BIBLE READING: John 5

“...Jesus answered them,“My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This is why the Jews were seeking to kill him, because... he was making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing...” (John 5.17-19)

Secular historians have wrestled with how to define Jesus. Some acknowledge him as a significant historical figure or a good man. Others admit his divine inspiration and lump him in with the prophets. However, based on the claims of Jesus, you just can’t do that. Jesus boldly affirmed that not only had he seen God, but he was God. This means...

1. He cannot be just a noteworthy historical figure. He is too exclusive for that. He didn’t claim to be one way of many, like Buddha, Ghandi, Muhammad or any other thought leader. He claimed to be the only way to the Father (John 14.6). He doesn’t allow us to lump him with other historical figures.
2. He cannot be just a prophet. He claims to know too much. Unlike others to whom God came down to reveal to his will, Jesus claims to have come from the very presence of God (John 3.12-13). In fact, Jesus claims to be the final revelation of God’s will (John 12.44-47; see Hebrews 1.1-4). No prophet ever claimed that (consider 1 Peter 1.10).
3. He cannot be just a good man. He demands attention that expects change and requires people to come to him. Either he must be obeyed, followed, and worshipped or he needs to be sent to the nut house.

To validate his claim, Jesus asserts that he would give spiritual life (21), judge the world (21-22) and raise the dead (28-29). For him to make these claims and not fulfill them would not only make him a liar, but immediately make him irrelevant. The fact that he claimed it, it is documented, and we are still talking about it means that somebody tested and proved it to be true. Otherwise history would have destroyed this claim.

To believe that Jesus was anything other than the Son of God would be a baseless fabrication. He claimed equality with God. And so, we have no choice but to either accept him as such or reject him. The dichotomy is intentional to force us to decision. We need not ask, “Who is Jesus?”, but rather, “What will I do with him?”

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1.18, NIV)

BIBLE READING: John 3

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3.16)

There’s not much I wouldn’t do for my kids. Like any good father, I will stand up for them to anyone and anything that I see as harmful. That’s just the nature of being a parent. You love your kids intensely, unconditionally, and sacrificially.

We often refer to God as “our Father” because he is for those of us who have been born again (John 3.3). But before he was our Father, he had an only Son whom he loved and loves (John 3.35). They were in perfect harmony with one another and he gave his Son everything; which makes sense because that’s the nature of a father. But what I don’t understand is the depth of God’s love to offer that same gift to humanity.

Don’t get me wrong... I understand the great need that we each have to be saved from our sins. I understand that I was dead and doomed apart from the sacrifice of Jesus (Ephesians 2.1; Colossians 2.13). But I just can’t wrap my mind around why God would make that decision. I wouldn't give my children for anyone, much less somebody I don't like. 

There’s so much about John 3.16 that I struggle to understand. God is not giving to his son; he is sacrificing him. The Son who loves the Father is being given for those who do not love him. The paradox of God’s love in sending Jesus forces us to ask the question: why would God do it?

We may not be able to fully grasp the rationale behind his decision on this side of life, but the magnitude of his choice demands our attention. 

I don’t have good answers to all the questions John 3.16 raises… but here is what I know. There is nothing equal to the love of a father; and thank God he loves us so. In fact, these verses show us just how valuable we are to God. We are not some throw-away part of creation that God takes pleasure in toying with or destroying. He purposefully came to us in patience and long-suffering and hurt to get our attention. We would be foolish to reject or neglect such a profound display of love.

How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure.
That he should give his only Son, to make a wretch his treasure.
(How Deep the Father’s Love, vs 1)

“…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5.8, 11)

BIBLE READING: John 1-2

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of God from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1.14)

Whereas the other gospels drive their narrative towards the declaration of Jesus as the Messiah, John offers no suspense about the identity of Jesus. He opens with a poetic depiction of Jesus as the eternal Son of God who empowers and enlightens men to the will of God (John 1.1-18). This section is somewhat enigmatic, but offers clear connections to Jesus' role in God’s work throughout history. Jesus was there in creation (John 1.1-3), he builds on the work of Moses (John. 1.17) and he fulfills what the prophets said regarding the One to come (John 1.15).

John is definitive and deliberate from the start because he is convinced Jesus is the Son of God and he wants you to believe.  Everything John records must be read in this context.

To persuade us of this point, John highlights the clarity Jesus had about his own identity. Jesus never wonders what he will do or why he will do it. He is deliberate and even adamant at times with his message as he carries out his mission. There is uniformity with Jesus’ words and works that mirror those of the Father. His resolve to please his Father is unaltered by even the most hostile circumstances.

Jesus' precision is both is enticing and polarizing. He will not apologize for his claims. He is not worried about your fickle emotions. He did not come to haggle with the religious. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19.10).

You may have questions regarding your own faith and purpose. You may struggle to understand the Word of God and what to do with it. John presents Jesus as the one you can trust to help you. He is not swayed by opinion. He doesn’t lack understanding. He cuts right to the heart of what matters. He is not simply a good moral teacher; he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14.6). The way to God is clearly seen through Jesus, the Son of God, if one is willing to “come and see” (John 1.46).

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!... I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1.29, 34)

BIBLE READING: Luke 24

Can you imagine living before Jesus and trying to decipher the Law and the prophecies and what they all meant? The language of the Old Testament made it clear someone was coming, but how were the Jews to reconcile depictions of a suffering servant, an eternal priest, and a conquering king?  On this side of the cross we see the fulfillment of God's plan through Christ, but many Jews wrestled with how many  figures there would be, and what sort of person the Messiah would be.

In our reading this week, Luke describes a scene that surely categorized many of the Jewish disciples following the death of Jesus. Jesus unknowingly speaks with two disciples, who wanted Jesus to be the Messiah but were perplexed at his death. In fact, they had almost given up hope (Luke 24.21); but then Jesus responds:

“‘Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into ‘his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24.26-27)

There are two critical things for us to see here: (1) Jesus teaches it was “necessary” for him to suffer because (2) this is what Moses and the Prophets taught.

Here, Jesus uses the imperative “δεῖ” (necessary; Luke 24.26) to emphasize the inevitability of these things. The career that Scripture outlines for the Messiah is suffering and then glory (eg. Isaiah 53). This was a fresh understanding of the Jewish Scriptures but should come as no surprise to a modern reader. Jesus' death was the dramatically awesome segue to his glorious resurrection and ascent to power. 

However, we must recognize the significance of Moses and the Prophets to our understanding of Jesus. The Old Testament is the basis for belief in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus did not show up and offer new information; he brought fulfilment to God’s eternal plan.  His life without the prerogative of God and His eternal word fueling Jesus' every move would lack power. But because Jesus “was buried and raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15.4) we have reason to believe.

And so, it is imperative for us to learn and study the Old Testament as we follow Jesus. It is what brings us truly know Christ (Galatians 3.24). There is no better commentary on this passage than Hebrew 1.1-4. God revealed himself in a lot of ways throughout history; but now he has definitively and finally spoken to us by his Son. There is no greater privilege than knowing the Son of God. He is the fulfillment of God's promise and plan.

“Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53.10)

BIBLE READING: Luke 22-23

“The chief priests and scribes were seeking how to put him to death… Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot… and they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought and opportunity to betray him…” (Luke 22.2-3, 5-6)

The blindness of the religious leader to reality always sickens me. The Jewish leadership had been powerless to do anything about Jesus because of his popularity, and so they had to resort to fabrication and blatant cunning to even get Jesus to trial. The irony in most of the events surrounding Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion is that those who appear to be in control are not. They happen only because Jesus allows them to proceed.

The injustice is obvious, but the lack of concern for another human is just beyond what I can comprehend. They wanted so badly for Jesus not to be who he claimed to be that they missed the very Son of God. But not only that, they undertook to destroy him by the most severe means possible. All the plotting and hypocrisy surrounding these events are a disgustingly accurate depiction of the degeneration of human selfishness.  

The actions of Jesus’ enemies are a graph of how sin does its work. Someone has once said, “Sin always takes you farther than you want to go; keeps you longer than you want to stay; costs you more than you want to pay.” In the background stands the presence and influence of Satan. These events remind us that people can be led by forces that pull them in destructive directions (Ephesians 2.1-3).

What is so tragic is that if we stop and analyze the role of sin in our own lives, we see the same types of behavior and choices. The deceptive nature of sin is that it aligns with our wants and feeds our logic. Even things we would dare not speak aloud can be justified if no one or only a few select people see.

This passage is not just a history lesson, but a study of human nature at its worst, revealing the form sin takes as it compounds itself in action. In our lives, what may seem like an insignificant glance, thought, or action can quickly escalate as we become callous to where it leads. How often, for example, has someone engaged in an affair without considering its devastating effect on their families? When unchecked, the consequences of sin have a ripple effect that encompasses those around us.

We must always be aware of what we are looking for because we are sure to find it. Just like these men, we are not helpless to sin, but our desires can blind us to reality at times. Paul would admonish us to expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5.11). Peter would encourage us to resist the Devil by being firm in our faith. Any time we make excuses for sin, we give Satan a place to operate (Ephesians 4.27).