to all who reject Jesus or are just pretending to follow him today.

Jesus’ disciples did not understand what he was talking about,

“His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.” John 13:22

From the details given in this account, Judas must have been lying on Jesus’s left side, a place of honour. Jesus must have invited him to lie there. John was lying on Jesus’ right, so he sometimes leant back onto Jesus, with Peter somewhere close by, possibly next to him.

“One of them, the disciple Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him what he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’” John 13:23-24

The disciples obviously had no clue about what was going on in Judas’ mind – only Jesus knew that. There is no hiding anything from him. In Matthew’s account of this story, when the disciples are told that one of them was going to betray Jesus, he notes,

“They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, ‘Surely, not I, Lord?’” Matthew 26:22

Judas was a great actor as well as hypocrite as he also joined in,

“Surely, not I, Lord?” Matthew 26:25

Jesus’ reply to Judas, who was lying next to him, must have been very quiet, as the other disciples still did not understand,

“Yes, it is you.” Matthew 26:25

So, in spite of knowing that God knows his mind, Judas still persisted in his rebellion against the most loving person the world has ever known. Jesus did not betray Judas to the other disciples, no hints or innuendos slipped out. Though Jesus knew his heart, there were no overt criticisms. Jesus still reached out to him, as he does to all of us, with an acceptance of what he knows us to be. Jesus had washed Judas’ feet. Jesus had even included him in the Passover feast that told of his death for them.

Jesus had said to Peter, after washing the disciples’ feet,

“And you are clean, but not everyone of you.” John 13:10

That would surely have resonated with Judas, behind his mask-like face, yet he still refused to change direction. When Jesus quoted Psalm 41, Judas would have been reminded of Ahithophel but he still refused to rethink the way he was going. What a fool. There does come a time when today people’s hearts are ‘hardened’ and then we cannot change direction either.

Even when John privately asked Jesus about what he meant, Jesus does not denounce Judas publicly. John had ‘leaned back against Jesus’, this was a private intimate conversation, and Jesus answered to him,

“It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. Then dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.”

In that culture, to take a morsel of bread, dip it in the sauce and pass this to someone was a gesture of real friendship. Judas took the bread from Jesus, outwardly accepting it but inwardly he was to throw this offer of love in Jesus’ face!

In the Old Testament, after Boaz had first met Ruth, he expressed his admiration for her by saying,

“Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” Ruth 2:14

In this way John had been given yet a further glimpse of the love, depth of understanding and foreknowledge that Jesus had, even for those who were opposed to him.

Being given this final token of love was a critical time for Judas. Which way would he go? He had made arrangements with the High Priest that were very much to his financial benefit and to refuse them would make them angry and could put his own life at risk. He had made his decision.

“As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.” John 13:27

Jesus still remains loyal to Judas, and in spite of the evil being done to him, he still refuses to betray Judas.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, but no-one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas was in charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.” John 13:28-30

Judas left immediately but John finishes this section with some poignant words,

“And it was night.” John 13:30

This has a double meaning, typical of John. It was all darkness and rebellion in the soul of Judas who was disastrously separating himself from the love of God. Judas was a victim of his own greed and jealousy. When he later reflected on all Jesus was, how he had washed his feet, given him the place of honour next to him at the table. reached out to him with the sop and had refused to denounce him publicly, he must have realised how this contrasted this with his own selfish motives for betraying Jesus. He must have felt awful. Guilt must have swamped him as he thought of the love of Christ and of his own wretched selfishness.

Love Demanded

Jesus then addresses the remaining disciples. He reminds them that his imminent death is really the glory of his life and the path to his being glorified by his heavenly Father.

“Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.” John 13:31-32

Jesus will not flinch from either his duty or the purpose of his life. Yet this reminded Jesus that his remaining time on earth was short.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.” John 13:33

Jesus determined to use this remaining time with his disciples as profitably as possible by giving further teaching to his disciples about their future role. We are given this remarkable teaching in the following three chapters of John’s gospel. The first demand is that they must learn to get on well with each other. So Jesus said,

“A new command I give you, ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

What a tragedy it is when church members fall out with each other and gossip about other’s faults. Jesus was silent about what he knew was wrong with Judas and taught us to behave similarly.

But why does Jesus call this command to love a ‘new commandment’? This command resonates through the Old Testament, for example,

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18

It is likely that the Jews were re-defining ‘your neighbour’ as those they naturally got along with and who agreed with them. They felt that they could hate those who disagreed with them. In churches today, there are those who will see things differently to us, but Jesus emphasises that we must do everything we can to get along with them – for his sake.

It is this love that Christians have for one another that will help to make our Saviour so winsome. This is such an attractive beginning to this final teaching of Jesus. The world is naturally divided. Back then it was divided between masters and slaves, Jews and Gentiles, men and women and so on. Today there are capitalists and socialists, rich and poor, educated and less educated and so on. Jesus wants to confront these divisions. In Christ there is unity. There is something beautiful to see a church of mixed groups of people, all working together to honour the Lord Jesus. There is nothing like it, all obeying Christ’s commands to share the gospel with a fallen world.

We all naturally love people who are like us. Movie stars love movie stars, middle class people tend to love middle class people, bikers love bikers but Christ can broaden our love to a wide variety of people. The secret is to keep remembering,

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

It is one thing to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, but it is even greater to love our neighbour as Christ loves them.

BVP

John 13:1-17. Washed for Service

In the mid 1950s Alan Paton wrote a book, ‘Ah, but your land is beautiful’, which is about the apartheid problems in South Africa. He wrote this soon after the dreaded ‘Pass Laws’ were introduced in 1952. This law made it a criminal offence for blacks not to carry identity Documents and prevented free movement. Paton was a courageous writer, better known for the more famous ‘Cry the beloved country’. The following is an excerpt from ‘Ah, but your land is beautiful.’

“One week before Christmas, a pastor, Isaiah Buti, has invited a white supreme court justice to visit his church where one of his servants was a member. On the evening before Good Friday, Judge Olivier set out privately for the Holy church of Zion in Bokabela. He parked his car near the church and set out to walk the short distance. The judge was welcomed at the door by Mr. Buti and was taken to a seat at the back of church.

“I am sorry to put you at the back, Judge, but I don’t want Martha to see you.”

He began to speak.

“Brothers and sisters, this is the night of the last supper. And when the supper was over, Jesus rose from the table and put a towel round himself, as I do now, in remembrance. Hannibal Mofferking, I ask you to come forward.”

The old woman was brought forward by her son Jonathan, himself a white haired man of seventy, and Mr Buti washed her feet, dried them and asked her to go in peace. Then he called for Esther Maloi, a crippled child, who was brought forwards in her chair, and then called for his own daughter Maloi Buti, who washed and dried her feet. Then both girls were told to go in peace.

“Martha Fonteyne, I ask you to come forward.”

So Martha Fonteyne, who thirty years earlier had gone to work in the home of the newly married advocate Olivier of Bloemfontein and had gone with him to Cape Town and Pretoria, where he had become a judge, and returned with him to Bloemfontein where he became Justice of the Appellate Court, now left her seat to walk to the chair before the altar. She walked with her head downcast as becomes a modest and devout woman, conscious of the honour that had been done to her by the Rev. Isaiah Buti, and then she heard him call out the name of Jan Christian Olivier, and though she was herself silent, she heard the gasp of the congregation as the great judge of Bloemfontein then walked up to the altar to wash her feet. Then Mr. Buti gave the towel to the Judge, and the Judge, as the Word says, girded himself with it, and took the dish of water and knelt at the feet of Martha Fonteyne. He took her right foot in his hands and washed it and dried it with a towel. Then he took her other foot in his hands and washed it and dried it with a towel. Then he took both her feet in his hands, with gentleness, for they were no doubt tired with much serving, and he kissed them both.

Then Martha Fonteyne and many others in the Holy church of Zion fell weeping in that holy place. The judge gave the towel and the dish to Mr Buti who said,

“Go in peace.”

Mr Buti put the shoes back on the woman’s feet and said to her also,

“Go in peace.”

And she returned to her place in a church silent except for those who wept.

A young music student visited the Beethoven Museum in Bonn, Germany. She was fascinated to see, in the music room, the very piano on which Beethoven’s greatest works were first played. She pleaded with the caretaker to let her play it just once. She plied him with a generous tip and he agreed. She played the first page of the Moonlight Sonata and then stopped. As she left she said to the caretaker,

“I suppose all the great pianists who come here want to play it, don’t they?”

The old man shook his head and told her about the visit of Paderewski, the great pianist who went on to become, for short time, Prime Minister of Poland.

“Yes, Paderewski was here a few years ago. But he said he wasn’t worthy to touch it.”

Ouch!

But Jesus deliberately decided to be publicly humiliated.

“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1

Jesus knew the time for his death was fast approaching, and that this would entail pain, agony and humiliation. However John doesn’t go on to describe the crucifixion but first tells this strange story of the washing of his disciples’ feet and then his final teaching to his disciples. John is the only gospel writer not to include an account of that last supper on which our communion services are based. It is as if he is saying that what Jesus taught is more important than rituals.

So what are we meant to learn from this story?

1. Christ’s staggering love

Verse one emphasises this,

“He now showed them the full extent of his love.”

But then comes a blast of cold air. The very next verse tells of Judas’ determination to betray Jesus.

“The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.” John 13:2

Satan never forces us to do something wrong but he tempts us, often with lies. What seems so attractive and seductive is nearly always shallow or empty. This reminder is followed by a wonderful verse that describes how Jesus remains confident that his Father is in control, whatever opposition he faced.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” John 13:3

This is what it means to live by faith. Jesus knew exactly who he was, which makes his humiliating, self effacing action so astonishing – at first. His humility was so much greater than that of Judge Jan Christian Olivier because of who he is.

Notice how John has sandwiched Judas’ treachery in between an account of Jesus’ love (verse 1) and Jesus’ power (verse 3). This emphasises the horror of anyone rejecting Jesus and his love. Jesus was not insecure at all, so he was able to cope with immense humiliation.

So Jesus takes off his cloak and wraps a towel around his waist. Talk of embarrassment! Those disciples couldn’t have known where to look as their Creator, Sustainer, Saviour and Lord washes their dusty toes. Washing of feet was specifically excluded from the duties of Jewish slaves and was seldom even asked of Gentile slaves. People usually kept their shoes on.

This action of Jesus describes what genuine godly power does with its power – it serves. Jesus loves and serves.

If it was impressive for a Supreme Court Judge to wash an employee’s feet, how much more impressive it is for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to get on his knees to serve his disciples. It goes beyond words. No wonder the disciples were confused. Yet there is clearly more than a demonstration of humility, that Christian leaders must emulate, going on here.

2. Christ washes our souls

When proud Peter is approached by Jesus he says,

“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” John 13:6

Jesus insists but adds that the problem Peter has is because of his limited understanding of what he is doing!

Peter is stubborn,

“No! You shall never wash my feet.” John 13:8

But Jesus lovingly persists,

“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8

The point is clear. All people need to be washed of the effects and penalty of sin if they are to be in God’s kingdom. Being a church member and using religious words is no guarantee that someone has been washed of their sin. Peter’s pride had again got the better of him.

I was talking with a man at a funeral recently when he arrogantly said,

“I don’t need God’s forgiveness!”

So proud yet so wrong!

Mohammed Ali had just won another World Boxing Championship and was returning home by plane. An air stewardess politely said to him,

“You need to fasten your safety belt, Sir.”

Ali replied,

“Superman don’t need no safety belt.”

To this the stewardess politely responded,

“Superman don’t need no plane either. Please fasten your seatbelt!”

Peter is still confused, he suggests that if Jesus insists on washing him he wants his hands and head washed as well. This suggests that Peter is at last grasping that something symbolic is going on here. Jesus confirms this when he says,

“A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” John 13:10

This last phrase was a reference to Judas, who was about to betray Jesus. The point is that when we come to the Lord Jesus and ask him to be our Lord and Saviour, we are baptised in his Spirit. We are symbolically washed completely clean of our sin, first spiritually then symbolically. We are made righteous in God’s eyes. Jesus has taken all our sin on that cross.

Jesus’ washing of his disciples feet would have been messy, with muddy splashes on the towel, possibly his clothes and the floor. It is a picture of the messy business Jesus was about to go through, when he accepted all of sin’s hatred and dirt onto himself as he died. He literally became the world’s greatest sinner ever known, and he willingly did that for you and me.

But when we have been cleansed by Christ, by becoming Christians, God sees us as having Christ’s righteousness. The Lord Jesus has done something for us that we could never do for ourselves. He gave us his righteousness when he took our sin. Now that is real love!

Alex Haley is the Afro-American author of ‘Roots’, a book and later television series that described how his ancestors had been captured in Africa and sold as slaves for the American plantations. In his office he had a picture showing a turtle sitting on top of a fence. He had put this picture up to remind him of an important lesson,

“If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he had some help. So when thinking, ‘Isn’t it marvellous what I have done,’ I look at that picture. That turtle got some help and so did I.”

We all needed washing – things were that bad. In Christ, God has provided a spiritual bath, a baptism that we could not do for ourselves; that’s how loved we are.

3. Christ washes us for service

Christ has washed us so that we can serve others.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

Does Jesus mean us to go around ritually washing feet? Ironically a foot washing ceremony can represent the opposite to what Jesus intended – it can reinforce the superiority of a religious hierarchy, in a perverse sort of way. Surely Jesus is saying that we also must sacrificially love others.

One of the first children’s camps I went to as a leader made a great impression on me. At the pre-camp meeting of all the leaders, the various responsibilities for the camp were shared out. ‘Who would lead the swimming?’ Several volunteered. Who would lead and help with the various sports. There was even more enthusiasm for these roles. ‘I’m afraid we have another job that is important. Who will be responsible for cleaning the toilets?’ There was no response; all of us looked down at the floor! Then the most senior man present, the minister of a very prestigious university church, said simply,

“I’ll do that.”

Jesus surely wants us to look in the mirror. How do I measure up to verse fifteen?

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15

We shouldn’t look at the floor or look at others. I must ask, ‘What am I doing?’ But how do I know if I have a servant attitude?’ The answer is simple,

“How do I react when I am treated like one?”

Ouch!

What enabled Jesus to behave as a slave to other people? His outlook was determined by the way he thought.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” John 13:3

Jesus knew who he was and that he was safe in his Father’s hands in every situation. But haven’t we been given the very same security?

Do I come to church to get or to give? It is noticeable that those who give the most are always the ones who are most satisfied with a church. Sometimes people will say,

“I left that church or group because it wasn’t meeting my needs.”

How sad that is, for it demonstrates a wrong attitude. Do we ensure we are early at church to set up, to welcome others and to pray. Do we stay on later to serve the church and others needs? Am I giving generously of the income God has given me? Do I use the home God has given me to welcome and get to know others? Judas cared greatly for money and for this betrayed the person who loved him the most. If we understand Jesus’ love, there will be no limits on our love for one another.

4. Why are feet significant?

Is there even more to this story than demonstrating humility, forgiveness and service? Jesus hints that there is more.

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

There are other clues in the text. Chapters 13-17 in John are all about Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples as he prepares them for a life of mission. Jesus expalins that he is going to send them out into the world to ‘bear fruit’ for him, to win others for him by telling others all about him.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” John 15:16

“When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, . . . he will testify about me. And you also must testify . . .” John 15:26

That our present passage also has this in mind is demonstrated by the following statement,

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger, greater than the one who sent him.” John 13:16

A messenger is someone sent out with a message. The disciples of Jesus were about to be commissioned,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them . . . and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19

There is another clue. Why did Jesus wash the feet and not the disciples’ hands or lips? What is the significance of feet? Looking at other Biblical references to feet gives us a clue.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace and bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.” Isaiah 52:7

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

“As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Romans 10:15

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

Clearly, in the Bible, ‘feet’ symbolise going out with the gospel.

There is another reference to feet in the New Testament that at first seems strange. In order for widows to go on the roll of those supported by the local church they had to meet various criteria.

“No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good 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 5:9-10

Why should a widow do what no slave was expected to do? Why should it be the feet of Christians and not other people? In the light of these other references to feet in the Bible, this all makes sense. They are to be known for supporting gospel ministry, even when it hurts.

Jesus is preparing them for their lifelong mission – to represent him to the world. Having the Spirit of Christ means they are to become the servants of others and so share with others the good news of salvation through Jesus. He wants you and me to be clean, he wants our feet to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel; Christ wants his people to be those who readily pass on the good news about Jesus.

So this short story teaches us about,

Christ’s staggering love for us.

Christ washes our souls,

Christ washes us for service,

Christ wants us to go out and share the gospel with others.

BVP

John 12:27-33. The Triumph of Jesus

In the last few days before his crucifixion Jesus gives some profound teaching. Some Greeks had come to Jesus saying,

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” John 12:21

This appears to have been a trigger for Jesus who then explains that he has come to save the whole world. Jesus knows that he is about to be killed yet he obviously considers that to be a triumph! He says,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

Jesus then explained that for a seed to die is the means to producing much fruit and that is what he will achieve by his death. He then asks that his followers to have the same attitude, as eternal glory is much more important than earthly success. The only basis for the decisions he makes is what will honour the reputation of his heavenly Father.

“Now is my heart troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father glorify your name!” John 12:27-28

His Father then intervenes just as he had at both Jesus’ baptism and at his transfiguration.

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

How often this third time that God speaks directly to Jesus is forgotten. The crowd heard a loud noise but thought it to be thunder. At first it seemed as if Jesus’ Father speaking was to him, reassuring him that going to his death really was God’s foreordained plan. But, even though he would doubtless have been reassured, Jesus says that his message was for others benefit.

“Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine.”

Nothing matters more than that all people should recognise who Jesus is and turn to follow him. This is always God’s intention - that the creator of the universe should receive from men the glory and recognition that is his due. This is what the Lord wants to see brought about by all members of his kingdom.

This sounds like a very strange teaching to human ears, that the Lord God will be exalted through the execution of his Son. Furthermore, it is not only the Lord God who will be exalted by this execution, the event will also exalt his Son. After the Greeks came, Jesus had said,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

Somehow Jesus himself is going to be glorified or exalted through his death. This must have been hard for his disciples to understand at the time.

The Son of Man

In the New Testament Jesus uses this phrase when talking about himself over eighty times. There is little doubt that he used this phrase because the prophet Daniel had used it to describe a human being that God treated as an equal! Daniel had a vision in which he sees four beasts, representing world dynasties, who successively lost their authority. Then he sees a person steps onto the stage.

“And 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 peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

This is an extraordinary prophecy to be written by a Jewish prophet. A man will be admitted into God’s presence coming with clouds. The Lord God gives him the authority that is his own and people from every nation and language worship this man. No wonder why Jesus called himself ‘the Son of Man’ as he saw himself in precisely this role. No wonder when he ascended into heaven,

“ . . . a cloud hid him from their sight.” Acts 1:9

Jesus understands that he has come to establish a new kind of world dynasty, the kingdom of God, which is totally different to worldly kingdoms. Jesus sees that he is about to be exalted to become world conqueror, but this will be achieved by his death. It must be a very different kingdom to worldly kingdoms but that is exactly what the Bible teaches. When Jesus started his public ministry he preached,

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

God’s kingdom requires a king! Jesus said to Pilate shortly before his death,

“‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’

‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.

Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying that I am a king. In fact for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” John 18:36-37

Jesus thinks that he will be a world conqueror through dying – an extraordinary idea that seems to come from out of this world!

The effect of Jesus’ death

Jesus now said something that needs very careful thought.

“Now is the time for judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” John 12:31-32

We have already seen that Jesus sees his coming death to be a great triumph. He said,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

When facing disaster he looks forwards to a triumph! He sees his death as a worldwide attraction that will draw people to himself!

This is astonishing. The Jewish and Roman authorities intended that Jesus’ crucifixion should put an end to his claims and his popularity. Jesus sees that it will be the means of establishing his kingdom!

He refers to his death as his ‘lifting up’.

“‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth . . .’ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” John 12:32

John intends us to see double meanings in many of the phrases he uses. He was literally ‘lifted up’ on that cross and held there by nails for all to see and gloat. However he was also ‘lifted up’ in exaltation. The authorities intended that his death should be the final ‘put down’, the ultimate humiliation, but for him it will bring glory both to himself and his Father. Extraordinary! Was Jesus deluded or was he right, was he speaking God’s truth?

Let us look further into the three ideas in this extraordinary statement in verses 31 and 32.

1. Jesus is the focus

Jesus sees that everything centres on himself.

“‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth . . .’ John 12:32

In the original Greek, the ‘I’ is very emphatic.

There is no way that an unbeliever will turn to Christ unless Jesus draws them out of their darkness. A preacher may stir up people’s emotions that remain excited for a short while, but a work of God is permanent. The proof of a person’s conversion to Christ is that they keep on living for Christ and ‘bearing fruit’ for him.

A ten year old Kenyan boy wrote a poem about the Christian life and recited it to his class. It was very simple,

“If you would be a Christian, Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on . . .”

The Good Shepherd went out of his way to find the lost sheep. He even left his flock on their own to save the lost. Nothing is more important to the shepherd than to save the lost. He uses humans but any permanent work is his.

The supreme worker in the church is Jesus Christ working through his Holy Spirit, who always points people back to Jesus. It is a false spirit at work if the focus is not completely on Jesus.

2. The World

Jesus understands the significance of his death and that it will have far reaching implications. His death is not just relevant for the Jewish nation,

“‘Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” John 12:30

It would be natural for Jesus to rant about the unfair, immoral and illegal way he had been and was about to to be treated by the Jewish authorities. But his focus is on the rulers of this world who will be ‘driven out’ because of his death!

Jesus knew that at the last hour even his closest disciples would depart from him; they later hid in a locked upper room. Yet after his death he foresaw that all men, people from all nations and even people who have denied him would be drawn to himself through his death.

Jesus sees that his death will turn everything upside down.

Today there are some who teach ‘universalism’. This doctrine says that all people, whoever they are and however they have lived, will be accepted by God because he is a ‘God of love’. This is nowhere taught in the Bible. Jesus taught that there is a real hell for those who reject his rule. He also taught that only a minority of people will find themselves in heaven. The last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount denounces this heresy of universalism.

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14

What the Bible does teach is that Jesus is a universal Saviour. He claimed to be the only Saviour and if any reject him they reject the only hope of salvation. This is what Jesus means here when he says,

“Now is the time for judgment on this world.” John 12:30

Jesus is saying that our attitude to his death for us determines our own eternal judgment. Today there are preachers who talk about Jesus as if he is a good option. They say,

“I would like to urge you to consider the claims of Jesus.”

They usually respond with something like,

“Thank you so much for suggesting this may help me, but I am very busy at present.”

That is not how the apostles approached people. They start with who Jesus is, and they warned people,

“A day is coming shortly when Jesus Christ will judging you. Your life and your attitude to your maker will be under the microscope. No-one can con God. Jesus will be your judge and will determine your eternal destiny, whether you like the idea or not. There is only one answer . . .”

There are many individuals and religions that think that our eternal destiny is simply up to God – they are ‘determinists’. Thy think that nothing we do can change our fate. This is a form of fatalism. Some Londoners thought in the last war with all those bombs falling on London,

“If its got your name on it, you’ve had it.”

But there were precautions people could have taken.

In Jesus’ day there were those who were fatalists. The Essenes were a group of fanatical Jews who hid the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scholar, Dr Leon Morris wrote,

“In the scrolls there is a rigid and hopeless determinism. The ‘men of darkness’ belong to the spirit of error. Their fate deprives them of any power of choice.”

Jesus says that the eternal fate of all people in the world lies in his hands. Notice how, in this famous summary of the gospel, it is the world that is God’s focus, a world that was naturally inclined against him.

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the worldthrough him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18

The Bible is clear, our destiny is not only in his hands, it is also in ours. The verdict of the coming judgment depends on how we have reacted to Jesus! This passage continues,

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19

This is surely what Jesus is repeating at the end of his ministry,

“Now is the time for judgment of this world.” John 12:31

Our destiny is in our hands. When we hear of Christ who was crucified to pay for our sin and we turn our backs on him, however politely we do this, then we condemn ourselves. We have rejected God’s answer and will have to bear the consequences of our sin on our own. We have rejected the only person who can save us. We have determined the judgment on us, our destiny has already been made known. Only if we are willing to come into the light, to have our dark side revealed, as then we can be given salvation.

When the cross of Christ is explained to us, we are making a judgment on ourselves. A dividing is going on. We seal our own fate. The way the Lord determines our fate on the last day is determined by the way we react to his love today. This is why there is no more important question for all to answer. This is why Jesus says,

“Now is the time for judgment of this world.” John 12:31

This is why it is wrong to procrastinate making a decision about the place of Jesus Christ in my life, Jesus says,

‘Now is the time . . .”

3. Mission

“Now is the time . . ; now the prince of this world will be cast out.” John 12:31

It looked to everybody as if the powers of darkness had defeated the Son of God. The crowds turned on Jesus and shouted, ‘Crucify him’. His disciples deserted him and the Jewish authorities had the Roman Governor in their hand. It looks as if Satan is ultimately victorious and the dark forces win. The cross of Christ shows man at his worst, he is selfish, immoral, and so unfair.

Is there a redeeming feature? Most certainly there is - God has allowed all this to happen to his Son so that he can step in and turn seeming defeat into triumphant glory. Satan and sin were overthrown when Jesus died on that cross. He took on himself my sin and the sin of all who will turn to him and on that cross Jesus was exalted and enthroned.

Some modern scholars scoff at the idea of Satan calling it ‘metaphysical dualism’. They laugh at the idea of two great powers slugging it out for supremacy. But the Bible also laughs at such a preposterous theory. The Bible is clear that God is always in control. Only when God permits it for a short while, can Satan and his dark forces seem to have any power. Jesus repeatedly confirms that there are powers of evil, to deny the presence of Satan is to contradict Christ, but his powers are definitely limited.

The Rabbis used the words ‘prince of this world’ as a term for Satan. Satan was considered to be the ruler of the great Gentile pagan nations outside Jerusalem. These nations were trapped in helpless darkness and idolatry and were kept from knowing God by Satan.

Jesus is saying that this great power has kept nations in darkness through their religions and their sin. However at his cross Jesus says he gains the victory over Satan and that he will come to rule Gentile nations instead of Satan.

Looking at the world it is clear that the gospel of the Kingdom of God has had much influence in many nations and still does. In ancient Britain people were held in fear by occult practices and idols until the gospel freed people from these. In many African countries the demonic witch doctors held power but the coming of the gospel is changing all that. From the time of Jesus’ cross, Satan will be cast out by the gradual conversion of sinners across the world to following Jesus Christ. This mission will continue until the last day when Christ will return in full glory. This mission began just fifty days after his crucifixion, at Pentecost, when the power of God was released, a power that is so different to worldly power. This power is still being released today through selfless service and even death for Jesus. The benefits for those taking this path are immense for those who are willing to fall into the ground and die for him. Look at how several verses end,

“ . . . it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

To win others for Christ is so rewarding, we are saving people for an eternity with God.

“ . . . will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25

That is the prize for Jesus, a return to the glory of his Father’s presence and that too is our great reward – eternal life.

“ . . . him will the Father honour.” John 12:26

What better reward could there be, than to be honoured by the Lord God, the creator of the universe? This is the repeated theme, that the Lord Jesus has prepared a home for us, his people.

4. Decision Time

The Bible contains some 70 or more references to choosing the path we will follow. Throughout the pages of Scripture, the inescapable imperative of choosing for or against the Lord comes over and over again. Joshua commanded Israel before his death,

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the River (Euphrates), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Jesus said,

“If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” John 7:17

He also declared,

“He who is not with me is against me.” Matthew 12:30

In addition to the fact that each of us must choose whether we are for or against Christ, the Bible makes clear that we have only a limited time to make this choice, and that the consequence of doing so endures for eternity. The people of Israel, when challenged by Joshua replied,

“No! We will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:21

The writer and scholar, C.S.Lewis wrote in his book, ‘God in the Dock,’

“‘What are we to make of Jesus Christ?’ This is a question, which has, in a sense, a frantically comic side. For the real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us? The picture of a fly sitting deciding what it is going to make of an elephant has comic elements about it.”

When people hear the gospel, some are attracted to him and respond, others feel drawn to Christ but postpone deciding on whether they need to be saved. Our consciences will tell us whether we need to be forgiven by God and waiting won’t change this fact. A decision about Jesus and his cross must be made now,

“Now is the time . . .” John 12:31

BVP

John 12:37-50. Warnings about Unbelief

Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected high in the Andes Mountains on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called “Christ of the Andes,” the statue symbolizes a pledge between the two countries that as long as the statue stands, there will be peace between Chile and Argentina. Shortly after the statue was erected, however, the Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted – the statue had its back turned to Chile. Just when tempers were at their highest in Chile, a Chilean newspaperman saved the day. An editorial, that not only satisfied the people but made them laugh, simply said, “The people of Argentina obviously need more watching over than do the people of Chile.” At least both countries recognised the importance of Jesus!

Lack of Faith

This could not be said of many of the Jews in Jesus day, in spite of all his teaching and miracles.

“Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” John 12:37

This unbelief was wilful – they would not believe in him. This paragraph has much to help resolve the apparent conflict between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. This has crudely been called the Calvinist/Armenian controversy. Here it can be seen that both are true. We are responsible for our own salvation by the decision we make about Jesus, but God remains sovereign over the consequences of all the decisions. Here the Jews ‘would not believe’ but this rejection of their Messiah resulted in a situation where they ‘could not believe’. People have the option of accepting God’s message, his revelation to us in the word of God, but if they keep refusing him they will discover that a time comes when they cannot believe.

“. . . they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfil the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ For this was the reason they could not believe.” John 12:38-39

Rejection of God will inevitably lead to his rejection of us. The Jews had the word of God readily available to them yet they had misunderstood its message that God looks at the heart and not outward appearances. John again quotes Isaiah,

“He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, nor turn – and I would heal them.” John 12:40

A time does come when people will just not turn back to God, whatever the situation they find themselves in.

Private faith

A salesman for cable television came to our home when I was writing a talk and had a Bible, several commentaries and other books on the lounge table. Thinking that this might be a good argument he said,

“I see that you are religious. Do you know that if you subscribe you can see the God channels for free!”

Resisting the temptation to discuss the pros and cons of the God channels I replied,

“That’s interesting. Are you interested in Christian things yourself or aren’t you sure about these things.?”

He replied,

“I consider such things to be private and personal.”

It occurred to me that that was the end of that conversation but I replied,

“Yes, I can understand that but there is one problem with that way of thinking.”

“What’s that?” he replied.

“It probably means that you haven’t had the opportunity to discuss these things to make sure you have understood them correctly. Would you mind if I briefly explained to you what the Christian message is to make sure to have got it right?”

For the next hour we had a very profitable discussion on the gospel.

Having a private and personal faith that is not expressed does have the danger that it is not clearly understood. But there is another problem, a faith that is not expressed to others may not be a saving faith at all!

There are many Bible passages that emphasise this such as,

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoeverdisowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32

What worse words can there ever be than to hear Jesus say about us at the final judgment, ‘I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23, Matthew 25:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:8)? We must learn to openly acknowledge our love for the Lord Jesus.

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

“No-one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:23

“So do not be afraid of them . . . what I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. . . Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Matthew 10:26-28

What is it that prevents us from being open about our allegiance to the Lord Jesus, it is usually our fear of man. John continues,

“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 of being put out of the synagogue.; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” John 12:42

In other words their problem was a worldly outlook, it is the Lord and him alone we should fear. James, the brother of Jesus was later to write very forthrightly,

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God. Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4

Even king David recognised that this is an ever present temptation that we will all face. He prayed,

“Oh Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life.” Psalm 17:14

Isaiah’s faith

John reminds us that Isaiah saw something of God’s glory and this had the effect on him that God always requires,

“Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.” John 12:41

John is again reminding his readers that to speak about Jesus is essential. He is clearly asking his readers to recall what Isaiah had said about Jesus.

“In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1

The seraphs that surrounded this throne said,

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3

Isaiah felt his own sinfulness and his unworthiness to be present. But then the gospel is enacted before him.

“One of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’” Isaiah 6:6-7

What better news can there be but that our sin has been forgiven because of the sacrifice offered on our behalf. The Lord Jesus was to be Isaiah’s passover lamb. Yet forgiveness is only the beginning of the story. God calls people to himself for a purpose. Isaiah is reminded of this purpose,

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8

There is only one response when the Lord God, who has himself taken responsibility for our sin, calls us to his service,

“And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell this people . . .”

The passage that John quoted from Isaiah is taken from one of the most famous extended prophecies that foresee what God’s Messiah would achieve. Isaiah lamented that too few would accept what God had done for them and this was precisely Jesus’ concern too. Belief is vital.

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed.” Isaiah 53:1

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” John 12:38

Isaiah’s message goes on to say that the God who hates sin and rebellion would take on himself the penalty for our sin. He accurately describes what the Lord Jesus would come to do,

“Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like lost sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

Later in this section Isaiah describes how the Messiah will be killed although he had done no wrong, he died for our sins.

“For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. . . The LORD makes his life a guilt offering.” Isaiah 53:9-10

But giving his life as a sacrifice for sin would not be the end,

“ . . . he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul he will see the light of life and be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:10-11

Why will the Messiah have to go through such an ordeal? The same lesson is repeated, he will die to bear the sins of many,

“. . . my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11

What wonderful good news Isaiah wants everyone to understand. No wonder the Lord concluded about his Messiah,

“Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, . . . because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” Isaiah 53:12

Both the majesty of Jesus on his throne and his majestic death on that cross portray the glory of the Lord Jesus. Consequently not to accept God’s greatest gift to man is considered by God to be despicable to the highest degree, and if this continues will eventually become unforgivable.

The True Faith

Jesus had already done with speaking to the Jews.

“When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them” John 12:36

It would therefore appear that John 12:37-43 are a commentary by John summarising the overall reaction of the Jews and explaining how this is in accord with Old Testament prophecies.

However in verse 44 Jesus reappears. It would therefore seem that these verses are also a summary of what Jesus had been saying to everyone.

“Then Jesus cried out, ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me he sees the one who sent me.” John 12:44-45

I well remember a schoolmaster telling us that Jesus never claimed to be God. He cannot have read the gospels. This verse alone makes it abundantly clear who Jesus claimed to be and he made no secret about this, he cried it out loudly. Jesus continued with his repeated theme that he is ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12, 9:5),

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

He alone shows us the way to God, the way to live and it is he who reveals our sin to us. Belief in Jesus is precisely what God wants all people to grasp, but that is only the beginning, we have then to walk with him, obey him and leave the darkness of worldliness and sin for ever.

The Consequences of Not Accepting Jesus

Jesus is not interested in people just having a private theoretical faith. In this summary Jesus warns us that it is obedience to him and his words that are essential for salvation.

“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them . . .” John 12:47

This is a repeated theme of Jesus,

“If you love me you will obey what I command.” John 14:15

“If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” John 14:23-24

However Jesus, significantly, continues by saying that judgment is not what he came for,

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

Jesus came to point all people to the only way of salvation. He warns us all about the consequence of rejecting him but his emphasis is always on how God longs to save us, his emphasis is on the grace of God, He wants us all to know that however far we have fallen, we can still start again with him. He will not only forgive us but will also give his Holy Spirit so that we have the power to live as he wants. This message of salvation is the the message about Jesus. It is not the purpose of the sun to cast shadows, but when the sun shines it is inevitable that shadows will be seen. Jesus is saying that we act as our own judges; what we decide now about him will be our judgment.

“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him on the last day.” John 12:48

We are not told these warnings to leave us feeling sad. We are told sad things so that we will respond and find great joy, comfort and peace.

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:11

The purpose that John wrote this book was that we might believe in Jesus because of all the evidence for him, both objective evidence and subjective evidence. When we believe we are given eternal life and with that comes great peace and joy. This new life is life to the full (John 10:10).

“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

The Authority of Jesus’ Words

A choice has to be made, ‘Do I want to listen to what Jesus is saying?’ To help us in this decision Jesus wants us all to know that what he says are truly the words of God,

“For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. . . So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” John 12:49-50

He is emphasising that to reject what he says is to reject God himself. Yet at the centre of this Jesus again reminds us of the consequence of our making the right decision,

“I know that his command leads to eternal life.” John 12:50

What a glorious message we have been given, a message first to believe in Jesus, then to obey and that includes sharing the message with those around us.”

BVP

John 12:20-34. Loving This Life?

Yakov Smirnoff was a comedian who came to the United States from Russia. He wasn’t prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says,

“On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk - you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice - you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, what a country!”

Somewhere along the way people became convinced that Christianity was ‘easy’. Just add water and ‘wala – instant Christianity”. All you had to do was go to Church once in awhile, say a few prayers, read your Bible from time to time, and invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Saviour, and you were good to go. You could go on living with your own goals and ambitions, you could make life the way you wanted it to be, you could do it “your way”, still get to heaven, and all would be good. How wrong this view is – that is the road to hell.

John Wycliffe (1320s – 1384) had been a senior academic in Oxford who had come to the conclusion that the Roman Catholic church was no longer representing the faith that Jesus and his apostles taught. He translated the Bible into English and trained up some young men to go around the country and into Europe to teach Bible truths. They were called Lollards. English bishops had been burning these English Bibles, and some Lollards, whenever they could get hold of them. Until his death he increasingly argued that the Scriptures were the overruling authority of Christianity, that the claims of the papacy were largely unhistorical, that monasticism was seriously corrupt, and that the moral unworthiness of some priests invalidated their office. His stand was far from easy. He was called arrogant and self opinionated. Wycliffe was declared a ‘heretic’ posthumously at the Council of Constance in 1417. Forty three years after his death his bones were dug up, publicly burned and his ashes thrown into the river Swift. Wycliffe's teachings however continued to spread. A later chronicler observed,

“Thus the brook hath conveyed his ashes into Avon; Avon into the Severn; the Severn into the narrow seas; and they into the main ocean. And thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblem of his doctrine which now is dispersed the world over.”

Wycliffe faced much adversity in this life because of his Biblical faith but he loved someone more than this life – his Lord Jesus.

William Tyndale (1492 – 1536) spent much of his young life translating the Bible into the English language so that ordinary people could read it. Copies of his New Testament were publicly denounced and burned by Bishop Tunstall, both in England and in Amsterdam where they had been printed. Soon afterwards Tyndale himself was tried before this same bishop and was executed by being burned at at the stake. He considered that to enable people to have the Word of God in their own language was more important than even his life. Tyndale was thought to share many of the opinions of Martin Luther of Germany, whose German translations of the Bible were also condemned and publicly burned.

The Bibles were burned because these Bible translators had recognised that the Bible taught much that was at variance with that taught and practiced by the medieval Roman Catholic church. The translators considered that God’s ultimate authority must be the Word of God, to which all churches, church leaders and clergymen must submit. To take such a stand was perilous.

The Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day had a similar problem to that of the medieval church leaders. They had missed the point that their Scriptures tell of God’s coming Messiah and that they insist that people’s hearts must be put right with God. Outward religion was not what God wanted; he sees people’s hearts. When people long for a relationship with God, he says that they still need a scapegoat, some being who will pay the price for our sin. Animal sacrifices were a picture or model of what the Saviour of the world would achieve on that awful cross.

Religious leaders always have the temptation to act in a way that is either politically expedient or in their self interests instead of in ways that will please God, that are in accord with God’s word. In this passage Jesus gives us some remarkable statements that are intriguing and yet so rich in value.

“Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” John 12:31-32

What does Jesus mean when he speaks in such climactic terms? What does he mean by ‘lifted up from the earth’? Is he referring to his ascension or to his crucifixion into heaven where he was going to be with his Father? The next verse makes the answer clear,

“He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” John 12:33

Jesus is saying that it will be that by his death the world is somehow judged, Satan will somehow be driven out and that many people will be drawn to follow him. The cross of Christ is the core of the Christian message. We therefore need to understand it as Jesus taught it and as John recorded it.

Context

This all takes place early in the week in which Jesus was crucified, possibly the Sunday or Monday, as Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on a donkey on the Sunday. Certain Greeks had come to Jerusalem ‘to worship at the Feast’. This suggests that they were more than just tourists, although the Greeks were renowned for their interest in travelling.

Jesus knew that he had come to Jerusalem to die and had repeatedly told his disciples about this fact. In the previous weeks Jesus had repeatedly told his disciples that he would be killed in Jerusalem, but that that would not be the end – he would rise from death. After Peter had acknowledged Jesus to be God’s Messiah, Jesus immediately responded by explaining what this would mean.

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31

Later he said to his disciples,

“‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’ But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” Mark 9:31-32

Jesus hid nothing from his disciples but what he told them did not sink in.

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. ‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.’” Mark 10:32-34

Jesus clearly could have avoided this awful fate by escaping, but he determined to fulfil his Father’s wishes and even the prospect of a horrible death could not dissuade him from fulfilling his destiny.

The disciples all knew that the authorities wanted to kill Jesus. When Jesus had suggested that they go to Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem, where Lazarus had died, the implication was clear to Thomas. He replied,

“Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11:16

Greeks come

John tells us that what happened in chapter 12 took place in the last week of Jesus’ life. John alone tells us about this visit from some Greek worshippers. It is most likely that they were ‘God fearers’. These were Gentiles who were disillusioned with the morality and religion of paganism and the absurdity of the Greek gods and accepted the monotheism and morality of Judaism without becoming full Jews by circumcision.

Perhaps they had been impressed by the moral stand Jesus had made when, that very morning (Mark 11:12), he had cleared the money changers, dove sellers and other merchants out of the Court of Gentiles in the temple. This had, yet again, caused a great furore and must have further increased the antagonism of the ruling classes to all Jesus said and stood for. Such moral leadership is hard but is attractive.

Their introductory statement is magnificent,

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” John 1:21

People frequently say to a Christian,

“I wish I had a faith.”

Often this means that they admire something in the life and thinking of Christians. The way to finding a real faith is to investigate Jesus and his claims. What better way is there than reading through John’s gospel and asking if this makes sense, is evidence based and resonates with our deepest needs. Jesus said to these who are genuinely searching for answers,

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7

These Greeks were looking for answers and they want to meet Jesus.

This is a good reminder for pastors and teachers. Our goal must be the same, to introduce people to the living Jesus. In Victorian times many churches had a brass plaque fixed in the pulpits that reminder the preachers,

“Sir, we would see Jesus.” John 12:21

It is a good reminder about the preacher’s goal, nothing less and nothing more is needed.

The Greeks went to Philip first and he in turn told Andrew of this request. Could it be significant that these were the only two of the twelve with Greek names? The Greeks recognised that they needed help and turn to those they feel closest to.

Jesus understood that this approach by the Greeks was a sign that his end was fast approaching. When Andrew spoke to Jesus, he replied,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

The Bible commentator, Leon Morris wrote,

“The fact that the Greeks were wanting to meet Jesus showed that the time had come for him to die for the world. He no longer belonged to Judaism, which in any case had rejected him. But the world whose Saviour he is awaits him and seeks for him.”

Surely this is what John is implying, Jesus is the Saviour of the whole world and that many people will benefit from his death on their behalf, even Greek pagans.

The hour has come

When hearing of the interest from Greeks Jesus replied,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” John 12:23

This ‘hour’ is a repeated theme in John’s gospel ever since his mother, Mary, asked him to help out when a family wedding ran out of wine. Jesus replied,

“My hour has not yet come.” John 2:4

We have already seen that he was talking about his death which he saw as the point of his coming. When he died he would carry the sin of all people from all nations who would trust in him and join his kingdom.

A lesson from nature

This section begins with two key words, “Amen, Amen” which literally means ‘Truly, Truly’. Jesus uses this phrase when he is emphasising something very important,

“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 12:24

The Greek literally says, ‘produce much fruit’. Jesus is saying that to produce much fruit through his death means to draw others into the Kingdom of God. Just as a seed sown in the ground by a farmer has to die if it is to produce a harvest, so Jesus is stressing that he will have to die. Fruitfulness comes through death.

Jesus, after applying this concept to himself, applies it to us his followers. This saying is repeated seven or more times in the gospels, in different contexts and to different people.

“The man who loves this life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this life will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25

How important this teaching is. The writer C.S.Lewis said,

“The natural life in each of us is something self-centred, something that wants to be petted and admired, to take advantage of other lives and exploit the whole universe.” Mere Christianity Book 4, chapter 5

This is true, we all naturally want to exploit our universe for our benefit, from when we are babies till when we are grandparents. We naturally keep away from anything that shows us up for what we really are, such as the light. We, dirty people, don’t want the hassle or having a bath. Yet if the spiritual life that Jesus wants us to have takes hold, we will want to walk in the light and be washed so we can be effective for our Lord. The Holy Spirit will enable us to hate the idea of spending our lives living for ourselves.

A reward from the Father

It is too easy to claim to be a Christian, to be a follower of Jesus, yet not to have his priorities as our own. Jesus gives us a stark warning,

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” John 12:26

Anyone who serves Jesus, by taking up our cross, will be honoured by the Father. Jesus carefully uses personal pronouns here. He does not say, ‘If anyone serves the church,’ or ‘If anyone serves his neighbour,’ even though these are right principles. Instead he says, ‘Serve me.’

To follow Jesus in this life is our whole Christian duty. To live with Christ in this world will bring us great rewards in this life. These sentences are astonishing, they are simple yet so profound. Jesus is talking about the importance of his death but is also saying that those who follow him will have to die, in a sense, too – die to priorities of self, the world and the flesh.

The other gospel writers remember other similar statements of Jesus. Luke recalls Jesus saying,

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his very self.” Luke 9:23-25

It is all a matter of priorities in life. It is easy to make our family or our work the real purpose in life, yet Jesus is saying that even this good purpose is insufficient. When large crowds were following Jesus he turned to them and said,

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And any one who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-27

Addressing a national seminar of American Southern Baptist leaders, George Gallup, who established the Gallop polls, said,

“We find there is very little difference in ethical behaviour between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously...The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are remarkable similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider themselves Christians, Gallup said, yet only about half of them could identify the person who gave the Sermon on the Mount, and fewer still could recall five of the Ten Commandments. Only two in ten said they would be willing to suffer for their faith.”

Martin Luther said this in a different way, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”

What is the attraction of following Christ?

Jesus is certainly not making it easy for us to be his disciples. He himself had just cleansed the temple of merchants, so further enraging the authorities. Popularity was not his goal, faithfulness, in living as his Father wanted, was. He was about to be cruelly killed and he calls us, his followers to take up our crosses. He must be willing to fall into the ground and die for him.

There are however great benefits – look at how several verses end,

“ . . . it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

To win others for Christ is so rewarding, we are saving people for an eternity with God.

“ . . . will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25

That is the prize for Jesus, a return to the glory of his Father’s presence and that too is our great reward – eternal life.

“ . . . him will the Father honour.” John 12:26

What better reward could there be, than to be honoured by the creator of the universe? This is the repeated theme, that the Lord Jesus has prepared a home for us. The prodigal son came home to his father from the meaningless life he was living and this still is the good news for us. Our heavenly Father is longing and waiting for us to come home to him. To live for the Lord is eminently rational but at times this can be disconcerting as we live in a world that is going in a different direction. Soon after this Jesus reassured his disciples and we should also be comforted,

“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 to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

Jesus set us an example for all his people to follow. He lived only for his heavenly Father. He did everything asked of him, even to the point of dying. What greater love can there be?

BVP

John 12:12-19. Real Praise?

We have all seen people who have made enthusiastic commitments to follow the Lord Jesus who some months or years ahead have drifted away from him or even joined the opposition.

Robert Robinson, author of the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” drifted from the relationship he had once enjoyed with the Saviour, and lived in ways that dishonoured his Lord. He became deeply troubled and, hoping to find some relief, he decided to travel. During his journeys, he came to know a young Christian woman. During a discussion, she asked him for his thoughts on a hymn she had recently come across. He was astonished to find that this hymn was none other than the one he had written years before. At first he tried to evade her question, but she persevered. Suddenly he began to weep. With tears he said,

“I am the man who wrote that hymn many years ago. I’d give anything to experience again the joy I knew then.”

Although greatly surprised, she reassured him that the “streams of mercy” mentioned in his song still flowed. Mr. Robinson was deeply touched and his “wandering heart” returned to his Lord.

Palm Sunday demonstrated the height of Jesus’ popularity in earthly terms but, as we shall see, it was just a superficial enthusiasm, not a deep felt conviction. News about Lazarus’ return to life had spread widely. A large crowd came to Bethany to see both what had happened to Lazarus and to see Jesus himself.

“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

You can imagine the consternation of the Jewish authorities as they heard of Jesus’ increasing popularity with the masses.

“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 putting their faith in him.” John 12:10-11

Significantly John does not explain what he means by ‘their faith’. Earlier in his public ministry people were amazed at the miracles Jesus was performing, but their superficial faith was not what he was looking for. Two years before Jesus had attended the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.

“Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” John 2:23

The Worldly Glory

It was just five days before the Passover Feast and thousands of people were packing into Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. It was a Jewish tradition that the last part of the journey, into the city itself, should be made on foot to demonstrate humility. Josephus said that at a subsequent feast, 2,700,000 people were present, not counting foreigners and the defiled. Jesus decided to go against the tradition to make a point.

The account of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey is one of the few stories that all the gospel writers record. Luke gives us much more detail in his record. He explains that Jesus had arranged for this ride into Jerusalem on a young ass (Luke 19:28-44). In Luke’s record, Jesus frequently referred to himself as the Lord. He cried over Jerusalem as he approached it because, in spite of the enthusiastic crowd, he recognised that few really believed in him. He foresaw the judgment that would come on Israel and the reason for this,

“ . . . because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.” Luke 19:44

In such a crowd, rumour spreads quickly and the story that Jesus was returning publicly to Jerusalem would have great appeal to many, especially the pilgrims from Galilee where Jesus had been so active. In addition there were those who had heard of Jesus healing the blind man in Jerusalem, of his teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication and those who had recently witnessed or heard of the raising of Lazarus. The antagonism of the Jewish authorities was well known and doubtless increased public interest in Jesus.

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, . . .” John 12:12

There can be no doubt that they came together to welcome Jesus as a saviour. The waving of palm fronds was part of the Jewish ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles. Palm fronds had been a national emblem for over two hundred years with possible nationalist overtones. Simon the Maccabee had introduced this when the Syrian occupation had been defeated and the temple rededicated. Palm fronds were also prominent on Jewish coins when they first revolted against Rome in 66AD. This suggestion of nationalism may partly explain the extreme antagonism the Jewish authorities had to Jesus; revolt and the Zealots were always a risk lying in the background. There was no difficulty collecting these palm branches as date palm trees were in abundance around Jerusalem.

The cry of the crowd was part of the Hallel, Psalms 113-118, that were sung every morning by the temple choir during the Feast of Tabernacles, the great jubilant feast of the Jewish calendar, as well as at the Feast of Dedication and the Passover. During the Feast of Tabernacles every man and boy would wave their palm leaves, called ‘lulabs’, at the time when the choir reached the ‘Hosanna’ in Psalm 118:25. All Jews would therefore know these liturgical psalms by heart.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, riding on the colt of a donkey, the crowds shouted out this verse,

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” John 12:13 and Psalm 118:25-26

The word ‘Hosanna’ literally meant ‘Give salvation now’, but as in English carols, it had come to mean simply ‘Praise’.

The Midrash is an ancient commentary on parts of the Hebrew Scriptures which was attached to the Biblical text. The earliest Midrashim come from the 2nd century AD, although much of their content is older. The Midrash on Psalm 118 considers verse 26 to be Messianic; it is about the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the Messiah, God’s chosen king. This is probably why the crowd next addressed Jesus as the ‘King of Israel’, the rumour going about being that he was possibly the Messiah. They shouted,

“Blessed is the King of Israel.” John 12:13

This certainly was a Messianic title. People were blessing and praising the one they felt could be the Messiah. You can feel the fervour of the masses as this scene is described.

As so often happens when the Old Testament is quoted, very meaningful subsequent verses are omitted. It is as if people were meant to remember what comes next. Psalm 118 continues,

“The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.” Psalm 118:27

Earlier Jesus had explained,

“I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

The next verses of Psalm 118 are a powerful reminder of the response that the Lord wants from all of us; this is nothing less than a personal commitment to live with him and for him,

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures for ever.” Psalm 118:28-29

As the disciples looked back at all that had happened around Jesus, they realised, but only later, that their Jewish Scriptures had foretold many of these details. When they subsequently read the following Messianic prophecy they recognised its significance.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

‘Daughter of Zion’ was a common way of referring to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Again the subsequent verse, which John does not quote, is very telling,

“He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners . . .” Zechariah 9:10-11

Only with hindsight could this prophecy be fully understood. The Messiah would enter Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, would bring peace to the world (hardly the nationalistic principles of the Zealots but a peace with God) because he would seal the covenant with his own blood which he would give for the sin of mankind. His rule will extend all over the earth. This is what is happening today, Christ’s kingdom has extended across most country boundaries. This astonishing prophecy was written in the seventh century BC!

Jesus determined to fulfil this Messianic prophecy by entering Jerusalem on a donkey. It was not on a stallion, surrounded by soldiers, as other victorious conquerors would enter the city. He is a humble friend.

However it was only after Jesus had been raised from death that the depth of this understanding came to the disciples.

“After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” John 2:2

The depressing fact is that although so many praised Jesus on this occasion, just five days later there is no mention of the crowds standing up for Jesus when he was arraigned before the Sanhedrin, Pilate and King Herod. What sort of faith in the Son of God did they have? It must have been fickle and shallow.

Jesus frequently addressed this problem of pseudo-belief, most famously in the parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20). The role of the church is to sow the seed of God’s word, that is what God says, in the hearts of as many as possible. This seed, or word, will fall in different types of hearts. Some seed will fall on the hardened pathway and will immediately be taken away by the birds. It never began to germinate. Other seed will fall on rocky ground. At first it is received with joy but, as it has no roots, the developing seedling soon dies. Jesus explains that in this situation the word results in trouble and persecution and these prevent any growth in the faith. Yet other seed will fall amongst thorns. These people also begin well, they listen to God’s word, but then the ‘worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful’.

The point is that the Lord wants all his people to be very fruitful for him. The last group ‘hear the word, accept it and produce a crop’. They are the ‘good ground’.

God does not want people to have a passing interest in church and just to accept the doctrines of the church. He doesn’t want people who will sing his praises on Sunday but forget about him for the rest of the week. He longs for us to work hard at developing Christ’s character within us. He wants each of us to,

“. . . make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7

This is no casual faith, it entails a single-mindedness, ‘making every effort’, and this will need to go on for the rest of our lives. If we work at these things we will be useful for Christ, the goal of every Christian.

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will prevent you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:8

This is much more than a short term programme, it is an on-going process by which people are being permanently changed into becoming Christ-like people, with Christ’s character and his longing for people to be saved. These can only occur through a deep conviction about and commitment to the Lord Jesus. This requires people to be well taught; we must be more determined in our churches to teach people the word of God effectively. The godly bishop of Liverpool, J.C.Ryle, once wrote,

“It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose “backsliding” is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken-winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins–all these are sad sights. But a backslider is a sadder sight still. That true grace shall never be extinguished, and true union with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. But I do believe that a man may fall away so far that he shall lose sight of his own grace, and despair of his own salvation. And if this is not hell, it is certainly the next thing to it! A wounded conscience, a mind sick of itself, a memory full of self-reproach, a heart pierced through with the Lord’s arrows, a spirit broken with a load of inward accusation—all this is a taste of hell. It is a hell on earth.”

Popularity brings persecution

Possibly because they saw others praising Jesus and those Jews, who had witnessed the coming back to life of Lazarus, becoming emboldened.

“Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.” John 12:17

The interest in Jesus amplified.

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

As we have already seen, such mass superficial popularity was not what Jesus wanted. He longed for individuals to be personally convinced about who he is and to become dedicated to his service. The Jewish authorities were far from pleased. They wanted to suppress this movement but the opposite was happening, its success was apparent. Their plans were failing. They were only thinking politically however.

“So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him.” John 12:19

Jesus’ worldly success may concern the Pharisees but it was not what Jesus wanted. He was entering Jerusalem as a humble king, riding on a donkey. His kingdom was not of this world and he knew he had come to die in order to establish it. The Pharisees were simply playing into his omnipotent hands and they just did not understand.

BVP

John 12:1-11. The Effects Jesus had on People

After the raising of Lazarus, the Sanhedrin decided Jesus must die and news of this must have spread. Consequently Jesus and his disciples withdrew to a village called Ephraim which was probably in the region of Ephraim, one of the twelve tribes. This was located in the wild, uncultivated hill-country thirteen miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, perched on a conspicuous eminence and with an extensive view between the central towns and the Jordan valley. Here he could spend some more time with his disciples prior to his death that he knew was to occur at the Passover feast.

As the Passover approached, people from all over the country went ‘up’ to Jerusalem, much as people in the United Kingdom go up to the capital, London. They had to be ceremonially purified before they could take part in the feast. This purification had been stipulated for any who had been defiled in any way, such as touching a corpse (see Numbers 9:6-14).

The questions about Jesus were on many people’s minds – could he be the Messiah?

“They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, ‘What do you think?” John 11:56

Oh that this was true today, that people were looking for Jesus and kept asking others about him. It was now public knowledge that the Sanhedrin wanted to arrest Jesus and it was obligatory for everyone, with any knowledge, to report this to the authorities.

“But the chief priests had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.” John 11:57

Surely this presented a problem for Judas Iscariot. He now had a decision to make. Where does his loyalty lie. There is a strong link between being faithful and being loyal. To remain faithful to one’s husband or wife demands that we remain loyal and say and do nothing that could harm them. So many relationships fail because people have not learned this vital lesson. Judas clearly decided to obey the authorities rather that be faithful to the Lord Jesus and his band of disciples.

Six days before the Passover, which probably began at sunset on the following Thursday, Jesus arrives with his followers back in Bethany. This would mean that Jesus probably arrived in Bethany the previous Friday evening. A celebratory mean would have taken some planning so this dinner probably took place on the Saturday evening. News of Jesus’ arrival rapidly spread and a large crowd came to Bethany. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey took place ‘the next day’, which would then be the Sunday. We celebrate this with ‘Palm Sunday’.

Mark also describes this dinner but adds the detail that it was held in the home of ‘Simon the leper’ (Mark 14:3-9). It seems likely that he had been healed by Jesus as otherwise he could not host this large party. There must have been over seventeen present. Jesus was the guest of honour. The decision to host this meal was an act of considerable bravery, as the antagonism of the Jewish authorities to Jesus and his associates was, by now, well known.

John makes this story focus on four people, three were followers of Jesus, Mary, Martha and Lazarus and one was disloyal and unfaithful, Judas Iscariot. They act as a microcosm of those, throughout time, whose lives have been affected by Jesus.

Martha

Martha was one of those attractive people who love to serve others. Although the meal was in Simon’s home, she was clearly in charge. It is likely that she planned this as soon as news of the arrival of Jesus and his disciples surfaced. You can imagine her roasting the leg of lamb, with that fragrant aroma permeating throughout the house. Can we all imagine her fussing around, laying the table and ensuring that everything is just right for Jesus. She wants everyone to be happy and feel at home.

When Jesus first met Martha and Mary, it was the busy Martha who had invited Jesus into their home. Luke records the different personalities of these two sisters,

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Mary was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:38-42

As time passed, Martha changed even though the circumstances are similar. Both sisters are serving the Lord Jesus, but in different ways. Martha was serving him by preparing the dinner. We can all serve Jesus and his people in different ways. How important it is that there are those who serve Jesus practically. When Jesus says, ‘Mary has chosen what is better,’ does not mean that practical service is wrong. Service can be just as much worship as singing hymns! Whatever we do with our bodies should be for the Lord Jesus. Paul wrote,

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

True worship must involve service. Whatever we do in our lives should the done to honour the Lord Jesus. The trials of running a home should be considered as worship. Going to work should be done for Jesus.

Catherine Booth was a very capable lady with many gifts. She was the wife of General Booth, who founded the Salvation Army and she was a very accomplished public speaker. Her son, who wrote her biography, explained that she began her public ministry when he was just five years old. However her home was always the priority and she never neglected this. He wrote about these two ministries,

“Both alike had been opened to her by God. She saw his purposes in both, the humble duties of the kitchen table, her hands busy with food or in the nursery when the children were going to bed or at the bedside of a sick child, she was working for God’s glory.”

A lady put a sign up over her kitchen sink,

“Divine service performed here three times daily.”

One of her Anglican friends added,

“True, the way to change tedium into ‘Te Deum’.

Martha, at first, had complained when her sister Mary did not pull her weight in doing the chores. If we have critical mindsets, it harms us. Much better to get on with the job lovingly and without complaining.

Mary

Mary, who doubtless had been helping Martha with the meal, decided to do something to demonstrate her personal devotion to Jesus. She had probably heard about an earlier occasion when a prostitute had shown her commitment to Jesus when he was having a meal in a self-righteous Pharisee’s house. This woman had brought with her an alabaster jar full of perfume. She stood behind Jesus weeping, the tears falling on his feet as he lay at the table. She then wiped his feet with her hair and poured the ointment over them. This led to a discussion about how much she loved Jesus and what he could offer her,

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Luke 8:36-50

As this meal progressed, Mary left the room and collected a large jar containing a very expensive perfume. This is described as ‘pure nard’. Nard is a plant that produces a sweet aromatic oil which was made into perfume. This was then exported from India. Mary approached Jesus and poured the ointment onto his feet and then wiped his feet with her hair.

The room was filled with this wonderful aroma, doubtless partly caused by Mary walking around with perfumed hair. Martha’s cooking had brought one gorgeous aroma, now Mary’s actions brought another. Martha’s sacrifice was perspiration, Mary’s was perfume,

This was a very costly act. The ointment alone was worth a man’s wages for a year, perhaps the equivalent of £20,000 in our money. Mary had wanted to do something to show her love for Jesus and so gave him what must have been a most treasured possession.

It is so easy to take Jesus for granted, but he loves it when we show our devotion to him by what we give. Our status, bank account, boy-friend or girl friend, time and even reputation may all be given. Nothing is rejected by the Lord Jesus when given to him and his service.

Martha gave of her time and energy to serve Jesus. Mary gave her best, she used her hair, symbolising a woman’s glory to show how dearly she loved her Saviour. Jesus never rejects what we genuinely offer him. In Matthew’s account of this story the onlookers were indignant,

“Why this waste?”

Jesus replied to them,

“Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Matthew 26:8-10

Paul picks up this idea of the effect of perfume in encouraging Christians to tell others about Jesus.

“. . . and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God, the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Lazarus

Lazarus is interesting in that we know virtually nothing of what he did or said, all we know is that Jesus loved him, he had two sisters, he was raised from the dead and attended this meal. Yet he is the point of the whole story. John wants us to understand that it is not what Lazarus did for Jesus but what Jesus has done for him that is essential.

Although we know nothing of his gifts or abilities, he is important because he came to life and was set free. This is so encouraging for those who feel they cannot teach, are not creative, don’t have great personalities or have little education – what matters is to have a new life through Christ. This fact alone aligned him with Jesus Christ. The authorities hated Jesus and consequently they hated the presence of Lazarus who reminded people all the time, just by his presence, of the Lord Jesus. John writes,

“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. 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 putting their faith in him.” John 12:9-11

This should be the effect that those who have been given new life in Christ have. Just the fact that now they want to be with Jesus and his people regularly, by going to a church or Bible Study or talking about Jesus, aligns us with him and that divides people. Some are against God’s rule and others will be drawn to it. God’s Spirit works through us if we are close to him.

Judas Iscariot

Judas considered the pouring of nard onto Jesus feet to be a waste of much money. He objected,

“Why wasn’t this money given to the poor? It was worth a years wages.” John 12:5

This all sounds very altruistic, but John adds a comment about his real motives. Money meant more to him than anything else, and certainly more than Jesus.

“He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:6

It is a concern that some churches today seem to be more concerned about the poor in society that in representing Jesus and the salvation he offers to those who will follow him. Jesus rebukes Judas and those who fail to understand that he alone is the meaning of everything.

“ ‘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 amongst you, but you will not always have me.’” John 12:7-8

Devotion to Jesus is more important than anything else, even than helping the poor. But notice that Jesus brings our attention to something else – his coming death. This is not the usual subject to be brought up at a celebratory dinner! Yet this subject is vital. If Christians fail to focus on the fact that Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, died for our sins then we have missed the point of his coming into this world. This is why we owe everything to him. Paul wrote later,

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Peter wrote,

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been saved.” 1 Peter 2:24

If only Judas had understood who Jesus really was and had been loyal to him, his eternal future would have been completely different. He would have stood by Jesus and those who had faith in him and lived for the glory of Jesus as the other disciples did. They all eventually died, but he died still responsible for his own sin – he had rejected the only Saviour.

BVP

John 11:45-57. Loyalty, a disappearing virtue

The ornate ossuary of Caiaphas

Would you describe yourself as being ‘faithful’, a person of faith? If so, are you loyal? There is a great overlap between meaning of these the two words. Today the concept of loyalty, even amongst Christians is waning. Marriages are under pressure, often because one or both partners say unkind and hurtful things to or about their partner that should never be vocalised. Divorces are occurring because spouses are no longer loyal to their marriage vows. They promised to love, cherish and even obey, but now have no intention of being loyal or faithful to their vows although they were made ‘for better or for worse’.

A cup had this caption on its side, “I like my wife the way I like my car…” The meaning was uncertain until the cup was emptied and you could read the print at the bottom – “a new model every year!”

Even people who claim to be the faithful ones do not demonstrate that ‘stickability’ that loyalty requires. Loyalty is surely to stay faithful or devoted to a cause or person, come what may because this is the right thing to do, it is the nature of God’s Spirit that helps us to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

Many characters in the Bible are characterised by their faithfulness.

Job chose to not to curse God despite his many unreasonable sufferings.

Abraham chose not to question God when challenged to offer up his son Isaac. He remained devoted to God above everything else.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, suffered, wrongly accused and imprisoned, but not a word of complaint from his mouth.

Ruth remained loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi and faithful to the Lord in spite of difficult circumstances

Daniel refused to bow to the King despite the threat of being thrown into the lions’ den. He stayed loyal to God.

In 2007, a group of twenty-three South Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. They were terrified. The Taliban separated the group, isolated them and confiscated their possessions. One of the Korean women managed to hold on to her Bible. She ripped it into twenty-three pieces and secretly gave each of them a portion so that wherever they were, each person could read a part of Scripture when no one was watching.

The group knew that the Taliban had decided to kill them, one at a time. One by one the missionaries surrendered their lives again to Jesus saying, ‘Lord, if you want me to die for your sake I’ll do it.’ Then the pastor said, ‘I’ve talked to [the Taliban] because they are going to start killing us and I’ve told their leaders that if anyone dies, I die first because I am your pastor.’ Another said, ‘No, because I also am a pastor and I am your elder. I die first.’

Then the pastor came back and said, ‘You are not ordained, I have been ordained, I die first.’ And sure enough, he died first. Two more were killed before the rest were eventually rescued. They had demonstrated extraordinary loyalty to God and to each other.

These South Korean missionaries were following in the footsteps of the apostles who showed extraordinary loyalty.

Loyalty is a combination of love and faithfulness. It is a quality often lacking in our society today. Disloyalty destroys families, churches, businesses, political parties and even nations.

John Kenneth Galbraith was a noted economist in the early 1900s who was called upon by many senior politicians and businessmen to help sort the economic markets. He wrote the following story in his autobiography about his housekeeper:

“It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. ‘Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.’ ‘He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.’ ‘Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.’ ‘No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.’ When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. ‘Tell that woman I want her here in the White House.’”

Emily the housekeeper understood an important truth—she was a servant to one man and obeyed his wishes explicitly. Her loyalties were to Mr. Galbraith alone. What a great example of a true servant.

The Loyalty of Mary’s friends

When Lazarus died many Jewish friends and family came to support Mary. It was traditional for this consolation for the bereaved to last thirty days. Jesus had prayed at the tomb of Lazarus, after he had ordered the stone to be taken away, but the reason he prayed was very significant.

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe you sent me.” John 11:41

Jesus knew that he was very soon to raise Lazarus from death, but what Jesus wanted was for these loyal friends of Mary to believe in him. And God did answer Jesus’ prayer. They had witnessed Lazarus’ return to life,

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.” John 11:45

Actually all Jesus had done was to say some words, but then the word of God has always had huge power. The effect that Jesus wanted was that people should put their faith in him, that they should be loyal to him. Tradition tells us that Lazarus lived another thirty years, but then he had to die again.

The Disloyalty of the Informers

The next verse displays how disloyal people can be to their friends and family. Doubtless there had been great rejoicing in that family and probably a spontaneous party, but some of the guests did not share in the joy of Lazarus coming to life or of the many who had come to faith in Christ as the long awaited Messiah. How disloyal they were to this happy family,

“But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.” John 11:45

Such informers, these disloyal ‘sneaks’ or ‘snitchers’ went straight away to Jerusalem and sought out the religious leaders, doubtless because they were known to be antagonistic to Jesus. The informers had made their choice. They left Jesus and those loyal to him and went to try and undermine his ministry. People often say that if they had witnessed a miracle of Jesus they would, of course, become his followers. Yet here were a group of people who witnessed the raising of Lazarus and did the very opposite! These informers so stirred up the opposition that they led to Jesus’ crucifixion.

On another occasion, Jesus had told the parable of a rich man who had an unfortunate beggar, also called Lazarus, who begged outside his home. In time both died, but the rich man went and agonized in hell whereas Lazarus went to heaven. There was no possibility of travelling between the two places. Lazarus begs Abraham,

“Then, I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my Fathers house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” Luke 16:27

The previously rich man wanted this Lazarus to be resurrected so he could go to speak to his brothers.

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone went from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

He said to to him, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

This story illustrates what Jesus said. These despicable informers had witnessed one of the most extraordinary miracles of Jesus’ ministry, yet they would not believe.

This account by John tells us of the two responses to Jesus that always occur,

‘Many . . . put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees . . .” John 1:45

There are no other responses, there is no middle way. Either people are faithful to Jesus and therefore loyal to him or they turn away from him. Today all of us are in one camp or the other, either we are loyal to him and his family or, over time, we will move away. ‘Sitting on the fence’ shows disloyalty to Jesus.

The Disloyalty of the Plotters

The informers go to the Jewish leaders, who were well known to be antagonistic to Jesus, to tell on him. Doubtless, between them, they tried to find a reason to indite Jesus with some Jewish law that had been broken. The High Priest then summoned together the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish Council, that consisted of seventy one senior men. They had been delegated limited power by the Roman authorities to deal with Jewish issues.

“What are we accomplishing?’ they asked.” John 11:47

This supports the notion that there had been a concerted plot by the authorities to get rid of Jesus and at that stage they were not succeeding. John has already made many references to the antagonism between the Jewish authorities and Jesus.

a. It started when the Jews in Jerusalem had sent ‘priests and Levites’ to interrogate John the Baptist about who he was and why he was baptising people. John 1:19-28

b. The Pharisees again became concerned when they heard that Jesus was gaining and baptising more disciples than John. John 4:1

c. When Jesus received increasing support when he taught in the temple, ‘the Chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.’ John 7:32

d. The chief priests and Pharisees were very angry when the guard failed to arrest Jesus, accusing them of being’ deceived’ by Jesus. John 7:45-47

e. They challenged Jesus’ claim to the people to be ‘the light of the world’ John 8:12

f. They challenged and then hurled insults at the healed man who had been born blind when he refused to say that Jesus was ‘a sinner’ as they had told him to do. John 9:28

There was clearly a deep hatred for Jesus and his claims to be the Messiah. All their efforts to reduce his influence were failing. ‘What are we accomplishing?’ is an admittance of discrimination against him. Jesus was becoming more popular than ever. The evidence of hostile witnesses is always important when they confirm the certain facts. They continue,

“Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.” John 11:47

They recognised that what Jesus was saying, supported by his miraculous signs, was undermining their position.

“If we let him go one like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” John 11:48

What had Jesus done to upset the authorities? He had miraculously healed people publicly and taught how people could obtain eternal life by becoming members of God’s kingdom. He was fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and had been identified as the Messiah by John the Baptist.

Their prime concern appears to be their own status and power. Had they forgotten that, in their Scriptures, the Lord had committed himself to protect his people if they remain faithful to him? Was this an admittance that they knew their hearts were far from God. They must have known, but overlooked, that they were acting in ways that were contrary to directives in the Old Testament, such as,

“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

They were certainly not acting justly as Jesus did, they had not shown the mercy Jesus demonstrated and there is not a hint of the humility that all could see in Jesus.

The question must be asked why these Jewish authorities were so antagonistic towards Jesus and his ministry. At first sight, it may seem that they were trying to protect the people from a false teacher but it transpires that it is they who are opposed to truth and integrity. There was no fair investigation of Jesus’ claims, just hatred. They think that Jesus is being judged by them, but it is by their own actions that they are condemning themselves. The problem was that Jesus was becoming too popular. Their real concern was,

“. . . everyone will believe in him.” John 11:48

If they don’t stop Jesus, the limited influence they hold would disappear. They rejected the chance to enter God’s eternal kingdom chosing instead to clinging on to a few years power in this world. They were fulfilling what John had said early in his book,

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

Some liberal scholars suggested that many of the names used in the gospels were made up. However in November 1990 some workers were building a road in the southern part of Jerusalem and discovered an ornate limestone ossuary. According to the inscription, this elaborate ossuary contained the bones of the high priest Caiaphas, or “ Yosef bar Caifa.”

Caiaphas was clearly one of the ring-leaders of this group that was so antagonist to Jesus. He and Annas, his father-in-law, were in total control of the Sanhedrin. They were members of one of the ruling Jewish sects, the Sadducees. Sadducees were often wealthy men of high position and, as they sought to appease their Roman rulers, were heavily involved in politics. They held the majority of seats in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, over which Caiaphas had ruled for the eighteen years he had served as high priest. In terms of theology, Sadducees denied the afterlife and any existence of the spiritual world (angels, demons, etc.). Because of these things, they were often at odds with Jesus due to His teachings about humility, heaven, and His own deity.

Joseph ben Caiaphas, to give him his full name, lived from BC14 to 46AD. He was appointed High Priest in 18AD and ruled for eighteen years, more than other High Priests, which infers that he had a good relationship with the ruling Roman authorities. Annas, Caiaphas’ father-in-law, Annas, had been deposed by the Roman Proconsul Lucius Vitellus during a turbulent period but his five sons and son-in-law all followed him as High Priest but he retained much influence. Annas was clearly the king-maker and a key ‘plotter’.

There can be no excuse for the subsequent illegal behaviour as they planned the execution of a man who had not had a fair trial, especially on the basis that he was becoming too popular and the concern that ‘everyone will believe in him’. It was usual for anyone arrested by the Temple Guard to be held overnight and arraigned before the full Sanhedrin the following day. This clearly was not followed.

Their concern was that they might lose their influence. At this meeting in Caiaphas’ own palace, Caiaphas spoke up,

“You know nothing at all. You do not realise that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” John 11:49-50

Note that it was not better for the nation or the world but ‘for you’, the ruling body. Furthermore, what evidence does he give that the ‘whole nation would perish’ if Jesus is allowed to live? Presumably the details of what happened in this gathering of the Sanhedrin was later told by some who were there. We know that both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were on the Sanhedrin, and they became Christians, so presumably one of those passed on the information.

‘You know nothing at all’, sounds very rude. He was in fact quoting from old rabbinic writings. However he was also being prophetic for what he said was true.

John now makes a very telling comment,

“He prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring therm together and make them one.” John 11:51-53

This is the teaching of the whole Bible, that the Messiah would come and die as a sacrifice, taking on himself the sin of all who will turn to him. Unknowingly Caiaphas was stating the gospel in a nutshell. Isaiah put it like this,

“But he was pieced for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep have gone astray, each one of us to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6

This is the message of the apostles, for example Peter wrote about Jesus,

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25

These plotters were disloyal to Scripture, to the people they led, to natural justice and, worst of all, to the Saviour of the world. But at this meeting the fate of Jesus was sealed

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

The Disloyalty of the Betrayers

Jesus knew the intention of the rulers but the time was not right. The Passover was the feast remembering that a lamb had been slain to avoid the death of the first born in Egypt. His sacrifice must wait until the Passover.

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

The Passover feast was a time when God’s people were ceremonially cleansed so they could take part in the Passover feast. This cleansing was only external and only lasted for a year. Presumably John slips this in as a contrast to the permanent forgiveness and cleansing from sin that Jesus was able to give to his people.

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.” John 11:55

The authorities hearts were still set on destroying Jesus and were on the look-out for him as it was obligatory for Jews to go to Jerusalem for the Passover.

“But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him.” John 11:57

The leaders were now demanding that everyone joins them in their disloyalty. They expected people to betray Jesus, to be traitors to their faith and to be disloyal to the Lord. We know that one of Jesus’ own disciples responded to this pressure to betray Jesus – Judas Iscariot.

What a lesson this story is to all of us. We will all come under great pressures to be disloyal to the Lord Jesus and to our churches that are trying to faithfully proclaim him. We must beware that Satan does not use personality clashes to disrupt the cohesion of our church’s ministries. We must be faithful, we must be loyal, both to our Lord and to his people.

During the Korean war, a small group of Christians were meeting in a small chapel when communist soldiers barged in with machine guns. They were ordered to stand and line up against the wall. Then a soldier ripped a picture of Christ from the wall and threw it down on the floor. He then said,

“All right, one by one, I want you to come here, spit on this picture, and curse the name of Jesus.”

The first three in line were senior men in the church. They did what the soldier had ordered. The fourth in line was a high school girl. As she approached the picture she dropped to her knees. She wiped the spittle off the picture with her skirt and then said,

“Go ahead and kill me. I cannot curse his name.”

The soldier ordered her to get up and they blindfolded her and the three man and marched them outside. The people inside heard three shots. The soldiers then returned, bringing in the girl, still alive. One of the soldiers then said,

“Anyone who gives up what they believe that easily is not fit to be a communist.”

They then marched out leaving what remained of the small group of Christians to continue serving their Lord in very trying times.

It is never easy to remain faithful and loyal to the Lord Jesus, to his ministry and to his church. He has chosen a strange lot to follow him. Each of us have been included in his church and he has given us his Spirit to make our churches work for him.

BVP

John 11:17-44. Death and Illness

Christians first visited the court of King Edwin of Northumbria early in the seventh century. He had never heard of Christianity before. The capital of Scotland was named after this king, Edwin-burgh or Edinburgh. The king invited these missionaries to a banquet in the Great Hall and there, in that rush-lit hall they discussed this new religion. During the meal a sparrow flew in the door at one end of the hall,, fluttered through the light and shadows and then flew out at the other end of the hall into the darkness. King Edwin turned to the Christian missionaries and said,

“Our life is like that sparrow. We come in from the unknown,, we pass through the hall of life and we go out into the unknown. Can your religion tell me anything about what happens out there?”

This is a critical question for any religion – does it give real answers to the greatest questions of life. In particular, what assurance can it give to a person who is dying.

There are probably no greater problems facing all of us than sickness and death. Whatever our social or financial status we will all face these issues at some time, either in ourselves or in those we love.

When John’s gospel is carefully analysed it contains a record of only twenty days in the life of Jesus and in many of these he is facing the real problems that humans face.

The Problem of Illness

This account of the illness and death of Lazarus forces us to face the problem of sickness. There are some churches and cults who teach that because Jesus healed and raised the dead, and because he is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we should expect him to do the same today. They teach that the reason that this is rare is a lack of faith. Too often their answer to a lack of faith is to whisk up peoples’ emotions so they will believe anything! This is far from the teaching and the behaviour of Jesus and his apostles. Honesty must be a mark of God’s people, there is no place for exaggeration or lying in promoting God’s cause. In my daily Bible reading this morning I was reading some Proverbs. The following proverbs struck me forcibly,

“A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” Proverbs 14:5

“A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.” Proverbs 14:25

Some years ago I was involved in a student mission in a Scottish city. One afternoon we walked through a square in the centre of the city. There a local church had set up a stall with a large banner that said,

“If you are sick, come and be healed.”

Were they really suggesting that patients with terminal cancer or who had had a leg amputated could find new bodies with their help? It is relevant that the so called ‘Christian healers’ do not go into the psycho-geriatric or amputee wards in our hospitals!

It is right and proper to bring any concerns we have to the Lord in prayer, but not right to try and dictate to him how and when he should answer. The sisters of Lazarus get the balance right when they simply say,

“Lord, the one you love is sick.” John 11:3

We know that John was very careful in his selection of the miracles Jesus did; the ones he chose were all striking but they also had secondary messages, besides showing the extraordinary power Jesus had. John had told us why he selected these miraculous signs at the end of his 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

It is striking that Jesus actually allowed his friend Lazarus to become ill, to suffer and then to die. His family, who were deeply loved by Jesus, undoubtedly suffered too. The reason for Jesus’ inaction was that he wanted to demonstrate to the world a vital truth, that he is the Saviour of the world as well as its creator and Lord.

The word ‘dispensation’ is seldom used today, it is used of different periods of time. The Bible is clear that God works in different periods of time, in different dispensations, in different ways. There was clearly a difference in the ways he worked miraculously during the exodus from Egypt to later periods. All that God did in the times of Jesus were exceptional. Jesus’ miracles were used to mark him out as the Messiah so it would be most strange if these were happening all the time. God is the same, he never changes throughout the centuries, but his activities clearly do vary. In Old Testament times God’s people were told to enter the Promised Land and build a temple. In the New Testament, the only land stressed is that in the new creation, the heavenly Jerusalem. There is no directive for Christians to build beautiful buildings such as cathedrals, clothed with gold and expensive artwork in this world. God’s temple is now the people of God, the church. Buildings were not Jesus’ priorities! All God’s people need is a building they can gather in to hear God’s word being taught. His longing is for people to enter his kingdom and so be saved.

It should be emphasised that the term ‘dispensation’ is different from ‘dispensationalism’. This term has been used to describe the mistaken belief that Israel and the church are two separate peoples of God. Such people consider the prophecies concerning Israel will be fulfilled, not in the church, but in the literal nation of Israel, possibly in a ‘millennium’ period.

In the Old Testament, as God’s people wandered through the wilderness, something strange happened,

“Yet the LORD says, "During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.” Deuteronomy 29:5

This is not a promise to God’s people today, our clothes and shoes certainly do wear out.

Yet there is a continuity in other areas. God has always hated rebellion and sin. In the Old Testament such rebellion was punished with all sorts of troubles and eventually exile. God still hates our sin. Could this be the explanation why many churches are weak today, why God is not blessing us? We have certainly gone weak on the doctrine of a real God who is angry at sin; we have domesticated God! Yet the New Testament teaches,

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31

In C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ Aslan, the lion, represents the Lord Jesus. Susan who had thought of Aslan as a cuddly tame being is put right by Mr Beaver,

“Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"…

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

The reason for illness

Jesus taught that most illnesses are not due to an individual’s sin but occur simply because we live in a degenerate world. When Jesus met a man who had been born blind the question was asked by his disciples,

“‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’

‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this has happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’” John 9:3

However occasionally illness can be the direct result of sin or irresponsibility. Paul warns Christians not to trifle with religion and church but to be genuinely godly. He warns that those who are active in churches but not sincere may even become ill because of this,

“A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick and a number have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 11:28-31

There are some Christians leaders however who say that there should be no differences between how God works in different eras and places as God is ‘always the same, yesterday, today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). However to say that, because God did something in the Old Testament, he wants to do the same today, cannot be assumed. Similarly, to assume that what God did to authenticate Jesus when he was on earth is what he wants to do today is unwarranted. God is the same, his message of ‘salvation by faith alone’ is the same, his gift of the Holy Spirit to his people is the same, but what he chooses to do supernaturally varies. People who advocate a ‘healing ministry’ today will often quote a prophecy about the coming Messiah in Isaiah,

“Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

The opening phrase can be translated,

“Surely he has born our sickness and carried our pains.”

Jesus did act as a substitute for us when he bore our sin, the sin that separates us from God, when he died on that cross. We can be included in this when we truly turn to him, asking him to remove our guilt and fill us with his Spirit so that we have the power to live very different lives that honour him.

However, some are saying more, they think that Jesus will also remove our pain and suffering. This is not the understanding given in the New Testament which teaches that this prophecy has already been fulfilled when Jesus entered this world and died for us. This prophecy refers to Jesus who, when in Palestine, did heal the sick – it was fulfilled by him then. When Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law who was lying sick with a fever, and then that same evening healed many who were sick and demon possessed, Matthew writes,

“This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our infirmities and carried our diseases.’” Matthew 8:17

Matthew stresses that that prophecy has been fulfilled. The remarkable events that took place in the times of Jesus have never been repeated. Those miracles occurred to substantiate who Jesus was, and the greatest miracle was when Jesus became our sacrifice by dying on that cross. If people want evidence about Jesus they should go back to the first hand witnesses who saw these miracles, his death and resurrection, and heard Jesus teach. Even in Jesus’ day many followed him in a superficial way, because they saw the miraculous signs and not because they were convicted about their own need for the salvation that Jesus alone could give them.

Peter also refers to this prophecy in Isaiah in his first letter, and he understands the whole passage to be about the forgiveness of sin that Jesus won for his people.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

Christ’s apostle here interprets Isaiah’s prophecy to be about sin, not sickness. The purpose is that we should ‘live for righteousness’, not health. Peter goes on to say,

“For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25

This is the greatest healing in the New Testament. God encourages us all to ask for this and, if genuinely wanted, is always given. However many devout and real Christians ask for physical healing and sometimes God refuses to act over this.

A local newspaper article said,

“If God is there, why doesn’t he write a sign in the sky so we can all believe?”

The answer is that he has written them down in a much more durable place than the sky, they are written in the gospel record. In the gospels, and in non-biblical writings such as Josephus, the evidence for Jesus and his miracles is very strong. Even his enemies admitted that Jesus performed extraordinary signs. The problem we have today is not a lack of miracles but our hardened hearts. The Jews in Jesus day knew of the miracles but did not want to submit to God.

The Problem of Death

Death is an issue that modern society and families don’t want to confront. If you attend a humanist funeral there is no hope; atheists have no answer to confront death. H.J. Blackham’s Penguin book ‘Humanism’ attempted to present ‘the human face’ in ‘tackling human life in this world’. However it contains nothing about suffering, pain or death. In contrast John tackles the issue head on. He wants people to think about the purpose of life, a purpose that must stand even when people are on their death bed. He wants people to find life eternal and to do that necessitates answering the massive questions about death.

In his gospel John carefully selects seven major miracles which all have a double meaning. Firstly they demonstrate the miraculous power of Jesus but then each one has an application for us. The blind man sees but John wants us all to see who Jesus really is. Jesus feeds the five thousand but he wants to satisfy our deepest needs. In this story about the raising of Lazarus he is teaching us about the power of Jesus but also that he has the answer to our deaths.

Death is not sentimentalised. Neither Jesus nor John call death a brother that is to be welcomed. They would not agree with Peter Pan who said,

“To die would be an awfully big adventure”

They would not agree with JK Rowling who caused Professor Dumbledore to say,

“To a well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure”

Christians will also face these crises, no-one is immune. As death is caused by disease or accidents no Christian will be exempt from suffering either.

“He must reign till he has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:25-26

Jesus called death an enemy and death brings real bitterness even for Christians. However it is a very unpleasant doorway to the next life, the really permanent life. In this world soon all our names, and memories of us, will disappear.

Jesus wants us all to know that there is glorious news to guide and support us as we pass through this troubled life. John is stressing that the one who died on that cross is the one who, before he died, had defeated death. The Synoptic gospels, (Matthew, Mark and Luke – so called because they have a similar perspective) have a number of other stories about Jesus defeating death.

The widow of Nain’s dead son raised. Many witnessed this. Luke 7:11-17

The 12 year old daughter of Jairus, the synagogue ruler was raised. Luke 8:49-56

After Jesus died there was an earthquake and some dead people rose to life, perhaps as a precursor of what would happen three days later. Matthew 27:50-54

This man, Jesus, who could overcome death, voluntarily went to his own death to pay the price for our sin.

Is it God’s purpose to raise the dead and heal those who are terminally ill with cancer today? Some Christians assume this is what God wants to do and pray to this end. However, when I was working as a cancer surgeon I never saw such prayers answered as people wanted - inevitably such patients died.

When Paul was in prison, brooding over his own fate, he wrote to his friends,

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:21-24

Paul finds it hard to know what to pray for. He knows that to go and be with Christ will be wonderful. If a Christian is dying, is it better for them for us to ask that they be brought back to this sad old world? Then they will have to go through the wretched business of dying all over again.

Lazarus was restored to this old mortal existence and he had to die again. He had to suffer in this world but there was a purpose – that the Lord Jesus should be glorified.

The statistical evidence is obvious, God, with all his power, is choosing not to answer prayers to bring people back from the dead. However his glory is undiminished because of this.

Conclusions

1. Christians today will succumb to sickness and death

Lazarus, Mary and Martha were very close friends of Jesus. He loved them dearly, as we are repeatedly told in this chapter, and frequently stayed in their house. We are also told that Lazarus was ill 5-6 times in these few verses. Yet Jesus seemed to do nothing in spite of the tears, distress and undoubted prayers of the family. We are not to follow the delusion taught by Christian Science, which is neither Christian nor science. The teachings were radically simple. The founder and leader of the cult, Mary Baker Eddy, taught that disease was unreal because the human body and the entire material world were mere illusions of the credulous, a waking dream. Those who awoke and knew the “Truth” could be instantaneously healed. Not true of course even though some believed it - until they died! Yet still similar teachings have been invading the gullible fringes of Christian churches.

2. When sick, Christians should turn to Jesus for help

“Jesus, the one you love is sick.” John 11:3

This is a beautiful simple prayer. There was no bullying. There was no suggestion that the larger the number of people praying would somehow twist his arm and change God’s mind. It is similar to the simple prayer of Mary, Jesus’ mother, when a crisis hit a family wedding and they ran out of wine,

“They have no more wine.” John 2:3

This is surely how we should teach each other to pray.

3. Jesus still delays wakening us from ‘sleep’

Some are puzzled why Jesus waits to respond to our requests for help.

“Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed there two more days.” John 11:6

He has his reasons. However he has promised us that there will be a permanent resurrection with a new type of body, much more real than the old physical body that Lazarus had to return to for a few more years. The Bible teaches that we will all die, unless Jesus returns first, but we will be raised to meet God later..

“But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:10-11

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

4. Suffering and death are meant to teach us what is important

The story of Lazarus has been recorded for us so that we recognise our need for new life. Some object to this teaching but Jesus is very clear. Sometimes it takes a shock to wake us up. C.S.Lewis had suffered much. He lost his mother at an early age, saw his dad emotionally abandon him, suffered from a respiratory illness as a teenager, fought and was wounded in World War I, and finally had to bury his beloved wife. Lewis wrote about all of his heartache in his book ‘The Problem of Pain’. In this work, Lewis penned one of his most famous lines:

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Jesus was not afraid to use painful circumstances to help people think through how they stand before God.

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5

Here Jesus faces up to two disasters. A group of Galileans had been killed by Roman soldiers when they came to sacrifice in the temple. Today there would be much political fighting over such an event. But Jesus uses it to ask people whether they are ready to meet God. A tower block in south Jerusalem collapsed killing eighteen people. Today there would be public enquiries investigating the builder, the architect, the planning consent and the like. Jesus avoids such controversies but addresses the lesson everyone should learn from such disasters. Are we, those still alive, right with God?

BVP

John 11:1-16. The Dead are Raised

This story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is unique. In spite of the few dubious claims made on the internet there are no other substantiated claims of someone who has been dead for four days coming back to life.

A man goes to a cemetery and orders the stone in front of one of the rock-hewn tombs to be removed. No authorities had ordered this. No-one is sure what is going to happen yet there is only one protest, that of the dead man’s sister, who warns that there will be an awful stench. However her protest is not listened to. The stone is rolled back. The man looks upwards and begins to pray. You can imagine the onlookers feeling rather embarrassed. The prayer stops. The man then faces the tomb and calls out loudly in an authoritative way, as if he expects his commands to be obeyed.

“Lazarus, come out!” John 11:43

To everyones utter amazement a corpse, shuffling in its burial clothes, appears at the tomb entrance. The man then says, quite naturally, to the people around who doubtless were standing there gawping,

“Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:44

We are not told any further details. There is no interview with the family, the onlookers or the man himself for the obvious reason that they are not the focus of the story. The focus is on the man who raised Lazarus from the dead. Who is he?

Did it happen?

During the first half of the twentieth century many theological departments expressed doubts as to whether such an extraordinary event could have happened. The same scholars also tended to deny the physical resurrection of Jesus. Indeed these people were deeply sceptical about the historical validity of much of John’s gospel. However, theological fashions change and the pendulum has now swung back strongly even amongst liberal scholars. The late Dr John A T Robinson, when Bishop of Woolwich, published the infamous book ‘Honest to God’ questioning many traditional Christian beliefs and shocking much of the Christian world. Much later he wrote a book called, ‘Re-dating the New Testament’ which shocked many New Testament scholars. In this, he argued that all the New Testament must have been written before 70AD, with a probable early edition in the 50s AD, and that itself had arisen from oral tradition between 30-50AD. 70AD was when the temple and much of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Previously scholars had assumed that John’s gospel was the last gospel to be written, possibly in the 90s, some dating it around 130-150AD and a few even later. In his 1984 Bampton Lecture, given in on his behalf posthumously, Robinson claimed that John’s gospel was the earliest of the gospels.

Clearly, if Robinson is right, then there would have been many first hand witnesses around who could, and almost certainly would, have complained if any of the evidence John used was untrue. This would certainly apply to such an astounding sign as the raising of Lazarus.

The accurate details given in the story strongly supports its authenticity. There are none of the marks of a fairy tale. The characters involved, Thomas, Mary and Martha, are characterised in ways that are coherent with the other gospels. The behaviour and sayings of Jesus are so extraordinary as to be unimaginable. The details in the story are precise.

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” John 11:6

Jesus had gone to the lands east of Bethany which was just under two miles east of Jerusalem.

“ . . . many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them on the loss of their brother.” John 11:19

“When Martha heard that Jesus was coming she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” John 11:20

From Luke’s gospel (Luke 10:40) we know that Martha was an active, bustling sort of person who, on hearing of Jesus’ approach, went out to meet him, whereas her sister stayed at home. Mary was the more thoughtful, laid back sister. When Martha met Jesus he asked after Mary, and Martha was then sent home to fetch her. Such detail does sound like an eye-witness account.

The character of Thomas also rings true, to what we read of him in the other gospels. When he heard that Jesus wanted to go back to Judea, where his enemies lived, he said to the other disciples,

“Let us also go, that we may die with him?” John 11:16

Again Thomas comes across as loyal, but with a touch of pessimism

Modern scholars no longer doubt the veracity of these accounts. Even though it is not mentioned in the other three synoptic gospels, almost all with one accord, believe the story because of the internal details and evidence.

Bishop Westcott’s Commentary

Westcott wrote one of the greatest commentaries on John’s gospel that is still available today. He wrote,

“Apart from the antecedent assumption that a miracle is impossible and that the record of a miracle must therefore be explained away, it is not easy to see any ground for questioning the literal exactness of the history. No explanation for the origin of the narrative on the supposition that it is unhistorical has even a show of plausibility.”

H Meyer’s Commentary

“No narrative of the New Testament bears so completely the stamp of being the very opposite of a later invention.”

William Temple

When Temple was a young man he was very sceptical but he later came to believe in the truth of this account.

“The story is singularly vivid. It has all the characteristics of the record of an eyewitness.”

Cambridge University Black series 1989 standard commentary

“If historical evidence can establish the credibility of a miracle, it does here.”

Professor Archibald M Hunter

Professor Hunter was Professor of the New Testament in Aberdeen. At the end of his commentary on John he concluded,

“One thing we ought not to do is dismiss this famous story as a Johannine fiction.”

Such scholars are forced by the evidence to take this story very seriously indeed and as we dig into it deeper its significance becomes abundantly clear.

How could the Messiah be so apparently weak?

Jews found it very hard to accept that their all-conquering Messiah, who would reign for eternity would die on a cross like a common criminal, even though there are strong clues in their Old Testament that this would happen. Jews thought that death by crucifixion surely meant the executed man was eternally cursed by God. Didn’t their Scriptures say,

“If a man guilty of a capital offence is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that s ame day, because anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land . . .” Deuteronomy 21:22-23

The Jews failed to understand that their Messiah needed to die as a final sacrifice for sin, it is the curse of our sin that he bore on the cross.

Isaiah 53 gives a vivid description of the Messiah who would die for the sins of his people.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:4-9

Yet it doesn’t stop there,

“ . . . though it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.” Isaiah 53:10-11

The Messiah of the Old Testament is more powerful than even death. The effect of the raising of Lazarus must have had a great effect on people in Judea. How could it not? The following verses have the ring of truth about them.

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. ‘If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” John 11:45-47

That the miracle of the raising of Lazarus really took place is substantiated by the hostile witnesses. The Jewish authorities had no doubt that this and other miracles were occurring. The opposition to Jesus admitted that, what he was doing, was very convincing, but they were implacably against him both for personal and political reasons.

The following chapter describes how deeply this hatred of Jesus, and what he stood for, went.

“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. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well.” John 12:9-11

Why did they hate Jesus so much? Surely it the same reason that people today are so opposed to him. In many nations particularly those under communist or Islamic control there is a deep-rooted antagonism against Jesus and his followers. Surely the reason is not a lack of evidence but a question of authority. Jesus claims to be God and therefore to have authority over everyone and everything. Communist leaders want to retain authority themselves, much as the Pharisees did, and they will suggest political advantages for the ‘status quo’ to continue, even if natural justice is not adhered to. Islamic leaders similarly want to keep authority themselves and can also use very oppressive means to achieve their ends. Significantly, questions about the validity of the Qur’an and the Hadith are rarely talked about, probably because the evidence supporting them is increasingly being seen as spurious.

Those who reject the claims of Jesus should come up with valid explanations to explain Jesus away. The evidence is so strong that he existed and performed these extraordinary miracles, no-one has ever matched them. He was executed and rose again. He fulfilled all the 330 prophecies about the Messiah who was to come into this world, which said he would be a descendant of King David, be born in Bethlehem, be a healer and preacher, be killed as a sacrifice for sin but would rise again. The prime reason all should bend their knee before him is that he truly is the Son of God. The reason people reject Jesus is primarily because of our wanting independence from God. The rebellion of Adam and Eve against God is repeated in every generation.

Bertrand Russell was an opponent of both God and Jesus. When I read his book, ‘Why I am not a Christian,’ it disappointed me greatly. For such a brilliant man his arguments were weak. He spends much of the book questioning philosophical arguments used to prove the existence of God. He then critiques Jesus’ ‘moral character’, on the basis that Jesus believes in hell.

““I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment. Christ certainly as depicted in the Gospels did believe in everlasting punishment, and one does find repeatedly a vindictive fury against those people who would not listen to His preaching — an attitude which is not uncommon with preachers, but which does somewhat detract from superlative excellence.”

Bertrand Russell also criticised Jesus for his “vindictive fury” against any who would not listen to his preaching. Significantly little is made of Jesus’ repeated claim to be God or the evidence for his life, death and resurrection. Like the Pharisees, Russell does not try to explain away the miracles, that Jesus pointed to to substantiate his claims; he fails to deal with the objective evidence that support Jesus’ claims. Clearly if Jesus is the Son of God, then he must know more about hell, the nature of God and the consequences for rejecting our creator, than Bertrand Russell. This is why the raising of Lazarus and the resurrection of Jesus are critical.

We cannot act as judges over God and Jesus as the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day. For most people, the refusal to accept Jesus is because there is a deep-rooted refusal to accept the authority of God in our lives.

An archbishop of Paris was preaching in Notre Dame Cathedral. He told of a priest who was hearing confessions who could hear three boys outside. They were clearly rebels against God, even suggesting that God was dead. The boys decided to see if they could play a joke on the priest in the confessional. They hit upon the idea of one of them making a false confession. They agreed that any one of them who would be brave enough to go in and make a confession would be given five francs.

One boy volunteered and went in and made his confession. The priest, pretending not to know anything about the conversation he had overheard, accepted the confession as if it was genuine, and gave him a penance. The lad was to go up to the Communion rail, kneel down and say,

“God is dead - and I would not want you to help me, even if I needed you.”

The lad came out and asked the others, “Give me the five francs.” However the others said, “Oh no! You must have been given a penance. Go and complete it.”

So he went up to the Communion rail, knelt down and started. He got out the words “God is dead”, but then he choked. He could not finish the words, and he began to cry.

And the archbishop, continuing his sermon, said to his congregation,

“I know this is true. I am that boy!”

Jesus has provided enough objective evidence for everyone to accept his claims, but the stimulus for most of us to turn back to God is seldom primarily intellectual, but comes when our spiritual instincts have been aroused. It was these spiritual instincts that God has implanted into us that led the future archbishop to look to Christ. At some stage we all recognise the need for a purpose in life that survives death, an answer to the question of suffering and of death. For many the longing for forgiveness for wrongs done, and the yearning for a power to live a new life, lead us to look at the claims of Christ. We all need someone to worship, who is outside ourselves and our family. No-one else but Jesus can satisfy all these needs. He claimed,

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25

The Bible is clear that all of us, however pleasant and affable we appear, are spiritually dead until we have been given new life. This life is only given to those committed to Jesus Christ. Paul wrote,

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world . . . the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. . . . But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” Ephesians 2:1-4

BVP

John 10:30-42. Division or Decision

Jesus has finished teaching on a clear note,

“I and the Father are one.”

He is claiming to be God’s Messiah, the Son of God who has entered this world. He says he is the only faithful leader. He alone can give people admission into God’s presence, he alone can fully lead God’s people in the present, he alone can protect them and he alone can give them eternal life. The religious leaders of Israel offered none of these, let alone being able to achieve them.

Jesus is not presenting himself as a sentimental Good Shepherd but as the sovereign ruler. He claims that under his rule man flourishes and without that rule we are destroyed.

This passage begins with an argument between Jesus and the Jewish authorities seen in verses 31-39. This is followed by an epilogue that takes place across the Jordan where many people come to him and believe in him.

John is clearly a skilful writer who has clear aims. Here his aim is to show that evidence leads to faith and that faith leads to eternal life. This is how he summarises his 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’s aim is to persuade people to become believers as they face up to the claims, promises and powers of Jesus. As John builds up to the climax of his book, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, he begins to give us the distinction between unbelief and belief, some turn away from him, some turn to him. In chapter 9 John contrasts the religious leaders, who rejected Jesus, with the healed man who had been born blind. This section concludes with a statement and an action,

“‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him.” John 9:38

In the next chapter Jesus says to Martha,

“‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’

‘Yes, Lord,” she told him, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world.’” John 11:25-27

In spite of the scepticism of the religious leaders, John emphasises that a significant minority did believe and commit themselves to Jesus. John describes how many responded in his day and implies that this is the response God wants today. The contrast between the two groups is put starkly, it is like black and white. In our passage verses 31 to 39 are all about unbelief and 40 to 42 and all about belief.

John presents this section in terms of a law court where evidence is presented, a judgment made and a verdict delivered.

1. Evidence is given

In verses 31 to 39 John repeatedly says that people have all the evidence they need to come to an honest verdict.

“ . . . Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father.’” John 10:32

“‘Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.’” John 10:37

“‘. . . even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’” John 10:38

The Greek of verse 32 can also be translated ‘many good works’ which could conjure up a picture of soup kitchens, and charity sales but this translation, ‘many great miracles’, makes it clear that Jesus is talking about his supernatural acts as well as his teaching. As we have seen, these are linked. When he opens the eyes of the blind he is saying that he wants to help us all to see the eternal truths he has brought from God. When he feeds the hungry, he is saying that he wants to deeply satisfy the hearts of people. When he gives water to the thirsty, he is saying that he wants to slake our thirst for reality and for God.

Jesus had performed these great miracles and yet many would not believe because what he said opposed their position.

Unfortunately it is not that uncommon for people today to make decisions against the evidence. The judge of a criminal case was highly critical of the jury who had let off a robber although he was clearly guilty. Perhaps this will become more common as people think of truth as something belonging to them alone and consequently ethics have become ‘relative ethics’ with no absolute dimension.

Contrast the way the religious leaders thought with that of the people on the east side of the Jordan when Jesus visited them.

“Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, ‘though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true. And in that place many believed in him.” John 10:40-42

John is asking us, his readers, to think. The country people were content with the ministry and teaching of John the Baptist. What he taught had resonated with them and they turned back to God in a personal way. The prime purpose of John the Baptist was to point his listeners to Jesus. This must still be the prime purpose of the church today. The Baptist had spoken about Jesus in no uncertain terms,

“Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

“This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” John 1:30

“. . . the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” John 1:31

“Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down form heaven as a dove and remain on him.” John 1:32

“ . . . the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’” John 1:33

“I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34

These people had followed John’s teaching even though he had never performed any miracles. The contrast is astounding. Jesus had performed all these miracles in Jerusalem yet they would not believe in him. The country people heard a similar message yet without the miracles and they did believe.

This comparison is surely alluding to something that is always true. It is not miraculous evidence in the end that convinces people to change the direction of their lives. The old saying is true,

“Convince a man against his will. he’s of the same opinion still.”

Jesus told a parable about a rich man who died and found himself in hell, which he hated. He was told by Abraham,

“ . . . between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” Luke 16:26

On hearing this the man had real concerns for his five brothers whom he realised would receive the same fate as himself. What a desperate state our society and even our churches have become when we have little real concern for the lost around us who, according to Jesus, are also heading for hell.

“Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will also not come to this place of torment.” Luke 16:27-28

Sending Lazarus, who had been a pauper begging outside his luxury house, back to speak to his brothers would necessitate a resurrection.

Abraham replied that they already have the teaching of God given in his Word.

“They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.” Luke 16:29

The rich man replied,

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’” Luke 16:30

Then comes this withering response,

“If they do not listen to to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Luke 16:30

The Old Testament alone, apart from the New Testament, has so much to say about Jesus, God’s Messiah who was to come into his world. It also speaks to people’s hearts. You would think that, if miracles were clearly performed in front of people, they would change the way they think. People however are not like that, as Jesus showed many times.

When crowds gathered hoping to witness some miracles Jesus said,

“This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Luke 11:29

The sign of Jonah is the message of Scripture. Jonah was called by God to share the message of salvation with the people of Nineveh but was thrown overboard when he tried to flee by ship away from this responsibility. Jonah was in the stomach of a great fish for three days but after this was raised and went on to Nineveh to complete his task. Jesus also came to share the message of salvation with us and he also, after three days in a tomb was raised from the dead. It is striking that the sign of Jonah can also be that in Nineveh those who were not God’s people repented and turned to God, whereas those who had a knowledge of God’s word rejected God. We can see this today when non-Christian societies are turning back to God whereas in the so-called Christian west we largely refuse to return to God and his Son.

In Matthew chapter 11 Jesus criticised the towns and cities where he had performed many marvellous and mighty works. In these places the sick were healed, lepers cleansed, demons exorcised, the dead raised. Whilst he did these he was preaching the word of God. But these cities, on the whole, did not turn around, repent and follow the truth. They were amazed at what Jesus had done, because of the spectacle of the miracles, but they rejected the message and the person that God required them to respond to. To them it was more like a show than a confirmation of the true Gospel of God and a call to change their lives.

“Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of the miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.” Matthew 11:20

It would be wonderful if God was readily performing real miracles in Britain today but the evidence is that this is not widely occurring, in spite of the showmanship of certain church leaders who claim the opposite. We mustn’t despair that a lack of signs and wonders is the problem, no, basically our problem is a lack of willingness to face the evidence that God has already given us.

Bertrand Russell giving a public lecture defending his atheism when a woman stood up and asked:

“Lord Russell, what will you say when you stand in front of the throne of God on judgment day?”

“I will say: ‘I’m terribly sorry, but you didn’t give us enough evidence.’ ”

Jesus has little time for such lame excuses. God has nothing to apologise for. He understands the problems we face, with hard jobs and dead local churches, but he still asks us to face up to the evidence we all have, external objective evidence we can study and internal subjective evidence that we feel about God and his values.

The religious leaders wanted to do away with Jesus, they hated what he was saying,

“We are not stoning you for any of these (the great miracles) but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10:33

When I was a youngster at school I remember our RE teacher saying that Jesus never claimed to be God. He cannot have read John’s gospel. There is no doubt that that is precisely what Jesus was saying. They certainly understood that when Jesus called himself ‘God’s Son’ and described God as his Father, he was claiming divine status.

2. Judgments are made

Jesus continues to use the analogy of the law court and reminds them of an Old Testament passage, taken from Psalm 82.

“Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods?’” John 10:34

In this Psalm God is addressing the judges of Israel who were given, as all judges have, the quasi divine authority to judge and punish. The Bible warns us all that we should be very careful about judging others because we may not have understood a situation properly, but magistrates and judges must make decisions for the good of society, just as God will make judgments for the sake of his kingdom. In this Psalm the judges are being told that they are doing the work of God when they make judgements, so they must judge justly in his name. The problem was that those judges did not fear God and they were reprimanded for a repeated failure to bring right verdicts. Those men were ‘called gods’ because they were exercising divine authority in following God’s law.

Jesus picks up on this idea and says to the religious leaders that they were content for judges to be called ‘gods’, startling though that was. Yet now the Father has set apart his very own Son and sent him into the world, not to bring judgment this time but a warning and the gospel of hope. He had come not to condemn but to save. There, standing before them, was the unique son of God, the Good Shepherd, who is about to lay down his life for his sheep. He alone has been given the authority and power to save the whole world.

Jesus is saying to these religious leaders,

“If you are happy to give that title, ‘gods’, to those judges, is it too much to give this title to another man, the one who entered this world to save it for all eternity and save it from God’s final condemnation.”

Jesus is being very clever here. He expected them to know Psalm 82 which starts,

“God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the ‘gods’: ‘How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?’ Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” Psalm 82:1-3

Jesus added one very important phrase here,

“. . . and the Scripture cannot be broken.” John 10:35

This is the message that is repeated through the Bible which claims to be ‘the very words of God’ (1 Peter 4:11). It claims that ‘All Scripture is inspired by God . . .’ (2 Timothy 3:16). It teaches that ‘the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit . . . it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ Those who reject the authority of Scripture disregard what God has said to us, are the most stupid of all people.

Jesus is really saying to the religious rulers of his day, ‘You are the judges of Israel, yet your verdict is false. You are acting as false shepherds.’

Jesus says that he has come to do the works of God publicly and he asks for an honest verdict about himself based on all the evidence.

“. . . what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?” John 10:36

Their reaction is almost unbelievable, it was both illegal and immoral. When he asks these men, who had been trained in the word of God, for a decision they took up stones to stone him calling him a blasphemer. However it was not yet God’s time to give up his Son so he ‘escaped their grasp’.

Contrast the judgment the people in Jerusalem have made on Jesus, and therefore on themselves, with that made by the people west of the Jordan. There, many came to Jesus and believed in him. Their decision was contrary to that of the authorities.

In many communist countries the leadership is also opposed to Jesus and has caused great problems for Christians, their wives and children. Many obstacles are put in their way for any who are out and out Christians. Churches are told they must register but often, when they try to do so registration is delayed. The authorities then arrest the leaders for having a church without authority.

The lesson is clear. Every person must make a decision about Jesus for themselves, we cannot give the responsibility for this to others who have authority. There have always been and will always be social, political and even ecclesiastical forces around us. The tragedy is when leaders in society will not stand up for Jesus and what he teaches. This is especially true of Christian leaders who can often be as timid as rabbits.

Young people today find it so hard to stand up for Jesus at school and amongst their friends. Even adult Christians find it hard to openly acknowledge their allegiance to Christ. A survey of members of Redeemer Church in New York, that is recognised as a leading Bible teaching church where Tim Keller is the pastor, revealed that only six percent are open about their commitment to Jesus at work.

Verdicts are given

How people’s verdicts are contrasted in this passage, The authorities are positively antagonistic,

“Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,” John 10:31

“Again they tried to seize him . . .” John 10:39

Some scholars insist that these Jews had no right to do this as they were living under Roman rule and the Romans had a high view of justice.

The opposite reaction comes in the second section of this passage,

“And in that place many believed in him.” John 10:42

This reaction to Jesus comes repeatedly in this gospel. It is the response that God wants all people to have.

“Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.” John 8:30

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.” John 11:45

John wants us to understand that in spite of all the official opposition, a significant minority did come to believe in Jesus. The contrast in reactions between the believers and the non-believers is striking, some worshipped and others wanted to kill him. The perverse fact is that when we make a verdict about Jesus, the sovereign ruler of the universe, we are at the same time making a verdict on our own destiny, on whether we will join him in heaven or be rejected to hell.

Application

There is no third way. In the United Kingdom there is an enormous middle group who try to sit on the fence about Jesus. To such people Jesus is clear,

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

We all need to ask ourselves these questions:

‘Am I wholeheartedly with Jesus?’:

‘Am I with Jesus in his desire to draw others into his kingdom in my vicinity?’:

‘Am I with Jesus in his desire to teach my family his truth?”:

‘Is his heart’s desire my hearts desire?’

If we are not with him we are against him.

There can be little doubt that most of those who rejected Jesus were not outwardly wicked people. The way we tend to show our antagonism to Jesus is usually by apathy or ignoring him. In this passage in John’s gospel Jesus enters his opponents world and there he compels them to make a decision about him.

Some may say that in their society or friends people don’t talk about politics or religion and especially not Jesus. Shouldn’t Christians we wary of any groups where such thinking pervades. They may have the quasi-semblance of religion but if Jesus is rejected these are not places where Christians should belong. Jesus doesn’t say, “I am a poor candidate in a state of darkness.”

He says instead,

“I am the light of the world.” John 9:5

He then says to each of his followers,

“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14

How can any Christian be active in a group or lodge that is neutral or cold towards Jesus our Lord? If Jesus invaded such groups it is probable that hackles would rise and he would again be rejected forcefully.

There is no lack of evidence, it is the fact that he is Lord that people find so hard. Yet it is a decision that we all make, either actively or by deliberate neglect.

BVP

John 10:19-29. God’s Chosen King

Evel Knievel was an American stunt driver who dared death with his motor bike jumps. It was once rumoured that he had been killed trying to jump the ‘Nixon credibility gap’. There is today a large ‘credibility gap’ between what many of our politicians say and what they really are. Do you remember what Robert Mugabe used to say about honesty, fairness and equality when he took over Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe?

In this passage there is a great emphasis on the relationship between words and deeds. The Jewish leaders profess one thing but do something else. It is even worse to tell others to live a certain way but not to live that way myself. Worse still is to criticise or condemn someone over something I do privately. Jesus repeatedly emphasised this,

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Matthew 23:1-3

The apostles emphasised this,

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith of itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.” James 2:14-17

Hypocrites cause so mush harm as Paul stressed,

“You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law? As it is written: God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:21-24

John emphasises the link that there is between the words of Jesus and his deeds. We must take note of what he says because his actions fully substantiate them.

“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

A person recently told me that he accepts that Jesus existed, did miracles and rose again, but he realised that there is a difference between ‘accepting’ and ‘believing’. Believing involves a personal commitment to follow, and it is only ‘believing’ that is associated with the gift of eternal life.

In John’s gospel there is a strong link between the miracles that are reported and the teaching Jesus gave. He claimed to be the ‘Bread of Life’ and fed the five thousand. He said, ‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” and then immediately proceeded to heal the man who had been born blind. People always associate what a person says with what they do. Many of the Jewish leaders tried to explain the powers that Jesus repeatedly demonstrated by his being demon possessed, but many protested because his life suggested the opposite.

“These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” John 10:21

John goes on to assure his readers that anyone who truly believes in Jesus will live eternally,

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this.” John 11:27

These are the words that are commonly read at a funeral as the coffin is being carried into the church. The last phrase is nearly always left out. Wouldn’t it be helpful if the minister stopped and, looking round at everyone present, challenged everyone present by emphasising these last words,

“Do you believe this?”

Soon after saying that he is the ‘resurrection and the life’ Jesus went to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, and raised him from the dead. He had already been dead for four days.

It was the combination of Jesus’ teaching and his miraculously feeding the five thousand that caused people to say,

“Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” John 6:14

When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he acknowledged that Jesus must have come from God because of his actions,

“Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” John 3:2

In the passage we are focussing on today, Jesus continues to use the imagery of the sheep and the shepherd, but he does so by emphasising this relationship between words and deeds. God clearly wants us to be sincere people and not frauds. Some have suggested that our word ‘sincere’ is derived from the Latin ‘sine’ and ‘cera’ which literally means without wax. When statues were being carved out of stone it was all too easy for the statue to be chipped. The easy way to solve this was to insert a small piece of wax into the defect. A perfect statue would be ‘sine-cera’ or without wax. It was the genuine article. The oldest versions of this story claim that vendors of honey in the markets of ancient Rome cried “sine cera” to assure buyers that their honey was pure and free from wax. However speculative such stories are, Jesus certainly wants his people to be genuine, sincere people.

Mixed Reactions 10:19-21

Jesus has just said some very strong words. He has claimed to be the one ‘Good Shepherd’ that the Old Testament prophets had said would enter this world. He had also criticised the Jewish leaders for being ‘false shepherds’ who were ‘in it for themselves’. Jesus compels people to make a decision about him. Those opposed to what he was claiming felt they had to do something, they had to get rid of Jesus. John has already mentioned the leaders desire to kill Jesus six times (5:18; 7:1, 19-20, 25; 8:37, 40).

Those who did not recognise Jesus to be God’s Messiah, the Good Shepherd, suggested that what he was saying were the rantings of a madman. The problem others had with this suggestion was that there were no stigmata of lunacy at all. He was calm, balanced and kind. They argued,

“These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the yes of the blind.” John 10:21

The sign of Jesus, when he opened the eyes of the man born blind, was a parable of what he wants to do for all people who are spiritually blind. He wants people to be able to see who he really is. Jesus says that our reaction to him determines our eternal destiny. This is what Jesus goes on to emphasise. Those who are not God’s people refuse to listen to what the Son of God says.

“. . . you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” John 10:26-28

Tell us plainly 10:22-30

Two months after the Feast of Tabernacles, when Jesus had healed the man born blind and had explained its significance, he is again back in Jerusalem, at the time of the Feast of Dedication. This feast could be celebrated wherever people lived. It occurred in winter time, our December, and during this feast Jesus was walking through Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple. This was the covered area along the inner side of the Court of Gentiles, the large outer court of the temple. Each of its columns was 27 feet tall and the roof was made of cedar. This feast, commonly called Hanukkah, is also known as the Festival of Lights. It commemorated the victorious revolt led by Judas Maccabeus who, between 167 to 160 BC, had fought against the tyranny of the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev, the day victory came in the fight against Antiochus. Each day one candle in a nine branched candle holder, a menorah, is lit using the central candle.

Antiochus had attempted to force Greek culture upon the Jewish nation. He had compelled priests to eat pork, had changed the chambers of the temple into a brothel and had converted the ‘Altar of Burnt Offering’ to an altar to the Greek God, Zeus. Hanukkah commemorated the day that the temple had been cleansed, the altar rebuilt with fresh stone and the temple reconsecrated to the Lord. It was Judas and his family who had instituted this Feast.

“Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev.” 1 Maccabees 4:59

Hanukkah was a day of deliverance which is probably why Jesus chose this day to speak openly again since he also had come to free people from captivity, their captivity to sin. The Jewish leaders again surround him and aggressively ask,

“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:24

Whether they felt Jesus had been evasive or they wanted him to give them clear evidence for charges of blasphemy we cannot be sure, but again Jesus answers astutely.

“I did tell you, but you did not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.” John 10:25-26

Jesus had spoken openly to interested individuals about who he was but had used parables and hints when talking publicly, doubtless because he wanted to complete his earthly ministry first before condemning himself. He had made clear statements to the woman at Samaria,

“I know the Messiah, (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4:25-26

He had also said the same to the man born blind two months earlier, saying to him,

“’Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe.’” John 9:35-38

Again and again Jesus had implied that he was the Son of God. At the beginning of his public ministry he had said to those who were making the temple into a market place,

“‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?’” John 2:16

After Jesus had healed a paralysed man on the Sabbath, Jesus said to the Jews,

“‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too am working’. For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God.” John 5:17-18

He goes on to say,

“ . . . that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.” John 5:23

He follows this by stating that belief in him gives eternal life.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed from death to life.” John 5:24

This point is repeatedly made clear,

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:39

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.” John 6:47

“‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” John 8:58

At his trial Jesus confirmed his divine nature openly to his enemies and this led to his crucifixion, as undoubtedly he knew it would. Note how the phrases ‘Son of God’ and ‘Son of Man’ are interchangeable.

“The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’”

‘Yes, it is as you say,’Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Matthew 26:63-65

Jesus’ miracles were a major feature that substantiated his claim to be the Messiah. Early in his ministry it was his miracles that had made him stand out.

“While he was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.” John 2:23

Is lack of evidence the problem?

The atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell was once asked what he would say if he found himself standing before God on the judgement day and God asked him, "Why didn’t you believe in Me?" Russell replied, “I would say, ‘Not enough evidence, God! Not enough evidence!'”

Many people today would probably say something similar. This attitude is passed on mindlessly to others: “There’s not enough evidence.” Jesus replies that there is ample evidence but if someone is preconditioned not to believe they will find any cause for rejecting him. Both what Jesus says and what he did shouted out loudly that he was from God. When asked, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us plainly, he replied,

“I did tell you, but you did not believe. The miracles that I did in my Father’s name speak for me., but you would not believe because you are not my sheep.” John 10:25-26

Jesus is again saying that his opponents belong to a different flock that is not God’s. They follow a different shepherd who is not the God Shepherd. Their shepherd is a false shepherd, he is the ‘father of lies’

Jesus has returned to the imagery of the Good Shepherd that he had used two months earlier. However he doesn’t want to be just negative so he adds some tremendous words that are addressed to those committed to him,

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28

This tension over whether Jesus is God’s chosen king, God’s Messiah, has continued ever since. Those of us who have heard his voice must ensure that we do follow and live as he demands, as outside of Christ there is no salvation.

The German theologian Horst George Pöhlmann concluded,

“Today there is virtually a consensus ... that Jesus came on the scene with an unheard of authority, with the claim of the authority to stand in God’s place and speak to us and bring us to salvation. With regard to Jesus there are only two possible modes of behaviour: either to believe that in him God encounters us or to nail him to the cross as a blasphemer. Tertium non datur. [There is no third way.]”

Blaise Pascal was a great mathematician and philosopher. When he was thirty one years old, he came to know God personally through Jesus Christ. That conversion experience changed his life. When Pascal died, there was found sewn into his clothing a reminder of that experience which he constantly carried with him,

“From about 10:30 at night until about 12:30. FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and of the learned. Certitude, certitude, feeling, joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ ... Jesus Christ ... Let me never be separated from Him.”

Arguments and evidence can help. But as Pascal discovered, ultimately we have to deal, not with arguments, but with God Himself. It is up to each of us to open the door of our lives to him.

BVP

John 10:11-18. Conflicts in Doctrine

Today there are many deviants leading churches whose emphases are not those of Jesus and his apostles. What a disaster this can be. There are leaders today who encourage others to expect God to answer their prayers for prosperity or supernatural healings. These preachers may get rich but their flocks are much the poorer spiritually. In this passage today Jesus contrasts himself with the false shepherds of his day.

The ‘Son of Man’

In John’s gospel John repeatedly emphasises who Jesus claimed to be. The term ‘Son of Man’ seems at first to be ambiguous but Jews of that day recognised that when their Messiah came he would be the both the Son of Man and the Son of God. The prophet Daniel had taught,

“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 peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped 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

John makes it clear that Jesus is this man. He wants all people to know that the Messiah is both fully human, the ‘Son of Man’ but also fully God, ‘the Son of God’. In the following famous passage Jesus emphasises this truth that he is both ‘Son of Man’ and ‘Son of God’.,

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life . . . I tell you the truth, a time is coming when and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.” John 5:24-27

‘I am . . .’

The repeated use of this divine title again emphasises what Jesus is saying about his divine nature. He is using the same name that the Lord God ascribed to himself when he talked with Moses at the burning bush. Moses asked, ‘What is your name?’ and God replied,

“’I AM WHO I AM.’ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.” Exodus 3:14

Jesus uses this title to describe what he had entered this world to do for humanity. So far in John he has said,

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry . . .” John 6:35

‘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

‘I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.’ John 10:9

These are all familiar analogies. ‘Bread’ is the food that is vital for life, without ‘light’ we will always be stumbling around ‘in the dark’, and the ‘gate’ is the ‘gate’ of heaven, the only place of security and salvation. The only way to salvation is through Jesus.

Now we come to the fourth ‘I am’. Jesus asks us to think when he says ‘I am the good shepherd.’

False teachers

This famous chapter begins with a grim picture, the problem of false teachers. Their lives did not reflect their Lord. Remember how the Jewish leaders had excommunicated a man because he did not agree with them about Jesus (John 9:34).

In John chapter 10 Jesus exposes the false teachers for what they are, hirelings and strangers. In Matthew 23 we are given a whole chapter that describes where these religious people went so wrong.

“. . . they do not practise what they preach.” Matthew 23:3

“Everything is done for men to see . . .” Matthew 23:5

“They love the place of honour . . .” Matthew 23:6

“You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” Matthew 23:13

“You give a tenth of your spices . . . But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness.” Matthew 23:23

“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:2

“How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will flog and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue them from town to town.” Matthew 23:33-34

When a jeweller wants to demonstrate some sparkling jewels he will often put them out on a black velvet cloth so that the contrast is most marked. Similarly it is against the dark backcloth of the false teachers that the glory of the true shepherd is best seen.

When John wrote his gospel, the churches were being troubled by false teachers. Most of the epistles focus on this problem. So it would have been natural for John to contrast the false teachers with true teachers. However, the contrast John makes is between the many false teachers and the one true pastor, the Lord Jesus, who says,

“I am, the gate. . . I am the good shepherd.”

Peter and Paul use the picture of a shepherd as the standard by which God’s under-shepherds of the churches should be measured. In the ordination services of many denominations the repeated theme is that chosen people are being commissioned to shepherd God’s people. The Latin word for ‘shepherd’ is ‘pastor’ which has been adopted into English. He is someone who serves and leads God’s people as a representative of the one true pastor, Jesus Christ.

For Jesus to talk like this would sound egocentric, if Jesus is not the Messiah. The Shepherd of God’s people in the Old Testament was their King. Jesus is claiming to be God’s one and only chosen king his Messiah. He claims that he alone can lead God’s people into the kingdom of God, that he alone can nourish them and that he alone can protect them for eternal life.

There are many ‘under-shepherds’ but their job is always to point people to Jesus. It is only Jesus who can save and pastor his people. John the Baptist understood this, saying,

“I baptise you with water. But one more powerful than I will come . . . He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Matthew 3:16

Dr Cranfield has written in his excellent commentary on Mark’s gospel,

“Every Christian minister ever since ought to say this at every baptism he takes.”

The minister can only perform an outward sign, it is Jesus alone who can baptise with the Holy Spirit, it is Jesus who is the real Baptiser. It doesn’t matter whether a baptism ceremony is undertaken in an Anglican, Baptist, Methodist or Roman Catholic church. All we humans can do is to make people wet, it is the Holy Spirit who changes our hearts and this is what baptism signifies. Of itself , the ceremony of baptism is just an outward sign. What matters is whether the heart has been changed through submission to Jesus Christ himself

I was on holiday in North-West Spain and saw a group of older teenagers sitting on the grass by a swimming pool and playing the card game‘Uno’. We started chatting, most of them spoke English. After a while I asked them if they were Christians,

“We’ve been baptised and confirmed,” they replied

I smiled and replied,

“That’s not what is important, what matters is if you are personally committed to the Lord Jesus and living for him.”

“Oh, then we are not.”

This led onto a fascinating discussion about who Jesus is and how it is Jesus who must be central if we are to be saved and go to heaven. There are false teachers in western churches that are not teaching what Jesus says and focus on the ceremonial and not on the substance.

In this short account there are five major themes that Jesus wants all to know.

1. The gate

The first need is for people to enter God’s kingdom through entering into a relationship with Christ. We can never enter God’s church unless Christ brings us in. He alone can give access. The church can only demonstrate this sacramentally. The Roman Catholic church has given the false impression that it has been given the power of the keys to heaven. After Peter had made a public declaration that Jesus is indeed God’s Messiah, God’s chosen king, he was told by Jesus,

“You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19

Peter was indeed given the keys to heaven, this is the message about who Jesus is, the message that Peter had just declared. At Pentecost, Peter used this key to unlock the door to heaven by preaching the gospel about Jesus. There is a door to heaven that the church must unlock for people, but Christ is the door and everyone who wants to enter God’s kingdom must enter through him. All the church can do is point people to this gate.

It is not in the hands of men to bring people into the flock of God. Jesus is very jealous of this right, if we want to be members of God’s people and be saved for eternity, we must go through Jesus.

2. Life

Jesus describes the false teachers in horrific terms, they are both murderers and liars.

“You belong to you father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.” John 8:44

How does the devil murder people? Surely it is by preventing them from receiving eternal life. He destroys people’s lives, removes light and happiness from people by telling lies. The devil also wants to get lies into our pulpits. In listening to false teachers, people will die. It doesn’t matter if they are atheistic false teachers or religious false teachers. The only means to bring people to the life God offers is to tell them the truth about Jesus.

Every person needs to ask themselves,

“Have I received eternal life for certain? Am I sure that when I die I will go to heaven and not to hell? Am I certain that my sins have been forgiven?”

No church can give this assurance, it is only available to those who have submitted to the rule of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

3. Knowledge of God

This is astounding.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” John 10:14-15

The Bible teaches that there is a wonderful intimate relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are three persons but because they are so close they are also one. Jesus is saying that we can enter into this relationship but there is only one way. We cannot find it by scholarship, by mystical exercises, by meditation or by religion. It is absurd to say that all religions point in the same basic direction since they contradict each other on the essential points about how to get right with God. Jesus is clear,

“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved.” John 10:9

The message of the church is that Christ alone can bring us to the truth, he alone is the way, he alone can give us eternal life.

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

4. Protection

Jesus says that he will go to the extreme limit to protect his sheep.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

When Paul was giving his last farewell address to the Ephesian elders he warns them about the problems they will face in the future. He said,

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherdsof the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truthin order to draw disciples away after them. So be on your guard!” Acts 20:28-31

The first directive was to the overseers or elders themselves,

“Keep watch over yourselves.”

Church leaders are especially at risk. Is is from inside the church that these wolves will come to drag people away from a simple walk with the Lord Jesus. These wolves are therefore likely to be church leaders! These false leaders do not totally oppose the truth, they simply distort it. The truth is what Jesus and his apostles taught and we find that in the Scriptures. Yet it is to such people, prone to error, that Paul says,

“ Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace.” Acts 20:32

How would God protect his flock? It is through the teaching of the ‘word of God’. This is the priority of church leaders.

5. Bring in the nations

Jesus knows that he is shortly going to be killed. He emphasises the evangelistic role that his people will have.

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10:16

How does Jesus have this power? It is only because he is the ‘King or Shepherd of the nations’. How will people hear his voice? It is through the teaching of god’s word.

In the book of Revelation, where Jesus is described as the ‘King on his throne’ the phrase, ‘he shall rule the nations with a rod of iron’ comes three times (Revelation 2:26-28, 12:5, 19:15). The Greek word used for ‘rule’ is ‘shepherd’. In Revelation to ‘shepherd’ the nations means to rule firmly. When we remember that the book of Revelation was written by the same John who wrote the gospel, any false sentimentality about what John means by ‘shepherd’ in John 10 is removed ; the shepherd is the king. Israel was always looking for a King like king David. The word Messiah means ‘God’s chosen King’. Today, people throughout the world are longing for such a leader who will honestly and selflessly shepherd their nations. Jesus is this ideal shepherd because he is the ruler of nations. The ‘rod of iron’ means that he will overcome all rebellion and opposition, he is the one in authority and will accept no opposition to his rule. This understanding removes all mushiness when understanding Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd’.

This ‘iron rod’ will be used to smash all opposition to pieces when the time comes. Psalm 2 is all about the opposition the Lord and his anointed Son will face. Ultimately all his enemies will be utterly destroyed, just as pottery is broken to pieces when struck by an iron bar. The iron sceptre is a symbol of absolute authority.

“He said to me, ‘You are my Son’ . . . I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron sceptre, you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” Psalm 2:7-9

The ‘rod of the shepherd’ is also mentioned in Psalm 23, which begins,

“The LORD is my shepherd . . .” Psalm 23:1

This psalm continues,

“Your rod and your staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Some preachers have used this to reassure people how comfortable it is to be a Christian but in the Bible the rod is used either to measure or to rule the nations. Jesus does both. He measures up how we stand with him and our judgment starts now if we reject his control.

Of course we Christians do need the comfort that a loving shepherd gives to the sheep he cares for. When we face death, the comfort I need is the presence of the King whose rod rules death. Jesus is a real King – these are not just comfortable words. It is also important to know that the wolves, however outwardly attractive they are, will be destroyed when the King comes again to rule his world.

Who else can bring us into God’s kingdom but the King who entered this world to save us?

Who else can bring us knowledge of God but the King who knows his Father intimately?

Who else can protect us until we enter eternity but the King who gave his life to save us?

Who else can bring all the nations to worship him? This goal is being achieved now but will be fulfilled when he destroys all opposition. Nobody can achieve this but a real King.

Division

Jesus goes on to state clearly how his being the ‘Good Shepherd’ and the only ‘gate’ will be demonstrated.

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again.” John 10:17

The death and resurrection of Jesus are incontrovertible proof of all Jesus says. What he says does resonate with our hearts subjectively but the objective evidence is the clincher. His love for people is shown in that he willingly sacrificed himself. He could have fled as the opposition mounted but he stayed to fulfil his commission.

“No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:18

Whenever this message is stated clearly, just as Jesus did, people become divided. Some thought then and some still think today that to claim to be God proves that he is ‘crackers’ and ‘off his rocker’.

“At these words the Jews were again divided. Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why do you listen to him?’” John 10:19

Yet he had none of the stigmata of schizophrenia, he was the most balanced of individuals and he did go on to die and rise again. In addition he did fulfil all those prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures that describe clearly the features of the coming Messiah, where he would be born, his family tree, how he would die, his healing ministry and especially that he would defeat even death.

Yet even these critics of Jesus are wiser than many in the West who refuse to even think about the big questions of life. Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Jesus comes along and claims to be the only person who can answer the five points in this passage. Many just walk away and refuse even to consider the claims of Jesus. How foolish they are to turn their backs on the only hope we have, a hope that has so much evidence to verify it.

If he is the ultimate King, shouldn’t we all submit to his rule over us? He is the Good Shepherd, ‘the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin . Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished . . .’ (Exodus 34:6-7)

We must share this news that Jesus is the gracious shepherd for all people, we must submit ourselves to him who rules with rod and staff.

BVP

John 10:7-10. Only one way to God

Bishop Wallace Benn was interviewing potential candidates for training as Lay Readers. He asked them all,

“Do you consider that Jesus is the best way to God or the only way to God?”

They all replied,

“I consider him the best way to God.”

What a tragedy this is when those training to be teachers in our churches do not themselves clearly understand who Jesus is and think differently to Jesus.

“I am the gate. He who enters through me will be saved.” John 10:9

Context

In John chapter 9 we read of a blind man who comes to see both physically but also spiritually – he sees who Jesus is. Though coming from the bottom of the social heap he is a real character who sees through the pretensions of the religious leaders of his day. They cannot help this man because they were so deeply prejudiced against Jesus. They were phoney religious leaders. This is picked up in the beginning of chapter 10. The Jewish leaders at this time were false shepherds who were no use to the sheep. They didn’t protect them and they didn’t lead them to nourishment. True sheep do recognise false leaders and will always run away from them, just as this healed man did.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus now talks clearly about himself, and what he says is as relevant in his day as in in ours. He makes two profound and penetrating statements which are outrageous if he is not God. Note how the emphasis Jesus used is always on ‘I’ and ‘me’.

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.” John 10:7-9

Negative – a warning against false leaders

This is a sweeping statement, it is so egocentric. No Old Testament prophet could ever have spoken like this. In Acts chapter 5 the leading Pharisee, Gamaliel, gives a speech to the Sanhedrin Council when the apostles who had been openly talking about Jesus had been arraigned before them. He talked about other men who claimed to be from God but could be described as ‘thieves and robbers’. It is a beautiful illustration showing that all Pharisees were not the same, not all were hypocrites. Gamaliel was clearly an honourable man of integrity who clearly recognised that in Jesus and his disciples there was something different.

“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed and all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt.. He too was killed and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in this present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose and activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:35-39

Clearly there was something about Jesus and the early Christians that had the ‘ring of truth’ about them.

John chapter 10 may refer to any who make disciples for themselves, men who want glory and aggrandisement. Jesus had earlier talked about such people,

“Watch out that no-one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” Mark 13:5-6

Jesus has warned his people ahead of time, ‘Watch out’. He goes on to say,

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect – if that were possible. So be on your guard.” Mark 13:21-23

History is full of such people who will dupe the gullible and lonely. One Chinese student who was studying in England said,

“After the Mao guard collapsed, there has been a spiritual vacuum in China. I am a spiritual being and I am searching.”

If the Christian church won’t stand up and give such people answers, the false shepherds will. The reason the authorities in China are afraid of Christians is that they will not follow totalitarian claims because they will only follow the ‘Good Shepherd’. Jesus has said,

“they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a strangers voice.” John 10:5

Jesus wants to shut off all false roads that lead nowhere. He is saying, “Don’t look anywhere else for salvation, I am the gate.”

Positive – there is one true shepherd

Jesus points straight at himself,

“I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved.” John 10:9

Who else can give us admission into God’s kingdom. This exclusive claim is a rebuttal against the pluralism of today. There are not many gates, just one. There is one ‘I am’ and if we do not enter through him we will remain forever outside. There is no other way to interpret this. No-one can say, ‘That is just your way of reading this.’ Nothing could be plainer, there is no ambiguity here. If we refuse to enter by this gate, salvation will never be ours.

Salvation is a great word in the New Testament. C.S.Lewis was a great scholar of both literature and Christianity. He had become a Christian from being an atheist. It had been the evidence that drew him to Christ. In his ‘Anthology’ he wrote,

“The glory of God and, as our only means to glorifying him, the salvation of human souls, is the real business of life.”

He was not popular in the left-wing Senior Common Room of Magdalene college in those days.

Salvation is the business of heaven so it must be our business. As D. L. Moody, the American evangelist, walked down a Chicago street one day, he saw a man leaning against a lamp-post. The evangelist gently put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked him if he was a Christian. The fellow raised his fists and angrily exclaimed,

“Mind your own business!”

“I'm sorry if I've offended you,” said Moody, “but to be very frank, that IS my business!”1

At the conclusion of his gospel, Matthew summarised the business of the church, it is called ‘the Great Commission’,

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus contrasts himself with all the religious leaders who are not following him.

“The thief comes only to to steal and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

A Choice about my relationship with Jesus must be made

Whoever people follow in life is eventually a matter of life and death. We all need to ask ourselves who we are following. Is it my own self interests? There is a fork in the road. One direction leads to death and the other to life – this is what Jesus is stressing.

In the 20th century many have claimed the loyalty of millions both in religious and political terms. These have all died. There have been many religious cult leaders who have promised the earth, but these all die too. Many of our churches are weak and our pulpits are too often not proclaiming Christ as the only way and the only focus for God’s people. People all around us are looking for food yet too seldom is this clearly given to them. Leaders, including religious leaders ask their followers to give their money, their time and even their lives in their cause and people, just like sheep, follow them. But the only God Shepherd is Jesus himself. It is he who first merits our devotion, not human leaders who pretend to take his place.

We need to look at our leaders and ask ourselves, ‘Are they self-sacrificing like Jesus?’, ‘Are they exploiting fellow humans?’, ‘Is it obvious that their message is primarily about Jesus?’

Rationalists often say that religion has been ‘the opiate of the people’ and that ‘religion has done more harm than good!’ Surely we can have a measure of agreement here. Any religion that does not focus on Jesus and seeks to lead people to Jesus will eventually become destructive. It can be used to increase people’s burdens, not lighten them. It can be bad news and not good news or ‘gospel’. Following religion can be tiresome and not a joy.

There are many young people who fear,

‘If I become a Christian won’t he steal away my time and prospects, isn’t he a killjoy and won’t he destroy my legitimate human freedom?’

Religion has done this. But Jesus Christ has changed all this. It is a real joy to serve him, even if the path is hard at times. It is such a joy to see God using us. In contrast,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life; and have it to the full.” John 10:10

We need this assurance. Young people must see this joy and life in us.

Churches will offer many signs and sacraments. Young people will be urged to be baptised or confirmed but too often this means nothing. Rituals save nobody, only a perpetual personal relationship with Jesus Christ can do that. Only Jesus is the gate, not even the church.

As Jesus was travelling down to Jerusalem someone asked him,

“Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” Luke 13:23

Jesus had in fact answered this question earlier when he had said,

“Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14

In this case his response is much more personal. Jesus says to the everyone listening,

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able to.” Luke 13:24

This is a severe statement. Jesus is saying that a time is coming when it will be too late. There is no second chance after death. The door to eternal life will be closed and the Lord will say to many, who then seek admission

“I don’t know you or where you come from.” Luke 13:25

Some religious people will be puzzled because they were church members.

“Then they will say, ‘We ate with you and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” Luke 13:26

Such people, who had no personal relationship with Jesus, will not be saved. They made their choice so Jesus will reply,

“I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evil doers.” Luke 13:27

How awful it will be to be rejected by Almighty God for ever. Jesus recognises this and continued,

“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.” Luke 13:28

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave the same warning and same urgent appeal. Unless people have submitted to the Lord Jesus they are still responsible for their sin. He urges everybody,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction.” Matthew 7:13

A little later in this sermon he warns religious people who have no personal relationship with him,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

He goes on to equate himself with his heavenly Father,

“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.’” Matthew 7:22-23

Dr. Westcott was a Great Greek scholar who became Bishop of Durham. One day he was taking a train journey north and found an empty compartment and he settled down to read quietly. As the train was leaving, a young woman in a Salvation Army uniform entered his carriage. She quickly realised that the only other occupant was a real live bishop. The girl had not been converted for long and was very keen. She planned on how to lead this man to Christ; she didn’t think a bishop could be a real believer. She asked the bishop,

“Excuse me, sir, are you saved?

“Pardon me, what did you say?”

The girl thought this response proved that the bishop didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

“I simply asked if you were saved.”

The godly bishop smiled at her and, with his eyes twinkling, said,

“Excuse me, my dear, but do you mean sotheis or sesomenos or sozomenos?”

“What do you mean,” she replied.

The kindly bishop then explained that in the New Testament three different tenses are used with regard to salvation, the past, the present and the future. He took out his pocket Bible and for the rest of the journey they looked together at the breadth of God’s salvation as revealed in Scripture.

‘I was saved’ from the penalty of my sin because Jesus has paid the price for me. (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:5,8; Romans 8:24; 2 Timothy 1:9)

‘I am saved’ from the power of sin because I have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help me to live a godly life today (Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 15:2)

‘I will be saved’ when I finally face God in judgment. (Matthew 10:22)

The evidence that I have been saved and will be saved is that in the present I am living for Jesus and am fighting the temptations to sin that we all face.

The following hymn describes beautifully the response Jesus expects from all of us. In verse 1 Jesus commands us to come to him. Verse 2 confirms that there is no sin so great that it cannot be forgiven. Verse 3 recognises that even with our uncertainties and fears we can come to Christ right now. Verse 4 reminds us that everything I really need can be found in Christ, if I am willing to come to him.

1 Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd'st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

2 Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

3 Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

4 Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

The message Jesus brings to the world has never changed. He is the one and only gate to eternal life and he alone is the only good shepherd.

BVP

1 ‘Anecdotes and Illustrations of D.L.Moody’, Chicago, Rhodes and McClure 1877

John 10:1-6. The Good Shepherd

Sheep are the most stupid animals you can meet. Philip Keller, in his short book, ‘A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23’, describes one problem they face, they can be ‘cast’ or ‘cast down’.

“Even the largest, fattest, strongest and sometimes healthiest sheep can sometimes be ‘cast’ and become a casualty. What happens is this. A heavy, fat or long-fleeced sheep will lie down comfortably in some place, a hollow or depression in the ground. It may roll on its side slightly to stretch out and relax. Suddenly the centre of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough so that its feet are no longer able to touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to pore frantically. Frequently this only makes things worse. It rolls over even further. Now it is quite impossible for it to gain its feet.”

Philip Keller continues to say how utterly helpless the sheep are – they have low intelligence, are utterly uncreative in finding food, always follow the same paths but are then prone to wander off anywhere. There are even records of sheep wandering into a fire. They are defenceless, they have no equipment to fight an enemy and no speed to run away. They do need shepherding. Jesus says they are a picture of people without God.

Shepherding in Israel was a highly intimate personal job. Shepherds did not drive their sheep, they didn’t use sheep dogs, they led them from the front. They had names for each one. The sheep’s very existence depended on the 24 hour care of the shepherd.

There is no image of greater tragedy than that of a sheep without a shepherd. Such were at great danger both from themselves and predators such as wolves. Jesus often used this picture.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

The world is like sheep without a shepherd. Even believers are prone to wander off. Let us look at some of the properties of the ideal shepherd.

1. He has a close relationship with his sheep v. 1-6, 9-15

In Israel there were two kinds of fold. Those in the countryside were smaller low-walled corals with a small opening. Near the towns the sheep-folds were larger and had high walls but still had just one small opening. These large folds would house the flocks of several shepherds. In the morning a shepherd would enter the fold and call his own sheep with a sing song voice. The sheep would respond and come around their shepherd who would then lead them out to find pastures for the day. Jesus describes this scene as the shepherd approaches,

“The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” John 10:3

Someone tried an experiment. A man was dressed in the shepherd’s clothes and tried to copy his call but the sheep were not fooled. This is one ability they do have – they recognise their shepherd. Jesus then explains that he is the good shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” John 10:14

This is remarkable! The close relationship God the Father has with Jesus is applied to us. Jesus is saying that we can have a similar close, intimate relationship with Jesus. From all eternity God has known us. He knows our past, our longings, idiosyncrasies and failures yet, like the shepherd, he knows his stupid sheep and loves us. His love has persisted since we were just a foetus,

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in a secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:15-16

Doesn’t such love thrill you? A Christian knows his master’s voice, his will, his word, he reveals himself to us and this causes us to follow him. This close relationship is what God wants all people to enjoy.

Although Jesus used this parable to explain the relationship he wants to have with his sheep, his listeners did not understand his meaning.

“Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.” John 10:6

2. He is robust

When people hear these words they are very likely to think of those pictures in Sunday School book that show a smiling mild Jesus holding a lamb, surrounded by many children who are looking adoringly at him. But this is misleading. A notice was put up in London saying ‘Jesus is nice’. Is this really the message Jesus wants us to pass on?

Let us understand what Jesus is saying here and put it in its context. In John chapter 9 we read about the controversy that the ‘man who was born blind’, who was healed after Jesus put mud on his eyes, had with the religious leaders of Israel. This had resulted in his being excommunicated. The religious leaders were anything but true shepherds, they were acting as blind guides! Now Jesus turns on these leaders in no uncertain way. He is saying that it is they who are the thieves and robbers.

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.” John 10:10

It is likely that Jesus was speaking in the hearing of these false leaders. He is certainly not ‘nice’. Jesus is now at war with these false leaders. He puts himself in direct opposition to what they stood for. This was not a Jesus who is ‘meek and mild’ but a man who stands up robustly and bravely for the truth. No wonder they hated Jesus and wanted to do away with him. Oh that church leaders today had this same Spirit and would speak out clearly what Jesus Christ clearly says, that there is no salvation outside a personal submission to Christ. We will see more about this in the next article

3. He cares for his sheep

A shepherd’s life in those days was not easy. It involved long hours of work and many dangers. He had to guide his sheep to pastures and protect them from wild animals that would often attack at night. Sir George Adam Smith, when travelling in Israel, described a typical shepherd,

“ . . . on some high moor across which at night the hyenas howl. When you meet him, far sighted, weather beaten, leaning on his staff and looking over his scattered sheep, everyone of them on his heart, you understand why the shepherd of Judea sprang to the front in his peoples’ history and why he gave his name to their king and made him the symbol of providence.”

These lonely leaders of sheep clearly made a great impression. They called their kings ‘shepherds’ and they called on them to act as a shepherd in caring for them. King David, perhaps the greatest Old Testament king had been a shepherd when he was first anointed to be king.

In the New Testament the word ‘pastor’ is derived from the Latin for shepherd. Since the time of Jesus the ‘great shepherd of his sheep’, pastors have continued to minister to the flock of God’s people, leading them, feeding them and protecting them.

4. He opposes false shepherds

A good shepherd is very protective of his sheep and will not permit strangers or false shepherds to take any away.

Here Jesus is exposing the false shepherds of Israel and contrasts them, not with a good shepherd but with himself. Three times, in verse 1 and again in verses 8 and 10 he calls these faithless leaders, ‘thieves and robbers’.

When churches die it is inevitably because there have been false teachers in charge. Many denominations are crumbling because their leaders no longer teach Christ’s message robustly or no longer live by what he teaches. Today preachers may castigate those in the pew when it would be better sometimes if people in the pew castigated preachers for failing to pass on God’s word, the Bible’s message. However in many churches this is too late – the sheep have already fled!

There are problems in many seminaries that train people for full time Christian ministry. Those that fail to inspire their students to pass on what Jesus and his apostles taught, clearly and robustly, will inevitably dwindle and we can see this is happening. Dr. Sung was a famous evangelist in China between the two world wars. At one of his missions, thousands came to listen and hundreds professed faith in Christ. Amongst them were several seminary students who said that they had lost their faith since joining the seminary! Dr Sung advised them to leave the seminary. The Principal of the College rushed to see Dr Sung to complain. Dr Sung replied,

“If students lose their faith whilst in your seminary, you ought to feel something is wrong.”

I once asked a man who had completed three years in an English theological college and was about to be ordained,

“What have you learned most in your time of training?”

“I think it would be how to lead worship well.”

Not how to teach God’s Word better, not how to explain the gospel clearly, not how to lead people to Christ, not how to encourage God’s people to represent him better but just how to lead services! Many teachers in our training colleges are wolves not shepherds, they don’t really believe in the person they are meant to be inspiring others about. Such bandits or robbers cause the emptying of our churches. They may be very pleasant and nice people, but they do not have the same message as Jesus and his apostles.

Notice the striking way that Jesus describes false teachers, in verse 5 they are ‘strangers’ and in verse 12 and 13 they are ‘hired hands’. The flock understandably flees from any strangers.

A Palestinian shepherd would typically have around 100 sheep in his flock. In Luke 15:3-7 Jesus tells the parable of a shepherd who had 100 sheep but lost one and went off to search of it until he found it. The shepherds all have distinctive calls that their sheep recognise and when he calls they will come back to him from hundreds of yards away. Sheep know their shepherds voice but flee from strangers’ voices.

“But they will never follow a stranger, in fact they will run away from him.” John 10:5

This message is so shrewd yet we hear of it being repeated again and again today. A student who becomes a Christian at university goes home and attends a local church. They sit down and listen but something is not right. They are not hearing God’s word but a minister’s opinion. What is being taught would not lead people to trust Christ. Such young Christians do recognise ‘strangers’ and go elsewhere where the voice of God is heard.

Thomas Scott was a Bible commentator who died in 1821. Even then he said,

“We should not sit under ministries in church that are false ministries.”

No-one should entrust their health to a bad doctor, no-one should entrust their savings to a bad financial advisor so why sit under a ministry that does not keep pointing us to Christ. The Bible tells us to flee from strangers just as we are to flee from sin because the voice of the stranger will not build up the church but will destroy it.

Whenever you see a church that has become a furniture repository, remember that once there was a faithful ministry there but almost certainly a stranger entered the pulpit and the sheep fled.

Hired Hands

The hired hand is in it for himself, when a wolf comes he flees.

“The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

He represents ministers who are in it as a career.for themselves. In Victorian England the youngest son often went into the church. Preferment was the usual goal, if not an easy secure life. When problems arise, when the wolf comes he flees. He is not prepared for the sacrifice of service.

There are however many faithful shepherds. When taking a team to run a student camp in Kursk, Russia, we met there a Baptist pastor who, when a lad, had wanted to go to medical school. He was a Christian and was therefore rejected by the Communist authorities. He remained faithful and became an effective pastor. In Ethiopia we met a minister who had spent seven years in prison simply because he was a Christian pastor. Such stories can be repeated countless times. In East Germany the Communist authorities tried very hard to silence Christian leaders. Imprisonment didn’t seem effective, they just witnessed to Christ in prison. Another solution they tried was to help pastors leave East Germany and enter West Germany, something they were loathe to do for anyone else. The faithful shepherd puts the needs of his flock above all else. It can be hard. In Ethiopia, Ruanda and other African countries, the pastor may be the only educated person. He is poorly paid yet needs to support an extended family. He could have a job in the government service any day. But they are not hired hands. These pastors persist in caring for God’s sheep.

The Test

How may false shepherds be identified? The simple answer is ‘Christ’. Is it Jesus Christ that they are focussed on all the time? Do they want to be a good shepherd like him? Is living for Christ and his glory what they demonstrate and advocate? Are they clearly longing to draw people into Christ’s kingdom. Are they training their flock to represent Christ to the world so that others may be saved? False shepherds may be nice people, in fact usually are, but their concerns tend to be primarily social. Their focus is on living in this world and not on living now in expectation of the new world in God’s presence.

Although Jesus derides the work of false shepherds in this passage, he does not contrast them so much to good shepherds as to himself. He puts himself unmistakably into the centre of everything. He centres all conversations on himself. Thus,

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. . . I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved. . . I have come that they might have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd.” John 10:7-11

In a normal situation anyone would think that Jesus was a megalomaniac. He consistently made these claims to be God. In 1936, Watchman Nee made a similar argument in his book, ‘Normal Christian Faith’.

A person who claims to be God must belong to one of three categories:

First, if he claims to be God and yet in fact is not, he has to be a madman or a lunatic.

Second, if he is neither God nor a lunatic, he has to be a liar, deceiving others by his lies.

Third, if he is neither of these, he must be God.

You can only choose one of the three possibilities.

If you do not believe that he is God, you have to consider him a madman.

If you cannot take him for either of the two, you have to take him for a liar.

There is no need for us to prove if Jesus of Nazareth is God or not. All we have to do is find out if He is a lunatic or a liar. If He is neither, He must be the Son of God.

Clearly Jesus offered much more evidence to support his claims. He fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, he performed extraordinary miracles that even his enemies could not deny, he died and rose again and he has changed people for good ever since. As God, it is surely his right, and only his, to speak in such a way.

All of us are being constantly inundated with advertisements that recommend their product over that of the competitors. Some do the same in religion.

“Our religion is better because . . . “

Such talk is sales pitch. Christians must not go down this route. We should not be selling Christ because of what he can do for people. We must not say that being a Christian is better for you. For many it will be riskier and harder. Just like the man born blind who came to see the light in Jesus, the result was excommunication. The Lewes Martyrs were a group of 17 Protestants who were burned at the stake in Lewes, East Sussex, England between 1555 and 1557. These executions were part of the Marian persecutions of Protestants during the reign of Mary 1. They chose to suffer in this life in exchange for something much better in the next. They could have denied Christ and lived a few more years but they would not sell their souls for such a small short-term benefit. Doors may be closed in our faces because we are Christians, but one door remains open, the door to heaven.

The reason why we should be Christians, according to Jesus, is because he is God’s truth, he is the only shepherd and he is the only way to heaven. Religion has little to offer except rules, and wistful thinking but, in contrast, entering into a personal relationship with Jesus radically changes our lives. Jesus puts his Spirit into us so that we want to live for him now because we will then meet him face to face. He has promised us that such a Christ-centred life will be eminently satisfying and worthwhile even if there is a price to pay. He is indeed a wonderful shepherd.

BVP