01/17/2020 – Day 246 – John 13 – 15 //14:6: “I am the way; the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
No one means no one!
Chapter 13 – No matter how many times I read, reflect, and pray on it, the story of Jesus Washing the Disciples feet is sublime. Once again, even if it were fiction, who would event think to come up with such a story. Yeshua has even a twist of his wisdom to show total Truth and congruity: 13:16: “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ” Maybe it is just me, but if you are reading that at face value , the natural response, who would even say that a servant is greater than his master. But if that master washes that servant’s feet and he doesn’t do it to for his brethren, than by logical conclusion, he would be saying : “I am greater than my master, that is above me!” servant reply: But that is utterly ridiculous. To which, the comeback, is: “exactly”.
John 13: 31 – 32: Stops me in my tracks. Ok, just step back in awe and wonder.: “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.” I understand Muslems, for without the Holy Spirit, I would be there with them, but since they can’t get their head around the Trinity completely, they reject it out of hand. Not a good practice to make God in our own image. Or : “You’re god is too small!” (He looks to much like man to me…. That is a logical extension as well)
It is good to explore skeptics arguments and help them with the answers that aren’t always easy pickings on the surface. Such is the case for my Evidence bible footnote on 14:28. First, the verse: “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.”
My footnote notes: “Skeptics argue this verse contradicts John 10:30 (“I and my Father are one.”
Here is the summarized explanation: “Jesus was God manifes in human form (See John 1: 1-14). He was one with God in his preexistence (before He came to this earth), but in His earthly form He was “made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9) In His incarnation He was made lower than the Father in that He set aside the glory He had in heaven and in His human weakness He became tired, hungry, and thirsty, and was limited to time and space.”
Somewhat related, I hope I follow through on my note and post Alistair Begg’s sermon this morning on 2 Samuel. We have covered this already in our walk through the Bible this year: “It is the hard story of Uzzah being struck dead by God immediately after he put his hand on the ark to keep it from falling off the cart.” Check it out – Alistair presents a solid case study that repeats itself, of how God’s justice works perfectly with his unfathomable love for us. We just need to jump out of our worldly box for just a minute. As my father used to say with seemingly impossible math problems: “you need a break!”.
And no, I love y’all too much to try to give it to you in a sentence or two.
Soli Deo Gloria!