Tag: Our Security for Eternity

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My Father, the Gardener

Today’s Reading: John 15:1-16:33

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.

John 15:1
God’s Role

This is the last of the “I AM” statements in the book of John, and a bit unique to the rest of the statements. Jesus not only identifies Himself in the statement but He also identifies the Father, saying “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener”. While Jesus has mentioned the Father in some of his other “I AM” statements or their explanations He was mentioned in connection to Jesus and who He was. However, by introducing the Father as the gardener who prunes the branches – we now see not only what role He plays in the life and ministry of Christ – but also in the life and ministry of His followers.

 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 

John 15:2

Needless to say, God plays many roles in the lives of His people but oh the beauty of the gardener. Tending to our tender roots, watching over us and eager for us to grow healthy and strong. He prunes us so we will grow more fruit and He protects us from those branches that are bearing no fruit by taking them away. Because of the “Gardener”, I am able to stay attached to The True Vine, who keeps me from dying. I cannot survive apart from Him. He says when I remain in Him – a word He used often in this teaching – and He remains in me then I will bear much fruit. The fruit is dependent on a living thriving relationship where both parties are involved. He goes on to say that the Father or the gardener, as He is pictured here, is honored when we bear much fruit and show that we are His disciples.

As I read through this passage I’ve been reminded of my love of ferns and it hit me – I am their gardener. Not only are they a beautiful display of my favorite color but they are a soft and inviting foliage for any setting. I put ferns out from early spring to late fall every year. On the back porch they fill a variety of containers and can be seen from inside the home, enjoyed on the porch, or by the pool. On the front porch they hang from hooks, grace tables, line the steps and add beauty to old crocks. As their gardener they depend on me to water them, feed them, and on the front porch they especially need me to keep the birds from nesting in them, the beetles from eating them, and the sun from scorching them. Throughout the season I may have to cut away the occasional fronds that have turned brown or played host to a rogue beetle or two. It hurts me just a bit to do this but I know they will be better because of it. I love watching them grow and I delight in their personalities greatly affected by the amount of light and temperatures. I rotate them often giving them equal time to share in the sun and shade. I realize, as I type this, that they sound like a lot of care or work but they bring me joy and add beauty to our home. To borrow a line from Jesus about the Father, I am honored when they bear more and more beauty reflecting the love and care they have been given.

Symbolism and Application

The symbolism for me is this – Just like my ferns are a beautiful display of my favorite color, we are to be a beautiful display of Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. We are to be an attractive reminder of Him- the One of whom God said, “I am well pleased”. We are to surrender to the “gardener’s” pruning and remain in the vine, so that we can bear much fruit and show that we are His. In this way we honor the Father. Much like a home adorned with beautiful ferns, our lips should flow with the message of Christ and our lives are to be adorned with the fruit of His Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should define the landscape of our lives – the chief of which is LOVE. For “they will know we are Christians by our love”.

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

I do not own the rights to this chorus but borrowed it from https://wordtoworship.com/song/14526

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Sent

Today’s Reading: John 13:1-30

“I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”

John 13:20 NLT
An Action Packed Narrative

I don’t even know where to start with today’s reading. It is action packed emotionally and physically. You can almost feel a pulse to John’s narrative as he tells us Jesus is aware that His time to leave this world was getting close. The depth of His love is seen and heard both through John’s words and through Jesus’s act of servitude as He tied the towel around his waist and began to wash the feet of His disciples. His knowledge of a betrayer among His own is heart wrenching as it unfolds subtly, almost silently from Jesus’ lips. His servant’s heart and attitude are a living and lasting example of His love. His patient and gentle explanation of what He was doing and why it was important for Peter to reconsider letting Him wash his feet. The beautiful yielding of Peter is such a fabulous picture of the relationship developed between teacher/Lord and student. Having washed their feet, we watch as He moves closer to the final hour, revealing more and more to His inner circle. He has set for them an example of serving others and made sure they know this is how they are to live. He also removes all excuses of stations in life and focuses them on the blessings of obedience to His way.

The Warning

Then Jesus comes back to the subject of the betrayer with a warning that one among them is not truly clean or to be blessed. He acknowledges that choosing this one was not a mistake but done so that Scripture might be fulfilled. He isn’t telling them this to stir up dissension or trouble but so that when it happens they will be able to deal with it and know that it was supposed to be this way. While it might be a shock to them they will know with certainty that it was not a surprise to Jesus.

Even my friend in whom I trusted,
one who ate my bread,
has raised his heel against me.

Psalm 41:9 HCSB
The Messenger

Then comes our focus verse, which seems a bit oddly placed as it appears to fit more with verses 12-17, specifically verse 16 where Jesus mentions “one who is sent as a messenger”. Here He continues with the explanation that whoever accepts the message He has been giving them, which is the Gospel, that person accepts Christ and if the person accepts Christ they also accept God, who sent Him. It is so important for us to understand and to grasp that what we do with the “message” Christ gave His followers about who He was and who sent Him is a life giving message. Make no mistake, as surely as we are to serve and love others as He served and loved – we are also called to be His messengers. (Mark 16:15)

Then He said to them, “Go into all the world 

and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

The Prayer

Mark 16:15 HCSB
The Prayer

Father, You sent the Son and I have believed – Not because I have walked with or talked with Jesus like Peter, James, John, and the rest of the twelve – but because You placed people in my path who have demonstrated His Love and shared His message with me. Help me to be Your faithful messenger in all I do and say, so that others will see and hear and receive the message and draw near to Jesus and to You through Him. In Jesus’ Name – Amen!

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Out of the Darkness Into the Marvelous Light

Today’s Reading: John 12:12-50

 But Jesus shouted out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, 45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness

John 12:44-46

Clarification

In John 8:12, Jesus introduced Himself as “The Light of the World”, the One who would keep those who believed in Him from walking in darkness and give them life. He expounds on that truth in today’s passage, clarifying that not only did His LIGHT allow them to see in the “darkness” but it enabled them to see the Father who sent Him. To reject or look away from The Light is to reject salvation, the only true way to eternal life with God, John 14:6

Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12
If They Do Not Hear

In Romans 10 Paul shares his longing for all of Israel to be saved but writes of the reality that they have rejected God’s way to make themselves right with Him because they continue to believe it is what they do that saves them. He continues on with his teaching that it is by faith and not by works. It’s by believing what you hear and making a profession of that belief that salvation comes, and he clarifies that this is true for “everyone”, Jew or Gentile, who believe. In verse 14 of Romans 10, Paul then raises the question: How can they believe if they do not hear?

These writings of Paul came to mind as I read through John 12, specifically verses 17 and 18 where he wrote that the crowd who had seen Lazarus come out of the tomb were continuing to testify about it and because of this the crowd in Jerusalem went out to meet Jesus because they had heard about Him performing the miraculous sign. Knowing it was time for Him to be glorified, Jesus uses an analogy with His disciples in conjunction with His statement about being glorified: “…unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain.”

What stands out to me here is that by the death of Jesus, many more were saved and are still being saved today! Because His Light continues in and through us. When we “continue testifying” about Him (17-18), what He’s done for us, what we’ve seen Him do for others, and what He says He’s going to do it impacts others. When we fail to testify about Him, when we love the praise/approval of man more than the praise/approval of God (42-43), we impact others. The question is – what goal have we set before us? God’s approval or man’s? God sent His Son to be The Light of the world and He has called us to be lights of the world – how can we be anything less?

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14
The Light

In our focus/SOAP passage today Jesus once again is heard pointing people to the Father, saying that to believe in Him was really to believe in the One who sent Him, and not only that but to see the One who sent Him. Jesus wanted them to know – He wants everyone to know that He is the LIGHT, reflecting and allowing all who believe to see their way out of the darkness to the Father.

Application

Jesus has “shone” me the way to the Father – because of His LIGHT I can see the Father. Because I have heard from The LIGHT and seen The LIGHT – I AM SAVED!

Because I am saved I am called to share Jesus with others – to make Him known in word and deed and actions- I am called to be the light of the world

Prayer

Father, Thank You for Jesus, the Light! The Light that You sent to seek and save the lost out of darkness into the glorious light!! THE LIGHT that led me to You! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

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An Abundant Life with the Good Shepherd

Recommended Reading: John 10:1-21 and SOAP: John 10:9-11

9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 

John 10:9-11
From lurking danger to safe pasture

Jesus uses two more “I AM” statements in this passage to teach the people who He is. We’ve become quite used to the conversational style lessons of Jesus that John presents in His Gospel, however, today’s passage appears to be more of a one-sided, lecture style lesson – and boy is it a doozy! It’s packed with sheep, a shepherd, and a gate, there are thieves, robbers, a wolf and danger lurking just outside the gate, but there is also safe pasture and the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

The Gate and the good shepherd

To understand verses 9-11 you will really need to read what comes before it as Jesus begins in verse 1 developing the scene and setting His listeners up to understand His message. The hope is that when He transitions to the analogy of Him being both the gate (or the door, as it says in some translations) and the good shepherd they will be able to acknowledge and even fully embrace the person that is standing before them as the One whom God sent to save them. You see, the people who were listening would have not only understood His references to the sheep pen, the shepherd, the sheep, and the dangers – but even better, when He began to say that He was the gate/door and He was the good Shepherd they would have started realizing the deeper meaning of what – or should I say who He was claiming to be. He knew that many of them would remember the prophecy from long ago about the Shepherd that God would send to tend His flock, Micah 5:4. He wanted them to know that just like the gate of the sheep pen was the only way in and out for the sheep – He was ‘the only way’ to God for the people. He also wanted them to know Him as ‘the Good Shepherd’ who will not only keep them safe but one day lay down His life for them.

The Warning and the hope

Within the analogy came a warning – one of danger from the predators whose goal was “to steal and kill and destroy” the sheep. He called these predators thieves and robbers, and He talked of strangers and wolves, warning them that unless they were under the care of the true Shepherd and knew the difference between the stranger and the Good Shepherd they would be attacked and scattered like sheep by a wolf. There wasn’t just a warning though, we also find a promise and hope . Jesus calls Himself the gate and promised His listeners that if they entered through Him they would be saved. So you see, while the thief came to steal, kill, and destroy. The Good Shepherd came to give them the hope of abundant life, the hope of knowing and being known by Him. The hope that as the Good Shepherd He would one day lay down His life for them. 

What did Jesus mean by "abundant life'?  Gotquestions.org answers the question like this: "Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior, and goes on throughout all eternity. The biblical definition of life — specifically eternal life — is provided by Jesus Himself: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family, or occupation. As a matter of fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life. (For the full meaning of 'abundant life in Christ' visit https://www.gotquestions.org/abundant-life.html)
The Sheep

I’m sure you picked up on it by now – the sheep – they are us – the believers, those who have chosen to follow Christ. We must not miss what He says about us in this analogy. We know His voice … we don’t recognize or listen to the stranger’s voice … instead we run away from the stranger … the Good Shepherd calls us by name … He knows us and we know Him … we follow Him … we are safe … and He came to give us an abundant life. I believe when we seek to apply the Scriptures this sometimes calls for introspection, in this case asking ourselves does Christ’s description of the sheep sound like me? If not, why not and what can I do to align myself with His description?

The Prayer

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be our door to You and for giving us such a Good Shepherd who loves us and protects us from the thieves and robbers. Jesus, thank You for being such a Good Shepherd, for loving Your sheep, for calling us by name, for spending time with us so we know Your voice. Thank You for teaching us and going before us, and for keeping us safe. Thank You for laying down Your life for us and for giving us an abundant life of joy and peace and hope of our security for eternity. – In Your Name I pray – Amen!

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The Light of the World

Suggested Reading – John 7:53-8:59 and SOAP: John 8:12

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12 NLT
From the “Bread of Life” to “The Light of the World”

Jesus continues to introduce Himself to the people, hoping to help them see and know who He is and what He was sent to do. He continues to draw attention to the Father, “who sent” Him, making sure they know that He is not their of His own “initiative”. In this rather lengthy but powerful conversation between Jesus and both the crowd of people following Him plus some of the religious leaders – Jesus dives headlong into more controversial territory with another “I Am” statement, equating Himself not only with God but basically as God.

Following His conversation with the adulterous woman ( 8:3-11), Jesus immediately makes His second “I Am” statement, this time not as the “Bread of Life” but as “The Light of the world”. Proceeding with an explanation, He teaches that those who follow Him will no longer have to walk in the “darkness of the world”, but in the “Light” of His Presence. The teaching is best explained by this commentary from BibleRef.com at John 8:12 

This incident occurs during the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem. Jesus has already used festival rituals as analogies for His role as Messiah (John 7:37–38). As part of this major festival, lamps would be lit using wicks made from priestly garments. In addition, light was a powerful metaphor in Hebrew thinking (Psalm 84:11; Malachi 4:2). "Light," for the Jewish person, was the ultimate ideal, a representation of salvation, knowledge, and goodness. For Jesus to claim to be the "light of the world" was no small thing. In fact, it is a claim to equality with God. Even further, the Greek of this passage indicates Jesus' claim to be "the" light, not merely "a" light. In the text's original Greek, Christ says "Egō eimi to phos tou kosmou," which explicitly claims He is the single, solitary source of "light."

Those who follow Christ, in truth, may stumble into darkness, but they will never perpetually "walk" in it (John 12:46; Psalm 36:9).     

https://www.bibleref.com/John/8/John-8-12.html
For Us

For those of us who are believers and followers of Jesus the application is simple and sweet – We have been set free from the power and death that the darkness bring and in its place we have been given the ‘Light of Life’. As sweet and simple as the application is – there is an equally profound lesson to be noticed and applied – and that is the message that Jesus gave to those who had believed – which was basically not just to say they believed but to faithfully live out what He was teaching.

“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. (31)

Unsatisfied words lead to violence – Yet many believe

Despite the fact that He was questioned, responded to indignantly, repeatedly doubted, and ultimately assaulted – “many of the people believed“. (30) I hope you will read the dialogue to see how gracious yet bold Jesus was with His answers and pointed statements of truth. There was one basic question the crowd and leaders asked that all of the other questions seemed to boil down to and that being, “Who do you claim to be?” To which He answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” (54)

Prayer

Father, yet another beautiful Scripture filled with and portraying Your love, and the depth of it through Jesus Christ. The Light of the World! Light that brings HOPE to all who believe – all those who follow Him will be set FREE from the darkness! A darkness that leads to death BUT is not greater than the LIGHT of LIFE!