These Things

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.  This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.  Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:1-5 NASB

“These things” spoken by Jesus were the instructions and promises, given over the past 24 hours to his disciples; chapters 13-16 of John’s gospel. It has been a crash course in Church age doctrine, before the Church was actually born. These eleven men were the nucleus of that Church-to-be. Jesus spoke this prayer in their hearing, apparently to be included in the words of faith and assurance they would store in their souls for the coming transitional period, and for the rest of their lives.

Looking up, as if into the face of the Father, he acknowledged that His final hour had come. This final period of earthly incarnation would be characterized by intense physical, spiritual and emotional agony, but in this moment those things were not foremost in His mind. He was eagerly looking forward to His own glorification, and the resulting glorification of the Father through His work. The Father had authorized the Son to do this work, and to make the work known to all humanity. Those who belong to Jesus have been given to Him by the Father, and the Son has given them eternal life.

Eternal life means knowing the only true God (Father) and Jesus Christ (Son) whom He has sent. Jesus referred to Himself here in verse 3 by His full title: Jesus (Savior) Christ (Messiah, anointed one), making clear again that there is only one way of salvation and He is it.

In these words to the Father on that night, Jesus seems to have already spiritually and mentally departed from the earth. He spoke of His assigned work having been accomplished. In the eternal realm, we know it was. His public ministry was over. He saw the work as done, and His Father and Himself as glorified. He saw Himself as already back in the eternal state He had left to come and purchase our salvation. The upcoming hours of agony were apparently just details that He would deal with as they arrived. In His mind, it was a completed fact. He was feeling close to home; close to the glory He shared with the Father “before the world was.”

God the Son came to be the propitiation for our sins; the only possible sacrifice acceptable to the Father. In these opening words of this prayer, Jesus anticipated the completion of that work and the total acceptance by the Father of that perfect sacrifice. This was a precious comfort to Him in these final hours. It would be over soon.

“Father, I’m coming home.”

You Will Rejoice

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”  They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?  Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.  So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.  In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.  No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.  “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:16-33 NIV

In John 13, Jesus was with the twelve disciples celebrating His last Passover. He washed their feet as an example of the grace and love He expects His Church to have for each other. He taught them by this demonstration that born-again believers are wholly clean, except for the daily contamination of our world-walk, which must be cleansed every day. He foretold of His betrayal by one of them and then exposed the traitor: Judas, sending him out to get it over with. Only then, alone with the eleven, did He begin to teach them about the supernatural love of the Church, as an extension of His own love and that of the Father. Only then did He begin to teach them about the baptism, indwelling and teaching ministry of God, the Holy Spirit. This is family business. These are mystery doctrines, intimate and exclusive to the Church.

In John 14, our Lord revealed that He would be going away to prepare a dwellingplace for His own, and would therefore be coming back to accompany us there. He made it clear to the disciples at that time that He is the ONLY way of salvation. He began teaching them to pray in His name, identifying with His authority through the Holy Spirit, petitioning the Father for our needs.

In John 15, He taught His men that only through direct, constant fellowship with Him can we do anything that will build up the Church and bear fruit for eternity. The severed branch can produce nothing. He stressed that we can know and love Him only by abiding in His Word, and that we will have to depend on the Holy Spirit to keep us reminded and grow us up in grace. Throughout these three chapters and chapter 16 leading up to Gethsemane, He was ordering them to love one another (the brethren) for mutual comfort and support through the coming persecutions. This was for their (and our) encouragement, and it is our testimony to the world that we are His. We are a heavenly people. We are not the world.

Now, in the latter half of chapter 16, Jesus repeated more forcefully these truths, warnings and encouragements. He was going away. Soon. They would be terribly grieved, but it would be a sorrow like that of a woman in labor. When the child appears, the sorrow is gone, and joy prevails (What pain? Just look at my beautiful child!). Verse 28 is key:

^“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” The time was short. Jesus laid it on the line for them. This is going to happen. Be prepared.

Then, in verse 33, one of my all-time favorite promises from Jesus, and I love it in the King James version:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

He spoke these things (John chapters 13-16) to us for our comfort and assurance. The troubles of the world are a certainty, as long as we remain here. Some troubles are just incidental to the ebb and flow of politics and nature. Some are specific trials by Satan, attempting to derail our testimony. Some can be divine discipline, for our disobedience to God’s Word; but we believers are IN CHRIST, and He has overcome the world. With that knowledge, we abide IN HIM, relax and wait.

Our life is from Him.
Our salvation is through Him.
Our peace is IN HIM.
Always.
Don't fret.
He'll be back soon.

You Will Remember That I Warned You

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.  But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me;  about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;  and about judgment, because the prince of this world  now stands condemned. John 16:1-11 NIV

Jesus was preparing the eleven for the intense persecution they would face after His departure. He didn’t want them to be shocked and neutralized by these certain adversities when they came. Sometimes, when enthusiastic believers are attacked by the world’s hatred and ridicule, they don’t know how to persevere. People, in general, would rather be liked and respected. Folks who are openly fervent about their faith tend to be not very popular with the masses. If it is a grace-faith they are fervent about, religion will not tolerate them at all. When the persecution came, these men would remember that Jesus warned them of it, and would know how to deal with it.

The disciples of Jesus at first met in the synagogues and the temple. They would soon be evicted from those facilities by the Jewish leaders. Then, those same leaders would launch a campaign to eradicate the Christians from the world. If they killed some in the process, they would consider it a sacrificial offering to God. Jesus had not attempted to make them understand these things earlier on, because while He was with them daily they were learning about Him and His ministry. Learning to love and trust Him. Now He was preparing to leave them. They were grieved, because they could not know how much they would need the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the days ahead, and He could not come to them until Jesus was gone away.

He was coming, though, and He would convict the world of three things:

1.      Sin (singular) of unbelief. Rejection of Christ is the sin that condemns. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

2.      Perfect Righteousness which belongs to God. Not programs and regulations. Jesus’ essence is the same as that of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. That is the righteousness that is imputed to those who believe in Him for salvation. That is the righteousness He maintained throughout His sinless incarnation. That righteousness is His and ours forever.

3.      Judgment: the perfect Justice of God is always fair. The prince of this world (Satan) stands condemned. He rebelled against the authority of God and rejected the grace plan of God. It’s over for him, and for all humanity who also rebel and reject God’s perfect plan of grace. Satan’s fate will also be the fate of all unbelievers. If they refuse Jesus, they are choosing Satan’s destiny.

 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.  All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:12-15

The eleven had already heard from Jesus more than their stunned minds could absorb. Thank God for His Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent after His ascension to guide His Church in all the truth. They were not able to comprehend even what they had been told, but the Holy Spirit would help them remember and understand later, when they would desperately need it. And then, the Spirit would give them the marvelous Church age doctrines of the whole New Testament, which glorifies our Lord Jesus Christ and instructs us in the work we are called to do.

The Spirit received from the Son, and made known to us what He heard, and what was yet to come: the New Testament canon of scripture. The mind of Christ.

Because of This

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’ 

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. John 15:18-27

Why would the world hate Jesus and His Church? What’s not to love? Answer: Absolute, uncompromising truth. Sovereign authority. Our assurance of salvation through one Man. Our confidence in His perfect provision. Our sense of peace because of His faithfulness to His chosen ones.  Our preaching of grace to all who will hear of His finished work.

“If” the world hates you, believers, (1^st class condition—and it does), that’s because it hated Jesus before it knew to hate us. We are not of the world-system. Our citizenship is in heaven, therefore we can have no friendship with the world. Friends must have something in common; a mutual appreciation of important issues in life. Jesus stressed to His men that they must expect to be persecuted, just as He was, because they were His. If He, the master, was ill-treated and despised, they should be prepared to face nothing less. Because they were not of the world, because He had chosen them out of the world; there is an exclusivity of the brotherhood of the saints. The world rejects this. The world does not understand this. The world resents this. The world hates this.

There are those in and from the world who are willing to believe, so Christians always have the responsibility to teach God’s word. The ones who are positive to Jesus’ message will be positive to our teaching also, but the majority of worldlings will reject and hate the messengers of Christ.

Jesus came to Israel, the representatives of the Law of Moses. They were misrepresenting that law, and they despised the Lord for challenging and correcting them. If they had truly known the God they pretended to represent, they would have recognized and believed the Son of God. He came specifically to them to speak His truth and do His miraculous works. By these things they should have known Him. They did not, because they didn’t know the Father Who sent Him. Their system was a lie. Religion posing as reality. They could have claimed ignorance, had He not come to them with truth. As it is, their sin was exposed and they were now without excuse and aware of their sin (guilty). God has made provision for those who recognize their own sin. Receive the atonement of the Lamb of God, which takes away our sin and replaces it with His righteousness. They didn’t want His atonement. They wanted to continue in their religion, because it afforded them power over the masses. What does the world do when it doesn’t like the truth? It rejects the truth and the one who brings it. It plots to remove the messenger of truth, by murder if necessary. Then it murders; but strangely, the truth remains and increases and exposes the guilt of the world. So the world, in its impotence against truth, hates.

They hate absolute truth, because they want to see every issue as situational, iffy; in shades of grey. That means every man for himself, to do as he sees fit, no matter what God has said. They prefer the lie.

They hate authority, because it means someone is in charge and it is not them. It means some rules we obey, just because God has decreed them, whether we understand the reason or not. It means some persons are commissioned to certain positions in life, and others are not, no matter how we feel about it. There is a hierarchy in the plan of God. We who know Him and love His word are willing to submit to that system, thereby growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. They prefer rebellion.

They hate our assurance of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation, because they want to believe there are many ways to God. They consider it arrogance on the part of the Church to teach Jesus as the ONLY way. That would mean their other gods aren’t capable of getting the job done, and their human good is not good enough. It would require humility to simply accept and depend on the finished work of Jesus Christ as the full payment for our sins. They prefer their mysticism or their prideful points systems.

They hate our confidence in His perfect provision. They want us to believe the earth is choking on her own waste and it is all our fault. They want us to believe humanity is a terrible burden on the earth, and she would be better off without us. They hate that we know God built this planet for man’s dwelling, and that He has promised it will support us as long as we need it. And when it is time for our departure, He will fetch us home. They prefer gloomy uncertainty and fearmongering.

They hate our sense of peace in spite of adversities, because we know all things will work together for our good. They prefer whining and blaming someone, anyone, everyone. Especially those arrogant Christians.

They hate grace. The world, and religion, prefers legalism. Even pagans have their do-good systems that they believe everyone must observe, or suffer dire consequences. Religion has its laws, rules and rituals to prove how spiritual they are, and those things have nothing to do with spirituality.

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost: fallen humanity. He brought grace and truth. He, Himself fulfilled His own law and paid our penalty. Worldlings despise and ridicule Him for His grace.

I John 4:17 “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” And in this world we are hated for it.

The Helper was coming, though, from the Father. He, the Holy Spirit always testifies of Jesus. Jesus’ disciples testified of Him, also, having been with Him.

And we testify of Him, because we know Him, too.

Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews

It seems religion and politics overruled the authority of the governor of Judea. He succumbed to the demands of the chief priests and turned over an innocent man to his soldiers, to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” John 19:16-22

There could be no mistake about what was written on the sign. It was in Hebrew, the language of Jewish religion; in Latin, the language of secular law; and in Greek, the language of the prevailing culture. There were Jews from throughout the region who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Many gentiles were there, too, for various reasons. Anyone who could read one or more of the three languages saw what the governor had written to hang above the head of Jesus as He died. We cannot know what motivated Pilate to do this, though we can safely assume his contempt for the Jews, I’m sure. Here he was, being bullied by a conquered people to carry out a judgment he knew was wrong. The way he chose to keep the Jews under control was to appease them in this matter concerning their religion, which he himself despised. He clearly saw their hypocrisy and understood his own complicity in this murder, yet it was important to him that they not become more agitated than they already were, considering their threats of Caesar’s disapproval of this man claiming to be King. Oh, well. We must crucify him, then; but the Jews must also face his claim of royalty even as they watch him die. Falsely arrested as a criminal, He was crucified as their King.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” John 19:23-24

Our precious brother John was there and saw it all, but chose to spare us the gruesome details of the crucifixion. We know from history that there were countless thousands who died this way under Roman rule, for various offenses. We know it was a cruel, torturous means of execution, and that it was the means by which God the Father chose to have His perfect Son publicly displayed as he bore our sins.

Because it was a slow, lingering death, the soldiers had plenty of time to taunt, torment and ridicule the prisoners and to take for themselves any possessions the condemned men took to the cross. “Fringe benefits,” some people today would call it. It couldn’t have been much; just the few rags the prisoners still wore, after the scourging they all received. Ah, but from somewhere, someone had taken a royal robe and had draped it on Jesus, just as they crowned Him with the thorns of cursing. That seamless robe was too valuable to be ripped apart for sharing, so they gambled for it, just as David had prophesied in Psalm 22:18.

So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother,“Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John19:24-27

As His earthly life was coming to a close, Jesus made arrangements for the care and keeping of His mother. By now she was a widow, we think, and we know that Jesus’ brothers were still not believing in His deity and His mission. As firstborn, He was concerned with his mother’s care, and He saw to it. She became a member of the household of John, with whom Jesus had a special rapport, and in whom Jesus trusted to provide for her.

The judgment was done. He had consumed the cup of God’s wrath, as judgment for my sins and yours. Yet, He was still physically alive! That’s because physical death was not His judgment for our sins. His spiritual separation from the Father and the Holy Spirit was His judgment….”My God (Father), My God (Spirit)….why have you forsaken Me?” Also prophesied in Psalm 22:2, which was given the answer in verse 6 - “I am a worm and no man.” The worm mentioned here is tola, a small grub which was gathered into vats and crushed for it’s crimson blood, used to dye the robes of kings. What crushed Him was our sins. God cannot look on our sins. He turned away from His Son, and Jesus screamed.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30

The sour wine was supposed to give some relief to the tortured man, they tell us. After what He had endured, I can imagine the moisture was welcomed. His work was done. He declared it so, with “It is finished.” – finished in the past (one judgment) with results that go on forever (for anyone who believes, for now and for all eternity). Jesus took the judgment because He was the only one qualified to do so. That’s why He is the Only Way of Salvation.

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” John 19:31-37

The religious rules must prevail, even for a people who thought they had killed the Lord of Life. They didn’t kill Him; He dismissed His spirit, when the work of judgment was finished. There was never a time when God the Son was not in control of the universe and His own destiny. In keeping, though, with the rules of Sabbath, the legs of the executed men were broken (just in case they were not yet dead) and they were removed from their crosses so as not to desecrate the Holy Day.

Jesus was dead already. No need to break His legs, but just to be sure, a soldier pierced His side. Coagulated blood gushed out, and clear serum. That is a certain indication of human death. The body’s red blood cells clot and separate from the serum. This was not just unconsciousness, it was physical death. He was physically dead because the work He came to do was done. Finished. Once and for all. The price for our sins is paid.

Now, please notice who Jesus’ pallbearers were:

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.  Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38-42

Yes. A Pharisee and a Pharisee.

At least these two had been paying attention.