Covenant Presbyterian: Recent Episodes
None
These dramatic chapters draw a line under and highlight one of the most fundamental promises in all the Bible. It is also one of the simplest and most commonly repeated of God’s promises to his people. And because of that, it can sound rather ordinary. It is a promise so familiar to us that it is easy to overlook and under-appreciate. It is the promise God made to Joshua as he led the people into the Land of Promise: “As I was Moses, so I will be with you” (3:7).“I will be with you.” This could well be described as the organizing theme of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. It is the gracious response to mankind’s central dilemma. Namely, how can a holy God possibly be present and in fellowship with a sinful people? And yet, that is precisely God’s promise: “I will be with you.” It is the promise that Joshua reiterates to the people when he said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you” (3:10). It is the good news announced for all the world by the Apostle John, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). It is Jesus’ final promise to his disciples when he gave them and the church her central mission: “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). God made this promise to Joshua, to Israel, and to us, his church.After God miraculously made a way for his people to walk through the rushing waters of the Jordan River, he called them to build a memorial made of twelve large stones. That memorial stood for generations as testimony to the Lord’s faithful presence with his people. Ultimately the two great memorials to the Lord’s gracious presence would be the water of baptism and the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. But there are many other moments and places that remind us of what the Lord has done for us, how he provided, how he led, and how he applied his grace to our lives in Christ Jesus. These times and places are worth remembering for the sake of God’s glory and our joy in Him.
Through Christ, God redeems sinners. That is, by the saving work of Jesus, God has forgiven sinners and made them new creations. When sinners come to Jesus in faith, they are changed. They are born again. The guilt of sin is removed and its power is broken. This is not self-improvement. This is redemption. In this final interaction between Jesus and Simon Peter, John puts on display a beautiful portrait of redemption. Peter’s grievous sin of denying Jesus is dealt with thoroughly and graciously so as to bring about genuine transformation.As though mirroring Peter’s threefold denial, Jesus asks him three times whether he loves him. Peter’s pride has been chastened by his failure. Gone is the boastful man who took for granted that his loyalty to Christ would never fail. Now all Peter can do is appeal to Jesus’ own knowledge as support for his affirmation of love. And as John points out, Peter’s love for Christ will be displayed when he follows him all the way to his own cross.The key matter for the Christian life is this: Do I love Jesus? Having first been loved by the Lord, the Christian now lives a life of love for Christ. There are times when it is right and helpful to consider such matters as whether we are worshiping and serving with God’s people, giving joyfully, praying daily, reading our Bible, or telling people about Jesus. All of those things are important means by which we grow in Christian maturity. But at the heart of it all is the matter of our love for Jesus. And love for Jesus, like all genuine love, is something that is expressed in acts. For the one who loves Jesus, that love will be demonstrated in following him. The Christian follows Jesus in terms of obedience to all that he has commanded. It means that even when it becomes costly, the one who loves Jesus will follow him.
Chapter 21 functions as an epilogue to John’s Gospel. It is a kind of lens through which the message of the Gospel is applied to the church as she continues on participating in the mission of God. In the first section John recounts an episode in which Jesus appeared to seven of the disciples as they went about their vocation as fishermen. But as we see so often in the Scriptures the historical facts of this account hover above a depth of greater meaning. “It is of great importance that the magnificent imagery of the epilogue not detract the reader from grasping its functional significance for directing the application of the Gospel” (Klink, 890).The miraculous catch of fish, the number of which John studiously records at 153, is as symbolic as it was surprising for Peter and the others. Whether the number itself is symbolic or not has been debated for 2,000 years. John may have recorded the number for no other reason than it was worth noting the abundant nature of the catch. The most significant fact is that the catch was ultimately the Lord’s doing and the number exceeded anything those fishing would have anticipated. This is meant to encourage the church who will take up the mission of fishing for men.Though Jesus will be soon departing to the Father, his presence with and work through the disciples will not come to an end. He will champion their labors and bring about a great catch beyond what they can imagine. This same symbolism is to be applied to the church who is called into the world, filled with the presence of Christ, and empowered by the Spirit of Christ. “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you’” (20:21).
Not a single one of Jesus’ disciples were interested in following after myths. Once Jesus was crucified they scattered. They had no expectation that Jesus would be raised from the dead even though he had repeatedly taught them concerning his death and resurrection. It was only after they saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes, heard his voice, and stood in his presence that their unbelief and fear gave way to courageous faith. If Jesus had not been raised, Christianity would have died before it was ever fully realized. If Jesus had not been raised, he would have been quickly forgotten.John tells us that he and the other apostles were witness to a great number of miraculous signs performed by Jesus beyond the ones recorded in his gospel account. These signs served as testimony to the fact of Jesus’ divine status as the everlasting Son of God. As an eyewitness testimony, the Gospel of John serves as God ordained means to bring the unbeliever to faith, the skeptic to confidence. It has pleased God to bring sinners to salvation not by miraculous deeds but by the living Word. As the Apostle Paul testifies, “So faith comes by hearing and that by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).John tells us that his purpose in writing his eyewitness testimony to the life and works of Jesus is that those who hear these words will believe that Jesus is the Christ and that in believing they will have life. In this way the gospel of Jesus Christ is a very present reality and a matter of extreme importance. To be sure, it is based upon actual events during the life of Jesus. But in every generation the gospel calls for a present response. And the only right response is that of belief for it is through belief that God justifies sinners by his grace.
The final two chapters of John’s Gospel bring resolution to the ministry of Jesus. This portion of the narrative centers on Jesus’ resurrection which John means for us to understand as an actual event and which he passes along as an eyewitness. All along, John has taken great care to establish that God’s saving power and presence are made manifest in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. The message of this great salvation was first entrusted to the Apostles and through them to the church.Having accomplished atonement and being raised from the dead, Jesus now gathers his church. The ten disciples hiding in a locked room became the first official Christian assembly on the new Sabbath of a new creation. There is a sense in which the new covenant church is formally assembled at this moment for the first time. Here he calls them to mission and grants them spiritual authority. This is the moment that the disciples became the Apostles.Jesus’ first words to them is a pronouncement of their condition before God: “Peace be with you.” Everything that the past generations had invested in the concept of Shalom is now brought to fullness in Christ. Indeed, in that brief interaction he proclaims peace to them twice. We notice how Jesus pronounces peace as he shows them his scars for it is on the basis of his dying and rising that sinners may now have peace with God. This is the everlasting peace of salvation, the sinner’s peace with God made real through the dying and rising of Jesus.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).The final two chapters constitute what is generally considered the final section of John’s Gospel. The account of Jesus’ resurrection brings the gospel account to a stunning resolution. Just as he foretold, Jesus was crucified by means of self-interested evildoers. Just as he foretold, his death was of singular significance in the economy of God’s gracious salvation. That is, Jesus died for sinners, the righteous for the unrighteous. On the cross, the Last Adam was our Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. But Jesus’ death was not the final word of his mission. Using the temple as a metaphor for his own body, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (2:19).The timing of Jesus’ resurrection gives us an indication of its cosmic significance. Jesus was raised on the third day of his passion, the first day of the week, the first day of the new creation. The resurrection of Jesus was an historical event witnessed by those who did not expect it to happen. The enemies of Jesus had no corpse to produce in order to silence any who may have desired to proclaim him as risen. The church was born by faith in the crucified and risen Jesus. And it is that good news which holds the power to save all who believe: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
In the first six verses of this chapter Paul describes how he and the other apostles have faithfully presented the gospel in a hostile world. Paul began his encouragement with the phrase, “Do not lose heart,” which is a theme he will return to at the end of this chapter. In between these two encouragements, Paul outlines the path of suffering and glory that Jesus modeled and is now exhibited in his followers. This chapter is a great encouragement to the weary saint and to the embattled church. This world will bring suffering but do not lose heart; it is for greater glory.
This Sunday we'll be taking a two week detour from the book of John into 2 Corinthians 4. In this letter Paul is making a defense of his ministry against those "super-apostles" who would undermine his message. In actuality Paul isn't defending himself though. He is defending the gospel against those who would add to it, subtract from it, and twist it for their own gain.2 Corinthians is Paul's most personal letter. With great humility he wrings himself out for the sake of the Corinthian church. What comes pouring out through this letter is Paul's desire for the gospel. He is gloriously fixated on God's undeserved lavish love, His mercy. Paul has wild accusations leveled against him, though he suffers physically and spiritually, he does not lose heart. Paul encourages us by his own life that God is in control. He is at work so we can persevere, we can rest in Christ. Because the gospel is true we don't lose heart in a world that seems to have gone crazy.
In the middle of the night Jesus was arrested in an olive grove east of the city of Jerusalem. He was tried before the Jewish religious authorities as morning dawned on Friday. Wanting Rome to execute him, they then handed Jesus over to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. It was about the sixth hour on the day of preparation for the Passover. During that time the people would cease their work and the priests would commence the task of slaughtering the lambs for Passover. All this while Jesus, the Lamb of God, was standing in the breach for us, taking upon himself our sin and dying in our place.The themes of Jesus’ innocence, his status as King, and the injustice of his treatment that were established beginning in chapter 18 continue with the account of the crucifixion. Having no idea of the deep significance of his words, Pilate repeatedly affirmed the innocence of Jesus and called him king. He even placed a sign on the cross of Jesus’ execution which read in three languages “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”Of course, Pilate had no idea that what he was publicly announcing was true. Absolutely true. Jesus was in that moment exercising his office as King. What must a king do above all things but provide for his people and defend them from enemies? And this is what the Son of God was doing on the cross. King Jesus was giving his people the very breath of life by wiping away their sin. He was conquering the three-headed dragon of sin, death, and the devil. The death of Jesus sealed for all eternity the gracious covenant of God with his beloved people making all of his promises “Yes!” in Christ.
Having handed Jesus over to Pilate, the religious authorities hoped to pressure him into executing Jesus as a threat to Rome, an insurrectionist. This is what is behind their focus on Jesus claim to be king of the Jews. If Jesus is claiming to be a king, they insinuate, he is a threat to the peace of Judea, a threat to Rome. Pilate, having no desire to be pressured by the Jews to preside over a kangaroo court, resists initially. He knows that the rules of evidence have been manipulated at best. But he also has a vested interest in placating the Jewish authorities under his jurisdiction.After questioning Jesus, Pilate had him flogged. A Roman flogging was a brutal event. It was likely carried out by multiple soldiers using leather whips tipped with iron balls, spikes, bone, and the like. The end result is that Jesus would have been reduced to a bloody mess. Added to Jesus’ physical tormets was the mockery he endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers. Before leading him out to face the crowds they robed his bloody body in purple and forced into his scalp a wreath of thorns.Ironically, it was likely that Pilate put Jesus through this torture as a means of meeting the religious leaders halfway. Perhaps, he thought, this would satisfy them and thus he could avoid crucifying an innocent man. However, in yet another tragic irony, the Jewish religious leaders publically pledged their allegiance to Caesar as a way to pressure Pilate and call into question his allegiance to Rome. This they followed with cries of “Crucify him!” Indeed, friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). But God is not mocked nor is he at the mercy of man’s unjust schemes. What Jesus said to Pilate puts in perspective man’s actions in light of God’s sovereign mercy: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (vs. 11).
In the previous section Jesus was tried by his own people in the presence of Annas and Caiaphas (13-27). Beginning in verse 28 Jesus is put on trial before the world, as it were, in the courts of the Gentiles. Once again we see that Jesus has come for the world and not merely one nation or people. It is the whole world which is guilty of the blood of Christ and it is for the world that he will lay down his life. As John narrates, it becomes clear that the world has no claim on Christ. He is guilty of no crime, his innocence actually being revealed in the plot against him. Indeed, Pilate himself declares that there is no fault in Jesus. All this is to fulfill the redemptive purposes of God that a spotless sacrifice lay down his life for sinners.This section helps us to understand Jesus as the Passover Lamb given in sacrifice for the people of God. Even while being arrested, bound, and questioned Jesus is in control, dictating the terms of his own interrogation. Therefore, it is the rule and reign of Christ which is established and the power of Rome and the Jewish religious authorities which is exposed as passing away. “What is truth?” Pilate asks. The answer is that Christ is King in Jerusalem and over the whole world.
The first half of John’s Gospel, the Book of Signs (chapters 1-12) is the account of Jesus’ public ministry with special emphasis on his miraculous signs. The second half of John’s Gospel, the Book of Glory (chapters 13-21) begins with Jesus’ words to his disciples in the Upper Room. Jesus teaches at length and then prays in a way that emphasizes his office as our Great High Priest (chapter 17). Having prepared them to the degree that they were able, Jesus leads the eleven across the brook Kidron into the Garden of Gethsemane where he will once again meet his betrayer.The Farewell Discourse (chapters 13-17) was a time of preparation for the coming darkness. Chapters 18-19 represent the hour of great darkness. The tragedy of Jesus’ betrayal at the hands of Judas is only heightened by the three-fold denial of Peter following his arrest. The religious authorities, led by Annas and Caiaphas, the High Priest, seem to have finally won. Theirs is a story of wicked collusion. It is also the story of leadership betrayed as the shepherds of Israel stubbornly fail to recognize the Messiah.But John reminds us that these events were the fulfillment of prophesy. At no point was Jesus the victim of random circumstance. Even the deliberate plotting of the religious leaders will be found to serve God’s purpose that one man should die for the people (vs. 14). “Succeeding where Adam failed, Jesus Christ entered into the garden and surrendered himself to the betrayal of the world, not by force but by his self-surrendered will, in order to drink the cup of suffering from the Father for the salvation of the world” (Klink, 729).
Jesus is fully aware that his departure is immanent. His words in the Farewell Discourse and now his prayer are reflective of the arrival of his “hour.” He is preparing the eleven both for the suffering that they will encounter as his followers as well as the glory that will be revealed to them when they follow Jesus to their heavenly reward (17:24). What will remain until Jesus’ return is the church, the world-wide company of all those who will come to believe through the ministry of the apostles (17:20). So Jesus closes his prayer focusing especially on all those who will yet come to believe. This of course includes all of us today who follow Jesus. We are the objects of our Lord’s prayer.He prays with a special focus on the unity of believers. It is a unity which is derived from the unity of the Godhead. That is, the unity which God gives to his people is founded upon the unity of the Father, Son and Spirit. It is a unity bound up in the believer’s union with Christ. So the unity for which Jesus prays is not the fruit of their efforts but a gift of grace owing to the nature of their salvation in Christ.The church’s unity is not a minimalistic thing nor is it based upon emotional sentimentalism. The unity of believers is robust and deep because it is grounded in the truth. Jesus prays that his church will be unified through a shared salvation, glory, witness, hope, body of doctrine, and love. The solid foundation which supports Christian unity was purchased at a high price. As the cross loomed directly before him Jesus prayed with settled confidence that his Father would cause his people to be “perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me” (vs. 23).
Throughout this prayer, Jesus mentions “truth” and “the word” multiple times. This theme runs throughout the prayer as Jesus is getting ready to depart from the disciples. During his time with them, he invested in them and instilled in them a love for the truth and belief in his Word which has led to lives marked by obedience to his Word.Jesus knows that his departure will be difficult for the disciples. But he also knows that he has given them what they need in his Word, and he will send his Spirit to help them remember and understand all that he has taught, much of what is summarized in this prayer.He highlights four main themes in this section, all of which have been central to his mission: the manifestation of God; and the predestination, the preservation, and the sanctification of the elect.
Having said all that needed to be said to the disciples, Jesus lifted up a prayer for them. They have yet to reach the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus will be handed over to his torturers. But the hour has come. It is now time for the Son of God to fulfill the promise made to the woman so long ago that the serpent would be crushed. The hinge upon which all of human history swings is about to be flung wide open as Jesus fulfills all righteousness upon the cross. This is a drama of cosmic significance.
The gospels record 21 prayers of Jesus. But the prayer recorded in John 17 is, by far, the longest recorded in any of the gospel accounts. It is a glorious mystery to read the words of God praying to God; the Son interceding before the Father. Little wonder why William Temple characterized this prayer as perhaps the most sacred text in the New Testament.
The entire prayer is something of a summation of the Gospel of John to this point. Its themes include Jesus’ obedience to his Father, the glorification of the Father through the death and exaltation of the Son, the revelation of God to the world and to his people through Jesus Christ, the choosing of the disciples from out of the world, the mission of the Gospel still to come as many others will be brought to faith in Christ, and the final destiny of believers to behold the glory of God and to share fellowship with the Father and the Son in heaven.
This passage is typically thought of as the epilogue of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. At various times the disciples have responded to Jesus’ words and the events of that Thursday with confusion, dismay, and even grief. Jesus has spoken hard and cryptic as well as comforting words. Here Jesus recognizes that he has used various figures of speech in his teaching. The word John uses means something along the lines of enigmatic or obscure. This method of instruction has at times left his disciples confused.But now, to the delight of the disciples, Jesus instructs them in plain, direct speech. In Jesus, they know that they have been given access to supreme wisdom. But this is yet another example of a terrible misunderstanding. The time of deep, divinely granted understanding won’t come about until the Son’s hour of glorification in the cross, resurrection, and ascension. And that is why the Lord tamps down on their exuberance. They must be reminded that in the world they will experience sorrow and suffering. But not without the promise of his peace and ultimate triumph.Of Jesus’ final words in his Farewell Discourse, Luther wrote, “Such a saying as this is worthy to be carried from Rome to Jerusalem upon one’s knees.” Last words are typically precious and this is never so true as we consider Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples before he went to the cross: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (vs. 33).
This passage is the seventh of eight sections in Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. Each section is tied together by the larger purpose of spurring on the disciples to stay the course in spite of sorrows and persecution. Their faithful labors will be more than matched by the presence and provision of the Triune God. In the first three sections following the prologue (13:31-38) Jesus explains to the disciples their relationship to him. In the final three sections of the discourse Jesus turns the disciples’ attention to their relationship with the world and their future existence. This passage is the final section of the discourse which is followed by the epilogue (16:25-33).Here Jesus instructs the disciples concerning how he will turn their sorrow into joy and how the Father will provide for all their needs in the “name” of the Son. Though some of the content of the discourse had unique application in the lives of the apostles, here the application may be drawn more broadly. There is nothing Jesus says in this section which Scripture does not elsewhere promise to all of God’s people.Jesus calls us to see our lives in the larger context of God’s completed work in history. The eschaton is where we get our word eschatology, or the doctrine of last things. Jesus’ view of the end of history (eschaton) is key to understanding most of what he taught. And that is certainly true of what Jesus and the apostles taught about joy and hope. We are a people engineered for the future. We are geared for hope, to look ahead with only joyful expectations. And that joy is to bleed into this life though it is often marked by sorrows. Knowing Christ does not eliminate problems in this life. However, Jesus does mean to banish anything that would presume to extinguish our cause for rejoicing. For the Christian, the life to come with all of its glory and perfection and joy is as secure as the nails which fixed our Lord to the cross. And so today there is sufficient cause for rejoicing.
This passage is the sixth of the eight sections making up Jesus’ Farewell Discourse bookended by a prologue (13:31-38) and an epilogue (16:25-33). Each section offers comfort and consolation to the 11 remaining disciples which they will need as they move out into the world on mission for Jesus. So each part of the discourse works together to offer a sustained exhortation to stay the course. No wonder Jesus pays such careful attention the doctrine of the Trinity with special emphasis on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. It is supremely comforting to know that the Triune God will be with them, empowering them to the very end.In this section Jesus zeroes in once again on the Holy Spirit calling special attention to what he will come to do. As we have noted before, the Holy Spirit has been active in creation from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1-2). We see him working in and through the saints of the Old Testament. But now it seems clear that what Jesus is promising is new. The Spirit’s work in the world and among God’s people will be reflective of the fullness of God’s revelation in Christ. His activity will be in keeping with the completed work of Jesus.The title that Jesus gives to the Holy Spirit – Paraclete – has a complex of meanings such as Advocate, Helper, Counselor, etc. The title speaks to the nature of the Spirit’s help given to God’s people. He is just precisely the One needed by people who follow Jesus in a world that hates God. In relation to the world, the Holy Spirit will convict of sin, righteousness, judgment. He will grant his people understanding of the truth. And in all things, the Spirit aims to the glorify Jesus.
As Jesus and the 11 remaining disciples make their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, he continues to prepare them for what they will experience in the next 24 hours and well beyond. As stated in an earlier message, the Farewell Discourse can be divided into six parts with a prologue (13:31-38) and an epilogue (16:25-33). With each part of this final body of teaching, Jesus significant themes all designed to prepare his disciples for the crises they are about to face. Here Jesus warns them about the way they will be treated by the world as they are sent forth as apostles.In the previous two paragraphs, the Lord gave a powerful illustration comparing the Christian life to a vine and its branches. It is a portrait of union with Christ in which believers live fruitful lives as they draw their lives from Christ. He then spoke to life among the branches, specifically, the necessity of his people to love one another.But, now, Jesus prepares them for the various crises they will face as the world opposes them in the same ways that it opposed their Lord. It is a universal message for all Christians who in one way or another will face the world’s malediction for the sake of Christ. In the west, Christianity has enjoyed a favored status in our culture for several centuries. But the sun seems to be setting on the Christian period of Western history. It may well be that Christians like us in the western world will have to turn to these words more often than now we do.In the middle of this warning, however, Jesus repeats his promise of the coming Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth (15:26-27). Like Jesus and the apostles, the church will face the aggressive opposition of the world. Therefore we, the church, must remember that our first calling is to make Christ known by the power of his word. And it is this testimony of Christ that the Holy Spirit will empower and make effective.
Having likened the Christian’s life giving union with Christ to a vine and its branches, Jesus now focuses on life among the branches. And what Jesus highlights is the necessity of love among those who follow him. Love is certainly one of the primary expressions of Christian fruitfulness. And while it is not a full summation of Christian fruitfulness, love is certainly a fundamental element. Indeed, so vital is love to the life of the Christian and the vitality of the church that Jesus commands it twice in this short passage (vv. 12, 17).
God has no needs. There is nothing lacking in him that must be met by us. Therefore, his commands are not a means to extract from us something he needs. Rather, God’s commands are means by which our lives may flourish and joy made full. Jesus’ command for his people to love one another is a call to joy and freedom. It is a call to add to our profession of the gospel the evidence of a life changed by that same gospel.
The love between Christians serves to mark them off as belonging to Jesus (13:35). Love is costly. It is a tough thing requiring particular decisions and acts. It always requires a degree of sacrifice. This is a common theme for the Apostle John. In his first epistle he writes: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (4:11-12).
In the previous section of his Farewell Discourse Jesus’ interest was in the role of the Holy Spirit. He promised the disciples that he would come to them by way of the Spirit’s own presence. Now Jesus focuses in greater detail upon the spiritual union between God and his people. It is what the church has historically referred to as “union with Christ.” It is another way of saying that one is a Christian. Fundamentally, Christians are “in Christ,” and Christ is in them. Jesus compares this intimate bond to a vine that gives life and fruitfulness to its branches.
The chapter begins with Jesus’ seventh and final “I Am,” statement: “I am the true vine.” The seven statements point to the Lord’s divine nature and identify him as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through the seven “I Am,” statements we are given a detailed picture of the Person and work of Jesus. In referring to himself as “the true vine,” Jesus is drawing upon Old Testament language and categories which often depicted Israel as a vine. By referring to himself as “the true vine” (especially in the form of a formal I Am statement) Jesus is declaring himself to be the fulfillment of national Israel. It is through the True Vine, Jesus Christ, that the Father fulfills the promise he made to Abraham. “Thus, Jesus is true Israel. All the old covenant places and people have been fulfilled by one person, Jesus Christ” (Klink, 659).
God’s people – his church – are the branches of the True Vine. Fundamental to branches on a vine is the bearing of fruit: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (vs. 5). Being a Christian is far more than acknowledging the truth concerning Jesus (though that is a must!). Followers of Jesus are united to him by faith and living in daily dependence upon him. Like the branch of a vine, the disciple draws daily nourishment from Jesus, the true vine, and bears fruit as a result. As Paul writes, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).
In this final section of chapter 14 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit a second time. As he does, he offers greater clarity on the ministry of the Spirit. Jesus knows that the disciples have struggled to understand many of the things he has taught them. His resurrection will certainly give them an entirely new understanding. But even so, Jesus will depart from them. They will not want him to leave. They will have no other way to conceive of this than a profound loss. And this is why God’s triune nature is such a source of help and hope. The physical absence of Jesus will not mean the loss of his real presence.
In this section the Lord explains how the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (vs. 26). Jesus’ soon coming departure will not be the departure of God from the lives of his people. Indeed, the second Paraclete (Advocate, Helper, Counsel), the Holy Spirit will come to them and carry on all that Jesus began.
The Holy Spirit is the “hands on,” as it were, Person of the Triune God. That is, it is the Holy Spirit who ministers to us the ongoing presence of the risen Christ. He binds us to Christ and Christ to us. He gives us the Scriptures. He vivifies dead souls once unable to understand or accept the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is the means of the peace Jesus gives to us (vs. 27). It is a peace anchored in our justification before God (Romans 5:1) and carried forward through the sanctifying presence of the Spirit.
Given that we live in a world in the throes of spiritual warfare (vs. 30), we need the saving, enlightening, and strengthening power of the Paraclete. The “ruler of this world,” has nothing on Jesus or on those in whom he dwells.
There is a sense in which anxiety pervades the upper room. One of the twelve, having betrayed Jesus, fled into the night. Increasing the tension were Jesus’ words that he was going to depart from the disciples and that where he was going, they could not follow. Little wonder that so much of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse is focused on comforting the remaining disciples.Jesus pledges to the eleven: “I will not leave you as orphans.” The Lord’s immanent death would so devastate the disciples that their condition could be fairly compared to that of orphans. But Jesus assures them that such will not be the case. They will not be left alone. He has already assured them that he will return in glory at his Second Coming (14:1-4). But also, they will see him in a matter of days for the grave will not keep its hold on him (14:19). But still, he will be departing in order to return to the Father in glory. And yet, even in his physical absence, his presence and even that of the Father will remain with them by the power of the Holy Spirit. “As the Son incarnated the Father’s presence in the world, so now the Spirit brings the Son’s presence into the world through the life of the believer” (Burge, 405).The Holy Spirit is never absent or missing. He has never been a non-factor in the world. Indeed, the Old Testament saints needed no less of the Spirit for their faith and sanctification than we do today. Nevertheless, the Spirit’s activity among his people is multi-faceted. The nature of his activity among God’s people seems to grow with the progress of redemptive history. Jesus is referring to the ministry of the Holy Spirit when he speaks of the disciples’ love for God and their ongoing union with the Son and Father. This is a love and spiritual union that cannot be known by the world for it is known only by those who have the Holy Spirit.
Throughout Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, we can sense something of the disciples’ anxiety as Jesus reveals the presence of a traitor in their midst, instructs them concerning his death, and states that he will be departing from them. Jesus speaks directly to their fear and dismay by promising that they will experience the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In fact, twice in chapter 14 Jesus drives home the point that the Holy Spirit will come to them in a way that will fully make up for the lack of his physical presence with them (vv. 15-18; 25-31).
From the opening words of this discourse, Jesus’ goal has been to encourage and comfort his followers. He promises them a fruitful ministry that will, in many ways, outshine his own in terms of visible impact (vs. 12). He promises that their prayers will be answered (vs. 13). This fruitfulness in ministry and prayer will come as the result of the Holy Spirit’s special presence. Certainly, this is not a blanket promise to all humanity. The powerful and comforting presence of the Spirit is given to the disciples of Jesus; those whose love for Jesus issues forth in obedience (vs. 15).
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit with a title which can be variously translated as Counselor, Helper, or Advocate. It was a word used in legal settings to refer to one who is “called alongside” a person who needs defense. So the meaning of the title given to the Holy Spirit is not therapeutic but forensic. He is a Divine Advocate, a Helper who defends the people of God. Jesus’ disciples are united to God through Christ by the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Helper. What a comfort it is for Christians to know this bond can never be broken and that the Spirit of God, present at creation, is ever present with all those who are bound to Christ by faith.
We continue with what’s known as the “Upper Room Discourse.” It’s a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. John, Peter and Thomas have asked questions of Jesus. Jesus’ answers provide great insight into His identity and mission, but leave the disciples troubled and confused. Philip enters into the conversation with a statement, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Perhaps Philip was trying to bring clarity, but in doing so he only exposes his deep confusion. Philip is mistaken on two fronts. One, he doesn’t understand the nature of belief and instead seems to be leaning into the idea that seeing is believing. Two, he doesn’t understand the nature of the Trinity. That the Father and the Son are one.Jesus kindly responds to Philip by welcoming Philip and the disciples to believe. He explains the mystery of the Trinitarian unity between the Father and Himself. Then amazingly in verses 12-14, He welcomes the disciples into the work that the Father has given Him. Rooted in the infinite, eternal, Triune love, Jesus commissions the disciples or Apostles to do greater works then He did, tells them they can ask anything in His name, and He promises will do it.As a part of Jesus’ church, we too are welcomed into the great work of sharing the gospel with our friends, our neighbors and the nations. All the while Jesus is with us and aids us in the building up of His church. All we need to do is ask.
Gathered around the table in the upper room with his disciples, Jesus continues his farewell discourse. The atmosphere of the room is complex. Jesus has washed feet; Judas has walked out. Jesus has said he must soon leave to an unknown place. Peter, one of Jesus’ closest companions, has been predicted to deny Jesus before daybreak. In the face of this shameful news and general confusion, Jesus offers kind words of comfort and hope. “Let not your hearts be troubled.” (vs. 1).He speaks again of his departure, leaving to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house. What is this work of preparation? Nothing less than the purchasing of their salvation through his death and resurrection. There is no other way. Jesus is the exclusive way, truth, and life (vs. 6). While this truth offends some, it is the Good News of hope for all who believe. Most things that are true, good, and right are by nature narrow, exclusive. Gravity does not discriminate. Your Social Security Number is reserved for you. When falsely accused you desire a courtroom judge who is convinced that truth is not relative. The gospel of Jesus is exclusive; yet it is offered to you and me. This is a glorious truth indeed.“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).
On the night that Jesus was betrayed, the gospel writers record Peter’s efforts to thwart God’s plan of redemption. He did this in ignorance of course. He simply could not conceive of a scenario in which his sins required Jesus to die. Peter was impetuous, often speaking and acting with insufficient thought. And while at times he was courageous, on that fateful Thursday when Jesus was arrested, he gave way to cowardice.Following Jesus’ cruel death on the cross Peter hid himself, fearful of further reprisals from the religious authorities. He seemed to have had no expectation that there was any merit in Jesus’ promise to rise up from the dead. But it was Peter who, along with John, ran to the tomb on that Easter morning when they received the incredible report from the women who witnessed the tomb empty. Ultimately, Jesus restored Peter and appointed him an apostle.The next time we see Peter he is boldly preaching to the gathered multitude in Jerusalem of God’s gracious salvation to the elect in the crucified and risen Christ. He went on to help build and give leadership to the fledgling church. By the time he wrote his two epistles, Peter was a wise and godly apostle, gentle in temperament and courageous in his witness. It has been said that if Paul is the apostle of grace and John is the apostle of love, Peter is the apostle of hope.In his first epistle, after greeting and offering a blessing to his readers, Peter opens wide the floodgate and releases a series of truths so wide and deep that it challenges the reader to take it all in. Indeed, this first section of Peter’s letter contains as dense a proclamation of essential Christian truth as can be found anywhere in the New Testament. And at the headwaters of this flood of truth are the words: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (vs. 3).
After Judas departs into the night Jesus begins his final body of teaching prior to his crucifixion. This is his “Upper Room” or “Farewell Discourse.” The prior events (vv. 1-30) set the stage for this intimate and heartfelt teaching. He begins by rooting his person and work firmly within the glory of God. That Father and Son share the same glory, a glory that will be revealed at the cross.
Jesus goes on to give his disciples a command which will serve as a mark of identification for God’s people around the world. Specifically, he commands his followers to love one another, which he calls a new commandment. Technically, the command to love both God and neighbor has, since the days of Moses, been the summation of God’s law. What makes this commandment new is the fact that it has now been fully embodied before them in and through Jesus himself. It is his love that must be received and his example that must be followed.
We must be careful of the reckless audacity and self-confidence of Peter. Certainly Peter was sincere in his declaration that he would never betray the Lord. But he underestimated the power of sin and his own desire to persevere. Nevertheless, it would be Jesus himself who would restore Peter and preserve him to the very end which is what he does for all of his beloved people. Truly, Jesus will not lose any of whom the Father has given him (John 6:37).
One of the more troubling stories to come out of western Christianity over the last decade or so is what has come to be called Deconstruction. The term refers to those who once claimed to be Christian but have now wholly disowned the faith. These are the Deconstructors. One thinks of Joshua Harris, Derek Webb, Rhett and Link, and many other former evangelicals who have publicly repudiated God in general and Christianity in particular. Some of the Deconstructors, like Harris, were once pastors or, like Webb, Christian songwriters. There is nothing new about this of course. The technical term is apostasy. It means to abandon or renounce.
In John 13, Judas, one of Jesus’ original twelve disciples, is revealed to be a traitor. Though presenting himself as a follower of Jesus, Judas had been plotting to betray Jesus to the religious authorities in exchange for payment in silver. As early as chapter six we learned that Jesus already knew that Judas would betray him: “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (vs. 70). Judas was an embodiment of what John wrote earlier: “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (3:10).
The defection of Judas demonstrates that so-called deconstruction is nothing new. Jesus knew this would be the case. And, indeed, the church has always born the sorrow of seeing men and women who once professed faith in Jesus depart into the darkness. In this way, Judas is a far more tragic figure than Pilate or the Jewish religious authorities. He reminds us that “on any day some faithful follower sitting among us might turn off the light and stumble into the darkness” (Klink, 599). See to it that it is not you who flees from the light. Hold fast to Christ. Remain in the Light.
Has there ever been a more important meal that the Lord’s last supper with this disciples? There were no miraculous signs or large crowds gathered. Multitudes were not fed and water was not transformed into wine. But this was our Lord’s final meal before his arrest. By the time Jesus reclined at the table with his disciples, Judas had already planned to betray him to the authorities. It was there also that Jesus informed Peter that he would betray him three times by Friday morning. It was during this supper that Jesus delivered his powerful “Farewell Discourse” (chapters 14-16) and offered his great “Highly Priestly Prayer” (chapter 17). That last supper also was the occasion that Jesus gave to his church the Lord’s Supper as a particular means of grace to be practiced until his return to consummate the age.
Before all of this, however, Jesus did a most remarkable thing. He got up from the low table, wrapped a towel around his waist, filled a bowl with water, and began to wash the feet of his disciples. In this way he was demonstrating to them that he had “loved them to the end” (vs. 1). Of the four gospel accounts, only John records this stunning act of humility. Of all household chores, there was perhaps no more lowly act than washing the dirty feet of guests. And yet the King, without any fanfare, took up the towel of humility and did what none of his disciples had considered doing either for one another or for their Lord. In this way Jesus demonstrated the sort of humiliating death he was going to suffer. But he was also leaving his followers an example follow. Jesus’ call to imitate his posture of servanthood still stands. As we consider the Lord’s stunning act of humble service, may we give all the more attention to how we can do the same for one another.
In his final public teaching, Jesus summarizes his message to the world and explains the purpose of his mission. Before him are both Jews and Greeks – the whole world. Once again Jesus appeals to his hearers to believe in him which has always been God’s call to sinful humanity. Once again, Jesus shines light on Trinitarian depths as he reveals that to believe in him is to believe in the Father. In facts, so closely is the Son identified with the Father that he will tell us that to see the Son is to see the Father (14:9).
With the cross now immediately before him, Jesus’ sense of urgency is especially on display as he warns his hearers that the time is short. When he is “lifted up” in crucifixion it will mean the judgment of the world even as it is the supreme display of God’s lovingkindness. But despite the numerous miraculous signs which attested to the truth of Jesus’ claims, the crowds still persisted in their unbelief (vs. 37).
Certainly, John could have left the matter with a simple statement of their unbelief. But he goes on to explain from Isaiah’s prophecy the Divine mystery behind the stubborn hearts of the crowd. And what we are told is truth that often unsettles Christians to the point of rejecting or explaining away the clear words of Scripture. Though our discomfort with the apostle’s words is understandable, it is no excuse for denying that God is free to act and judge according to his own perfect wisdom and goodness. As God declared when he revealed himself to Moses, “I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exodus 33:18-19; Romans 9:15).
The last half of John chapter 12 encompasses Jesus’ final public teaching. As such, verses 20-50 function as a kind of epilogue wherein Jesus is summing up the purpose of his coming into the world. In the previous passage Jesus told his disciples that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (vs. 23). But this glory will be counter to everything they had once been taught to expect about the Messiah. The glory of Jesus in this coming “hour” will displayed in his dying. He further backs this up with his illustration of the grain of wheat that must go into the ground and die in order to bear fruit (vs. 24).
And then Jesus expresses the agony of his soul as his final approach to the cross begins. His agony was surely twofold. One the one hand, the physical torments of the cross would be unbearable. But the deeper horror was that as his body bore excruciating pain, his soul would bear the weight of the world’s sin. In the Garden of Gethsemane voiced a similar prayer concerning the “cup” of God’s wrath from which he would have to drink. As J.C. Ryle observed so eloquently: “Terribly dark must that guilt be for which nothing but the blood of the Son of God could make satisfaction. Heavy must that weight of human sin be which made Jesus groan and sweat drops of blood in agony at Gethsemane and cry at Golgotha, ‘My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?’” (Holiness, p. 6).
But for Jesus, the horror of the cross was outweighed by his ardor for the Father’s glory. His prayer, “Father glorify your name,” was the defining desire of Jesus’ life and ministry. And it was for the glory of the Father – a glory which was magnified in his saving love for his people – that Jesus went willingly to the cross.
The final paragraph of Romans eight is a robust and moving proclamation of the gospel. These are words of assurance that God’s love for his people is unbreakable and that their future in an eternal new creation is sure. As Paul develops the paragraph, he recalls what he has already written about God’s merciful response to humanity’s plight and that of all creation. In referring to God not sparing his Son but offering him up for us (8:32) he is referring back to what he previously affirmed concerning the sacrifice of Christ (3:21-26, 4:25, 5:6-11, 8:3). Also, Paul’s reference to God giving his people “all things” points back to the theme of the new creation developed in the previous section (vv. 18-30). Paul’s words about charges brought against God’s elect and that God is both just and the justifier of sinners, remind us of his argument in 1:18-3:20. When he writes of God’s justification of the ungodly through the dying of Christ we recall 3:21-26 and 5:6-10.Paul begins this final section of chapter eight with a question. He asks, “What then shall we say to these things?” The “things” Paul is referring to here trace back to the entire body of truth he has been building since the beginning of chapter eight concerning God’s comprehensive salvation of the elect through Christ Jesus. Indeed, it would be appropriate to include all that he has written since 1:18 in the “these things.” In light of all this truth, “What is there left to say?” he seems to ask. What can possibly be added to all these precious promises? To which Paul asks five rhetorical questions meant to banish forever any doubt in God’s saving grace. John Stott writes, “He challenges anybody and everybody, in heaven, earth or hell, to answer them and to deny the truth which they contain…No one and nothing can harm the people whom God has foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified" (p. 254).
Romans Eight is all about assurance. Christians are assured of forgiveness of sin and adoption by God in Jesus Christ. We are assured that our lives are being brought to full redemption, body and spirit, even as we walk through this groaning world. We are assured that the same Spirit through whom we are adopted as sons of God is also helping us in our weakness. And now the Apostle assures us that God’s sovereignty extends to our sufferings in such a way as to guarantee an outcome that will redound for the good. Everything the Christian experiences in this life from the brightest joys to the bitterest calamities are under the sway of God’s sovereign governance of all things. Not only that, but God holds the salvation of our souls within the merciful grip of his sovereign hand. From beginning to end, salvation belongs to the Lord. From being known by God before creation, to calling and justification, to being brought all the way home to glory, the salvation of God’s people is firmly in the grip of God’s merciful predestination.
The works of God in salvation can only be understood when we see it through the gospel of Christ. The work of the Incarnate Christ is the high point of Biblical History. His gospel is the rationale for the existence of Christian faith. We live and move and have our being only in Christ and his work. Paul takes this brief section in Romans 5 to prepare us for what he unfolds in the remaining chapters of this letter. He argues that “the righteous shall live by faith” (1:17), and this faith is justified only in the righteousness of Christ imputed to his saints (5:1). Upon that does Paul show that Christian living is accompanied by peace, grace, hope, and so many other wonderful works of God that leaves Paul essentially praising in these verses (5:1-5). Christians rejoice (boast) through Christ even in the midst of our sufferings because wherever we go, whoever we meet, whatever happens, God is with us, and God loves us. There is no greater argument than the love of God for his saints.
Having been united to Christ by faith, believers have become heirs with Christ in the blessed inheritance of God’s eternal glory. But being an heir, by definition requires patience. Though we are united to Christ and are beloved children of God, we will not receive our inheritance in all its fullness until the consummation of the age. Until then we will groan under the weight of the fall. How, then, can Christians not succumb to despair in the face of suffering and death? Why do those who have been “set free from the law of sin and death” still die? The answer Paul gives us with full confidence is “glory.” Indeed, “glory is the overarching theme of this passage” (vv. 18-30).[1]
Paul assures us that no matter the degree of our suffering we can be sure that it cannot compare to the glory that will be our inheritance in eternity (vs. 18). And that means we live in the sure hope that God is actively bringing about the final redemption of our bodies; the final banishment of sin’s curse. Until that day, the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness to the extent that he intercedes for us when words escape us (vs. 26).
John Calvin wrote that Spirit of Adoption was the Holy Spirit’s “first title.” That is, of all the ways in which the Scriptures refer to the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Adoption is his greatest, or first, title. If one considers the transformation of dead sinners into beloved children of God as the Spirit’s greatest work then Calvin was certainly right. Paul’s words concerning our adoption as sons are among the greatest words of consolation and assurance to be found anywhere in the Bible. And having been adopted we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
Being an heir of God means that the love the Father has for the Son from eternity is now lavished upon us. But being an heir also means that we wait for the full experience of our inheritance. While being adopted sons of God places Christians within the realm of eternal life it also places them squarely in the already-not-yet of this present age. Christians are new creations in Christ, adopted by God and saved unto eternal life while simultaneously living in an evil age of sin and death.
From the very beginning, Christians have often found themselves living in societies that marginalize, misunderstand, and even punish them for their commitment to Christ. And this is why Paul’s words to the Roman church continue to comfort every generation of Christians. In this world we will suffer for the name of Christ. But not even the world’s cruelest mistreatment can undo the glory of our adoption by the Spirit. Indeed, the glory of the Kingdom of God is gained as we participate in Christ which includes joining him in his suffering.
Each sentence of Romans eight is so dense with truth that we could easily justify spending far more time wading into its depths. This certainly holds true for verses 12-17. The great London pastor, D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, in his famous series of 366 sermons from the Book of Romans, preached fully 27 sermons from this single passage. In these verses we hear the soaring promises that are so much a part of chapter eight. And alongside those promises is the call to live in a way that harmonizes with those promises. Specifically, since we are no longer of the flesh we must not live according to the flesh. Indeed, we must put to death the deeds of the flesh.
As he does so often, Paul highlights the full unity of the Persons of the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as wholly invested in our salvation. Through the Spirit, Christians are the adopted children of the Father and co-heirs with Christ. The Christian’s status as an adopted child of God confers immeasurable blessings both here and in the age to come. This act of adoption is a sign of God’s enduring love for his people and constitutes a permanent and unbreakable commitment both now in the midst of suffering and sorrow and in the glory of eternity.
From the very beginning, Christians have often found themselves living in societies that marginalize, misunderstand, and even punish them for their commitment to Christ. And this is why Paul’s words to the Roman church continue to comfort every generation of Christians. As Paul indicates here, in this world we will suffer for the name of Christ. But not even the world’s cruelest mistreatment can undo the glory of our adoption by the Spirit. Indeed, the glory of the Kingdom of God is gained as we participate in Christ which includes joining him in his suffering.
During his ministry Jesus frequently appealed to the sorts of starkly different pathways that are set before humanity. There is the broad way that leads to destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. There are two different foundations upon which to build. The foolish builder chooses the sand while the wise builder chooses the rock. Following this pattern, Paul sets before us two ways to live. Either we will live according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.But these two ways are not equally available options for everyone without distinction. In other words, Paul is not suggesting that Christians may live either according to the Spirit or the flesh. Nor is he suggesting that unbelievers have the same menu of options before them. What Paul is telling us is that it is not possible for the unregenerate to walk according to the Spirit for the Spirit does not dwell in them. Accordingly, they have neither the desire nor the ability to walk in a way that is pleasing to God (vv. 7-8). On the other hand, Christians, “are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (vs. 9). This is not to say that Christians do not still battle against sin. But that’s the point. They no longer live according to the flesh. Christians are at enmity with sin precisely because of the indwelling Holy Spirit.In this life we will either be servants of the flesh or servants of Christ for we will be enslaved by one or the other. For Christians – those “who live according to the Spirit,” – a life of joyful obedience is less imposed from without than generated from within by the Holy Spirit. As Schreiner observes, “Verses 5-11 do not constitute an exhortation to live according to the Spirit or to fulfill the law. Rather, they describe what is necessarily the case for the one who has the Spirit or is still in the flesh…Obedience is rooted in the transforming work of the Spirit, and thus is not a burden imposed from without but a delight embraced from within” (p. 409).
The eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans has been variously called the acropolis, the apex, and the summit of the New Testament. It has been likened to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden and an inner sanctum of the cathedral of Christian faith. This reverence for Romans chapter eight makes perfect sense. It is filled with the most glorious truths of the Christian life. It reveals some of God’s most precious promises to his people both in the present life and in the life to come. The great promises of Romans 8 encompass the entirety of the Christian life. From our liberation from the condemnation of sin, to the comfort that is ours in suffering, to the promise of future glory, the Christian is held secure within the love of God in Christ Jesus.
One interesting detail that emerges is that there are no commandments in Romans eight. It is all promise. It is all about what God has done and will bring about to final completion for his adopted sons and daughters. One writer summarizes the promises of Romans eight with three "no's": No Condemnation, No Defeat, and No Separation. It is a portrait of life in the Spirit which is in stark contrast to life under sin’s power and the law’s condemnation highlighted in the previous chapter. The life in the Spirit that Paul describes in Romans eight is not a special or elite category of Christianity only to be experienced by a few. Rather, life in the Spirit is the ordinary Christian life which begins at the moment of new birth, endures through life in a “groaning” world, and proceeds into eternity inseparable from the love God.
In this relatively brief series of messages from Romans eight, we will examine the heights and depths of the Christian life. We will see why Paul places such great emphasis on the working of the Holy Spirit. There is no flinching on the part of the apostle concerning life's sufferings and sorrows under which the entire created order groans. Neither is there any reticence assuring the Christian that even the worst of the world's maledictions cannot compare to the glory that is to be revealed in Christ Jesus to all who belong to him.
Among the miraculous works of God, none are so remarkable as the eternal Son of God taking upon himself a human nature and entering the human family through the womb of a virgin. We refer to this miracle as the incarnation. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” John the Apostle tells us (John 1:14). Without sacrificing or in any way diminishing his eternal divine nature, the Son of God “took upon himself the form of a servant,” that is, the human nature (Philippians 2:6-8). Though “very God of very God” the eternal Son, in his incarnation, acted in dependence upon the Father thus leaving an example for his people. The incarnation is thus an act of addition, not subtraction. That is, even in taking upon himself a human nature, the Son remains “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16).
Luke records the announcement of this mystery of mysteries to a young virgin named Mary. The announcement was made by the Angel Gabriel and it was no doubt a shocking and troubling moment for Mary. She lived in a culture in which sexual intimacy outside of marriage was looked upon, appropriately, as a sin. To make matters more complicated, Mary was betrothed to be married. Her pregnancy would not only scandalize her family and ruin her reputation, it would be a source of great shame for Joseph, her betrothed. And yet, we are given a glimpse into the godly character of Mary when she not only submits to the news given to her but embraces the circumstances with the disposition of a humble servant of God. In this way we can say that Mary was the first Christian. That is, she submitted to the will of God and believed in Jesus. She accepted the news with strong and simple faith: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (vs. 38).
As his name declares, Jesus was born for the salvation his people. Men and women, beginning with Adam and Eve, who had longed for the Messiah’s appearing and believed the promises of God would be saved by this One to be born to the virgin Mary. Likewise, men and women in every nation and generation after Jesus’ birth would be saved as they looked to him in faith (John 3:16). The incarnation was God’s mighty response to humanity’s sin and its deadly consequences. Theologian Stephen Wellum writes:
“As the Son incarnate, our Lord Jesus Christ in his life, death, and resurrection, reverses the work of the first Adam and forges ahead as the last Adam, our great trailblazer and champion (Heb. 2:10). As a result of the incarnation, God the Son becomes perfectly qualified to meet our every need, especially our need for the forgiveness of sin (Heb. 2:5–18; 7:22–28; 9:15–10:18).”
The healing of the man born blind is the sixth of seven signs recorded by John. Each of the signs, culminating in the raising of Lazarus (chapter 11), is meant to point to Jesus as the Christ. Like this miracle, the fourth sign (the healing of the lame man in chapter 5) takes place on a Sabbath in connection to a pool of water. Both miracles are met by hostility from the religious authorities whose blindness generates great hostility toward Jesus whom they perceive to be a law breaker.Jesus himself bookends the scene which narrates the angry response of the religious authorities to his miracle of healing on the Sabbath. They have no interest in seeking to discern Jesus’ claims in light of his miraculous works. Their desire is solely to exterminate Jesus. Nevertheless, the dialogue between several different actors in the drama serve to highlight the Person and work of the Christ. In essence, John leverages this event to help us “see” the meaning and significance of Jesus and ultimately to believe in him. It is the opponents of Jesus who are truly blind and those who believe who are granted sight.The man Jesus healed could now see from once blind eyes. But the greater miracle was the sight granted him within. This man to whom Jesus was once a stranger now confesses him as the Christ. And that is the great matter for John's gospel and the great matter for all humanity. Do you believe?"There may be many things in your mind that you think are important and that the world judges to be important, but none of them are as important as the great matter of salvation...Do you believe on Jesus? The Bible stresses the importance of this matter when it asks properly, 'What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?' (Mark 8:36)."- James Montgomery Boice
As we have noted previously, the first half of John’s Gospel is often times referred to as the Book of Signs. That is, John records particular miracles performed by Jesus which serve as signs or proof of his deity. The healing of the man born blind is one of those signs. In Jesus’ day, blindness was often thought to be the result of a lack of “light” from within and, therefore, took on moral dimensions. What is more, the Jewish religion had adopted a rather mechanistic view of reality wherein good people received good things and bad people received bad things.But Jesus exposes this assumption as deeply misguided. While some problems, sufferings, and tragedies are indeed the direct result of specific sins committed, there are many other times when particular instances of suffering come about as a result of far different reasons. This man’s blindness, Jesus states, is the not the result of his or his parent’s sin. Rather, under the wise and mysterious providence of God, this man’s suffering will be the occasion for his salvation and a display of God’s glory.Jesus’ encounter with the man born blind occurs sometime between the Feast of Tabernacles (known in part for the use of elevated fire pots to illuminate temple at night) and the Feast of Dedication (later known has Hanukah, or the Festival of Lights). The significance of this should not be missed as Jesus declares of himself, “I am the Light of the World” (vs. 5).
Second Timothy is among Paul’s most “personal” letters. It was written, after all, to his “beloved child” in the faith (vs. 2). And though Timothy did not require it, Paul […]
The Psalms are traditionally broken up into five books or sections. Psalm 73 is the first psalm of the third section. It is written by Asaph. We know from 1 […]
God speaks. He reveals Himself. The question is, what is your response? When you see His glory in creation and read of His goodness in His Word, what do you […]
The Psalms are a wonderful collection of writings, penned to direct God’s people for public and private worship. They teach us about who God is and how we ought to […]
A careful reading of the prayers recorded in the Bible would reveal a great deal of consistency even within their variety. From the prayers of Moses to those of the […]
The Christians in Ephesus lived in a city known for its great temple to the pagan goddess Artemis (called Diana by the Romans). It was one of the great temples […]
In the opening section of his letter to the Colossian church Paul assures them that he and Timothy “have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be […]
If we could boil down Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica to one major theme and one major “feel,” it would be gratitude. Now, the Apostle Paul opens almost […]
The second half of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church begins with the exhortation to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1). […]
Chapters seven and eight of John’s Gospel focus on the conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities who were plotting his death. Throughout the encounter, Jesus exposes the hearts of […]
It is easy for us to miss the explosive tension in the events described in John chapter 8. The heat of the dialogue between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities […]
Jesus sets out to clearly explain the sin of his audience. If ‘abiding in Jesus’ is the mark of a true disciple, these religious leaders and those who follow them, […]
The controversy of John chapter seven now becomes more focused and formalized in chapter eight. Jesus’ claims concerning his identity are now joined with warnings of the consequences of unbelief. […]
One of the great statements on the trustworthiness of Scripture is found in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy. There he writes that “all Scripture is breathed out by […]
When it comes to salvation, we often look to our own efforts. Even if we believe in grace, we operate as if our works contribute to God’s satisfaction in us. But Paul outlines the simple truth of the gospel: Christ has done it all for us, and we add nothing to our salvation. The work we do is in response to God’s movement toward us. When Paul tells the Philippian church to work out their salvation, he is instructing them to work out the implications of the salvation that is already theirs by faith in Jesus Christ.This outworking of salvation has tangible results. True salvation is accompanied by turning away from sin and by walking in obedience. True salvation is proven by the life that bears good fruit. True salvation is reflected in a heart oriented toward God, rooted in his word, empowered by his Spirit, and lived for the glory of the Son.
In Luke’s birth narrative of Jesus there is a wonderful scene as Mary and Joseph take their newborn boy to the temple to be dedicated. There they encountered Simeon, a godly man to whom the Lord had promised would see the Messiah with his own eyes. As old Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms he said to Mary:“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (2:34-35).The final section of John chapter seven bears witness to the truth of those words. Once again people are divided over the Person of Jesus. Who is he precisely? Where has he come from? Does he possess the right to speak with such authority? And as faithful old Simeon prophesied, Jesus will be the source of the fall and rising of many. This was true during Jesus’ ministry. It remains true today throughout the world.These radically different responses to Jesus owe to the words he spoke and that which the Apostles would later proclaim about him. Had Jesus largely remained silent and instead focused on miracles and works of compassion he would have been praised by everyone as a good man. Had he not challenged the doctrinal ignorance of Israel’s leadership, much less proclaimed himself to be the I Am, Jesus would have lived out his days in peace, enjoying the favor of all the people. Had Jesus not claimed the authority to forgive sin and presented himself as the fulfillment of Israel’s religion, he would never have been nailed to a cross. But neither would we still be talking about him today.Because of the powerful message Jesus proclaimed which was confirmed by his death and miraculous resurrection men and women around the world must still make a choice concerning him. Will we turn away from him? Will we mock him? Will we seek to patronize him? Or will you hear the Savior’s promises, listen to his message and flee to him for pardon and life eternal?
Marriage, sex, and gender: three topics that seem to be a revolving door of opinions and trends. The God given and blessed arrangement of marriage is becoming less popular in recent years. Divorce rates are down due to less people tying the knot and instead choosing cohabitation as a safer, more desirable alternative. More than ever there is pressure to engage sexually in casual and short lived relationships.
With these shifts in belief and practice there is growing confusion concerning our physical bodies, if they have value, and how we are to honor God with them. Regular church goers are struggling too, young and old. Struggling with their sexual thoughts, desires, and temptations, pornography usage and promiscuity. Wrestling with the tension between freedom in Christ and license to do what feels good. The next generation is watching and learning, coming to conclusions on how they will live, and what they will believe.
In 1 Corinthians 6 the Apostle Paul speaks to the church on these matters in clear terms. He does so out of deep love and concern for God’s people. In their ignorance and weakness the church was struggling to discern truth from error in what they were hearing from the world around them. “All things are permissible” was a slogan of the time. In our day we hear, “You do you” and “Love is love.” These messages have captured the hearts of many in the church who desire freedom, yet they have proven to be a prison.
Do you not know? Have you not heard the good news? You are not your own, you were bought with a price! The Christian can have great confidence and hope in regards to their bodies and sexuality. God has graciously given us guide-rails for our good and protection. He has told us who we are and how to live. And knowing we would struggle and fail, God has given us his Son, whose body was nailed to the cross, covering all of our sin and shame. Believe that and you will experience true freedom.
Jesus is both the Provision and the Provider of abundant and everlasting life. The scene that John describes is loaded with ceremonial and historic significance. This passage describes a remarkably bold act of Jesus on the “last and greatest day of the Feast” of Tabernacles. The Feast was one of thanksgiving to God for his provision of harvest and the rains necessary to bring it about. In those days, the people would keenly aware of the absolute necessity of water to sustain life. On the eighth and final day of the Feast the priests would lead the people in solemn procession to the temple. The priests would then pour water out upon the altar as an act of thanksgiving for the season’s rains.It was during this time of great solemnity and gratitude that Jesus stood and spoke: “If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink…” It would be hard to exaggerate either the boldness or scandal of this act. In essence, Jesus was presenting himself as the fulfillment of the Feast and Lord of all it taught the people to hope for. “The church declares that Jesus is the provision of God, the source and meaning of true life. This is a declaration to all people that the thirst of our souls can only be satisfied by Jesus Christ. There is no other solution – Jesus has a monopoly on truth and life (14:6)” (Klink, 381).
The book of Revelation was given by God to the Apostle John in order to encourage the church of the authority and control of Jesus Christ while they suffered through persecutions on earth. It was to motivate them (and us) with the surety of Christ’s victory and his return in glory at the end of time, regardless of what their (and our) current situation looks like to them. This vision in chapter eight depicts a period of silence in heaven which symbolizes judgment, but at the same time it describes the prayers of the saints as rising up to God, assuring them that God hears them and will surely answer them. It is a powerful vision as it addresses in us our greatest fears – that God is blind and deaf to us – because of what Jesus has done for us on his cross.
Jesus Christ is the supreme necessity of all human history. Put simply, there is no hope without him. Christian hope is not a gauzy sort of wishful thinking but a full confidence that what God has promised is sure. Christian hope has as its foundation both the Person and work of Christ. We believe what the Scriptures testify concerning who Jesus is and what he has done. At the center of His works – and therefore, the center of our hope – stands His cross and resurrection.At the cross, the sins of all of God’s people, without any exception, were atoned for. Quite literally, Jesus died for his people. He bore the guilt and curse of their sin. In the Person of Jesus, God bore this own wrath that his people could justly receive his inextinguishable mercy.But if the story of Jesus ended on the cross, we would have no hope and we would still be in our sins. Had Jesus remained in the tomb, our faith would be a tragic fantasy. It was the resurrection that vindicated Jesus as the Son of God, the One worthy to bear our sin and shame. It is the resurrection that completes the good news. The resurrection is the only thing that could justify our calling the day of Jesus’ crucifixion Good Friday.The good news of the resurrection must be met with faith. As Matthew reports, those who guarded Jesus tomb were witnesses to his resurrection but they remained in their unbelief. So, for them, the resurrection of Jesus could only be a source of fear. But for those who witnessed Jesus Christ risen from the grave and believed upon him, their fear gave way to hope. The darkness that hung over the earth for hours as Jesus died on the cross gave way to dawn on that first Christian Sabbath. And nothing would ever be the same again.
The action now moves from a private encounter in Galilee between Jesus and his brothers to a confrontation with the unbelieving Jewish religious authorities in Judea. Specifically, the encounter takes place in the seat of Jewish religious power, the temple. What is more, it unfolds in the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus answers his opponents in a way that does not lessen their hostility against him.John does not record precisely what Jesus taught. However, his teaching was so insightful and authoritative that those hearing him were shocked. Indeed the religious authorities “marveled” when they heard him. They assumed that he must have received formal training. Otherwise, how could a man exhibit such depth of learning? We must not miss the sad irony that the depth of knowledge and power of Jesus’ teaching did not persuade his enemies to alter their hostility toward him. Jesus explains that the reason that they refuse his teaching is because they have set their hearts against God. All resistance to Jesus is, by definition, resistance to God.In the irony so typical of John’s Gospel, the religious celebrants miss entirely the presence of God among them in the Person of Jesus right in the middle of the feast meant to give thanks for the “tabernacling” of God among them. Even as the city of Jerusalem was festooned with mini-tabernacles, they missed the living Tabernacle of God who walked among them.What great comfort there is for the Christian to know that Jesus was not merely a religious expert, a good man, or a charismatic leader. Jesus was and is the Man from Heaven, returned to Heaven, and will come again to receive his own.From Heaven He came and bought her To be His holy bride With His own blood He bought her And for her life He died
In John’s Gospel, the ministry of Jesus is largely structured around three of the major Jewish religious festivals: Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost. In chapter seven the Festival of Tabernacles (or, Feast of Booths) is the organizing theme. During the Festival of Tabernacles, which took place in autumn, various liturgies involving fire and water were practiced, each meant to remind the people of God’s presence with them during their years in the wilderness. During those years of exodus Moses met with God on the people’s behalf in the Tent of Meeting, or Tabernacle.During the seven day Festival, God’s presence was symbolized in the Jerusalem temple by large bonfires. Throughout the Old Testament, God made his presence known among his people through fire (Exodus 3:1-6; 13:21; 14:24; 2 Chronicles 7:1-2). In the New Testament, at Pentecost, the presence of the Holy Spirit is made visible by tongues of fire resting upon the apostle’s heads (Acts 2:3). It was during the illumination of the temple by the bonfires of the Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus declared himself to be the “light of the world” (John 8:12).As the Feast of Tabernacle got underway, Jesus’ brothers urged him to enter Jerusalem and perform miracles. But he explained that his time had not yet come so he entered the city quietly without any fanfare. Jesus faced increasing opposition from the Jewish religious authorities since he healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda. In chapter seven, the opposition to Jesus increases even to include the cynicism of his brothers whose desire for more signs was driven by their unbelief.Jesus would indeed make his presence known in Jerusalem. In fact it would happen on the final and greatest day of the Festival of Tabernacles where he would declare, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (vv. 37-38). Commenting on chapter seven of John, Edward Klink writes: “Jesus is the true tabernacle, the fulfillment of the world’s hopes and joys, whose faithful obedience to the Father is the source of true brotherhood in the family of God” (p. 350).
It is easy to understand why some, especially the Roman Catholic Church, believe Jesus’ words in this section of his Bread of Life Discourse are referring to the Lord’s Supper. It is certainly likely that once Jesus did institute the Lord’s Supper his disciples reflected back upon these words. But our Lord was not instituting the Lord’s Supper in this particular teaching. Jesus’ rather graphic language concerning his body and blood is linked directly to the larger context of his teaching on eternal life and the necessity of belief.Jesus’ words here are not sacramental. Nor is he setting the stage for the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation in which the bread and wine of communion are transformed into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus and work to remove the sins of those who receive it. Jesus is speaking metaphorically just as he was with Nicodemus concerning birth and the Samaritan woman about living water. Since the miraculous feeding of thousands Jesus has referred to himself as the bread which has come down from heaven; “the Bread of Life.” Jesus is not literally bread nor are his flesh and blood to be literally eaten. Rather, just as bread gives life to the body, so Jesus has come to give life everlasting to those who believe.Jesus’ metaphor also nudges us toward the cross. “By combining into one cumulative metaphor the concepts of hunger and thirst and the bread of life alongside overtly sacrificial images of his flesh and blood (terms that evoke the entire system of sacrifice and atonement in the O.T.), Jesus declares his person and his work to be the embodiment of all promises of satisfaction” (Edward Klink, 348).
The first of Jesus’ great “I Am Sayings,” is perfectly suited for the moment in which it was spoken. Jesus declared “I am the Bread of Life,” in the Capernaum synagogue during the people’s Passover observance. Don’t miss the significance of this. During the festival in which the people were steeped in Scriptures and lessons concerning God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from captivity and the provision of bread in the wilderness Jesus declared that he was the bread their souls required.
Hearing Jesus’ words, the religious authorities responded with “grumbling,” which is itself a reminder of the Exodus peoples’ grumbling so many generations before. The Hebrews in the wilderness grumbled because they desired something other than manna. Now, the religious leaders grumbled because they did not want Jesus, the Bread from Heaven. Jesus rebuked them for their grumbling and then explained that the glad reception of the Bread of Life was the result of the unseen hand of God’s gracious providence: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (vs. 44).
This passage contains some of the clearest words in all of Scripture concerning God as the Sovereign Actor in the salvation of his people. There is no salvation unless God graciously and inexorably draws sinners to himself. And God’s grace is sufficient. That is, God’s grace needs no supplementing. His call is effective. When God graciously calls sinners to himself they will respond in faith (vs. 47). And those whom the Father graciously calls to himself will never be cast away: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (vs. 37).
The remainder of chapter six (all the way through to verse 71) is a lengthy discourse from Jesus which builds upon the miraculous feeding (vv. 1-15) and his “I Am” statement on the sea (vv. 16-21). From the opening words of John’s Gospel (1:1) Jesus has been directly identified with God. The “I Am” of the burning bush (Exodus 3) is the “I Am” walking upon the sea. Having declared himself in both word and deed Jesus will challenge his followers to accept him for who he truly is.For the people of Jesus day, bread represented the most basic building block of nourishment. This is reflected in the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus teaches us to pray for “daily bread,” as a sort of shorthand meaning the basic necessities for nourishment. In the miraculous feeding, Jesus took the basic necessities and turned them into a feast for thousands. Now he will declare of himself, “I Am the bread of life.” Jesus is the fundamental necessity. He is the food that nourishes.Like so much of John’s Gospel, the necessity of believing Jesus is front and center. “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (vs. 29), “He who believes in me shall never thirst” (vs. 35), “Everyone who believes in him shall have eternal life” (vs. 40). In this lengthy teaching Jesus compares believing to eating; that is being nourished upon Christ. It is graphic language that is intended to draw upon God’s supply of manna in the wilderness only now Jesus Christ is that heavenly Manna who fully satisfies the soul. As J.C. Ryle expresses it: “Whatever we need for the relief of our hungering souls, Christ is ready and willing to bestow. Whatever mercy, grace, peace, strength we require, the Son of Man will give freely, immediately, abundantly, and eternally.”
This well known account finds its place between the miraculous feeding of the multitude (vv. 1-15) and Jesus’ declaration that he is the Bread of Life (vv. 22-71). In the miraculous feeding Jesus demonstrates his divinity. In the lengthy Bread of Life discourse he explains his divinity. In the miraculous interlude of Jesus’ walking on the sea, there is both a powerful demonstration and clear confession of his divinity which would not have been missed by anyone with a knowledge of the Old Testament.After Jesus went alone into the hills of upper Galilee, his disciples set off in a boat beading for the sea’s northeast shore. As they rowed, a storm blew across the water. Easterly winds are common on the Sea of Galilee and fishermen must watch the weather with caution. But whatever fear they experienced by the rocking of the waves was replaced by fear of seeing Jesus walk toward them across the surface of the sea.Throughout the Old Testament, God is portrayed as creating, bringing order to, and directing the waters. In the days of Noah, God used water to judge the world. He corrupted Egypt’s water supply prior to the Exodus. And after delivering his people from Egypt, the Lord divided the waters of the Red Sea and led his people safely across. In the Scriptures, water is symbolic of life, cleansing from sin, the sign of the new covenant, and a means of judgment.Jesus joined his disciples in the boat and spoke extraordinary words: “It is I; do not be afraid.” “It is I,” is a translation of the Greek to be verb (ego eimi). And since there is only the verb and no predicate, the more literal rendering of Jesus words is, “I am.” The Hebrew to be verb (Yahweh) is the name by which God identified himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14). Jesus connects his “I am,” with a call for his disciples to not fear. The awesome power of God over ever detail of his creation works comfort and peace in the hearts of those who know him. “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed” (Psalm 107:28-29).
Jesus’ public ministry was in full swing. Along the way, he attracted not only the disapproving stare of the religious authorities, but also the fascination of many ordinary people. Jesus’ growing popularity among the people was largely due to their fascination with his miracles. In this section of John’s Gospel, Jesus clearly declares his identity and backs up those declarations with demonstrations of divine power.It is another bit of John’s characteristic irony that yet again the Passover is being celebrated while Jesus, the fulfillment of the Passover, goes unrecognized. The God of Israel come in human flesh was working on behalf of his fallen people. Yet those who should have known the Scriptures well enough to recognize him and rejoice in his arrival instead plot his death.The miraculous feeding of the 5,000 is the fourth sign John highlights. It is the only one of Jesus’ miracle recorded in all four Gospels. The miracle was stunning and captured the attention of people all across the region who would expect Jesus to continue to work such signs. But like all of his miracles, Jesus was doing something far deeper than satisfying the physical needs of the crowds. On that hillside near the shore of the Sea of Galilee Jesus declared that he is the true food for the human soul. He is God’s living welcome to sinners to come and feast upon the Bread of Life.
We pick up in the middle of Jesus’ first discourse in John. After witnessing His miraculous healing of the paralyzed man and hearing His words, the Jews rightly conclude that Jesus is equating Himself with God. Instead of placing their faith in Him, they seek to kill Him under the charge of blasphemy.Here in the second half of His teaching, Jesus lays out a defense of His claim to be God. Before a hostile “jury,” Jesus brings the evidence in the form of witnesses that bear testimony about Him. Though they do not actually appear before the Jews, they are well acquainted with each of the four witnesses and should find them compelling. Jesus draws their attention to John the Baptist who they knew, Jesus’ own miraculous works, God the Father, and the Scriptures. Each of them clearly give testimony that Jesus is God, but the Jews who are accusing Jesus refuse to receive that testimony.The Jews were using the Scriptures to support their own religion – a religion that brought them glory, social status and power. In John 4, the Samaritan woman quickly identified Jesus as the prophet who Moses spoke about, but these learned Jews miss the evidence laid before their eyes. They should have identified Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not. William Hendriksen in his commentary on John says it well, “It was not lack of evidence but lack of love which [caused] these men to reject the Christ.”We may easily dismiss the hard-heartedness of some Jews over 2,000 years ago, but that would miss how God is using this passage to till up the soil of our own hearts. Do we receive the witnesses about Jesus? Will we believe in Him as the Christ? Where are the remnants of our own man-made religion that cause us to deny the power of God or to wonder if He is truly good? Where does our unbelief rear its ugly head in the form our own pride and self-glorification?
The healing of the lame man and the controversy over the Sabbath raised the question of Jesus’ identity. Specifically, Jesus own words raised the issue of His relationship with the Father. The religious authorities did not recognize nor would they accept that this man Jesus was related to God in a unique way. They had not understood their own Scriptures so they did not recognize Jesus as the Divine Messiah. So Jesus pauses in order to instruct the religious authorities and correct their confusion. This is the first substantial monologue from Jesus recorded by John and one of the richest insights from our Lord into his identity.
Under the darkness of a murderous conspiracy against him, Jesus declares his identity. Along the way, there will be clear implications for humanity. It will become apparent that as Jesus addresses humanity’s confusion about God, humanity’s confusion about itself will be more clearly revealed. Confusion about God always leads to confusion about what it means to be human, a sinner, and one in need of salvation. And at the center of this passage Jesus calls upon those who hear his word to believe in him that they might be made truly alive.
Jesus does not simply declare himself to be God. Rather, he goes into detail about his relationship to the Father such that no other conclusion can be reached. Jesus’ approach is so helpful precisely because of how he provides insight into the Trinitarian nature of God. What Jesus explains is that he is so uniquely related to the Father that everything God has done in history and everything that God is in Himself is wholly inclusive of Jesus. So, to accept Jesus is the accept God. To reject Jesus is to reject God.
Having focused previously on the significance of Jesus’ healing of the man at the Pool of Bethesda, we now turn our attention to its aftermath. Following the healing of the lame man, the religious leaders and temple authorities are scandalized that Jesus would command someone to break Sabbath law by directing him to carry his mat. In fact, neither Jesus’ healing nor the man carrying his mat were violations of the Sabbath but only those regulations later added by religious tradition. Jesus was a pious man who had the highest regard for God’s law, including the law to hallow the Lord’s Day.This passage includes the first usage of the word Sabbath in John’s gospel and introduces what will become a major point of conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities. From this point on, Jesus will be accused of being a Sabbath-breaker. Of course, Jesus never once violated the Sabbath. Indeed, no one ever kept the Sabbath holy to the degree that Jesus did. Rather, it was the religious authorities who violated the Sabbath with their unbiblical demands. Their religious traditions turned what was given to mankind as a blessing into a crushing burden.On that day at the Pool of Bethesda Jesus demonstrated that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. He governs over the entire created order including the passage of days. He showed us what it meant to exercise mercy on the Sabbath as a way of honoring the Lord. He worked along with his Father in the moment-by-moment upholding of all things. And as the religious authorities rightly concluded, Jesus made himself “equal with God,” for he was no less than God in the flesh.
At the end of his gospel, the Apostle John states that had all of the actions of Jesus been committed to writing it would require more books than the whole world could possibly hold (21:25). Therefore, there is something quite deliberate about the selection of those events which are recorded by John. Such is the case with each of the seven signs recorded in the first 10 chapters.Up until now, Jesus’ ministry has focused primarily on his interactions with various individuals. In this passage we see the Lord begin to engage the religious authorities as a corporate identity. This will continue to be a theme from this point on, all the way to the cross. What is more, this event is the sharpest conflict thus far recorded by John and involves the first mention of the religious leaders’ desire to kill Jesus.Like all of the signs performed by Jesus, the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda points to both our Lord's divine authority and his purpose to redeem the world from sin. True to form, the religious authorities miss the meaning and significance of Jesus’ sign and instead respond with murderous anger over what they believed to be a violation of the Sabbath. But Jesus reveals – as he will repeatedly – that man made regulations must never supplant God’s good design. They had displaced the generous blessings of the weekly Sabbath with a burdensome weight.We inhabit a world filled with superstition and confusion about God. This confusion was on full display each day around the pool of Bethesda as sick people waited for an angel to stir the waters in hopes of being healed. Of course our world is no less filled with confusion. In the face of this falsehood Jesus stands as the perfect reflection of God and the embodiment of his redemptive purposes. Jesus is the source of what the soul requires.
The action moves from Samaria back to Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle, the turning of water into wine. The section beginning with the wedding feast has shown us what is to take place now that the Christ has arrived: real purification in the true temple (ch. 2), true birth (ch. 3), and true worship (ch. 4).[1][1] In the present passage, John records the second of Jesus’ “signs,” in the first half of the Gospel account. With the healing of the royal official’s son, Jesus indicates the goal of redemption, the passage from death to new life. Even in Jesus homeland, he encounters the decay and death which sin has wrought throughout all the world. In raising up the dying boy Jesus is declaring himself to be the life (14:6).Before working a miraculous healing, Jesus rebukes the onlookers for their misplaced faith. Though he will give specific signs which prove his identity, he nevertheless calls them away from a misguided faith which depends upon signs rather than the One who works them (and in some cases chooses not to). The decidedly unspectacular way that Jesus raises up the boy is meant to teach the crowd about the nature of genuine faith. Mature, saving faith is directed toward the Lord. This sort of believing rests not in signs but in the One to whom those signs point. When signs are absent, the Lord still IS.The sort of faith we are taught to have in this passage is one that is firmly rooted in the Person of Jesus Christ. As good as his gifts are, he is better. Here, Jesus is not rebuking the sort of imperfect faith we all have. Rather he is rebuking a faith that rests in the wrong object. Let us not be possessed of a faith like that of the Galileans. Let us believe in Him even when there is no sign. Let us crave more of God for the sheer worth of His goodness.[2][1] Edward W. Klink, John, ECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016) p. 256
Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman is proof that God’s redemptive mission was always intended to be worldwide. The forgiveness of sins and eternal life in God’s blessed presence has always been meant for men and women from every nation and people. Just as Andrew was portrayed as bringing people to Jesus, so now the woman from Samaria runs to urge her own people to come to Jesus.
It is not an accident that the woman’s evangelistic zeal is connected so closely to Jesus words concerning worship and the Father’s seeking true worshipers. In his book Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper writes, “Missions exist because worship doesn’t…” The goal of redemption is to gather a vast multitude of the redeemed who will join the chorus of God’s praise. The woman’s witness to her neighbors in Sychar is one of the earliest manifestations of this mission in the New Testament. The shock experienced by the disciples over Jesus’ conversing with someone who was both a Samaritan and a woman should be a sober reminder of just how easily our petty prejudices turn our hearts cold toward those God is pressing us to reach. Jesus ignored the food the disciples brought him and instead called them to lift up their eyes to see the field of people all around them which was ready for harvest. Jesus came to complete the work begun long ago to gather the nations before the Lord in one everlasting holy nation, a kingdom of priests. And that day in the town of Sychar the mission went forward as many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the witness of the woman who left her jar behind and drank from the water of life.
Debates over the proper way to worship God have been going on for about as long as sinners have been worshiping. And these debates are not entirely without merit. After all, God has always prescribed for his people the proper ways in which he is to be worshiped if our worship is to honor him. Not once in all the Bible is God portrayed as apathetic concerning how he is to be worshiped as though all that matters are our intentions. Let us not forget about Cain’s unacceptable offering, Nadab and Abihu, the golden calf, or the church in Corinth. But we must also carefully avoid the trap of worshiping our worship as though the elements themselves are to be objects of our praise or pride. The “how-to’s” of Christian worship are given not for our boasting but for the Lord’s own glory. But those elements of Christian worship are also meant to teach sinners where to go to find forgiveness.Just as in the Old Testament, Christian worship addresses the question of where sinners must go for salvation. The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman about worship is only part of a larger conversation concerning the woman’s sin and her need for salvation. The worship of both the Samaritans and the people of Israel centered on their respective temples and the practice of sacrifice. So worship, as it was shaped by the opening chapters of the Bible, was always intended to address first and foremost the question of where sinners can go to have their sins covered.That is why Christian worship has a gospel shape to it. In worship, Christians hear God’s gracious call to worship, respond in praise, confess their sin, hear God’s pardon, answer back in praise and confession of faith, offer prayers of supplication, hear God's word proclaimed, celebrate the covenant meal, and receive God’s benediction.
The prophet Isaiah was speaking and writing during a period of great darkness for the people of God. The kingdom had been divided between Israel to the north and Judah to the south. Both Judah and Israel had been ruled by successions of wicked kings with only very few exceptions. Together the people had been led into idolatry and immorality of the nations. The triumphant and unifying reign of King David seemed long past. Many had no doubt concluded that God’s promise to establish an everlasting throne through the line of David had failed.The northern and southern kingdoms warred with one another and sought out alliances with pagan nations to bolster their advantage. Israel made a treaty with Syria while Judah, ruled by wicked Ahaz, allied with dreaded Assyria. Already the northernmost tribes of Israel were under attack from Assyria. Eventually, the ten northern tribes would be swept away.The national darkness which had descended upon God’s people serves as a picture of the spiritual darkness of unbelief. Outside of Christ, there is ultimately only gloom and darkness. This is why God’s people are repeatedly warned to not walk in the way of unbelievers. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:17-18). “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 was the condition of God’s people in the centuries following David’s blessed reign.But in the midst of all their self-imposed spiritual darkness and the terrifying threats from mighty pagan nations, the prophet Isaiah sees a light in the distance. Indeed, the light is so great that there will be a massive reversal in the condition of God’s people. In past tense – as though it has already happened – the prophet speaks of the people’s gloom being replaced by glory, their darkness replaced by light, and their oppression replaced by joy.And what is the rationale for this radical transformation of the people’s fate? What could possibly happen to save the people from their sin and darkness? Isaiah provides the answer: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (vs. 6).
We’re taking a break from John as we look at an Old Testament prophecy about the coming Messiah from Numbers 24:17.At this point in their history Israel was living a tension similar to what we experience today: the tension of the already but not yet. They had been freed from slavery in Egypt and were wandering in the wilderness in the process of moving toward the land that was promised to them. They were free but they weren’t yet home. As they traveled through the wilderness, they encountered many nations that were not happy with their presence.One such nation, Moab, had a king named Balak. He was so concerned with Israel and their military power that he consulted with a pagan soothsayer (one who practiced divination and magic) named Balaam. Balak desired to pay Balaam to curse Israel although, when it came to it, Balaam was only able to bless Israel. That’s all God would allow him to do. We will focus on Balaam’s fourth and final prophecy which points us to both a near and distant promise of a king for Israel. In this prophecy, once again, Israel is given a promise from God of a future hope.Commentator Iain Duguid gives a helpful summary of this prophecy and its New Testament implications:“Yet the coming of the star that Balaam foresaw wasn’t entirely what you might have predicted. At the birth of Jesus, a heavenly star indeed rose over Israel to mark where the infant King lay. Yet the baby King lay in a manger, not in a palace, and those drawn by the star were not Israelites but foreign Magi, students of signs and portents as was Balaam, who came from the east, Balaam’s former home (Matthew 2:1-12).’ King Herod, an Edomite by descent, was not instantly crushed by the coming of this new King but continued his rule, slaughtering scores of innocent children in Bethlehem. The rising of this star in Christ’s first coming did not yet bring about the total destruction of the nations, for Jesus had come first to be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to . . . Israel” (Luke 2:32). Yet in another way, his coming was exactly what Balaam anticipated: those who, like the Magi, blessed the new Israel, Jesus, and submitted to him found a blessing for themselves. Meanwhile, those who cursed this new Israel found themselves under a curse, just as the Lord had promised Abraham (24:9; see Genesis 12:3). What is more, the day is yet coming when God’s final judgment will be delivered on Herod and on all those who stand against him and his anointed.” (Duguid, Iain M. 2006. Numbers: God’s Presence in the Wilderness. Crossway Books, p.287)
Up to this point, John has been interested to demonstrate how Jesus fulfills and surpasses the Old Covenant ceremonies. Jesus is the source of true cleansing (2:1-11). He is the true and everlasting temple (2:12-25). He is true birth (3:1-21), true baptism, and the true Messiah (3:22-36). All of this has direct connection to the Judaism of Jesus’ day. Beginning in chapter four, however, the wider scope of Jesus’ mission begins to come into view.
Jesus and his disciples traveled beyond Jerusalem into the region of Samaria. There Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman whose life was steeped in a pattern of immorality. But whereas Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus took place at night under cover of darkness, Jesus talks with the sinful woman at the well in full light of midday. This signals a very different outcome. Instead of the sad ambiguity of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman will respond to Jesus with faith and joyful witness.
The ancient spring from which the woman had gone to draw water provided Jesus with the perfect metaphor to teach her what it was her soul truly required. “In the person of Jesus, the entire world is confronted with the inadequacy of its resources and the overabundant riches of the gift of God, which is international in scope and cross-cultural in character. It is at each person’s place of need, where they hunger and thirst, that God seeks and satisfies them with the food and drink no one could have imagined, rooted in the divine mission of the Trinitarian God” (Klink, 227).
The events described in chapter 3 may seem disconnected at first glance. But there is a logic to the movement from Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus and the final narrative concerning John the Baptist. One link between the two has to do with the significance of washing and the need for sinners to be cleansed from sin. In the first section Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be “born of water and the Spirit” which points to his need for cleansing (vs. 5). Then, beginning in verse 22, is an account which records both John the Baptist and Jesus baptizing followers. Being still prior to Christian baptism, this was baptism unto repentance, a ritual washing for the purpose of cleansing.Another connection between the two sections of chapter three is Nicodemus’ need to be born “from above” (vs. 3) and Jesus as the One who is “from above” (vs. 31). Jesus came from heaven bringing with him the gift of the Holy Spirit and the new birth. Jesus speaks the very words and wisdom of God because he has come from heaven (vv. 31-32).There is yet another connection when we consider that Nicodemus and John the Baptist both represented earthly realms. Nicodemus stood for the law and the temple with all the requisite calls for cleansing. The Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets who came baptizing as a cleansing for repentant sinners. Jesus, however, is the one from above who will fulfill all the earthly types and shadows. Ultimately, that work of fulfillment will bring about the salvation of God’s people. As Mark Johnston points out, John “lets the need for these ceremonies stand as a constant reminder of our need for the cleansing to which they point. They provide testimony to human sin, guilt, and uncleanness, and tell us that cleansing our own souls before God does not lie within our power.”
This section continues Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees. Jesus has just stated the necessity and mystery of the new birth; the sovereign move of the Holy […]
Jesus knows the hearts of all mankind. When he meets Nicodemus he speaks directly to the heart of the matter telling him he must be “born again” if he is […]
In chapter two, John reports that, both at the wedding feast and during the season of Passover, various people believed in Jesus because of the signs that he performed. We […]
John’s narrative moves from the wedding in Cana to the temple in Jerusalem during Passover. The wedding was a setting of celebration in which Jesus transformed the water of ceremonial […]
The Prophet Isaiah lived in Jerusalem 700 years before Christ. These were dangerous and heart-breaking years for the prophet. The kingdom was divided between Israel to the north and Judah […]
In his gospel, John refers to the miracles Jesus performed as “signs” because they demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah. These miracles are among the […]
John takes us immediately from the exalted theology of the prologue to the activity that is at the heart of Jesus’ mission: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). […]
The conclusion of the prologue (vv. 1-18) leads to the first of the two major sections of John’s Gospel, the Book of Signs. As the name suggests, the Book of […]
In the final section of the prologue, John sums up what he has already stated concerning the eternal existence and deity of Jesus, the Word. John also definitively states the […]
In the final section of the prologue, John sums up what he has already stated concerning the eternal existence and deity of Jesus, the Word. John also definitively states the […]
John begins this section of his prologue with something like an aside concerning John the Baptist. It seems there were some who were blurring the lines between this “man” and […]
The first eighteen verses of John’s Gospel function as a prologue to the entire work. Far more than a mere literary convention, these words serve as a lens by which […]
The Gospel of John stands, along with Paul’s letter to the Roman church, as one of the two twin towers of the New Testament. There may be no more beloved […]
This passage is one of the most consequential in the New Testament and marks a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. Indeed, this is a climactic moment in the life of […]
In the first half of his letter to the Christians at Ephesus (chapters 1-3) Paul the Apostle unveils the glorious truths of God’s sovereign and gracious plan of salvation. His […]
The opening section of Ephesians is a carefully crafted and heartfelt expression of praise to God for his gracious plan of salvation. It is a plan for the salvation of […]
“Christ appointed the ministry that we should not be always children, ignorant of those things that we ought to know, that we should not be wavering and inconstant, tossed with […]
As the Book of Genesis concludes, it does so by drawing attention to Joseph’s remarkable affirmation of the good providence of God. And then, like his father before him, Joseph […]
Long before the exodus of God’s people after 400 years of slavery, Jacob made his exodus out of Egypt. Chapter 49 ends with Jacob’s dying words to his sons. He […]
Chapter 49 looks a little different in your Bible; it is the first sustained poem in the Scriptures. Jacob is on his deathbed and will pronounce words of blessing on […]
The record of Jacob’s life takes up substantial space in the Book of Genesis. Yet in the account of the great acts of faith recorded in Hebrews chapter 11, the […]
After their safe passage to Egypt, the people of God continued to live as sojourners in this world. As Waltke observes, the clan was an “embryonic nation united under Jacob’s […]
We want so much for life to be linear. The quickest way from A to B is a straight line. If we have goals we want to achieve them quickly. […]
Having tested his brothers and seeing that they were brought to repentance as evidenced by their moral transformation, Joseph was ready to reveal his true identity. It is not surprising […]
In chapter 44 Joseph puts his brothers through a final test which confirms the genuineness of their repentance and seals Judah as the man fit by God to carry the […]
So far, Joseph has been shown to us as a type of Christ, a living prophesy of the coming Savior who would suffer on behalf of his people and reconcile them to himself. Just as Joseph’s actions saved not only Israelites but Gentiles, so too would the Christ save men and women from every nation. […]
Joseph’s faith and faithfulness, were forged at least in part in the crucible of suffering. He was so trustworthy, able, and conscientious that, though he was a slave, he became manager of his master’s household. This was true both in Potiphar’s house and later in the prison. Joseph was scrupulously faithful to the requirements of […]
Joseph’s faith and faithfulness, were forged at least in part in the crucible of suffering. He was so trustworthy, able, and conscientious that, though he was a slave, he became manager of his master’s household. This was true both in Potiphar’s house and later in the prison. Joseph was scrupulously faithful to the requirements of […]
The bulk of this text revolves around dreaming, retelling, and interpreting dreams. People usually don’t pay much attention to their dreams, nor should they. Dreams are a manifestation of our subconscious. The dictionary says they are series of thoughts, images, or sensations occurring in a person’s mind as they sleep. Most often dreams are quickly […]
The account of Joseph in Potiphar’s house begins with great promise. Joseph the slave proves to be a man of great integrity. Therefore, he gains great responsibility and influence in the household of this powerful Egyptian. Joseph’s decency, integrity, and godliness will be in evidence throughout the account of his life. But the notes of […]
God is love (1 John 4:8). He defines it, but we want to have a hand in it. We very much want to choose who we love. We want to practice love by our own priorities and who will receive our affection. Normally those love priorities include our blood relatives, our friends, and people whose relationships […]
The burial of Jesus in a borrowed tomb seems at first like an anticlimax to the previous six hours as Jesus hung on the cross. No other passage in the Scriptures can match the tension and suffering that is depicted in Jesus’ suffering and death. But the account of his burial immediately following is an […]
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. – Apostles Creed The creed does not mention such events in the Lord’s life as his baptism, his wilderness temptation, his several years […]
All the Gospels note the great change that came over Jesus as he came to Gethsemane, a garden on the Mount of Olives. Jesus often retreated to this place for prayer. On this night prior to Good Friday, there is a sudden intensification of emotion. The sorrows and especially the fears that Jesus had held […]
By the time we reach chapter 22 of Luke’s gospel account, Jesus has finished the bulk of his public teaching. Now the narrative is fixed upon his Passion, that is, his suffering and crucifixion. There is a sense in which the entire life of Jesus was the account of his Passion given that he came […]
The events described in this chapter overlap with Joseph’s life in Egypt. The timeframe is approximately twenty years which leaves room for what will be happening to Joseph, who was in Egypt twenty-two years before being discovered there by his brothers. Chapter 38 seems like a strange interruption just as the story of Joseph kicks […]
The murderous conspiracy against Joseph by this brothers is accompanied by an array of seemingly chance events and encounters. Someone once wrote that “coincidence is God working in disguise.” And in these events we are trained to see the hidden hand of God’s providence working all things according to the council of his perfect will. […]
Chapter 37 launches the final “book” of Genesis. Each major section or book of Genesis is introduced by the Hebrew word “toledoth” which means “generations” (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 37:2). From this point on to the end of Genesis, the themes established earlier will he highlighted once again. “The motifs of […]
Chapter 35 of Genesis concludes by drawing the curtain on the account of Jacob’s life. Though he will not die for years to come, the narrative focus now shifts toward his descendants, especially Joseph. This section of chapter 35 consists mainly of three events: The birth of Benjamin and death of Rachel (vv. 16-21), Reuben’s […]
Jacob’s misguided decision to settle his family in Shechem within the precincts of a Canaanite town led to tragic consequences. By failing to lead his family to Bethel Jacob placed them instead in great peril as chapter 34 reveals. The violation of Dinah and her brothers’ bloodthirsty vengeance left lasting consequences upon the covenant family. […]
Chapter 34 picks up around ten years after Jacob parted ways with Esau and settled his family in Shechem, a pilgrimage which should have carried on to Bethel. Dinah was a child of perhaps seven when the family left Paddan-aram. Now, in Succoth and Shechem, enough time has lapsed for Jacob to build homes and […]
The last section ended with the dawn rising after Jacob’s night of wrestling with the God-man (32:31). Having been chastened and renamed, Jacob was now ready to face his brother Esau. The long-awaited confrontation was one, not of violence, but of affection and reconciliation; Esau greeting his estranged brother with tears. After delicately declining Esau’s […]
We’re taking a break from Genesis this week. We are going to look at a passage in Romans that points us to the hope that we can have through the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the beauties of Scripture is that whether we are in the Old Testament in Genesis or in the New […]
The events described in this passage represent yet another turning point in the life of Jacob. His determination to be reconciled to his brother and subsequent encounter with God are revealing moments, both in the life of a human being but also in the history of redemption. Though we will not have the same sort […]
This account of Jacob’s story offers more confirmation of the great lessons we have already drawn from these chapters describing Jacob’s sojourn in Paddan Aram. Chiefly, what is revealed is the Lord’s faithfulness to keep his gracious promises. Specifically, we see the Lord keep the promises he made to Jacob at Bethel. In addition to […]
This passage acts as the second “bookend” holding together twenty years of history in the life of Jacob and his family. At God’s command Jacob will embark on the 300-mile journey from Haran back to Canaan, the land of his fathers. Over the course of two decades, in the convoluted household of Laban, God was […]
With its descriptions of animal husbandry and strange rituals this passage leaves many scratching their heads. But we are not left in the dark about what God is revealing about himself. The following section (31:1-55) is something of an interpretive key as Jacob recounts the events. Taken together, we are given a glimpse into the […]
The birth of Jesus is a lot more than an exciting day wherein the God of the Universe gives the world a great gift. The birth of Jesus is the inauguration of a new kingdom that comes into our world of sin and chaos. Christ comes as the righteous ruler of this new kingdom, and […]
In his account of Jesus’ birth, Matthew places appropriate emphasis on the main thing: The Lord Jesus is the promised and long awaited Messiah. He was conceived miraculously in the womb of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. This Jesus is the everlasting Son of God whose appearing was foretold by the prophets. He is very God of very God made flesh and bone.
Of great interest also is the emphasis Matthew places on Joseph. Along with the heavenly origin and divine credentials of Jesus, Matthew acquaints us with Joseph, a righteous man, betrothed of Mary. Through Joseph’s name and hereditary connection to King David Jesus of Nazareth would lay claim to David’s throne. This passage is all about God’s gracious initiative, and the divine credentials of Jesus Christ. At the same time, this passage is about the man who would raise the young Messiah in his home and give to him his name and royal lineage.
In this “wonderful mixing of the miraculous and the ordinary, the divine and the human” (Hagner, 21) a good man is presented with a terrible dilemma: his betrothed is pregnant. He loved her and was a gentle and compassionate man. Joseph’s response to his betrothed’s pregnancy speaks to his decency. Even in the depths of his disappointment, despite what must have been his sense of having been betrayed, he determined to treat her compassionately. Such is the behavior of a righteous man. So far as he knew, wife-to-be had betrayed him. And yet he abandoned thoughts of revenge and looked for a way to break the engagement without exposing her to public humiliation or even more serious punishment.
Once Joseph discovered the truth of Mary’s pregnancy he took up his God-given assignment, eschewing the inevitable unbelief and derision that was sure to come. Joseph placed upon the helpless infant the name which would define his holy mission: Jesus – Yeshua, the LORD saves. You see, Jesus did not come to improve us or merely provide help in the midst of problems. Jesus came to save us from our sins. God stepped into the world, taking on human flesh in order to demolish the yawning chasm which our sin had fixed in place. Jesus is indeed our Immanuel; God with us.
“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:11)
Advent appears against a dark backdrop. Jesus came into the world after an extended period of silence from God. And then, as if from nowhere, John the Baptist began announcing the coming of the Messiah and the need for people everywhere to repent of their sin. The first advent of Jesus was a simultaneous call to turn away from sin and escape the judgment to come. Today we hear much about the war over Christmas. What is typically meant are the rather silly efforts to keep sales clerks from wishing customers a Merry Christmas or prevent a city all from featuring a nativity scene. But the real war over Christmas is one which has been going on ever since God announced that the seed of the woman would crush the ancient serpent (Genesis 3:15).
Revelation chapter 12 depicts a great battle in the spiritual realm which has also unfolded within the unfolding of redemptive history. That is, what John describes is a great battle waged by Satan against God and his people. As is the case throughout the Book of Revelation, John employs various cryptic references and metaphorical language in describing this great battle.
The focus of Satan’s rage has been and remains God and his beloved people. The advent of Jesus was disastrous to the enemy’s plans. His efforts to stamp out the life Jesus were entirely frustrated by God Almighty. In his incarnation, death and resurrection Jesus dealt a death blow to the kingdom of Satan from which it will never finally recover. But the fighting persists until the Lord’s second advent and the final judgment. And the focus of Satan’s attack is the church of Jesus Christ. Satan has been and remains the accuser of the people of God and he fights with all the fury of a cornered predator. As Leon Morris writes: “Not much time remains suitable for the activities of the evil one. The troubles of the persecuted righteous arise not because Satan is too strong, but because he is beaten. He is doing all the harm he can while he can. But he will not be able to do this for much longer.”
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:12).
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam
Those are Hebrew words spoken at the beginning of the Passover Seder. It is a prayer of thanks to God for His deliverance of the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe.” To this day, observant Jews all over the world commemorate their deliverance out of Egypt by observing the Feast of Passover as it was prescribed in Exodus 12. Tragically, as they observe the Passover, so many of the Jewish people remain unaware or hostile to the One to whom the entire feast points them. Indeed, the Passover, as it originally occurred in Egypt and the Feast which God commanded his people to observe, are filled with signs pointing to the Person and work of Jesus Christ as our sin-bearing Substitute.
The events described in Exodus 12 occur after God had sent nine plagues to chastise Egypt for her wickedness in defying God’s command to release the Hebrew people. Through such torments as foul water, locust swarms, and frightening darkness God exercised his just wrath on those who had enslaved his people. The Hebrews observed these plagues from a safe distance. And yet at the announcement of the worst of the plagues – the death of the first born sons – Israel would not be excused. Even though Israel was God specially chosen people they too were sinners and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Just like all sinners, the Hebrew people needed a substitute.
Mankind is largely ignorant of the burden that God’s perfect justice presents in light of the wickedness of sin. If God were neither holy nor just he could merely wave away sin as nothing more than an annoyance. He could look the other way at genocide, sexual depravity, hatred, and careless indifference. But where would that leave us? What hope is there if God is not holy enough to be bothered by sin and not just enough to do anything about it? The Passover, the final plague which led to the release of the Hebrew people from captivity, highlighted the wickedness of sin as well as the holy justice of God.
But more than that, the Passover proved that God is stunningly merciful and would therefore provide what he demanded. God would supply the lamb. The Lord would give what his perfect justice required. As he covered the man and woman through the sacrifice of a substitute (Genesis 3:21), as he provided a lamb for a believing father and son (Genesis 22:8), as he provided lambs for the households of his enslaved people (Exodus 12), so too would be provide the ultimate Lamb whose shed blood would satisfy the demands of justice for every believing sinner in every generation throughout time (John 1:29). Just as God ransomed captive Israel, he has ransomed all of his people from their sin by bearing upon himself the weight of his own judgment.
As the story of Jacob unfolds we are once again caused to reckon with the mysterious and often confounding providence of God. How will God accomplish his covenant promises through such sinfully damaged raw material? “On the human plane the story demonstrates the craving of human beings for love and recognition, and the price of thwarting it; on the divine level it shows once again the grace of God choosing difficult and unpromising material” (Kidner, 161).
The obvious complications of Jacob’s household are indicated in the details of this passage. A second period of seven years is covered which corresponds to Jacob’s contract with his uncle Laban to secure marriage to Rachel. In the second seven year period of servitude Jacob has two wives, Leah and Rachel along with their maidservants Zilpah and Bilhah. During this time Jacob begins to build his family consisting of eleven sons and one daughter. The births are not successive and two or more of the four mothers would have been pregnant simultaneously.
It is worth being reminded that what the Bible describes here is not what God had prescribed for his people. Even though Jacob did not have access to God’s written law which would be given to Moses generations later, he nevertheless would have had access to the inner testimony of conscience which would have born witness to God’s design that marriage be between one man and one woman. Once again we see that the outcome of redemptive history would rest not on the virtue of its central players but on the power of God’s grace.
“Leah has the disadvantage of being unloved, but the Lord chooses the unloved to become a mother first. Rachel has priority in the home through her husband’s love but is barren and threatened to be displaced. Rachel’s disgrace is removed when she gives up access to her husband and turns exclusively to prayer. Jacob has the disadvantage of being second born, but the Lord chooses him to be first. He will finally prevail when the strength of his physique is replaced by strength in prayer (32:25-26)” (Waltke, 409).
Perhaps you have heard the term “hagiography.” It’s a word used to describe a biography which ignores or covers over the faults of its subject. Literally, the word means “holy writing.” It’s a way of presenting a sinner as a saint. One might expect the Bible to try to follow this practice in the record of its key players, especially those as important as the Patriarchs. But the Bible does not ignore the sins and frailties of its central figures. That is certainly the case with Jacob. Though God is using various circumstances to sanctify Jacob, the process is nevertheless a long and painful one.
Coming on the heels of the great vision at Bethel, we would expect to see immediate transformation in Jacob. Likewise, we may expect that following such a marvelous vision depicting God’s great grace and the promise of his blessing and presence that the Lord’s providence for Jacob would lead him into pleasant pastures. And it certainly appears that way when Jacob weeps with ecstatic joy upon meeting Rachel. But then Laban enters the picture. And with that ominous turn, we see that God’s grace toward Jacob will include the painful means of his growth.
We can no doubt appreciate that Jacob needed to be disciplined for his acts of deception against his brother and father. But, his years in Paddan Aram were far more than discipline for sins committed. Those years were God’s gracious and painful providence overruling Laban’s deceit and bringing great things from it. Eight of the twelve tribes of Israel would trace their ancestry back to the unloved Leah and her maid, Zilpah. Surely there is a great lesson in that. God blesses and uses the poor, the weak, even the unloved to extend his grace to the world. “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
Chapter 29 launches us into the next major phase of Jacob’s life. Having arrived safely in the region of Haran, Jacob discovers to his joy that he is near the household of his uncle Laban. In the heat of midday, Jacob was met with several reminders of the Lord’s providence. As though to highlight the absurdity of happenstance, the writer casually describes the coincidental arrival both of shepherds who know Laban and, then, Laban’s own daughter Rachel.
The fact that Jacob had travelled to Paddan Aram to look for a wife and came first to a well should remind us of the earlier occasion when Abraham’s servant, who had come looking for a wife for Isaac, had arrived at probably the same well. None of this is accidental. We are being trained to discern the providence of God in all that comes to pass. God has promised to be with Jacob. And here that promise is kept just as it will be when Jacob encounters more painful providences from the Lord.
Though, by this time, Jacob had become more mindful of both the Lord’s presence and his responsibility as the covenant heir, he seems not to have lost any of his characteristic tenacity and enterprise. He remains that little one clutching to the heel of his brother. Though his encounter with Rachel was clearly brought about by the Lord’s hand, it will be the occasion for much heartache. In this way we learn that God’s providence is not limited to pleasant pathways. God’s providence includes those means of discipline for the purpose of character transformation. And Jacob’s character will be transformed in many ways through long years of frustration and hardship. It is the step-by-step work of God’s gracious sanctification in the lives of his children. It was for Jacob. And it will be for all of us who belong to the Lord.
Chapter 28 launches the biography of Jacob as an independent personality, the patriarch of the next generation of the covenant family, the man who would eventually give his other name, “Israel,” to the descendants of Abraham. Coming on the heels of Esau’s threat, Jacob’s entry into the world as the next patriarch began in the darkness of exile, uncertainty, and threats. Through those difficulties, stretching over the next twenty years, his character would be tested and transformed. The only detail we have of Jacob’s journey is the account of his extraordinary encounter with God himself in a dream.
The chapter begins with Isaac having finally accepted the sovereign will of the Lord. No longer will he contrive foolish plans to subvert God’s will. Rather, he blessed Jacob once again with eyes wide open, so to speak. Isaac then sent his younger son to Paddan Aram to find a wife in the household of his uncle Laban. Jacob went there with the full blessing of the Covenant Patriarch, the son of Abraham. For the young man who was so anchored to home, hearth, and his mother, this flight to a strange place under threat from a murderous brother must have been painful, disorienting, and frightening.
Along the way Jacob found a place to sleep for the night near Haran. Alone in the desert with a stone for a pillow Jacob’s body gave in to exhaustion and there he dreamed. It is made clear that the dream is a vision from the Lord and the vision illustrates one thing supremely: God’s unmerited grace. All of the action in the dream belongs to God and his holy messengers. Jacob’s only action is to hear and receive with gratitude and worship the promises of God. The ladder is not provided so that Jacob, or anyone else for that matter, may climb his way to God. Rather, the ladder, or stairway, is meant to show that God himself has made the way to reach his sinful and weary people.
The events recorded in this ancient passage clearly anticipate the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the one hand we are witness to God’s initiative to bless his people with his presence, his forgiveness, and his salvation. On the other hand, we see God’s people respond to his promises in faith, gratitude, and commitment. This is the utterly unique character of the biblical religion. Every other religion and philosophy of man seeks to secure God’s favor by merit or technique. Only in the Bible do we read that God bestows his grace freely, personally, well beyond the dictation of man.
One of the things that Protestant Christians must understand is that if we get the doctrine of justification wrong we are getting the gospel wrong. But equally true is that if we get the doctrine of sanctification wrong we are getting the gospel wrong. As Reformed Christians we rightly treasure the biblical doctrine of justification by faith – the truth that God justifies sinners by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls.
But we must not neglect the fact that the Reformers were also deeply committed to recovering and proclaiming the biblical doctrine of sanctification. The biblical doctrine of sanctification is that God, by grace, progressively makes us more holy. Grace is both declarative (justification) and transformative (sanctification).
For all of the necessary attention given to the gospel’s declarative power – that God declares us righteous in Christ – the reformers were also concerned to proclaim the gospel’s transformative power – that God, in his grace not only declares us righteous but goes about growing us in actual righteousness. And here in Paul’s letter to Titus he expresses that same concern. As we examine this passage (2:11-15), we cannot help but notice the prominence of the emphasis Paul places on transformation, good words, sanctification. The book of Titus strongly stresses the need of good works in the lives of Christians. In fact, this note is sounded over and over again either by way of terms like “godliness” (two times) “good deeds” or “good works” (four times) or by a list of moral qualities that characterize godly leadership and behavior (three times [cf. 1:1, 6-9, 16; 2:1-10, 14; 3:1-3, 8, 14]). For a book of three short chapters, this is a strong emphasis.
The glorious grace of God purchased by Christ and applied by the Spirit is the ground of our hope and the power of our transformation.
The events described in chapter 27 are tragic. What is unfolded before us is the dissolution of a family. And this is not just another family. It is the family of Isaac, the patriarch, the son of Abraham and father of Jacob. Isaac was the child of promise conceived by Abraham and Sarah via the miraculous intervention of God. In this way Isaac pre-figured the Covenant’s greatest Son, Jesus Christ conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. Isaac was a man of faith. Having been taught well by his father, Isaac’s faith was demonstrated on that fateful day on Mt. Moriah. Later, before the birth of his sons, Isaac demonstrated great faith in the Lord by remaining in the Land during famine and entrusting his family and fortune to God’s care (Genesis 26).
But the Isaac we meet later in life, the aged father of Esau and Jacob, has not fared well as the Covenant representative. He seems to live for little more than comfort and roasted meat. Having known the Lord’s decree concerning his two sons (Genesis 25:23), Isaac determines to thwart the Lord’s will by giving the Covenant blessing to Esau instead. This helps explain his efforts to keep the blessing a secret rather than making it a public ceremony in the sight of the entire household which would have been far more fitting. It seems nearly inconceivable that Isaac, the man of faith, sought to undo the will of God.
But it is not Isaac only who misbehaved in this event. All four participants sinned boldly. Rebekah, knowing God’s will concerning Jacob, believed deceit and lies were appropriate means to bring about God’s will. Jacob, the chosen seed, joined in his mother’s deception. And Esau, having already demonstrated a complete disinterest in the Lord and his Covenant responded in rage, determining to murder his brother.
Yet, even through the disobedience and deceit of this family, God does not turn away from his Covenant. It is not that God does not care about the sins of his people. In fact, the actors in this drama will each have to bear the consequences of their sins. Isaac steps off the page of redemptive history. Rebekah will never see her beloved son Jacob again. Esau will live out his life as a Covenant outsider. And Jacob, though the chosen Covenant representative, will learn faithfulness through many trials and losses, becoming a victim of Laban’s deceit.
There is marvelously good news for saved sinners in this account. Once again, as is true in our own lives repeatedly, where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. Though the ultimate fates of Rebekah and Esau are not known to us, Isaac is still remembered as a believing man (Hebrews 11:20). And Jacob, for all his wrestling with God and man, learned to walk humbly. God is not mocked. “If we deny him, he will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12b). That is, if we reject his Covenant promise, if we spurn his grace the Lord will give us the bitter fruit of unbelief. But if we believe, even when we fail miserably, “He remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).
The Lord’s Covenant of Grace runs like a thread through this passage, holding the whole of it together. God’s covenant with his people is a promise of his saving presence. Three times in this passage, the Lord’s presence with Isaac is confirmed. The first two confirmations came from the Lord himself who spoke to Isaac and said, “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you,” and “Fear not, for I am with you” (vv. 4, 24). The third confirmation of the Lord’s presence came from the Philistine King Abimelech and his men who, seeing the ways that Isaac had been blessed said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you…” (vs. 28). Notice the change of tenses. The Lord’s presence is all encompassing. He has been with, is, and will be with Isaac.
The Lord is the “hero” of Isaac’s story. One commentator characterized Isaac as “the ordinary son of a great father and the ordinary father of a great son.” According to Genesis 35 Isaac lived 180 years; longer than either Abraham or Jacob. But we know little about his life. What we do know is that the younger man of faith became an older man of appetites. The boy who trusted the Lord on Mt. Moriah became a man who could not manage his household or lead his family well. Most of what we know about Isaac directly is found in Genesis chapter 26. But even here, Isaac is not held forth as a model of faithfulness. Rather, the key to the blessings upon Isaac is the covenant loyalty of the Lord.
It is God’s blessed presence with his people which is most precious about his covenant. God promised that it would be his presence which would both form them as a people and guarantee for them a land of their own. Here, Isaac is instructed to not flee to Egypt during the famine but to remain in the Land and trust the Lord’s provision. Later, Moses pleaded with the Lord to not lead his people out of the desert and into the Land of Promise if he, the Lord, would not go with them (Exodus 33). The final two chapters of the Bible affirm God’s everlasting presence with his people as his chief blessing of Christ’s atonement: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God’” (Revelation 21:3).
The question, “What is the church’s mission,” is enormously important. How we understand the church’s mission will shape our message and our ministry. Fortunately, God has made the mission of the church quite clear. The mission is made abundantly clear in Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:16ff). Our Lord’s command to make disciples of all nations is stated in all four gospel accounts and the Book of Acts. The mission to make disciples of Jesus from all the nations explains why we are still here; why the Lord continues to keep his church in this sinful world. But the Great Commission was not a new development in redemptive history. Indeed, the church’s mission to take the gospel to the whole world and make disciples of Jesus is the ultimate expression of the Old Testament command to Israel to be a light to the nations. Unsurprisingly then, the mission of the church can be found repeatedly throughout the Old Testament.
Psalm 96 is a call to sing. It is believed by many scholars that this Psalm was written to accompany the celebration of the return to the temple of the Ark of the Covenant, a monumental time in the history of God’s people. It is a psalm meant to be sung in sanctuary of God’s people but within the hearing of the nations. In other words, thought his Psalm is written for the congregation it is also a call to all the peoples to join in the chorus of praise to God. There is an exuberance to Psalm 96 which can be heard in its calls to sing, proclaim, declare, bow down, and tremble before the Lord of all the earth. The Psalm also functions as a polemic against the paganism of the surrounding nations. The Psalmist calls their gods “worthless idols,” literally, “no things.” Psalm 96 does not fit into a world where religious pluralism is demanded. It is a clear call to all people in every nation to give honor and praise to God and God alone.
This is the heart of the church’s mission to make disciples of Jesus from all the nations. Isn’t it true that in making disciples of Jesus, we are calling all people to worship King Jesus? When the Psalmist calls God’s people to “tell,” of God’s salvation (vs. 2b) he uses the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word for gospel, “good news.” This is the first act of making disciples of Jesus. We are to “gospel” the world, to declare God’s salvation in Jesus Christ to the whole world and welcome them to worship the one great God.
At this point in Numbers, the first generation of Israel that fled Egypt during the Exodus had died and now the second generation was preparing to see the promise of the land fulfilled. And yet, because of their sin, Israel was once again experiencing God’s judgment.
This passage is one of those that you can read and wonder what’s going on. It deals with sin, judgment, poisonous snakes, repentance, a bronze snake, and God’s mercy. It’s also one of the events in the OT that Jesus refers to in John 3:14-15 which means this text gives us an opportunity to practice one of the great principles of interpreting scripture – scripture interprets scripture. This means that when we come across a difficult passage in the bible, or one that’s confusing, we interpret it by using other scriptures to get more context and clarity.
Even though this text describes events from thousands of years ago in a culture foreign to most of us, the underlying issues are completely relevant to us. And that’s one of the amazing things about the Bible in general – the setting may be different but it is able to expose the complexity of the human experience in ways that are all too familiar. Unbelief; grumbling and complaining; selfishness; rebellion against God - these are not just modern experiences. They are as old as sin. It is the story of God’s people. Every generation and every person deals with these things. We have to ask ourselves, “why do I let my circumstances dictate my belief about God?” Why I am I so quick to doubt God’s goodness?
As we seek to answer those questions we’ll see how God meets us in our sin and rebellion with grace and mercy.