John 12:44-50
I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. – John 12:46
If we’ve been following the Daily Manna devotions every day, we’ll know that today’s passage is a repetition of everything Jesus has been saying. “Believing in me is believing in the one who sent me.” “Seeing me is seeing him who sent me.” “What I have said is what the Father has told me to say.” “I have been sent by God. I am the promised one, I speak the truth, I am the true light. I have the power to give you eternal life.” “Believe me; obey me, so that you’ll have eternal life and not suffer judgment.” “Rejecting me is rejecting the Father, and you will be judged by what you have heard but refused to believe.”
Some people argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, that it is a later claim by the church. They obviously have never read the Gospel of John, 12 chapters worth of Jesus repeating these themes over and over again. Even to frustration—remember how he lamented, “Why don’t you in believe me, how many more signs do you need?”
Three years of revealing himself to the masses, giving them signs, teaching them the secret of the kingdom of God is now coming to an end. Jesus knows his time on earth is limited, and he has a bigger, greater task to fulfil. From this point on, he turns his attention to teaching his disciples in private and to preparing [for] his death. His hour has come. The next time the crowds see him, he will be standing trial before Pontius Pilate as the religious leaders demand his crucifixion.
There are a few things we learn about our Lord and about man from this passage. 1. Our Lord is patient. He repeats the truth over and over again, so more people will believe and receive life. However, there will always be people who reject him, no matter how true the claims, no matter how strong the evidence, no matter how great the benefit God offers.
2. God’s ultimate goal and desire is that all would come to faith through Jesus, his Son. Despite the rejection of the Jews (which probably didn’t surprise God anyway), Jesus willingly continued on to the cross to die for them to open up a way for all sinners to come him. This wasn’t done reluctantly (although Jesus did wrestle with obedience to the point of sweating blood) but in love and compassion, purely on his part.
3. God’s plans move forward with or without man’s acceptance or obedience. Just because people don’t believe or follow him doesn’t mean God’s plans are derailed. In fact those who reject him are part of his plans because he knows all things.
Reflection: There may be things that the Lord has been repeatedly convicting us about. Perhaps we’ve been brushing him off, trivialising the matter or condemning it as impossible. The Lord’s repetitive nagging means he hasn’t given up on us.
Some of us may have come to realise that after a period of nagging, the Lord stopped speaking to us about that particular issue. Until this very moment, we may have felt relief that we no longer feel the inner tugging. But now we realise that silence may mean either that the Lord has left us to our hardened hearts and is waiting for us to notice his absence from our life, or that the opportune time for acting on the matter is now past.
It is never too late to return to the Lord. Confess and receive the pardon Jesus died to secure for us. Then trust and obey, because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus!
Prayer:
Patient Father, we thank you that you do not easily give up on us, but pursue us out of your mercy and love. May we be softened to your nagging and tugging; may we learn to obey you in all things; may we experience the life abundant that you promised as we live in your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
If we’ve been following the Daily Manna devotions every day, we’ll know that today’s passage is a repetition of everything Jesus has been saying. “Believing in me is believing in the one who sent me.” “Seeing me is seeing him who sent me.” “What I have said is what the Father has told me to say.” “I have been sent by God. I am the promised one, I speak the truth, I am the true light. I have the power to give you eternal life.” “Believe me; obey me, so that you’ll have eternal life and not suffer judgment.” “Rejecting me is rejecting the Father, and you will be judged by what you have heard but refused to believe.”
Some people argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, that it is a later claim by the church. They obviously have never read the Gospel of John, 12 chapters worth of Jesus repeating these themes over and over again. Even to frustration—remember how he lamented, “Why don’t you in believe me, how many more signs do you need?”
Three years of revealing himself to the masses, giving them signs, teaching them the secret of the kingdom of God is now coming to an end. Jesus knows his time on earth is limited, and he has a bigger, greater task to fulfil. From this point on, he turns his attention to teaching his disciples in private and to preparing [for] his death. His hour has come. The next time the crowds see him, he will be standing trial before Pontius Pilate as the religious leaders demand his crucifixion.
There are a few things we learn about our Lord and about man from this passage. 1. Our Lord is patient. He repeats the truth over and over again, so more people will believe and receive life. However, there will always be people who reject him, no matter how true the claims, no matter how strong the evidence, no matter how great the benefit God offers.
2. God’s ultimate goal and desire is that all would come to faith through Jesus, his Son. Despite the rejection of the Jews (which probably didn’t surprise God anyway), Jesus willingly continued on to the cross to die for them to open up a way for all sinners to come him. This wasn’t done reluctantly (although Jesus did wrestle with obedience to the point of sweating blood) but in love and compassion, purely on his part.
3. God’s plans move forward with or without man’s acceptance or obedience. Just because people don’t believe or follow him doesn’t mean God’s plans are derailed. In fact those who reject him are part of his plans because he knows all things.
Reflection: There may be things that the Lord has been repeatedly convicting us about. Perhaps we’ve been brushing him off, trivialising the matter or condemning it as impossible. The Lord’s repetitive nagging means he hasn’t given up on us.
Some of us may have come to realise that after a period of nagging, the Lord stopped speaking to us about that particular issue. Until this very moment, we may have felt relief that we no longer feel the inner tugging. But now we realise that silence may mean either that the Lord has left us to our hardened hearts and is waiting for us to notice his absence from our life, or that the opportune time for acting on the matter is now past.
It is never too late to return to the Lord. Confess and receive the pardon Jesus died to secure for us. Then trust and obey, because there is no other way to be happy in Jesus!
Prayer:
Patient Father, we thank you that you do not easily give up on us, but pursue us out of your mercy and love. May we be softened to your nagging and tugging; may we learn to obey you in all things; may we experience the life abundant that you promised as we live in your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
