That You May Believe: Recent Episodes
David W. Hegg
We begin an amazing journey through John's Gospel. So far this year we've talked about the privilege of partnering with Jesus in the exciting adventure called the Gospel. We've walked with Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, and reminded ourselves of the beauty and power of the Gospel story, recognizing the need to "carry it around in our pockets" in the normal rhythms of daily life. Now, we need to remind ourselves just how wonderful the Lord Jesus is! As we walk through the pages of John's Gospel we will encounter him as God in the flesh, the great " I AM" and the One whose life, death, and resurrection proclaim that he is Lord of all, and the only source of eternal life.
This weekend, we see the final trial of Jesus before Pilate and the final betrayal of Jesus by His own people. The Messiah is rejected by those who claimed to be waiting for Him, as pain, mockery, humiliation, and condemnation, move the story to the foot of the cross.
As we finish John 18, we come to see the third betrayal of Jesus. First, there was Judas, and then Peter. But now we see the betrayal of the people. Faced with the choice between a robber and the Savior, they say “We’ll take Barabbas!” Their disastrous choice stems from their inability to see Jesus rightly, as Heaven’s King who brings a Kingdom, not of this world, but endued with the truth of eternal life.
Having been arrested, Jesus now faces interrogation from three officials. Annas, Caiaphas, and Pilate, all have the opportunity to question Him. And while it may appear the Jewish officials and the Roman government are in charge, the fact is Jesus is controlling every step on His path to the Cross. And along the way, we see the Savior as the Sovereign King, the Unapologetic Teacher, and the Courageous Shepherd.
This weekend, we continue our walk through John’s Gospel and encounter Peter, the leading disciple, as he denies any association with Jesus three times. This tough fisherman had boasted he would give his life to protect Jesus only hours before, yet, his bravado was no match for his deep seated commitment to self. This weekend, we learn the simple truth that there is a good amount of Peter in us all.
As we prepare to re-enter our study of John’s Gospel next weekend, we spend this weekend reminding ourselves of where we’ve been, and what we’ve learned. Think of it as riding in a hot- air balloon that slowly travels over the landscape of John’s writings about Heaven’s King, Jesus the Christ, who is God the Son.
In this final section of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, we grapple with the overarching evidence of the believing community’s sanctification: the unity of the church. But what does this unity look like? What is its source, nature, and purpose? Fortunately, we are not left to our own imaginations or desires in answering these questions. Jesus gives us all the answers as He calls us to a unity that flows from our maturity.
In this second section of His High Priestly prayer, Jesus prays for His followers. In the first section, we saw Jesus as the pattern for our identity. Here we see His disciples as the pattern for our spirituality.
As Jesus approaches the cross, He turns to the Father in prayer asking for what has been sovereignly decreed from before time began. By so doing, He models for us not only the privilege of prayer, but the perseverance necessary to accomplish the work God has given each of us to do. Are you willing to invest yourself, to spend and be spent for the glory of God, to accomplish the work He has given you to do?
The disciples of Jesus are overwhelmed with sorrow, and Jesus, being the Good Shepherd desires to comfort them. He is in the final stages of His farewell discourse and continues to instruct them on the reality of His death, resurrection and eventual departure. He will not abandon them. Through His victorious cross, He will provide them joy and peace.
It shouldn’t seem hard for us to imagine the bewilderment the disciples must have been feeling through these last few chapters. And, as their understanding of Christ’s path to the Cross and back to the Father becomes clearer, so also does their dismay about what it will mean to lose the physical presence of Christ with them. But in our verses today, Jesus wants His followers not to feel alone but filled and empowered. Not sorrowful but joyful. Not fearful but expectant.
This weekend, we look at the task of Gospel witness in a world that is at enmity with the Gospel message, and find assurance that it is still the Lord’s mission, and He is working in and through us to accomplish it right on time.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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.” John 15:4-5
Last week we sat with the disciples and heard Jesus call us to true belief in who He truly is: the only Savior, and God in the flesh. This week we will again learn from Jesus about the critical evidence of true belief: obedience to God the Son, and reliance on God the Spirit. It is an essential truth that whatever God commands of us He is faithful to enable in us through the Spirit He has given to us. Sadly, we too often forget about God the Spirit’s place in our lives, and fail to rely on all He brings to us.
This weekend, we continue in our study of John’s gospel. This text is all about true belief, that is, faith that trusts in who Jesus really is, and what He has accomplished. The disciples have walked with and learned from Jesus for years and yet, they still were confused. Like them, we need to understand and fully trust what Jesus says about the fundamentals of saving faith. First, only faith in Jesus brings us into a forgiven relationship with God the Father. Second, those who are true believers in Jesus - Christ-followers - are privileged now to be the means whereby the work of Jesus Christ continues in the world.
This weekend, we journey back to the Passover meal once again to hear Jesus tell His disciples He will die, and then leave for a place where they cannot come. The disciples certainly would have been confused and afraid. What kind of Messiah comes, dies, and then leaves us? But, Jesus quickly gave them orders as to how they were to live after His departure. In fact, He took an old commandment and intensified it: Love one another as I have loved you!
This weekend, we journey back to the Passover meal once again. Jesus has modeled love and humility by washing the disciples’ feet ... even Judas’. Now the mood changes drastically, from brotherhood to betrayal. The drama is thick and emotional here and the questions are many. What are we to make of Jesus’ troubled spirit? How does Satan “enter into” Judas, and does this mean Judas is not responsible for his actions? Lastly, what light do we take away from this dark text?
This weekend, we see Jesus as exemplifying great love and sacrificial service. But He is more than just an example to admire. He is the LORD we are called to imitate.
This weekend we open ourselves up to one of the hardest themes in John’s Gospel: The great sadness of unbelief! This is a very difficult text, not because it is unclear, but because it is very clear. John the Apostle first explains the vast unbelief of the Jews regarding Jesus, the Messiah, and he does it in such a way that we may wonder just what saving faith looks like! But John does not leave us hanging. In the end, he finally defines saving faith in a way that all of us can understand as a measuring stick of our own faith.
With the coming of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, the pace of the story picks up rapidly, heading for the Cross. This weekend we see Jesus teaching us about dealing with despair, about the purposes of His death on the cross, and His direction for our lives if we are to be sons and daughters of God.
Sometimes, things aren’t quite what we expect. Vacations sometimes don’t measure up, food isn’t as good as we hoped, and relationships don’t deliver on what was promised. But other times, things end up being far better than we ever could have expected or hoped. We see here in John 12 that the crowd who came out to meet Jesus in His Triumphal Entry had the wrong expectations about who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him. But the reality of our Savior and what it means to follow Him is far better than what we would ever have expected.
Just six days before the Passover, Jesus attended a dinner party in Bethany. There, Mary anointed Jesus with very expensive perfume, her actions depicting much more than she ever intended. In contrast to the religious leaders who wanted Jesus dead, she anointed Him with great care and honor. But Jesus saw it as much more. He declared that her loving actions were actually a pre-preparation for His burial, which brings John’s readers face to face with the reality of His death for sinners.
After Jesus raised Lazarus, the response was what we would expect: some will have eyes to see Jesus as Messiah, and others will become even more adamant in opposition to Him. But, this weekend we find that one of the most prominent opponents of Jesus actually becomes an unexpected witness to His Messianic mission.
Shortly before Jesus entered Jerusalem, knowing He would be arrested, tried, and crucified, He previewed His own resurrection by raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. Throughout the story, we learn about the risk Jesus took, His deep relationships with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and also catch a glimpse of our Savior’s emotions. But in the end, this story is all about resurrection, and we learn it best when we look at the miracle of new life through three different lenses.
Once again, we find Jesus debating with the religious leaders of His day. And, as before, Jesus’ answers to their questions incite them to pronounce Him worthy of death for what they consider to be blasphemy! But, as the story continues, we learn some important truths, not only about who Jesus is, but also about the privileges of belonging to Him, ... to the Messiah, God the Son Incarnate.
The events of Chapter 9 still hang fresh in the background. Not much time has passed from when the Pharisees mistreated the man born blind and John makes a blaring distinction between these false shepherds of Chapter 9 and the Good Shepherd of Chapter 10. This week, we lean upon the words of the Good Shepherd and learn of the intimate connection between Him and His flock.
This weekend we cover the whole of John 9, the story of the Blind Witness. After listening to Jesus debate with the religious leaders of His day in John 8, it is quite a surprise that a blind beggar actually becomes the better apologist for following Jesus, the Messiah. The main point in the story is this: Those who know they are blind, and long for the light, will find it in Jesus and rejoice. But those who think they see everything clearly, and are in no need of the Light of the World, will be found to be the blind ones.
This weekend, we finish the grand dialogue between Jesus and the crowd at the Temple during the Feast of Booths. Throughout this chapter, we have seen how the crowd of religious Jews are blinded to the spiritual light Jesus shines on them. Now, in the final section He responds to their personal insults and turns their conversation back to the priority of His mission: the salvation of sinners! Everything centers in on His command to “keep My word.” This had grave implications, not only for unbelievers, but also for all who, like Jesus’ original audience, are tempted to become complacent in their pursuit of God.
This weekend we listen to the ongoing conversation Jesus had with a crowd of religious people on Temple mount in Jerusalem. The topic of this section? Who’s your father? While the crowd is answering the question in terms of their ethnic lineage, Jesus means for them to understand the connection they have spiritually, as evidenced by the way they treat Him. What we see here can be traced all the way from Genesis 3:15 where God declares to the Serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring ...”
This weekend, we continue in John 8 following Jesus’ discussion with some religious leaders and the Temple crowd. The three major themes are clearly seen. First, everyone who sins is enslaved by sin. Second, unless something changes, our sin is punishable by death. Third, the only way we escape death as the punishment for sin is to believe in Jesus’ message, abide in it, and find the freedom only He can give.
This weekend we take a side-trip from John’s Gospel over to Mark’s account of Jesus’ first parable. We know it as the Sower and the Soils, but it’s really about four heart conditions. In John, we’re seeing how those who are face to face with Jesus seem oddly blind to the truths He is sharing. Think of it ... the Messiah they have longed for is standing right in front of them, and they just can’t see Him! Why? The answer is the condition of their heart. Their hearts are hard, shallow, and divided. Sadly, these heart conditions can also be found in us, and if we’re honest, we realize it. So, the question is this: How does the Word of God fall on your heart?
Since the beginning of creation, darkness and light have lived in contrast. When God’s first command sounded forth, the darkness was split by the light and ever since, these two great properties have symbolized evil and good. Throughout the Old Testament, darkness was the place of lostness, of evil deeds, of judgment. On the other hand, to walk in the light was to escape the darkness for righteousness. The Psalmist teaches us to sing, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” This weekend we find that it is Jesus, God the Son Incarnate, who fulfills the imagery of light we see in the Old Testament. He is the light of the world. Whoever follows Him “will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Ever since Chapter 5, the Pharisees have attempted to prove that Jesus is not the Messiah according to the Old Testament Scriptures. Being out-maneuvered in every debate, the Pharisees decide it’s time to set a trap. They illegally bring an adulterous woman before Jesus in an attempt to disprove He is Messiah – if they can’t debate Him on the law, maybe they can get Him to break the law. Instead, Jesus will master the law, rescue the girl, and dismiss the religious elite.
Perhaps the most important questions in life are these two: Who is Jesus? What are you going to do with Jesus? Chapter 7 of John’s Gospel finds the author putting the reader back into the historical story where the people of Jerusalem are debating these two questions. Sadly, while some in Jesus’ day had eyes to see and ears to hear the truth, most were too focused on the temporal issues of Jesus’ origin to see the spiritual reality that before them stood Messiah, God the Son Incarnate, the Fountain of Living Water. May our eyes be open to the reality of Jesus!
The last time Jesus was in Jerusalem (John 5) He healed an invalid of 38 years on the Sabbath and called God His Father. The result? The Jews were seeking to kill him. In chapter 7, Jesus will head back to Jerusalem during the Feast of the Booths and not much has changed. In fact, it seems as if the opposition to Jesus is continuing to increase.
This weekend we finish the epic “Bread of Life” episode that began with Jesus’ miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fish. In this final segment, we are given a stark look at true discipleship. That is, while some follow Jesus for personal benefit, and others believe in what they want Him to be, true discipleship is more than that. The true Christ-follower is someone who has savingly trusted in Jesus and sworn allegiance to Him as God the Son incarnate, the Holy One of God.
This weekend we come to the stirring conclusion of Jesus’ dialogue with the crowd that had feasted on His multiplied loaves and fish. Once again, He sends shock-waves through them by demanding they “eat His flesh and drink His blood.” While centuries of misunderstanding this statement have divided the church, the meaning is simple: Unless you take Jesus into the very core of your being as the LORD of your life, evidenced through a conspicuously Godly life, you have not entered into eternal life yet.
This weekend, we jump back into the ongoing discussion between Jesus and a crowd who really doesn’t know what to do with Him. He’s done some miraculous things, but also says things that don’t make sense to them. Having had their religious standing judged, they’re now grumbling and sure He is an imposter. But Jesus refuses to allow them to change the subject He is intent on addressing: their unbelieving hearts! And so, once again, He offers them the bread of life that nourishes eternal life!
This weekend we continue our study of Jesus’ “Bread of Life” discourse. This short text is among the most controversial texts in John’s Gospel, but it can be easily understood and prized if we realize just how John is using these arguments. In the face of the crowd’s unbelief, He rests in the sovereign plan of God to save all who will “look on the Son and believe in Him.”
This weekend we begin a four-part study of Jesus' amazing "Bread of Life" discourse. Along the way, we are privileged to see how Jesus interacts with people, taking advantage of conversations to bring the subject around to spiritual realities. The miracle of the loaves and fish form the object lesson for a far greater food; the bread of life God the Father has given the world. And that bread is Jesus!
When Jesus multiplied the molecules in a lad’s lunch of five barley loaves and two fish, He did much more than feed thousands. He dramatically demonstrated that He was the Good Shepherd, a better deliverer than Moses, and the divine Passover Lamb whose flesh and blood nourished all who partook to eternal life. This weekend we begin an exciting journey through one of the most important chapters in John’s Gospel.
This week, we see the conclusion of Jesus’ defense before the religious elite. As the trial ensues, Jesus identifies key witnesses that validate His position as God the Son/ Messiah. Jesus’ defense becomes offense as He lays into the religious leaders who do not believe the Scriptures because they do not approach them rightly. Consequently, they do not understand them, especially the fact that the Scriptures speak of Jesus as Messiah. They are an “echo” chamber, receiving glory from one another. The one who witnesses against them is Moses, whose words point the reader to Messiah.
Hatred for Jesus is rising as He heals on the Sabbath and even claims God to be His Father. Jesus responds to the hatred of the Jewish leaders by providing a defense to His works and pulling back the curtain to allow us to see the relational and missional unity that exist between God the Father and God the Son.
In John 5, we see Jesus demonstrate His next sign of power and authority, the healing of a lame man. The actual healing of the man is not the Jewish people’s primary concern. Rather, it is the offense taken at Jesus’ command to pick up his mat and walk on the Sabbath. Jesus will demonstrate that He is LORD over sickness and the Sabbath, which ultimately communicates that He is equal with God.
After spending a couple days in a Samaritan town and being received as the Savior of the world, Jesus returns to Cana in Galilee where He is welcomed primarily because of the works He has performed. Jesus is then met by a man who is in a desperate position as his son is on the verge of death. This sick son becomes another opportunity where Jesus can reveal His glory as the One who brings ultimate healing in a new kingdom.
For many of us, our efforts at evangelizing those we love and live around leave us feeling like failures. If success in mission is characterized by results, then most of us fall short. But in John 4, Christ calls us to a better perspective. Christ redefines success for us. He reminds us that we cannot save anyone. He reminds us that success in following Him and proclaiming Him is not tied to our results but to our faithfulness.
The sequence of events that began with Nicodemus now concludes with Jesus’ investment in a Samaritan woman. In this amazing story, we see John’s theme of “whoever believes, receives” played out in real life.
Jesus, waiting by a well, takes advantage of an opportunity to engage in conversation. Before the chapter ends, a woman and her village are changed forever.
What do we learn? Simply this: Those who drink of living water come to prize worthy worship and engage in everyday witness!
For the last time we hear from John the Baptist as he reminds us just what maturity looks like when we are tempted to be jealous of someone else’s success. The answer? All things are under the sovereign plan of God, and our best option is to fulfill the role He’s given to us, and not worry about whether or not anyone is noticing. After all, our greatest joy will be found when we make Jesus the star, and use our lives as a spotlight directing people to Him.
After reporting Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus, John, the author, gives a short but powerful explanation of the motive behind God’s redemptive mission and its sobering message. Simply put, it is the incomprehensible love of God that motivated Him to send God the Son into our world as the Savior. Yet, His coming not only brought salvation, it also exposed the dreadful state of all mankind. Thankfully, the depths of our guilt are surpassed only by the magnitude of God’s loving provision of rescue, for all who believe.
God’s great love amazes us even as the reality of His justice in condemning sin must sober us. Together these two truths help us take the Gospel, modeled in our lives and shared with our lips, to all who have not yet seen the light.
In Jesus’ interaction with Nicodemus, we are given His first declaration about how it is that sinful people can be accepted before God and granted eternal life. In Nicodemus, we see a scholarly Jewish teacher, who was both a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, Israel’s religious ruling body. Yet, he is blinded by his own worldview and cannot see the glories of being born again through God the Spirit, apart from works or merit of his own.
This week we see Jesus heading to Jerusalem for Passover. As He enters the Temple, He demonstrates His glory in the most righteous way possible. The Jews expected a political liberator or national champion, but Jesus, the Messiah, comes as the righteous judge who will emphatically teach them about true worship and true belief. Ultimately, Jesus becomes the self-witness to His resurrection from the dead!
This week we see Jesus attending a wedding, an everyday human event; but His interactions with people aren’t always everyday human interactions. In this section, Jesus displays His glory by producing the first miracle of His ministry. The power He demonstrates turns water into wine and communicates the abundance of His Kingdom to those behind the scenes.
This weekend we explore the basic idea of discipleship. What does it mean to follow Jesus? We’ll learn the basics from John’s Gospel, as he narrates Jesus’ interaction with Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael.
In simple narrative fashion, John calls us to hear, follow, confess, and witness, as true disciples of Jesus. Turns out discipleship isn’t a second level of commitment to the Lord. It is the only way of being committed to Christ, His church, and His mission.
In the first installment of his testimony, John the Baptist declared his position as a “voice” proclaiming the preeminence of the Word made flesh … Jesus Christ. Yet, as a “voice,” John the Baptist played a key role in announcing the coming of the Messiah as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”!
In this second installment of John the Baptist’s testimony, he first announces Jesus’ Messianic identity and then declares His divine activity as the One who will “baptize with the Holy Spirit.” What John the Baptist’s water baptism symbolizes externally (repentance from sin) Jesus’ Spirit baptism affects eternally (taking away sin’s stain and guilt).
John’s Gospel makes great use of witnesses who have seen and heard Jesus and are now able to confirm His deity and mission. First up in the courtroom of public opinion is John the Baptist. In a sequence of 3 episodes, we find John the Baptist helping us understand the primacy of Jesus Christ, the reality that being in Christ shapes our identity, and lastly, the privilege of being a servant of the Lord, joyfully engaged in His mission.
John wrote his gospel to confront the confused and doubting with the truth about Jesus of Nazareth. Make no mistake, Jesus is fully and eternally God in the flesh. That’s what makes His coming into creation so incredible.
In Jesus we see the Creator of all things come into our sin-drenched world and live His life and give His death to rescue every believer from the sin, shame, and the wrath of God. What a privilege to know the One who has brought the fullness of God’s saving grace!
We begin an amazing journey through John's Gospel. So far this year we've talked about the privilege of partnering with Jesus in the exciting adventure called the Gospel. We've walked with Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, and reminded ourselves of the beauty and power of the Gospel story, recognizing the need to "carry it around in our pockets" in the normal rhythms of daily life. Now, we need to remind ourselves just how wonderful the Lord Jesus is! As we walk through the pages of John's Gospel we will encounter him as God in the flesh, the great " I AM" and the One whose life, death, and resurrection proclaim that he is Lord of all, and the only source of eternal life.