Burunche’s Blog

John 16:16-24 Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”

Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me;’ and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” Jesus is striding across the Kidron Valley, teaching his disciples as he walks. But the disciples are baffled. Jesus appears to be speaking riddles, and frankly, they are emotionally exhausted, fearful, and in no mood for playing guessing games. If Jesus wants to warn them of something, why doesn’t he just come out and say it plainly, for goodness’ sake?

Jesus speaks in this fashion because he is speaking for two audiences. Jesus wants to inform the disciples; however, Jesus is also speaking for the ages, for all believers who will come after the disciples.

“Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again, a little while, and you will see Me’? Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”

Jesus knows that the disciples are about to undergo one of the severest tests possible; they are about to witness him being arrested and dragged off to be interrogated, mocked, beaten, and crucified. The disciples are about to have their earthly hopes crushed into smithereens. While the disciples are grieving, the Roman governor and the religious leaders will be rejoicing in the idea that they have summarily eliminated yet another pretentious rebel. The Jewish religious authorities will be sighing with relief that they have succeeded in convincing the Romans that they are peacefully subjugated and pose no threat at all to the mighty Roman Empire. Those acting on behalf of Rome will be relieved that they can maintain their lucrative positions without threats of deposition.

While a woman is in labor, the pains continue to increase in frequency and severity until they become so urgent that the woman must push. But when the woman pushes, the baby is born and the pains cease. When the mother hears her baby crying and knows that all is well, she rejoices in the birth of her child and forgets all her suffering for joy that her baby has been born healthy. Jesus is advising his disciples that although they are about to suffer many things as they watch him die, he will return and nobody will be able to separate him from the disciples.

As Jesus and the disciples continue on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, it’s likely that the disciples have no idea what is about to happen. Buoyed by the successful entry into Jerusalem, the disciples might console themselves with the idea that the crowds will never allow Jesus to be hurt, let alone to be crucified. But the disciples are profoundly in a state of denial. The disciples refuse to realize that the Jewish religious leaders are sneaky and that they will arrest Jesus by night and drag him away secretly while most of those who have supported him are asleep. The disciples also refuse to consider that the Jewish religious leaders might be so desperate that they will conspire with the Roman leaders for the sake of maintaining the status quo. Finally, the disciples remain certain that Jesus as the Son of God can always call down legions of angels to protect him, never realizing that Jesus will refuse to do so.

As Jesus and the disciples continue to walk, let’s consider a few things. We always think that Jesus’ temptations that night only begin once he has entered the Garden of Gethsemane and has begun to pray; however, Jesus knows exactly what’s about to happen. The temptation to call on divine help for deliverance is something with which Jesus has been battling for days, perhaps even weeks. While Jesus knows he must die for the sins of the world, the human part of him doesn’t like suffering any more than any other man would. Then there’s the temptation to be better understood. The disciples are clueless when it comes to facing the reality of Jesus’ upcoming death; they are struggling to avoid thinking about it. The longer Jesus tries to teach the disciples about what’s coming, the more they try to deny it, leaving Jesus increasingly isolated.

Step away from this scene for a moment and consider something: When Jesus tries to show you a difficult truth, do you shy away and try to avoid facing it? If someone whom you have trusted proves false, do you face that fact and intercede for them, or do you attempt to deny the reality of the situation in hopes that it will improve on its own without any effort from you? When God is trying to show you that a situation has changed and that you need to be on your guard, do you argue with the Holy Spirit, insisting that things aren’t as bad as they seem? Do you oppose evil or do you try to compromise?

The Apostle John has faithfully recorded everything that Jesus said that night and everything that happened. But at the time Jesus was saying these things, John might not have understood anything more than any of the other disciples.

The question for us today is this: Are there people or problems for which God wants you to intercede and you have been refusing to do so? Are you complaining about suffering without asking God how He wants you to pray? Are you even part of a problem? May God help us, so that we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit and intercede when He wants us to do so. May we face unfortunate facts and be willing to trust God to see us through difficult situations!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to listen to Your Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth. And help us to remain faithful and fearless. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 16:1-4 Jesus Warns and Comforts His Disciples

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

Jesu s and the disciples are walking toward the Kidron Valley at night, and Jesus is still trying to impart everything he needs to while he can. Jesus’ sense of urgency is growing stronger, and he can practically hear Judas as Judas conspires with the religious authorities. Were we in such a position, we would be on the verge of an anxiety attack. But Jesus has gone through his entire ministry with a fine sense of leisure, following the dictates of the Holy Spirit, and tonight will be no exception.

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.” It’s so very easy for us to mess up! We hear rumors, we worry about things, we allow our imaginations to run riot, and suddenly we are ready to panic. Jesus is warning the disciples ahead of time so that they will not panic but remain firm under pressure.

“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” Jesus and the disciples have remained observant Jews through the years. Now Jesus is warning the disciples that they will be thrown out of the synagogues, a terrible fate for any believing Jew. To make things even worse, Jesus warns that the disciples are even likely to be slaughtered while the murderers feel smug about their despicable actions.

“And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

When we first fall in love with Jesus, we are frequently on a Holy Spirit high, intoxicated by the love, joy, and peace we have found. However, even from the beginning, Satan will try to do anything he can to confuse us and discourage us. In the beginning, Jesus called the disciples and then began teaching them. Now that the disciples have spent three years under Jesus’ tutelage, Jesus needs to convey as much as he can before he is arrested. Jesus is teaching things the disciples might not fully understand until later. Blessedly, this is a culture in which people are used to remembering everything someone says to them, for oral traditions are still very important.

John 16:5-15  The Work of the Holy Spirit

“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Here Jesus is promising that when he is no longer physically present, the Holy Spirit will come to be with believers. The glorious fact is that the Holy Spirit has not merely come to be with those in the early church but with all believers in every time and every place, no matter where they are. If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit is with you right now, whether or not you realize it.

There have been huge volumes written about the work of the Holy Spirit, but the short version is that the Holy Spirit, helps, comforts, enlightens, and edifies. If we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, He will guide us into all truth just as Jesus has promised. Why hasn’t Jesus taught the disciples everything he wants them to know already? Frankly, the disciples haven’t been ready; in fact, they will have to endure Jesus’ death and resurrection before much of what the Holy Spirit wants to teach will make sense. And even then, they will spend years living and learning. There are no shortcuts to knowledge, and most of us learn in the school of hard knocks, rather than in formal classes. Compare Simon Peter in his early days as a disciple with Peter the writer of the epistles of First and Second Peter. Peter grows into a wise and perspicacious leader offering holy counsel, always remembering that when he was tested, he failed. Humbly, Peter will advise fellow Christians.

1 Peter 1:6-9 tells us, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

This is not the rough tough fisherman, Simon Peter, who is now speaking, but the seasoned apostle who has endured trials himself and can now eloquently teach others. Only the Holy Spirit can move and instruct someone in this fashion.

Why is Peter’s example important to us? God doesn’t play favorites. What God has done for Simon Peter, he can do for any of us who will listen to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in our life. How do we listen to the Holy Spirit? We pray and ask God to send the Holy Spirit, and then we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, rather than going off on tangents produced by overactive imaginations. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us have never been aware that Your Holy Spirit is already working in our lives. Now we say, “Come, Holy Spirit. Teach me, lead me, guide me. Help me to be obedient to Your leading. Help me not to grieve You by hardening my heart.” We ask all this in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 15:18-27 The World’s Hatred

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant 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 Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no 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 have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

Jesus is working against the clock as he strides across the Kidron Valley toward the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples. Somewhere in Jerusalem, Judas Iscariot is meeting with religious leaders who will order for soldiers to seize Jesus for interrogation. Somewhere in Jerusalem, those religious leaders are already spewing out lies to the Romans about how dangerous Jesus is and how he poses a threat to the Roman Empire. While the Romans tolerate a number of weird religions throughout their vast Empire, they are ruthless when it comes to eliminating anybody who appears to be a threat to political stability. Indulge in strange rituals at midnight on your own, and the Romans don’t care. But portray yourself as the Son of God while Roman emperors are styling themselves as gods to be worshiped and the Romans become intensely interested in a very bad way.

The disciples might merely think that they are headed to the garden to sleep under the olive trees while Jesus prays a little. No biggie, Jesus has done this many times before. But Jesus knows he MUST deliver his final messages to his disciples and the time is getting short.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”  OUCH! The disciples really don’t want to hear this! Basking in the glow of the public adulation Jesus has received earlier in the week, the disciples simply can’t believe that Jesus is about to die. Surely God the Father won’t allow such a horrible thing to happen. But Jesus knows that crowds are easily manipulated and the same people who cried “Hosanna to the Son of David!” earlier in the week will soon be screaming, “Crucify him!”

Why does the world hate Jesus? Satan is the prince of this world and Satan hates Jesus completely, for only Satan really knows what Jesus is about to do. Satan has hated Jesus from the beginning, for when Jesus was still with his Heavenly Father, he saw Satan being cast our of heaven and fall like lightning from heaven to earth. Satan rebels against everything of God and inspires people to do the same thing.

“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant 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 Him who sent Me.”  Once more, Jesus is employing the idea of servants and masters. In Jesus’ day, if a master commits a crime, a servant might also be held guilty with the idea that the servant has complied in that crime. The disciples need to be aware that they have also become targets of Satan’s wrath.

“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no 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 have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

Jesus has long been aware of the prophecies concerning his coming, his ministry, and even his death. Through Jesus and his disciples, the news of the Kingdom of God has been preached, and although many people have responded, there are those who have refused to listen or understand and who only can hate.

One of the toughest parts of being a Christian is refusing to take vengeance on those who hate us or who wrong us. In Matthew 5:11-12 Jesus warns his disciples, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Later in that same teaching, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Carrying out these commands seems nearly impossible, but Jesus promises that we will have strong help. “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” When we are following Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us and helps us to do what we should do, as long as we are willing to obey the Holy Spirit.

A famous Jewish philosopher is quoted as having said, “Tell the truth and see the world!” While that statement might sound strange, many times, we may find ourselves being persecuted for taking a stand for righteousness. Nobody wants to suffer, but we must choose to follow Jesus, and as Jesus advised the disciples, servants are not greater than their masters. The same people who behave viciously to us would also behave viciously to Jesus.

Davy Crockett was a popular figure in American history in the 1820’s and 1830’s. Eventually Crockett died in the Battle of the Alamo at San Antonio, Texas. One of Crockett’s favorite sayings was, “Be sure you’re right and then go ahead.” When it comes to following Jesus, that’s good advice. Be sure you are in the Heavenly Father’s will and then go ahead, realizing that you might face strong opposition, persecution or even death. But the alternative is not to be considered.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to be willing to suffer for righteousness if necessary. Help us to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey His Voice. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 15:9-17 Love and Joy Perfected

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”

Jesus is walking down the hill from the Upper Room, heading down the Kidron Vally, and talking as he goes.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” The disciples are baffled and stare at one another. Sure, they all know that Jesus loves them; it’s that love that has drawn them in the first place. But keep Jesus’ commandments? Jesus has been teaching for three years; that’s a whole lot to remember.  The disciples look at one another, shrug their shoulders, and grin, for all they can do is to try. Certainly, they want to remain in Jesus’ love. All this time, Jesus has been teaching lessons on obedience, for Jesus obeys his Heavenly Father, and it’s that obedience that has allowed Jesus to remain in his Father’s love.

““These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus wants the disciples to be so bound together in love that nothing will be able to separate them from him or from one another. All this time, Jesus has been setting the example for the disciples, for even when they have made mistakes or have become impatient or fretful, or have even argued over their position in the Kingdom of God, Jesus has continued to love them anyway. It’s this kind of love that Jesus wants his disciples to exemplify.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” Jesus is about to lay down his life, not only for the disciples, but for the sins of the whole world. Although the disciples do not yet appreciate what Jesus is about to do, eventually, they will fully understand. Eventually, all of these men will lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel in some fashion. Once more, Jesus is tying obedience to friendship, for you can’t be someone’s friend and rebel against them and what they stand for.

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  There are tons of servants of all kinds in Jesus’ day, from the lowliest who wash guests’ feet as they come through the door to the stewards who run households for the very wealthy. But no matter what level a servant occupies, the servant still has to take orders from his master. But friends don’t take orders, friends share confidences, and Jesus is sharing his heart with these friends.

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” No matter what the disciples might think, Jesus chose each one of them at the urging of the Holy Spirit. There might have been times when Jesus looked at someone like Simon Peter and grinned at his Heavenly Father and asked, “Really, Lord? You want me to choose HIM?” What must that conversation have been like when the Father told Jesus to select Matthew the tax collector and an object of hatred in Capernaum? But Jesus obeyed, and now the disciples and he are crossing the Kidron Brook on their way to Gethsemane.

Does Jesus know that by tomorrow morning, all these men apart from John will have run away to hide somewhere? Perhaps. Jesus is a realist. But Jesus also knows that once the shock of the crucifixion is over and once he is resurrected, these men will prove true and they WILL love one another and lay down their lives for one another and for those who believe in him.

So many times, we get caught up in OUR work, OUR ministry, Our goals, that we lose sight of Jesus’ commands for us to love one another. This night, Jesus will continue to teach his disciples about love until soldiers come to drag him away, causing him to demonstrate that love. But what do Jesus’ commands mean for us? Later, St. Paul will write in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.”  

Those of us in positions of authority need to examine our hearts. Are we truly making decisions that honor Jesus and are loving, or are we envious, boastful, puffed up, rude, seeking our own, provoked, thinking evil about those around us, and rejoicing in vivid gossip about those around us? Are we rejoicing in the truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things? Sadly, much of the time, we fail miserably. We are far too quick to verbally slaughter people and allow them to be defamed without troubling ourselves to investigate. We mishandle those around us and then complain at their lack of support. We terrorize and then wonder why those who first encouraged us have become distant.

May God cause us to repent of our hard-heartedness and our viciousness! May God give us new hearts of flesh dedicated to loving those around us in exchange for our stony hearts of hatred!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have not loved those around us as we should have. We have judged, we have raged, we have criticized, and we have condemned. Lord, forgive us and change us into Your Image. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 15:1-8 The True Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.“

“I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.”

Jesus and his disciples have left the Upper Room and are slowly making their way through the streets of Jerusalem to cross the Kidron Valley and eventually enter the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. It is night, and the streets are deserted, for most people are inside continuing to celebrate the first night of Passover. As Jesus walks, he continues to teach the disciples.

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit…” I heard a fascinating teaching about this verse this week. Many translations use the language employed here, giving the idea that unfruitful branches are simply lopped off and even thrown into the fire. This idea is quite appealing if you are someone who has been smug about your fruitful ministry. “Take that, you lazy bums! God’s going to deal with you! You’re going to hell!”

But one pastor friend who gardens has investigated the Greek translation and that wording means “to lift up,” just as Jesus will be “lifted up” on a cross. My friend tells the story of raising tomatoes. When he and his wife simply allow their tomato plants to sag on the ground, they get very few tomatoes. But when they gently tie their tomato plants up to tomato stakes to support them, the plants begin bearing heavily. Can it be that rather than considering our Heavenly Father as a hard-hearted vicious gardener who ruthlessly eliminates anyone not bearing fruit, we should consider him as a tender-hearted and compassionate gardener who lifts up those who have yet to bear fruit, supporting them and giving them a second chance?

Face it, folks, we all need second, or third, or fourth, or even fifth chances! How can we represent a loving God if we are secretly gloating about someone being cut off and even discarded from the Kingdom of Heaven?

“and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.”  Oh ouch! In case we are feeling smug, our turn has arrived. Our cherished habits, our little practices that we excuse because they are so small, our slips into mild profanity, our petty irritations and grievances with others-guess what? The divine pruning shears are coming after all of that. You see, God isn’t interested in our looking pretty good or being reasonably fruitful. God wants us to reflect His Image and His Nature and to bear fruit that pleases Him. So sometimes God removes those friends who have been flattering us while ignoring our shortcomings, only to move in friends who have no compunction about confronting us.

“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Again, oh ouch! We want to believe that we can really do all sorts of things by ourselves. For many of us, the song “I Did It My Way” is the theme song of our lives. Unfortunately, God is a One-Way God, and we do things His Way or not at all. If we don’t remain connected to God, if we don’t pray, read our Bibles, and worship, we are likely to find ourselves like withered branches about to fall off the vine.

“If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.” DISCIPLES BEAR FRUIT! We can attend all kinds of conferences, watch innumerable videos, and be in church every time the door is open, but God is a Fruit Inspector, and He knows whether or not our lives are bearing fruit.

Here God is not threatening to throw us into hell fire; however, He is telling us that fruitless lives are worthless, just like withered branches that have been trimmed from grape vines and now are only fit for kindling.

How can we live fruitful lives? James 1:5 tells us, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”  Psalm 32:8 says, “I will teach you and instruct you in the way you should go. I will guide You with My Eye upon you.”  The two biggest obstacles to living fruitful lives are refusing to ask God and then refusing to obey Him. When you ask God and are willing to obey, He will certainly help you to fulfill His perfect Will for your life. Remember, God is a compassionate Gardener, and He wants all His vines to be fruitful.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we need Your constant guidance so that our lives will bear fruit pleasing to You. Please help us and lead us. We ask this in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen

The Gift of His Peace John 14:25-31

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” The disciples have been enjoying the Passover meal, relaxing in being in a safe place. Certainly, this is a great time for Jesus to pour out his heart and teach them. But why is Jesus so insistent on imparting so much? It’s getting late and the disciples are sleepy; if Jesus would allow it, the disciples would simply curl up right here in the Upper Room and sleep here for the night. Nevertheless, Jesus continues to teach, trusting that the Holy Spirit will help the disciples remember everything he is saying.

Eventually, this prayer will be answered, for John gives us a detailed outline of everything he heard Jesus say that night; in fact, of all the disciples who record the events of that night, John is the one who will give the most complete and accurate account of Jesus’ teachings. While the disciples are used to remembering the things Jesus says, it must be the Holy Spirit who helps John to remember so accurately and to record so completely.

Frequently, we overlook the Holy Spirit, assuming the third Member of the Holy Trinity is simply some kind of vapor blowing by. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Holy Spirit enables God to be present with us constantly, as long as we will allow Him to do so. Sadly, we can grieve the Holy Spirit, closing off our hearts and making it impossible for Him to work in us.

Ephesians 4:29-32 tells us, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification (enlightenment, building up), that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”  Why do people become addicted to any activity? When they repeat whatever activity it is, their bodies release endorphins and they feel happy and peaceful. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, shopping, or even extreme sports-those who participate in these activities feel good for a while. But as soon as the endorphins wear off, an addict must repeat the drug or the shopping or go in for more extreme sports. Endorphins only last a very short time. But when God gives us peace, we receive a deep peace beyond all understanding, a peace that will never quit.

“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Whether or not we believe it, we DO control the way we respond to situations. We can either allow ourselves to become troubled and afraid or we can choose to remain at peace, trusting in God and His infinite mercy and love. Jesus is advising the disciples this way because he knows that they are about to go through the most extreme tests possible, that they will run away when he is arrested, but that they will ultimately prove true.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  When we continue to look to God our Heavenly Father for help, we are trusting the One who spoke the universe into being with a single word, the One who created the heavens and the earth. No matter what happens, we can continue to have peace when we trust in God and His perfect Will for our lives.

“You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”  

It’s time to move out and start walking toward the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus will continue teaching as he and the disciples walk. Jesus is warning the disciples that Satan is coming, even though Satan can only do whatever God the Father allows him to. Jesus knows that wicked men moved by Satan will soon put him to death; however, Jesus also knows that this death is necessary. Only by Jesus dying can he offer himself as a sinless blood sacrifice for all who will believe in him. And only by Jesus dying can he be resurrected.

We read the accounts in John and tremble, for we know what is coming. We know the horrors of the interrogation, the beatings, the mocking, the ordeal of carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, and the eventual crucifixion. But even though Jesus knows he is facing all this, he continues to have peace.

The disciples, on the other hand, are anything but peaceful. The disciples feel confused, upset, discouraged, and fearful that they too will die at the hands of the religious authority. These fears are groundless. While the religious authorities fear Jesus, they have no such regard for the disciples, mentally dismissing them as a ragtag lot of country bumpkins who will pose no threat once Jesus is eliminated.

How can we have peace in the midst of turmoil? Trust God! TRUST God! TRUST GOD!!! When Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was being attacked by wild animals in the Colosseum in Rome, he only said, “Now I begin to be a Christian!”

Are you in the middle of a mess? God can still give you peace, even in the middle of that mess. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are caught in messes not of our own making. We desperately need Your peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. Help us to trust You to give us that peace and to keep our minds in perfect peace as well. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Jesus Promises Another Helper John 14:19-24

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Indwelling of the Father and the Son

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Tonight, Jesus is teaching his disciples about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Tomorrow, Pontius Pilate will ask Jesus a key question: What is truth? Sometimes we find ourselves embroiled in situations where rumors are flying like snowflakes in Canada. If you don’t like the story you’re hearing right now, wait a bit. Someone else will come along with a contradictory rumor very shortly. And the more stories are passed around, the wilder and less truthful they become. Rather than correcting this problem, social media can magnify it beyond all imagination.

When I was a child, we had a game called “Telephone.” A group of children would sit in a circle on the floor. Next, one child would whisper a short phrase to the person on their right, and that person would turn and whisper the phrase to the person on their right, and so on around the circle.  By the time the message had gone around the circle, the message the final person received bore little or no resemblance to the original message!

Jesus wants us to know that when we believe in Him, he will send the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Holy Spirit is faithful and true. We don’t have to feel like spiritual orphans, for the Holy Spirit will guide us and encourage us.

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Jesus knows that tonight is all the time he has left to teach his disciples everything he has not already taught them. One key teaching is the concept of loving God. One Christian speaker once said, “I hate it when someone says they’re going to tell me something “in love.” If the statement you’re about to make is loving, I will know it. And if the statement you’re about to make is NOT loving, I will also know that as well.”

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” You can’t fool God; He knows your heart better than you do. When we love God, we will obey Him. That obedience allows our Heavenly Father to express His love for us. Rebellion blocks God from blessing us because when we rebel, we are telling God that we don’t need Him and that we can run our lives better than He can. When we love and obey God, God will be with us forever.

“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”  It all comes back to obedience vs. rebellion. That night in the Upper Room, there were eleven disciples willing to obey Jesus while one, Judas Iscariot, refused. When Jesus washed Judas’ feet, he was giving Judas one last chance to repent and refuse to betray Jesus. Really, the religious leaders and Romans could easily have picked up Jesus at any point; after all, Jerusalem wasn’t that enormous a town. But Judas persisted in rebellion, refusing to keep Jesus’ words or to acknowledge them as orders coming directly from the Heavenly Father.

Who doesn’t need divine insights or help? As I am writing this, a sister group is being convulsed by a combination of miscommunication, tale-bearing, and confusion about where the truth lies. We all need the Holy Spirit, for otherwise we can easily jump to wrong conclusions and falsely accuse innocent people. And we need the Holy Spirit as our Helper so we will make correct choices and fulfill God’s calling on our lives. May God help us, so we will always look to Him for information and not to tale-bearers!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain obedient to You and to trust the Holy Spirit. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 14:12-18 The Answered Prayer

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The disciples are confused! For three years, Jesus has been leading the disciples throughout much of Judea and Samaria, teaching and preaching and modeling the kind of behavior he wants his followers to exhibit. The Passover meal has gone smoothly, except for Judas Iscariot suddenly leaving as Jesus urges him to do what he is going to do quickly. But Jesus is always doing strange things, so the remaining disciples simply assume Jesus has given Judas a special assignment.

But now Jesus is suddenly dropping heavy teaching after heavy teaching on the disciples’ heads, as if his time to teach them is getting short. The disciples might be excused if they wonder what’s going on; after all, Jesus can continue to teach them tomorrow, can’t he? And why does Jesus keep talking about going to his Father? Everybody knows Jesus’ earthly father Joseph died years ago. It seems as if Jesus is speaking in riddles.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Jesus knows that sometime in the next 18 hours, he is going to die, leaving his earthly body to ascend to his Heavenly Father. The disciples have already enjoyed the heady experience of being sent out in pairs to preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons.

Luke 10:1-12, 17-18 tells the story of Jesus sending out seventy of his followers, not merely the twelve closest to him. Luke 10:1-12 “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.”

Luke 1-10:17-18 The Seventy Return with Joy

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

The eleven disciples left in that upper room all participated in that great campaign of healing and deliverance. Now Jesus says they will do even greater things.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Again, the disciples might be listening but they aren’t understanding. Why is Jesus speaking in riddles? Surely, Jesus isn’t going to die anytime soon, so why mention praying in his Name?

The advantage the disciples have over us is that they get to hear Jesus speak these words for the very first time in history. The advantage we have over the disciples is that we know why Jesus is saying these things; Jesus is giving the disciples a final briefing just before he is dragged off to be interrogated, tortured, and crucified.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” The amazing thing is that Jesus is not merely speaking to those eleven disciples but also to us. Throughout the history of the church, believers have healed people, have cast out demons, have sometimes even been transported from one place to another-all by asking God the Father to work in the Name of God the Son, Jesus. Many times, we might pray without asking specifically because we aren’t certain what God wants to do; however, if we pray asking God to work His perfect Will in a given situation, we can rest assured that He will do so.

What if you want to pray for a given situation but are uncertain as to how you should pray? Here is one model prayer: Heavenly Father, You see this situation. You love this person better than anybody else; in fact, Jesus went to the cross and died for this person’s sins. Lord, we ask for healing, for deliverance, for restoration. We soak this person in the Blood of Jesus, the Love of Jesus, and the Fire of the Holy Spirit. Please deliver this person from any demons working in their life. Please correct anything that is out of place. May Your Kingdom fully come and Your Will be fully done in this person’s life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to trust that You WILL do greater things in us and through us because You are faithful. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 14:1-11 The Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Father Revealed

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

Well, the disciples are distressed! Jesus has just warned them that one of them will be a traitor, and that he, Jesus, will die shortly. Judas has left, presumably on some errand assigned by Jesus. Peter has made a ringing declaration that he will bitterly regret by tomorrow morning. And now Jesus is embarking in earnest on imparting everything he must before his time dwindles away.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”  First, Jesus is ordering the disciples not to allow their hearts to become troubled. As I am writing this study, our hospital is being convulsed by rumors, most of which have no basis in fact. When we allow our hearts to be troubled, we open ourselves up to listening to wild gossip; the more gossip we listen to, the more agitated we will become and the less peace we will have. Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for what’s about to happen.

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.“ In Jesus’ day, very few families lived in solitary dwellings; instead, young couples would live with the wife’s family in rooms the groom would prepare ahead of time. Guests would be accommodated in special chambers if there was room. Here Jesus is promising that just as a bridegroom prepares a place for his bride, so He is going to his Heavenly Father and will prepare a place for those who love Him and who long to be with Him for eternity.

“And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” The disciples are already worried and now they are also confused. Jesus appears to be speaking riddles. Little wonder that Thomas pipes up and asks these questions. Thomas is merely voicing what the other disciples are thinking.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This statement is one of the most profound tenets of faith in the entire Bible. Jesus is the way because he is about to die for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the truth because everything he has taught about the Kingdom of God and about his Heavenly Father is true. Nobody else has ever gotten everything about the Kingdom of Heaven completely correct. Jesus is the life because those who believe in him and accept his blood sacrifice for their sins will have everlasting life in heaven with him.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” One last time, Jesus is emphasizing to the disciples that God the Father is the One who is working through him and speaking through him.

While the crowds have seen a handful of miracles each time, the disciples have witnessed countless miracles and have even been the agents for some of those miracles. The miracles alone should be enough to convince the disciples of the reality of God the Father and of His Nature.

What do these verses mean for us? For believers, Jesus IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No matter what we are going through, we can rest assured that God the Father loves us and has already prepared places in heaven for us.

Psalm 46:1-3 tells us: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.” Psalm 125:1-2 also tells us: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.”  

St. Paul, writing after Jesus’ death and resurrection and facing his own certain death tells the Romans: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-38)

Jesus has demonstrated the nature of his Heavenly Father. Standing on these promises, we can remain fearless, no matter what life throws at us, for we have an eternal destiny that cannot be stolen from us. John 10:27-29 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” The disciples are about to enter the darkest night of their lives, but at the end, they will see Jesus risen from the dead and they will never fear death again. May God give us faith to trust Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust when we do not see. Help us to remember Your eternal promises and to KNOW that nobody can snatch us out of Your hands! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 13:31-38 The New Commandment

“So, when he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Judas Iscariot has taken off to meet with the Jewish religious leaders so that he can eventually lead them to Jesus. Jesus knows that his remaining time is short and that he is about to be sacrificed. While this sacrifice will glorify the Heavenly Father and ultimately also glorify Jesus, there’s nothing pretty or appealing about what’s about to happen. Realizing that things are rapidly coming to crisis point, Jesus begins telling his disciples those things he most wants them to know.

The first and most important thing Jesus wants for the disciples is that they love one another. Sounds simple, right? But this is a bunch of guys who have spent much of the time on the road arguing over who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. At one point, James and John even enlisted their mother to plead on their behalf. Work with one another? Certainly! Love one another? Hmmm. And Jesus wants these men to love one another as he has loved them. What does that mean?

Jesus has called these men from fishing boats on the shores of Galilee, from a tax collector’s office, and from so many other places. Each of these men has followed Jesus for one reason: Love. On the day Jesus called each of these men, they looked at him, and his face radiated pure love and acceptance such as they had never known before. Now these men have followed Jesus around the countryside, wearing out pairs of sandals as they have trudged through towns and villages, risking their lives in small boats on the Sea of Galilee, wondering where their next meal will come from. All for the love of Jesus that has inspired and encouraged them. Jesus wants these men to love one another with that same deep kind of love that overlooks offenses and never quits.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

“Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”

Jesus realizes that he is about to die; this is why he says, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow me afterward.”  Peter is sincere; he really thinks he would lay down his life for Jesus’ sake. But Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself and warns Peter that Peter will deny him three times this very night.

The amazing thing about Jesus’ love for the disciples is that he loves them in spite of their defects and failings. Jesus knows that Peter is a rough tough fisherman with a great deal of physical courage; however, Jesus also knows that Peter hates being mocked as a country bumpkin. Most Ghanaian languages have a phrase describing ignorant people from the bush, and in Jesus’ day, Galileans are considered bush people. Peter’s test will not be a physical one but a personal one, and he will fail.

Jesus knows that all the other disciples are going to take off, leaving him to face interrogation and abuse by himself. But if this is the case, why does Jesus still love these men anyway? Jesus knows that his crucifixion is going to provide the sternest of tests for all the disciples, and that only John will stand the test and remain faithful throughout the ordeal. But Jesus also knows that once the disciples have weathered this storm, they will learn and grow and they will never fail him again for the rest of their lives.

What can we learn from this aspect of Jesus’ life? Sometimes people will fail us, no matter what we do. But we should not allow our disappointment to cause us to reject people. Jesus chose these disciples, knowing that eventually they would fail, but Jesus also knew that ultimately when the Holy Spirit would descend, these men would become fearless preachers and teachers, spreading the news of the Kingdom throughout the known world.

Jesus knew Peter’s weaknesses, just as he knows ours. How many times have we failed Jesus, and yet, Jesus has not rejected us but picks us up, dusts us off, and orders us to keep going. If Jesus is willing to do this for us, why are we reluctant to do it for others? Remember that Jesus told the disciples to love one another as he had loved them. If we have experienced the love of Jesus, we must share that love with those around us, whether or not we think they are worthy. God qualifies the unqualified and God is the One who sends people to us, expecting us to love them no matter what. When we are willing to extend that agape love to others, it transforms them so that they can then pass that love on to those around them, creating a tsunami of God’s love and grace. May God help us so that we specialize in loving and not in judging!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to love one another as You have loved us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.