already & not yet

Reading for Thursday, Jan. 26: John 19

We’ve finally reached the time for Jesus’ death in John’s Gospel. The political movements in the first part of the chapter give us some insight into the climate of Jerusalem and first century Judaism: the crowd who so triumphantly hailed his entry to the city just days earlier now chants for his death and Barabbas’s release. Pilate hems and haws, unwilling to send an innocent man to his death. But he is a politician first and foremost and the crowd forces his hand.

Jesus again demonstrates God’s sovereignty throughout these circumstances. He says to Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” As I said yesterday, John helps us parse our language: Jesus wasn’t “killed”; He willingly gives up his own life as part of God’s redemptive purpose. All of this is happening in God’s timing. Jesus’ sensitivity to his “time” in John has all been building up to this. As John notes at the end of the chapter, what had been prophesied about long ago has finally been fulfilled.

V15 is a chilling microcosm of humanity. Pilate asks the crowd, “Shall I crucify your King?” And they reply, “We have no king but Caesar.” How often do we refuse the lordship of Jesus in favor of worldly rulers and ideals? Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world. And yet, we’re always looking for earthly “rulers” to bow down in front of. Whether it’s wealth, status, power, position, relationships, possessions, fame or something else, the struggle of our lives is a struggle of allegiance: to God or anything else. In their bloodlust, the crowd screams “We have no king but Caesar”, a blatant denial of the first and greatest command. And their cry serves as a reminder for us of how far we can drift, bowing down before the created rather than the Creator.

I love that Mary and some of the women are unafraid to be present at the crucifixion. We get the impression that most of the men (with the exception of John) are too scared to even show up. But these women boldly take their place at the foot of the cross. What an example of faithfulness for us! We also find a familiar face at the end of the chapter: Nicodemus, who joins Joseph of Arimathea (a covert disciple) in giving Jesus a proper burial.

What are your thoughts? I’m sure we could talk for a long time about the enormity of Christ’s death and what it means to us. I hope this is a story that never grows cold in our hearts. I pray that the full significance of Christ’s death on the cross could be the unending pursuit of our lives. May God bless your reading today.

Reading for Wednesday, Jan. 25: John 18

In John 18, the passion of Jesus moves forward swiftly. We begin with Jesus in the peaceful serenity of the garden, a place He and His disciples visited often (v2). The chapter closes with the image of Jesus standing before the angry mob as they chant their desire for Barabbas, not Jesus.

John records an interesting piece of information in v6: As the soldiers approach, led by Judas, Jesus meets them and declares His identity. At this, “they drew back and fell to the ground (v6).” In John’s remembrance of this story, he gives us a little nugget that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not record. The image emerges here of a powerful Jesus, not a man who has been captured by the might of the temple guard, but rather one who has the power to drive these men to their knees with a single word. At the declaration of His identity as Son of God / Messiah / Lord, this armed guard falls to the ground — a foreshadowing of the event that Paul writes about in Philippians 2, a day when every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus is strong to willingly lay down His life. John will also record for us later that Jesus didn’t “die”; He “gave up His spirit” (19:30). Jesus remains in complete control here, even to the end.

This isn’t Peter’s finest hour. In an act of valor, he strikes off Malchus’ ear, and Jesus rebukes Him for it. In an act of cowardice, he wilts at the simple question of a servant girl. In an act of betrayal, he denies that he follows Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I can relate to all three of these experiences. Sometimes we want to do great things for the Lord, and perhaps our exuberance leads us down a headlong path that He never intended for us to take. In other moments, we find it so difficult to stand up and do the right thing; herd mentality, peer pressure — these are ever present forces in our lives, regardless of our age or position. And the simple confession that brings us life — “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God” — those same words get stuck in our throats sometimes and, just like Peter, our words or our actions betray His lordship in our lives. And yet, as we’ll see, the chapter isn’t finished on Peter here. Jesus still has use for this headstrong, exuberant, fearful, deceptive disciple. And thankfully, He still has use for those of us who are more like Peter than we’d like to admit.

I could write volumes about what Jesus says in v36: “My kingdom is not of this world.” In speaking with Pilate, Jesus is explaining His Kingdom’s origins. I think a better translation is “My kingdom is not from this world.” The Kingdom of God originates elsewhere, but it is a Kingdom FOR this world. As Jesus Himself prays, May your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Christ’s Kingdom, His followers do not wage war and conquer enemies in the traditional manner. As Jesus will demonstrate, God’s Kingdom is predicated on self-giving love. And the greatest demonstration of that love is still to come.

What about you? What are your thoughts on John 18?

Reading for Tuesday, Jan. 24: John 17

In this chapter, John records a powerful prayer Jesus prays in these final moments with His closest followers. It’s interesting that the prayer moves out in concentric circles:
1. Jesus prays for Himself
2. Jesus prays for His current disciples
3. Jesus prays for all who will follow Him

Jesus prays in v1, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify You.” My paraphrase: “The time has come for glory, Father.” On various occasions in John’s Gospel, Jesus has dispelled the crowd with a statement like “My time has not yet come.” But now, in the closed quarters of this Passover observance with His disciples, He acknowledges the moment. The hour is at hand.

In v3, He speaks once more of eternal life — a prescient theme given what is about to unfold. He clarifies the relational nature of eternal life by defining it as knowing God and knowing Jesus. Several scholars have observed that to speak of eternal life is to make both a quantitative AND a qualitative statement. That is, eternal life is not just eternal in the sense of unending time; eternal life also carries with it a depth of content, a richness of experience as well. It’s not just that eternal life goes on and on forever and ever; it also goes deeper and deeper, getting better and better as time passes. This is the dynamic element of relationship with God.

In v21, Jesus prays for our unity as His followers. “That they may be one as we are one.” The unity that God experiences in Trinity — Father, Son, Spirit, three in one, eternally bound in love — is the same sort of unity He wants for His followers. Each member of the Godhead is differentiated from the other two; and yet, each member constitutes a part of a greater whole. So too, do we exist in the body of Christ — unique individuals who through our common experience of Jesus have become one in mind, body, and spirit. The incredible part of this prayer is that it’s really up to us whether or not Jesus prayer is answered. That’s because unity is something I willingly choose or reject each day. Will I choose unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ, choosing to acknowledge our differences and our particularities without allowing them to serve as artificial barriers to fellowship? Or will I be a divisive spirit, breeding contempt and enmity among believers? In the final hours before His death, Jesus had us in mind as He prayed. And His prayer for us was that we would be unified.

V15 – Jesus doesn’t pray for us to be taken out of the world, but rather to be a sanctifying presence against the power of evil. As v17 says, this sanctifying (being made holy) process is rooted in the truthfulness of God’s word.

Other thoughts on John 17? As you look at these past 3-4 chapters, this material is pretty much unique to John’s Gospel. Anything else grab your attention?

Reading for Friday, Jan. 20: John 15

John 15 is one of those “red letter chapters” where we receive nothing but teaching from Jesus. No narrative, no commentary — just words of life from the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus uses the metaphor of vines and branches to illustrate the importance of abiding in Him. The word “abide” carries a great deal of meaning: dwell, remain, endure, persevere, stand firm — all of these are translations of the original Greek word. In light of what the next few hours will hold for them, it’s no surprise that Jesus encourages His followers to remain strongly rooted in their faith. I love what He says in v4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” It helps me to know that Jesus is persevering and enduring right alongside of me as I continue to abide in Him. He remains stead fast; he stands firm. As I continue to believe in Him, so too does He continue to believe in me. What a great thought!

He continues the thought by emphasizing the importance of abiding in love. He highlights this with another landmark verse: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (v13)” The most complete demonstration of this love is yet to come: the cross. But Jesus is preparing them to receive the understanding that the Holy Spirit will impart: that Jesus HAD to die as a demonstration of the Father’s enduring love TOWARD US.

Jesus also understands that there are forces that are diametrically opposed to this kind of sacrificial, self-giving, radical love. “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” When you enlist in the Jesus Movement, understand that you’re signing up for a counter-cultural revolution. The world says “If they hit you, hit ’em back harder.” Jesus says, “In love, turn the other cheek.” The world says, “Accumulate, hoard, get what’s rightfully yours.” Jesus says, “Store up treasure in heaven. Give to those who are in need.” The way of Jesus goes against the grain. It runs counter to the way of the world. And Jesus is honest about this, telling us we should count the cost before we enlist. But Jesus also reminds us that we never face this opposition alone. He promises us “the Counselor”, the Holy Spirit, who empowers our testimony about Jesus in the world.

What are your thoughts on John 15?

Reading for Thursday, Jan. 19: John 14

In John 14, we are approaching the final hours of Jesus’ life prior to the cross. This teaching is so rich — John brings us into these intimate encounters Jesus has with His disciples. John doesn’t record the communion observance like we find in the other Gospels; instead, he gives us a glimpse of what this communal experience looked like as the disciples experience Jesus washing their feet, teaching them, encouraging them, and finally praying over them.

I love that Jesus begins this section with words of comfort: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” Faith is not merely some kind of mental enterprise, seeking all the answers to all our spiritual questions. Faith is the connection of both mind AND heart, a balm for both confused minds and troubled hearts. Jesus knows that the next few hours and days are going to be a whirlwind for these followers. He is encouraging them to hold fast in their faith, even as He lays down His life. He wants them to trust in the promise of the Father’s house (v2) and His role in preparing this place for them.

V6 is another of those landmark passages: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The word for “way” means path, road, journey, a manner of life, a way of being. So Jesus stands as our path to God. The way we come to God is the same way that God comes to us — through Jesus. As Jesus says to Philip, if you’ve seen me then you’ve seen the Father (v9). But He also shows us the way of being, the way to truly live. He shows us not only who God is, but He also shows us what it means to truly be human. Humanity lives in dependent relationship with God: before He breathes life into our nostrils, we’re nothing more than dirt and earth. Jesus comes to earth, willingly lays down His life, and trusts God completely to raise Him from the dead. Ephesians 1.20 tells us that God the Father raised Christ from the dead. Although Jesus was in very nature God (Phil 2), he empties himself, makes himself nothing and humbles himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. He stands as the Way for us, the truest embodiment of human life dependent completely upon God.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on vv13-14: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” What does it mean to ask in the name of Jesus? How do we apply this verse in our own lives?

I had a discussion recently with a friend about how we often co-opt God in our language for our own purposes. It seems that discerning God’s activity in our lives is more complicated than we’d like sometimes. Yet, we want to affirm that God is at work, God is leading, God is telling us what to do or how to be. Even though I’m skeptical of some of this kind of talk — some of it is bound to be off base, in my opinion — we’re still left with this teaching of Jesus, a promise to be active and present in our lives when we ask for things in His name. This is still a bit of a mystery to me, but it seems that part of “asking in My name” is seeking those things that align with the will of God. Jesus seems to be promising to be quick to act when we decisively pursue God and His Kingdom.

I love how the promise of the Holy Spirit stands as proof that Jesus has not abandoned these disciples as orphans. This Helper will guide the disciples in all truth and remembrance pertaining to Jesus (v26). As we saw in 12.16, the disciples didn’t piece it all together in the moment; it was the work of the Spirit to increase their understanding. And that’s my prayer for us as we read and study as well.