I’m reading John 13–14 and thinking about the disciples’ love for Jesus. For some reason, when I think of their following Jesus, I usually think only of their wanting a Messiah to save them and lead Israel, but that’s not the picture John paints here. At the end of John 13, after Jesus washes His disciples’ feet (a profound act of humility and servanthood for the God of the universe), Jesus tells the disciples He’s going away, and when they’re upset by this, Jesus gives them these words of comfort:
Do not let your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
The way Jesus chooses to address their distress over His leaving reveals the nature of their distress. His focus isn’t on assuring them that He’ll come back to save them (either as a nation or as individuals), or that they will still go to Paradise. Rather, He says He’ll come back to bring them to Himself. The emphasis is on being with Jesus. That was their concern. He was leaving, and that’s why they were upset. They wanted to be with Him because they loved Him, not because of what they hoped He would do for them.
Contemplating this really affects me. It personalizes their love for Jesus. It makes their following Him about their love for Him. It centers everything on Jesus as a Person. It moves Christianity away from a system of salvation and towards personal worship of a Person. As it should be.
What a great thought, Amy! This is something which has really come to the front in my life recently – and that is the realization that all of God's revelation through Scripture and his plan of salvation is not so that I can be a good person or spend eternity in heaven, it's so that I can know and love God and know Jesus for his worth and glorify him forever by treasuring and recognizing his infinite worth and beauty.
The Disciples sort of get a bad rap sometimes, but when I taste the love of God in this way and recall truths which these men wrote so that I could have a personal interaction with the living God and grow wise to the way of reconciliation with the Father, I can't help but be overjoyed at the thought of spending eternity in the Kingdom of God with his saints as my brothers and sisters. From John, Peter and Paul, to Thomas Aquinas, Luther and Calvin, to George Whitfield, Edwards, and Spurgeon, to C. S. Lewis, Greg Koukl, and even to you, Amy! How truly breathtaking it is to ponder eternity with Jesus and his followers. I can't wait when we all get to see our rooms that Jesus has prepared for us.
I pray that the Lord continues to bless his children who live in this generation with sharp minds, wise souls and loving hearts to further God's kingdom within our short lifetimes. Press on, STR!
Posted by: Mark Stanley | July 07, 2016 at 12:08 PM
Thank you, Mark!
Posted by: Amy | July 07, 2016 at 12:50 PM
Why did the Apostles love Jesus?
“We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” (Luke 7:47)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” (Galatians 5:22)
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)
Posted by: dave | July 08, 2016 at 02:50 AM