John 14:18-24 ESV
Forgiveness Series
God’s promises to us even today are intentional.
God is Omnipresent and Omniscient. God is ever present in time and God knows everything. While we can only know our current situation and what we remember from our past, God is present at all times (past, present, and future) and God knows everything that was, is, and will be.
We can have the knowledge of God’s capabilities but we cannot fully understand them.
God knows everything and forgives us anyway.
During Jesus’ last hours with His disciples He said many things they didn’t understand at the time. They didn’t have any idea what was about to happen to Jesus and to them.
The promises Jesus gave them were intentional.
Jesus was giving them exactly what they would need in the hours, days, months, and years ahead.
I believe Jesus (because He is God) also knew His words would be read by millions upon millions of believers thousands of years after he walked the earth. Jesus’ words were for us.
In John 14:18 Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
Those words must have been confusing to them at the time. We have no indication in scripture what the disciples thought about Jesus leaving them. We don’t know how much they understood about what was about to happen.
In John 14:19-20, Jesus also said, “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
The disciples could have been thinking that Jesus was going to seclude Himself from the world but they would still have access to Him.
And what about the commandments Jesus spoke to them?
In John 14:21 Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Jesus was clear about His command to love.
Love is the answer.
In John 14:22, Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered 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. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”
Jesus’ words must have seemed like they were a difficult puzzle that the disciples needed to solve, but even they didn’t have the full context needed to solve it Jesus knew they would remember later. They didn’t know where Jesus was going or what would happen to Him. They thought Jesus would always be with them.
Jesus also told them when we love Him and do everything we can do to love others, the love of God will reside in us. And He said there are others we will encounter who do not love Jesus and strive to keep His word.
That difference is clear but unclear.
Today as we read it, we have the advantage of context…hindsight. But it’s still difficult to understand.
Think of it this way…when we try to love someone and model the love of Jesus to them, but they don’t understand what that kind of love is like and what it’s like to have the Spirit IN them, they cannot really even understand why we would love them. We can tell them why, but ultimately they will need to see love in action.
Have you heard the phrase, talk is cheap.
It’s true.
Until we spend time with them, treat them with kindness, and help them with real problems they face, they won’t begin to believe we mean what we say.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus.
If they are hungry, feed them. It may not be physical hunger. It can be a hunger for being able to trust a person or it can be hunger for genuine friendship.
If they have questions about God, listen and tell them words Jesus gives you. Listen to the Spirit.
If they are struggling with how to know the right thing to do, pray for them and walk with them on their journey.
Each step of the way, the Spirit can guide you as you help them understand who Jesus really is for them.
The very good news for the disciples is that when the time came for Jesus to leave earth, He had given them everything they needed to face losing Him. They were very afraid, but gradually they remembered things Jesus told them when they were in the Upper Room. Jesus gave them everything they would need to face what was ahead.
We are no different. God prepares us when we open our hands and listen.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Prepare
Ask God to prepare you for what lies ahead.
In God, Deborah
acrazyjourney.com
Comentários