P2 - A Biographical Sketch Of The Apostle John, The Man Who Loved Jesus: He Had Fervancy For Jesus

Luke 9:51-56 "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; 52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. 54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village."

Introduction:

I can recall in my childhood days hearing my parents tell me:

"Mahlon, you are sometimes like a bull in a china closet".

Admittedly, they were more than justified in their assertions. I was (and still can be) strong-willed, stubborn and singular-focused, to a fault. I find it humorous to discover that the Apostle John (and his brother James, known as "James the Son of Zebedee) were together called by Jesus: "sons of thunder". This comical point is highlighted by Mark in Mark 1:37 - 

"and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”)."

John the Apostle was bold by nature. It is hard to imagine the man who loved Jesus with such strength of grace and courage in his latter years was the sort of man you would rather had avoided in his youth. Yet, as is often the case with all new converts to Christ, the process of sanding off the rough edges must begin with the rough edges. Amazingly, what are often liabilities in our personalities are transfigured into benefits for the Kingdom.

In today's post, we once again take a look at the Apostle John to understand how we can better love the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw last time that, like John, we too must begin this journey of love by following Jesus (for the previous post, click here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2018/06/p1-biographical-sketch-of-apostle-john.html ).

In today's post, we will add on a second trait: fervency for Jesus.

John's fervency to follow Jesus

Luke 9:51-56 records an episode where Jesus was transitioning his ministry from primarily focusing upon Galilee to the North to gradual priority upon Judea and Jerusalem to the South. In Luke's version, stretching from chapters 10-17, we find unique material devoted to Jesus' ministry in Perea along the Western side of the Jordon River. Jesus and his disciples were looking to lodge in Samaria for the night before continuing their journeys (see map below):

As Luke's narrative reports, Jesus sent a couple of his disciples to inquire about lodging. Their request was denied due to the animosities between the Samaritans and the Jews. As a historian, Luke then reports the responses of the disciples, especially a then young apostle John. As a "son of thunder", John makes the astonishing suggestion in Luke 9:54 -

 "When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

Wow! One would think that the man "whom Jesus loved" would never had made such a radical suggestion. John expressed untampered zeal. Yet, John did. How many of us, in our Christian walks, have made those impetuous choices or inserted our foot in the mouth? John's statement is met with a rebuke from Jesus, reminding him in Luke 9:55-56 - 

"But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village."

A.B. Bruce's classic study on the disciples: "The Training Of The Twelve", page 234, give the following insight:

"It shows how slow the best are to learn the heavenly doctrine and practice of charity. How startling, again, to think of the same John, a year or two after the date of this savage suggestion, going down from Jerusalem and preaching the Gospel of Jesus the crucified in 'many of the villages of the Samaritans', possibly in this very village which he desired to see destroyed!"

Bruce's reference to John's change of heart is found in Acts 8:14-17 - 

"Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit."

John's fervent temperament spilled-over in those early days of his conversion. In the hands of Jesus, John's fervency in the flesh was ever-slowly transformed into a fervency of love for Him. For sure, John and his brother both exhibited strong passion in their life. At one point in their journey's with Jesus, they request of Jesus to sit at his right and left hand in the kingdom (compare Mark 10:35-40). Jesus tells them that they are ignorant of the manner of their request, and warns them of the possible implications (namely, martyrdom). John and James both assert they're able to take whatever consequences, if it will mean the granting of their request. 

We may look at John's behavior and cast a swift verdict. However, how many times have any of us, even after walking with the Lord for many years, who name "the name of Christ", gotten wobbly, excessive or out-of-turn? Thankfully, the Lord Jesus Christ is merciful. Patient.

Like all Christians, John bore the left-over remnants of the old nature. Like rust on a car, the fragments of that old way of thinking clung to the newly regenerated nature.  Excesses are traced to the flesh - or "old man" (see Colossians 2-3). John had his boxing ring, set in the heart, with the new nature duking-it-out with his old-ways. Still, the fervor characterizing John's temperament became useful in Jesus' hands.

Fervency of the flesh gradually gives way to fervent love for Jesus

Whenever we look at John's progression in discipleship, we witness transformation. The fervency of the flesh is slowly melting away to the fervency of God's love coursing through his heart. The scenes of John with Peter and James upon the Mount of Transfiguration gives us a glimpse into the beginnings of such changes (see Matthew 17; 2 Peter 1:16-21). While Peter is peppering Jesus with frantic questions and excitement, we hear not a word from John's lips (compare Matthew 17:1-13).

Or consider how few of words he is at the final meal between Jesus and his disciples in John 13:22-25. It is at this juncture that we find John reclined on Jesus. The practice of leaning on one another at an oriental meal, on the ground, would explain why John was pressed in on Jesus' side. Once Jesus reveals that He is going to undergo betrayal, John (described in John 13:23 as "the one whom Jesus loved) asks Jesus in 13:25 - "Lord, who is it?" John's listening and watching of the Master takes over those earlier episodes where he would boldly stride in like the proverbial "bull in a china-closet".

John's fervency is reined in by an ever-increasing Christ-like humility. The forging together of fervency and humility yields that Biblical alloy of meekness (compare Moses in Numbers 12:3, KJV). By the time we arrive at the foot of the cross in John 19:25-27, we see the fervency of love most poignantly displayed:

"Therefore 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. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household."

John's fervent love for Jesus grew despite the pressures and persecutions

John's place at the foot of the cross, beside Jesus' mother according to the flesh, befits this disciple as the man par excellence in matters pertaining to love for Jesus. Jesus knew John was the only one able and willing to care for Mary. None of Jesus' half-brothers per the flesh were given this privilege (besides the fact they were not-yet-followers of Jesus as Messiah). John's fervency of love for His Lord is observed by being the first disciple to reach the empty tomb. John would express faith (albeit, the beginnings of such), that Jesus had risen (John 20:6,8). John was there with the other 120, awaiting for the promise of the Spirit spoken of by Jesus (Acts 1:13).

It was this same John that partnered with Peter in launching out the initial apostolic mission in and around Jerusalem and Judea (see Acts 3:1,3,4,11; 4:13,19; 8:14). John's brother, James, was martyred for his faith in Christ, echoing the fervent love of his brother (Acts 12:12). John's fervent love was so much so that he was known in the early church as a "pillar" of the church (compare Paul's remarks in Galatians 2:9). 

Closing thoughts and applications: fervent love, expressed in John's writings

By the time John reaches his mid-eighties, he has already followed Jesus with fervent love for some 50-60 years. The three epistles that bear this include this term "love" 26x in 1 John, 4x in 2 John and 3 times in 3 John. John's Gospel, penned very shortly before or at the same time as his little letters, mentions love from Christ or towards Christ nearly 40x. The final book John would pen under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, his Apocalypse or Revelation, mentions such fervent love as central to Christian living. Revelation 12:11 states -

"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death."

John's fervent love is deeper, higher and wider for Jesus as he pens that glorious book of Revelation on that small Island of Patmos. Life got harsher for this apostle. Yet, the love of Jesus grew only sweeter. Can the same be said of you and me, dear reader. Loving Jesus certainly begins with following Him. However, the fervor of love for Him ought to grow all the more sweeter. Might we consider John's example and by the power of the Spirit, love the Lord Jesus with such fervent love.  

P1 - A Biographical Sketch Of The Apostle John, The Man Who Loved Jesus: He Began By Following Him

John 1:35-37 "Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus."

Introduction:

My grandfather was a minister of the Gospel for 60 years. He pastored three churches in Southeastern Kentucky for thirty years and then moved to Pennsylvania to further minister for 30 more years. In his last few years, my grandfather built a makeshift chapel where he would conduct Bible courses. On the back wall of the little chapel was an enormous map depicting the chronology of prophetic events. No matter how few or how many people came, my grandfather gave his life to the exposition of God's book.

My grandfather, in all of his 83 years of life, was faithful. He was faithful to the Gospel. Faithful to the church of Jesus Christ that he pastored, no matter the locale. My grandfather was faithful to his first wife of over thirty years, Louise, that died in 1967. He was then faithful to his second wife, Jennie, of 16 years. He loved Jesus. He loved his children. He adored his grandchildren. He lived his faith. Boaz Obed Smith, my grandfather, was faithful to the end.

Whenever we turn to the New Testament, we are introduced to a man simply known as "John". By the time we read through John's Gospel, three epistles and his Apocalypse (or "Revelation"), we see John as he was well into his nineties. But how did His walk with the Lord begin?

Several men are known by this simple name: "John". In the opening text of today's post, we see the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah - "John the Baptist" - performing baptisms and announcing the coming of the one whom he would baptize. John the Baptist had students, learners or "disciples". One of those disciples carried the same name as he.

The disciple "John" would eventually leave his "rabbi" or "master" and follow this new Rabbi, deemed: "The Lamb of God". The disciple John would, along with eleven other men, follow Jesus for over three years through Galilee, Samaria, Judea and ultimately to Jerusalem. This "disciple John" would learn what it meant to follow Jesus and would eventually become known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (compare John 13:23).

In today's post, we want to do a biographical sketch of the Apostle John. The goal of this little study is to discern what qualities were in his life that lent to him not only becoming the disciple "whom Jesus loved", but also how Jesus became to Him "the one whom He loved". In this post we want to explore what it means to be like John: the man who loved Jesus.

To Love Jesus Begins By Following Him

John's own personal account of his encounter with Jesus while following John the Baptist in John 1:35-37 gives the impression that the disciple John's decision to leave John the Baptist's side was done so without forethought. John MacArthur notes in his book: "One Perfect Life", page 80, footnote b:

"The 'following' here does not necessarily indicate that they became permanent disciples at this time. The implication may be that they went after Jesus to examine Him more closely because of John's testimony."

In other words, the disciple John (note how he never names himself in any of his writings, but only refers to himself as "the other disciple") is testifying of how he heard what theologians refer to as "the outward" call to Jesus. This outward call impacts the mind, maybe even the emotions, but not so much the heart. John was curious, but not committed. There was no exchange of faith in John's heart at this point. John was not, as some imprecisely say: "a seeker". The only persons that seek Jesus are the truly converted in saving faith. Rather, John was on a fact-finding mission, with the assumption of returning to his master, "John the Baptist". What John needed was an inward call to the heart, the kind so described by Paul in Romans 10:8 by the phrase: "the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart".

John the disciple's radical commitment to follow Jesus

John the disciple experiences such an "inward call of the heart" in what would become a second encounter with Jesus some months later.  Whenever we read the other three Gospels in Matthew 4:13-22 and Mark 1:16-20, we find Jesus walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Matthew 4:21-22 in particular records the striking scene:

"Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

Mark 1:20 adds the following detail:

"Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him."

The difference between that first encounter in John 1:35-37 to that of the later encounter with Jesus in Matthew and Mark is striking. John, the disciple of John the Baptist and son of Zebedee, owner of a fairly lucrative fishing trade, immediately left the nets and his former master for Jesus.

To follow Jesus means you forsake reliance upon any former allegiances. To follow Jesus centers around decentering yourself and focusing on Jesus (compare Luke 9:23-24). John's first encounter with Jesus led him to analyze Jesus as a subject of curiosity. This latter encounter, recorded by Matthew and Mark, turned the tables on John. John became the object of Jesus' scrutiny. Jesus was not on a fact find mission with John (He already knew everything He needed to know about John). Instead, Jesus was on a "faith-finding" mission in John's heart. Per Galatians 3:23, "faith came" that day into John's heart and life. The nets were dropped. The bridges burnt. John forsook everything to follow Jesus.

Closing thoughts:

The decision to follow Jesus was not half-hearted. John didn't hedge bets and say to himself: "well, if this don't work out, I can always return home to dad and go back to fishing, become partner and hopefully make a decent living. No. This was a radical break. John the disciple's heart was captured by the voice of the one calling him from the shoreline. His journey of loving Jesus began by following him in faith. Not just any faith, but the saving-kind of faith that radically concludes that when I give up everything, and Jesus is all I have, I have everything. May you and I follow Jesus. Only by following him can we too become characterized as those that, due to first loving of us, also respond in ever-growing love to Him. 

More next time.....  

Which Jesus Ought You And I Seek? Meditations on John 18:1-14

John 18:1-4 "When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”

Introduction: 

Jesus’ entry into His road of suffering to the cross began with His arrest. The sequence of events following from His arrest, through His six trials, to Golgotha (i.e. the cross) comprise what is commonly called "The Passion". We refer to these events (found in all four Gospels, with John's Gospel recording them in John 18:1-19:30) with the word "passion" (deriving from the Latin "passio", meaning "to suffer") to summarize what Christ willingly undertook to provide salvation. No clear understanding of the Person and work of Jesus is achievable apart from the aforementioned events.

In today's post we consider the question raised by Jesus in John 18:4,7 to those seeking his arrest: "whom do you seek?" The episode of Jesus’ arrest delivers three details of Jesus that demonstrates why He alone is worth seeking. 

1. Jesus is God in the flesh. John 18:1-7

The 19th century theologian Charles Hodge writes beautifully on how the New Testament presents the Lord Jesus Christ. Hodge starts by first noting the true humanity of Jesus: 

“The facts which the Bible teaches concerning the Person of Christ are, first, that He was truly man, i.e., He had a perfect or complete human nature. Hence, everything that can be predicated of man (that is, of man as man, and not of man as fallen) can be predicated of Christ)”. 

Whenever we journey into John 18, we undoubtedly see a very human Jesus.  Christ walked with His disciples (18:1) and was arrested & bound (18:12). Only as a man could Jesus fulfill the conditions spoken of by one of his opponents, Caiaphas the High Priest, in  John 18:14 - 

"Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people." 

Hodge then continues to his second point about the New Testament's portrayal of the Lord Jesus: 

“Secondly, He was truly God, or had a perfect Divine nature, Hence everything that can be predicated of God can be predicated of Christ”. 

John's Gospel affords glimpses of the true deity of the Son of God. For example, in John 18:4 we find reference to the Son's omniscience: “knowing all the things that were coming upon Him”. Further statements recorded by John as coming from Jesus' lips include His self-reference of having the Divine name “I am” (three times, 18:5,6,7). This same name "I am" was first spoken back in Exodus 3 to Moses at the burning bush. So we see then Jesus Christ as truly God and truly man (vere deus et vere homo).

Hodge then reminds us of the third important truth about Christ that we see in the New Testament, namely that He is a Person (no less than a Divine person): 

“Thirdly, He was one person. The same person that said: “I thirst” said “Before Abraham was, I am”. 

As one see Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, walking into the Garden of Gethsemane, one cannot help but see a parallel of God walking in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day in Genesis 3:8. The Divine Person of the Father, identified often in scripture by His voice speaking to men (see Genesis 1; Exodus 19:1-6; Matthew 17:1ff; Mark 9:1ff; Luke 9:28ff; 2 Peter 1:16-18). 

God moved in the midst of that Garden, seeking the fallen man and his wife. In John 18, we see the Divine Person of the Son, physically walking in the midst of those Olive trees of Gethsemane. He did this in preparation to go to the cross for the sake of fallen humanity.  So which Jesus ought we seek? God in human flesh. But notice a second truth in answer to this question....

2. Jesus is the Great Shepherd. John 18:8-10

Jesus Christ is not only God in human flesh, but also the Great Shepherd. We know that His identification as the Great Shepherd is attached to His arrest by how the other Gospel writers portrayed this pending event. In Matthew 26:31 and Mark 14:27 we find reference to this event fulfilling a prophecy uttered by the prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 13:7 -

 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones."


So whenever we seek after Jesus as the Great Shepherd, we are pursuing Him that is the prophetic Shepherd. As the prophetic shepherd, Christ is also our protective shepherd. As Jesus confronts those coming to arrest Him in John 18, we read these words uttered by the Lord in John 18:9 -

"to fulfill the word which He spoke, 'Of those whom You have given me I have not lost a one". 

As you read on into John 18, all the disciples flee from the Lord Jesus. Amazingly, the Romans do not pursue them, hedged and hemmed by the hand of Providence as urged by the restraining power of the Son of God. So we seek after Jesus who is God in human flesh and the great shepherd. Now notice the third identification of the Christ whom we ought to seek...

3. Jesus is the Grand Savior. John 18:11-14

The timing of Christ's arrest, trial and crucifixion occurred during the Jewish Passover (see Mark 14:1ff). The details of Christ's arrest are meaningful when taken into consideration with the Passover in the background. The timing of these events underscore the mission for which Christ came: to be the Grand Savior. As the Grand Savior, three brief observations are noted.

First, He came as the satisfaction for wrath, or what scripture terms "propitiation" (see 1 John 2:1-2). Quite literally, He came to drink the cup of wrath, all of it, for our benefit. Christ's death as the satisfaction of wrath meant that as God, His work was sufficient for all and, as man, blood could be shed and applied to all who believe. Hence, we can say His atoning work was sufficient for all and effective for believers, as our satisfaction for wrath. 

Second, He went bound as a sacrifice for sin. John 18:12 specifically tells us that they arrested and "bound him". This echoes back to a statement we read in Psalm 118:27 - 

"The Lord is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar." 

In Jewish practice, Psalm 118 became associated with the Passover celebration. The meaning of the imagery of the Passover sacrifice offered up on the altar to represent the people is more clearly understood in light of Christ's actions (see John 1:19; 18:12-14). 

Thirdly then, we see Christ, as the Grand Savior, not only the satisfaction for wrath and the sacrifice for sin but also the substitute for sinners. We have already noted how Caiaphas prophetically (unwittingly so, mind you) predicted how expedient it was for one man to die for the people. This idea of substitution is central to God's overall redemptive plan in the Old Testament and is fulfilled perfectly by Christ as the sinner's substitute in the New Testament. 

Closing thoughts:

In this post we looked at answer the question raised by Jesus in John 18:4 - "whom do you seek". We discovered that when it comes to seeking Christ, we seek after Him that possess the three following identifying traits:

1. God in human flesh
2. Great Shepherd
3. Grand Savior

As we follow this same Jesus in the narratives of John 18 and 19, we will find again and again how as God He is more than enough, how as man He supplies what is needed for my humanity and as the Person of the Son, He is ever personally precious to those who place their trust in Him. 

Soothing Your Troubled Heart - John 13:36-14:4

John 14:1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."

Introduction:

Whenever we enter into John 13-17, one of the major themes we find throughout those chapters is that of "trouble". Christians often think that following Jesus will mean exemption from distress. Whenever we turn to the pages of the Old or New Testaments, we find troubles and trials unwelcome companions in the life of faith. Jesus knew that the hearts of his disciples were roiling waves of anxiety. He had announced to them that one of them was going to betray Him. As the eyes of each disciple darted from one of their fellow-disciples to another, such a thought as betrayal brought instant pain. Only one found it to his benefit - Judas. 

In today's post we want to explore Jesus' prescriptions for soothing our hearts when troubles arise. Let's briefly look at four of them found in John 13:36-14:4.

1. Prayers of Jesus. Luke 22:31-32; John 13:36-38

We know from early on in Jesus' ministry that prayer was a priority (see Mark 1:35). The comforting thought for the Christian today has to do with Jesus' current ministry on their behalf. Whenever we turn to the letters of the New Testament, we find spelled out the High Priestly office of the Lord Jesus Christ as He occupies at the Father's right hand. Hebrews 4:14-15 states -  "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." The comfort found in the high priestly ministry or "session" of Jesus is that it not only persists at this present moment, but will continue on into eternity. Hebrews 7:24-25 reminds us -  "(B)ut Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." To know that Jesus prays for His people in their defense is further stated in 1 John 2:1 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Now as we return to the scene of the upper room on the eve of Christ's crucifixion, we find the disciples troubled over the announcement of someone betraying Jesus. The Apostle Peter speaks up and says He will never betray Jesus, with Jesus informing him that Peter will betray him before the rooster crows (John 13:36-38). In Luke's Gospel we find the same incident with the added caveat of Jesus stating to Peter that He is interceding for Peter not to fall away in Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 

The same Lord Jesus that interceded for Peter's faith not to fail (and it didn't) is the same One that prays on behalf of believers today. At times I feel like life is going to cave-in on me. Yet, I know Jesus is praying for me and thus - my heart is soothed. 

2. Presence of God John 14:1

Not only do Jesus' prayers soothe the troubled heart, but notice also the presence of God. Jesus asserts His equality with the Father in John 14:1-6. By asserting His co-equality with the Father, Christ is saying that His presence is God's presence; His promises are God's promises and therefore - the disciples can find comfort. As we noted before, the theme of trouble weaves its way through these verses. However, let me hasten to note that the presence of God meets these troubles every step of the way. 

We read for example of “Jesus troubled in spirit” in John 13:21, yet, He knew at the beginning of the chapter that all things were in the Father's hands (John 13:1-4). Whenever Jesus states in John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled”, He backs this up with the statement "you believe in God, you believe also in me". In John 14:27, Jesus asserts His ability to give the God-kind of peace in the following way -  “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you”. John 16:33 is perhaps the most helpful of these passages - "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 

In all these instances, we see the presence of God incarnate. One writer notes: “Christ is God standing forth as separate but not essentially different from the Father.”

3. Place called Heaven.  John 14:2-3

As Jesus speaks on in John 14, we find Him making reference to the believer's heavenly home. What makes "Heaven, Heaven?" Is it the streets of gold? The mansions? As wonderful as these things are, there is only One Person that makes Heaven Heaven - Jesus Himself. Heaven is described in quite literal and physical terms. Jesus uses the word "place". The text of John 14:1-3 can be taken to refer to what Jesus is going to do when He returns. In one respect John 14:1-3 is describing the Lord's promise to take with Him believers who are alive and those who are in the grave (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

However there is a second sense in which these passages speak - namely the current place of residence for the saints who go on ahead in death. 
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 notes -  "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight." I can recall when my father passed away years ago. One of the most comforting texts was not only John 14:1-3, but also Hebrews 12:22-24 "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight." When I have done funerals for those whose Christian loved-ones have passed away, I love sharing 2 Peter 1:10-11 "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you."

The place called "Heaven" is the third heaven referred to by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. As wonderful as that place is, it won't compare to what will be the "New Heavens and New Earth" of which Peter and John write of respectively in their letters and books (see 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21-22). John MacArthur notes in a fairly recent sermon on this text:

"Yes, He will come again and rapture the church, 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, gather the church to Himself. Yes, the rapture of the church is the next eschatological prophetic event. We don’t know when it’s going to happen. But in the meantime whenever a believer dies, the picture here is of the Lord standing to receive him. And that’s what he says: “I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also. What is heaven? It is the place where Christ is and where He receives a believer to Himself. It is where we will all be related to Him in a perfect relationship, personally receiving each believer."

4. Personal return of Jesus.  John 14:4-5

So we have seen three prescriptions for soothing the troubled heart thus far: prayers of Jesus for His people; presence of God and the place called Heaven. Let's consider one more prescription - the personal return of Jesus. Now we alluded to this in the last thought. Jesus was thinking in terms of what happens to Christians after death as well as what will occur at the end of this age. The realities of Heaven, though subtly distinguished in the scriptures (third heaven now, new heavens later), yet there is still a lot about heaven that we will yet to behold once we get there. 

Thankfully, Christ's return and promise in bringing all those who have trusted in Him by faith need not remain an abstract thought. This promise brings with it concrete hope. 1 John 3:1-3 notes - "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." As Jesus was talking to His disciples, there is implicit the prospect of He being alive and well - referring of course to His resurrection, ascension and what will be His second coming. 

Closing thoughts:

Today we have considered four prescriptions to sooth the soul:

1. Prayers of Jesus
2. Presence of God
3. Place called Heaven
4. Personal return of Jesus

May these four truths bring peace to us in times such as these. 

We Need More Than A Miracle - We Need The Glory Of Jesus Christ

John 11:21-27 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Introduction:

How often in life do you and I find ourselves in need of a miracle? Perhaps a provision? Someone’s salvation? A healing? What is it that we need? Not a miracle, but Christ in His glory. The glory of Christ is the truth of His power and Person made known. In this post, we will contend that when the glory of Jesus is understood as our need, all other needs will be more clearly understood or received. We will focus our attention today on Jesus' miracle of the raising of Lazarus. What kind of glories of Jesus are revealed by the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead? We will first consider this miracle in light of the other "sign miracles" recorded in John's Gospel, and then draw out the various glories of Jesus Christ that issue forth from Jesus' performance of the miracle.

Seeing the miracle of Lazarus brought back to life in the context of John's other signs

Most New Testament scholars divide John's Gospel into two divisions: John 1-12 is called "The Book of Signs" and John 13-21 is termed "The Book of Glory". In brief, we find the following seven signs or miracles recorded in John's Gospel:

1. Water to Wine - John 2:1-11

2. Nobleman's son healed - John 4:46-54

3. Healing at Bethesda - John 5:1-17

4. Feeding of 5,000 - John 6:1-14

5. Walking on water - John 6:15-25

6. Healing of the blind man - John 9:1-41

7. Raising Lazarus - John 11:17-46

All of these "signs" are designed to point us to a particular truth about Jesus Christ - namely, as stated in John 20:31 "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." If we had more time and space, we could catalogue how each of these signs demonstrate John's two-fold point: first, of revealing to us how Jesus is the Christ (the "chosen-one" or "anointed one" who came to be man), the Son of God (i.e truly Divine) and then second, by trusting in this Divine and human Savior, we can have eternal life. 

Undoubtedly, Martha's confession of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world" in John 11:27 together with the response of faith from Jesus' audience in John 11:45 demonstrates how the raising of Lazarus contributes to John's overall case. 

The raising of Lazarus represents the final sign recorded in the first part of John's Gospel in chapters 1-12. Jesus' power over life and death culminates what the other six signs have already communicated to us about Jesus. In the water to wine miracle, Jesus introduced Himself as the Mediator of the New Covenant and the Initiator of God's in-breaking kingdom. The raising of the Nobleman's son reveals Jesus' power communicated over a distance. In terms of the lame man at Bethesda, we find Jesus' ability to bring deliverance and healing, a central trait of the Christ or Messiah (see Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18). The feeding of the 5,000 and walking on water miracles remind us of Jesus' authority over the physical creation. Then the healing of a man with congenital blindness shows how Jesus possesses unprecedented power and authority (no examples exist in the Old Testament of people blind from birth being healed). The bring back of Lazarus from the dead sets the stage for what will be the two focal events of John 13-21 - Christ's cross and resurrection from the dead. 

So having surveyed how the raising of Lazarus from the dead fits with the other six signs recorded in John's Gospel, lets consider briefly how Jesus' glory is revealed in that particular miracle.  

1. The Glory of Jesus’ Deity.
John 11:17-27

Jesus' claim to be the resurrection and the life is His way of saying that He possesses the power to bring people back from the dead. Old Testament texts repeatedly testify to Yahweh, Jehovah God raising the saints to glory and immortality at the end of history (see Job 14:14; 19:25-26; Psalm 16:8-11; Isaiah 25:6-9; Daniel 12:1-2). Jesus Himself alludes to His inherent power to raise people from the dead (John 5:24-25). With this statement to Martha, Jesus is asserting His glorious Divine power. The glory of Christ's Deity is revealed in this text. All who attach themselves to Jesus have immediate access to all that is the hidden and revealed treasures of God revealed in the Person of the Son, sharing in co-equality with the Father and the Spirit. 

2. The Glory of Jesus’ Humanity. John 11:28-37

John not only is arguing quite forcefully for Jesus' deity, but equally so for His true humanity. We switch from an exalted view of the Divine Christ to the true humanity of a very human Jesus. As man, Jesus had to travel (John 11:30); had feet (11:32); had a human spirit (11:33); wept (11:35) and of course is identified clearly as a man (11:37). Why is this so glorious? The Son of God can empathize. Passages throughout the New Testament such as Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:13; 4:12-16; 7:24-25 and others praise the Son as man, as God incarnate. The Son's incarnation results in Him being just as glorious in His humanity as He has been eternally with respect to His deity.

3. The Glory of Jesus’ Power. John 11:38-46

The power over death lies in the hands of God alone. Certainly we see instances of people resuscitating or bring other people back to life by God's power (see 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-36; 2 Kings 13:20-21; Acts 9:36-43). However, only Jesus brings people back to life with unprecedented Divine authority, declaring His certainty of the person coming back to life as if it is an already done deal (see Luke 8:49-56; John 11:38-46). Jesus didn't just resuscitate others from death to life by the power of God, He did so with His power as God incarnate (as well as in conjunction with the Holy Spirit Who empowered Him in His humanity as Messiah). Just as God alone could make dead bones come to life, take on skin and flesh and become a mighty marching army and nation in Ezekiel 37-39; so only Jesus can re-animate what was dead. Jesus alone can do this physically and of course spiritually in the miracle of the new birth.

4. The Glory of Jesus’ Cross. John 11:47-57

The raising of Lazarus from the dead seemed to be the catalyst that broke the proverbial camel's back for the Jewish leaders. When we look into John 12, we find the Jews not only plotting to kill Jesus, but also Lazarus. This miracle provided the context in which the high priest Caiaphus would prophesy the substitutionary work of one man dying for the people (John 11:49). Lest the glory of the cross be included in our reckoning of how we behold Jesus' glory in the New Testament, we are then no longer speaking of the Jesus' of the New Testament. We need more than a miracle, we need Him. On then in Jesus Christ can we have clarity on either what we truly need or receive from His hand what He deems necessary for us.