Day 211, John 14 
The eleven were
naturally fearful of what was about to happen and confused. Those of us
who know the end of the story can hardly appreciate the tension of the
moment. The disciples only knew that Jesus was about to depart from them,
which was cause for hearts to be troubled. So with words that comfort us
2,000 years later, Jesus reassured them that everything was going to be OK.
He was going to His Father to prepare a place for them, and He would ultimately
return to personally escort them there (14:3). In the interim, He would send a
marvelous helper and teacher to live in them, the Holy Spirit, who would be
equivalent to having both the Father and Son living in them (14:16-17, 23).
Beyond those things,
Jesus granted the eleven His supernatural peace, the peace that Paul wrote
"surpasses all comprehension" (Phil 4:7). But their faith was a
factor, and so He exhorted them: "Believe in God, believe also in Me"
(14:3). He meant more than just to believe that He or God existed. It was an
exhortation to trust both the Father and Jesus that everything was under their
control.
Jesus told the eleven
that He was in the Father and the Father was in Him (14:10-11). He also stated
that if we've seen Him, we've seen the Father (14:9). Notice, however, that He
didn't say that He was the
Father. The Father and Son are two distinct persons, but are so much alike that
if you know one, you know the other. For that reason, when you hear a preacher
say that many Christians know Jesus but don't know the Father, you know that he
hasn't done his homework.
What did Jesus
mean when He said that those who believe in Him would do the same works as He
did and greater works (14:12)? Some think Jesus was referring to the entire
body of Christ corporately doing the same and greater works than He did. Some
think it means every believer should be doing the same and greater works than
Jesus, yet I've noticed those who say that aren't coming anywhere close to
doing the same works Jesus did. In fact, even the original apostles never
performed certain miracles that Jesus did, much less greater miracles.
Most of the
miracles recorded in the book of Acts were done by apostles or evangelists, not
ordinary believers. For this reason, I suspect that the promise of believers
doing greater works will have its complete fulfillment in the future world. We
know that the nine gifts of the Spirit are referred to in Scripture as "the
powers of the age to come"
(Heb. 6:5). Through Isaiah, Jesus prophetically spoke of believers during His
millennial reign, saying, "I and the children whom the Lord has given me
are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells on Mount Zion" (Is.
8:18; compare with Heb. 2:11-13).
This is not to
say that miracles and gifts of the Spirit are not for today, but that not all
believers should expect to walk on water, raise the dead and multiply food.
Three times in
today's reading Jesus reinforced the connection between loving and obeying
Him.
If you
love Me, you will keep My commandments....He who has My commandments and keeps
them, it is he who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father,
and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to 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 abode with him (14:15, 21, 23).
How often we list
excuses for not obeying Jesus, yet how many of us will simply admit that the
major cause is our lack of love for Him?
Notice also that
Jesus only promised that He and the Father would come to live in those who love
Him and keep His word (14:23). So there must be an initial repentance to even
begin a relationship with the Lord. The idea that we can "accept
Jesus as Savior" yet reject Him as Lord has no biblical foundation.
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