The Call to Oneness in John 17

We already know that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, although having different functions, are completely unified in purpose – they are 100% together in their commitment to restoring humanity into relationship with them. The varying roles of “creator”, “redeemer” and “sustainer” are exercised in a perfectly complimentary way. This is the picture we get of the perfectly functioning Divine community (known as the ‘Trinity’).

This is also a picture that we in the Christian Church are challenged and encouraged to emulate – to have a unified purpose, with the various roles (determined through the gifting given by the Holy Spirit) being exercised in a harmoniously complimentary way. In this way, people in the community will have a chance to begin to appreciate the existence and availability of a warmly relational God. Also, in this way, a believing community of people can be effectively unified with the Divine community.

Let’s first consider Jesus’ prayer in its broadest application. Did Jesus see ahead to all the splits, varying traditions and denominational differences up ahead when he prayed these words recorded in John 17? If he did, then this call for unity would have been even more crucial, lest the Gospel be seen as a pathetic joke! Varying traditions of Christian expression can be seen to be part of a diverse and rich tapestry. On the other hand, some splits or schisms can be traced to the more negative side of human nature – ‘if I can’t get my way, I’ll go and start something new’! Jesus prayed that God would guide the believers to understand their responsibility to stay in relationship with one another. We may regret so many divisions having been created, yet we must hear the words of Jesus now praying into the reality of our current situation.

The various denominations are not going to merge together anytime soon (not this side of heaven), so surely Jesus’ prayer now suggests a cooperation and a working together across denominations (and traditions) with an integrity that clearly displays one God … albeit with the richness of the many available expressions of worship and ministry.

Many churches in Hobsons Bay and also in Wyndham seek to work together through various initiatives and projects. This involves putting some of their ‘distinctives’ on the ‘back-burner’, and concentrating on their major unifying feature – the Lordship of Jesus Christ. However, the possibility of this spreading more broadly is always hampered by such diverse problems as time, fear and individual agendas. Also, it is difficult to cooperate with those who do not have the same commitment to this process as you do!

What we can do, is what we should do! We have been able to support various Christian agencies and organisations through our giving and prayer support – most recently through our gold coin donation campaign. We have been able to join together with Newport Baptist and Williamstown Church of Christ to conduct Careforce “Search for Life” Courses in the West – something that each church could not have done on their own. I have been praying with many other local pastors each Thursday morning for nearly three years now, developing a unified view of local ministry and mission.

Happily, part of cooperating with others, is the willingness to receive as well as give. We have received great support from Altona Baptist Church, and we were able celebrate that in a low-key way last Sunday evening. We talk often of the support we get from the Baptist Union of Victoria, but the Baptist Union is not really an organisation of itself, but rather a representative body of associated churches – which tells us where our financial support really comes from … a cooperative fund contributed to by many churches to support mission where it is most needed.

Let’s now consider Jesus’ prayer in its most local and immediate application. Jesus’ prayer, originally, addressed the disciples he had known and invested his life in, and also the people who would come to associate with them in the first experience of church following the Day of Pentecost (v.20). Without Jesus around in the physical sense, would these immature young followers be able to adequately perpetuate the gospel message? Even with the promise of the Holy Spirit on hand to guide them, this would still be a matter of concern and prayerfulness for Jesus! Why? Because Jesus understood the human capacity to tear each other apart at worst, and just be difficult to get along with at best!

If the good news of Jesus Christ was (and is) to be taken seriously, then those who accept it and adhere to it should be able to prove its credibility through living it out in harmony with one another. If the good news of Jesus does not lead to life being more happily relational – then what is it worth?

Jesus prays (v.11b): "Holy Father, protect them in Your Name that You have given me, so that they may be one, as We are one". Why was Jesus so concerned for them (and their ability to stay unified) that he sought God’s protection over them?

In verse 14 we read about the “world” hating these disciples (where the “world” represents that sphere of influence that is opposed to God’s ways). According to this text, the reason behind such hatred is that these disciples do not “belong” to this world – meaning that these disciples didn’t just follow along with how things were, they chose to adopt Jesus’ attitudes and priorities and way of living. These disciples had given their first allegiance to Jesus – they belonged to him (and not the “world”)! This of course meant that they were different, and therefore a threat! So they would need God’s protection from any attack against the ethical and transformational threat they posed; but was there another level of protection that was needed from God? It seems that with the mention of the maintaining of their oneness in Jesus’ prayer, there is the suggestion that under the pressure of the “world”, there may be the possibility of fragmentation in the Christian community, ie. exterior pressures may bring about interior disruption. The early Christian Community would need the protection of God, so that the integrity of their worship, and their attempts at sharing Jesus with their neighbours, would not be compromised by any negative reactions to the difficulties of life in the face of opposing evil.

“Loving God, protect us from those evil forces that will corrupt our testimony to Jesus, and cause us to doubt one another.”

Jesus next prays (v.17): "Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth". To be “sanctified” is to be set apart, made fit, & equipped … for a particular task.

To survive the journey in unity, the early disciples would have to be emersed in God’s Word. We are no different to this. If we are to survive the complexities of life, make good decisions on a daily basis, retain the quality of our witness to Jesus, and maintain our harmonious relationships in the church, we are going to have to have the Word of God (as given to us in the Bible) uppermost in our mind, guarding and guiding our heart. How do we achieve this? By reading the Bible, by studying the Bible and allowing God to speak through it to us, by asking questions and having more difficult concepts explained to us, by meditating on the Bible and allowing it to sink into our spirit!

Despite Jesus’ awareness of the danger of the world’s attitudes to him and his followers (vs. 14-16), he doesn’t give up on the world and its citizens, rather all the more expresses the need to bring God’s love into this environment. Through our acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and the new life of freedom from the devastating effects of sin we now experience, we join with the ‘Divine United Community’ in being part of the solution for the world and its peoples.

This is indeed the prayer of Jesus as we read in verse 21: "As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent me".

There is the real expectation here that people will respond. And we know that for 20 centuries people have responded positively to the gospel across the world.

But this prayer remains a living prayer of Jesus for us – that the people of our world, all those that we interact with in life’s daily situations, will know that Jesus was sent to reconcile the world to God – to re-establish relationships between human beings and their loving Creator. And the way that this can become a reality is through the oneness of God’s people. Jesus prays again in verses 22-23: "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me".

What are some of the ways we can exhibit this oneness?

Oneness or unity is displayed relationally – it’s seen (or not seen) as people interact with each other. Oneness would therefore reflect a commitment to both the needs of another and the corporate needs or purpose of a group.

This is a process of breaking through the reality of different personalities, temperaments, backgrounds, interests and perspectives, and a collaboration of all available resources, abilities and spiritual gifts – toward the attainment of a great goal.

This is a unity brought creatively together through the richness of diversity!

What are some of the ways we can exhibit this oneness?

· Encouragement in the face of the world’s cutting criticism
· Honesty in the face of the world’s deceptions
· Self-Control in the face of the world’s expressions of hostility
· Caring in the face of the world’s self-centredness
· Accepting Difference in the face of the world’s exclusiveness
· Sharing in the face of the world’s selfishness
· Cooperation in the face of the world’s individualism
· Faithfulness in the face of the world’s betrayal
· Gentleness in the face of the world’s desire for power
· Forgiveness in the face of the bitterness in the world
· Peace-making in the face of the world’s tendency to dominate
· Joy & Hope in the face of the world’s despair.

If we can just model community in this way, we will draw others into unity with God!

Where do we stand this Palm Sunday?

Today is Palm Sunday – Jesus rides into the West in his Ford Falcon. We have the choice of proclaiming “Hosanna” and following him into cooperative service with our fellow believers, or crying out “Crucify Him” and walking away lonely and unchanged. As Jesus has invited us on the journey, we have to consider whether we are following his path, or whether we have stepped to the side.

This Easter, I want to more deeply appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for me out of the depth of the Father’s heart of love. I want to more deeply appreciate my freedom from the limitations of humanness, the wonder of belonging to Jesus, and the richness of being ushered into caring community. I want to take this sense of freedom and peace out into the local community, spend time there, and, no matter how scary this sounds, be observed and questioned because of the hope that lies within me. Let us help each other to stay on the journey, learning as we go, and together thanking Jesus that he is praying for us right now.

The Prospect of Peace (John 14:15-31)

1. The Giving of the Holy Spirit

Jesus knew that, following his resurrection, there would be the need for an ongoing presence of God to travel with his disciples. This would not be Jesus himself, but the third member of the Trinity of God (Community of God) – the Holy Spirit. Jesus deeply loved his disciples, and wanted to ensure their well-being into a challenging future. Jesus also knew that if these disciples were going to be successful in mission (taking on the task of sharing the gospel of Jesus in the world) they were going to need special power, notable fruitfulness and spiritual giftedness.

So for the disciples of Jesus’ time, the promise contained in these words was intended to be of significant reassurance – that what the incarnation of Jesus into the world had begun – would not be able to be turned aside, not even by Jesus’ death.

There may have been the possibility of the first disciples thinking that they were just born at a remarkable one-off never-to-be-repeated time when this great prophet and teacher Jesus was around – simply a case of being in the right spot at the right time. With his death (and their death) such a time would just be a wonderful memory! Jesus was wanting to point out quite the opposite!! This actually was the beginning of the whole of the rest of history. Whatever was going to happen next – the ongoing presence of Jesus was assured; and the mission of God in the world had taken a dramatic and permanent turn!

For the readers of John’s Gospel some 50 years later, there would be a reminder of how the Holy Spirit could be effective in the transforming of life and the transforming of community. It was not just the first disciples who experienced the presence of Jesus, but indeed all those who have subsequently adhered themselves to him. The presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit continues to enrich and enliven the church communities that centre themselves on “believing” in Jesus! Today the Holy Spirit is the church’s direct link to the work of Jesus in history.

We come to “believe” in Jesus, meaning:
· appreciating his earthly ministry of compassion, healing & justice
· embracing his teaching of the pre-eminence of love & forgiveness
· identifying ourselves with his death – that this was an act of mercy to bring about our freedom
· being raised into new life through his resurrection and our repentance (determination to see change); and then we are given the Holy Spirit to be our travelling companion – offering us the possibility of being effective for Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God’s power source within and around human beings to see the work of Jesus carried on (in the world).

If we look at verse 20 > we can see that on the day that we truly believe in Jesus, we will know that we have entered into a Divine relationship, because we will sense an inner witness to God’s presence – this is the Holy Spirit. We can no longer do just as we want (or think whatever we want) without feeling somehow awkward! Because we have this inner presence of God, any selfish or destructive behaviour or thinking only leads to unhappiness.

We have invited Jesus to lead our lives, so we better be ready for an exciting journey! People invite Jesus into their lives for all sorts of reasons. These reasons may include:
· escaping the fear of “hell”
· looking for an easier life – around more positive people
· wanting a more structured framework for living; however, “believing” is not just a quick fix to get out of trouble, but rather a whole change of life orientation.

I grew up in a Christian family – regular and committed church goers. The problem for me was the perceived expectation of inevitable commitment to God and the church. This meant that there was the possibility of just borrowing my parents’ faith, and never really finding my own through a personal sense of need and an individual search for truth. People just wanted me to be added to the list of those who were “saved”! I probably did just fall in with the expectations around me, and just got this commitment thing done with. Having got this over with, I thought that I could just dance to the beat of my own drum. But of course, this was a very unhappy
experience (and this was naturally going to be the case). Why? Because I had given Jesus permission to enter my life, and he had given me his Holy Spirit to dwell within – who would never be fully accepting of anything other than my complete openness to God’s leading. This I did embrace some time later – and am still seeking to grow with. I came to have my own very personal love affair with Jesus, and complete appreciation of his mission to the world. I am
happy to know that (in line with verse 20) I am in Jesus, and Jesus [is] in me.

2. The Giving of Peace

Part of this ‘giving’ of the Holy Spirit was an offering of peace (verse 27). Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."

Life in the world … breaking that down … life in community, life in our family, life in our workplace, life in our school, life in the shopping centre … does not generally bring us peace!! Life in the world tends to bring us pressure, uncertainties, negativity, conflict, danger and heartache (sometimes also a sense of hopelessness).

How would you describe or define “peace”?

In the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) we have the expression “shalom” which refers to: the well-being of the people, as they live in close harmony with God, their neighbours, and the rest of God’s creation. “Shalom” relates to: wholeness, completeness, soundness. “Shalom” both relates to personal welfare and ethical outcomes. In ancient Israel, a person could not be truly at peace if his/her neighbour was being oppressed in any way.

In the New Testament we have the word “eirene” which includes: harmony, contentment, rest, welfare, health, safety. “Peace” in the New Testament is also obviously connected with having faith and receiving forgiveness (Luke 7:47-50, 8:46-48).

In the 4th century, St. Augustine wrote: "Peace is a good so great, that even in this earthly and mortal life, there is no word we hear with such pleasure, nothing we desire with such zest, or find to be more thoroughly satisfying".

Given that “peace” is a desirable thing, how can we gain it?

We can’t just conjure up peace out of thin air just because we want it! To truly experience peace ourselves we have to receive this as a gift from Jesus – the source of peace (2 Thess. 3:16). In this way we can begin to experience peace despite being in all the same pressure situations we always have been in.

What does Jesus intend through this offer of peace?

That we will have a complete sense and understanding of having >

(i) Peace with God – we know that are loved by God and have been offered mercy. We put our faith in this and receive forgiveness through Jesus, possess a recreated relationship with God, and have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1). We are accepted and valued by God, we have been befriended by Jesus. Not that we are anywhere near perfect, yet we are on a proactive journey of becoming more like Jesus. When we fall, we can again be forgiven and restored. However, it must be said that our appreciation of “peace” will be more acute, when we are clearly abiding in God’s will and purposes (eg. Lev. 26:3-4,6; Psalm 85:10, Romans 8:6).

That we will have a complete sense and understanding of having >

(ii) Peace within Ourselves – this is because the battle to try to be good enough is over! God’s love for us does not depend upon our performance – just on our response to His grace. We no longer need to have the approval of others, for we are okay in God’s sight. Whereas a cluttered conscience was a great obstacle to inward peace – any feelings of guilt have now been addressed through the ‘cross of Christ”. Any sense of shame we have been carrying has been overwhelmed by God’s acceptance of us as His son or daughter (and the rebuilding process of the Holy Spirit). [If you don’t feel this way, then you should undertake a Careforce “Search for Life” course!] It must be said that our appreciation of “inward peace” will be compromised if we continue to make unhealthy lifestyle choices or choose not to address any relationship tensions we have. The greatest killer of “inner peace” is bitterness (toward another)! We will also diminish our “peace within” if we allow ourselves to remain unaffected by the pain and need of others. Far from being preoccupied with self or withdrawing from community, experiencing “peace within ourselves” should actually lead to a healthy engagement with the people around us.

[Prayer is certainly a resource that can help us experience “inner peace”. We share here with the One who already knows our shortfalls and loves us completely anyway! As we talk and listen in prayer, we can renew our faith, gain new perspective and guidance, and be embraced by a fresh offering of God’s grace. Prayer helps us build a deeper consciousness of the presence of God every moment of the day and night (Psalm 4:8, 1 Timothy 2:1-4).]

What does Jesus intend through this offer of peace?

That we will take seriously the importance of pursuing >

(iii) Peace with our Neighbours – The history of the world is a sad tale of nation set against different nation, gang set against rival gang, person set against another person. No sooner had God created than we read about Cain slaying Abel. God’s ideal of peace was shattered by the human craving for personal control and power over others. In the same way that Jesus’ gift of peace reunites us with God, this same gift of peace should lead to the re-establishment of broken human relationships. This same gift of peace should lead to a high priority being put on the maintaining of harmonious friendships. This gift of peace should constrict our mouths and our bodies from striking out against another person. This doesn’t mean that we should in any way accept abuse or become a ‘doormat’ for anybody else, but it does mean that we try our level best to practice a basic attitude of healing, preserving and developing relationships. This follows Paul’s wise advice (in Romans 12:18): "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all". And, of course, our efforts toward peace are closely connected with our willingness
to be a forgiving person.

That we will participate in the vision for >

(iv) Peace in the World – We are not going to be able to solve all the world’s conflicts ourselves. However, the views we espouse, the attitudes we reflect, and the various actions we take, may just make a sufficient enough difference to really help a needy people group here or an individual oppressed person there. In light of Jesus saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”, what view do we have about the conflict in Iraq? We cannot separate our political views from our Christianity! If we truly “believe in Jesus”, then everything that he teaches and offers us must impact our worldview and (socio-political) activity.

These can be tricky issues, because often we are weighing up between two evils – the evil in the status quo versus the evil connected with intervention. Also, a perceived ‘peace’ or cessation of hostility, where injustice remains, is not real ‘peace’! Despite their huge costs, some countries will invest heavily in various armaments, claiming these to be deterrents to war. These are tricky issues indeed!

But we cannot escape any of Jesus’ statements about authentic spiritual life … or this one in particular: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" ie. be like God (Matthew 5:9). What intense pain it must cause God when there is violence, conflict and war in His created world! God is forced to watch the human beings (so lovingly fashioned and formed) destroy each other. Wars have characterised the history of the human race; the stupidity, arrogance and greed of human beings seen in their continual resort to force. Am I part of this problem, or can I align myself with the Prince of Peace Jesus, reject violence in all its forms, and become part of the solution? At the same time, peace is a Divine gift and also a human work!! Ross Langmead (Professor of Missiology at Whitley) has written: "The task is huge, and all we can do is bite off a small corner and begin chewing away it".

May the prospect of peace remain alive … as I “believe in Jesus”, embrace mercy and find peace with God; as I allow the Holy Spirit to flow through me, and find peace within; as I see others (my neighbours) as human beings loved and desired by God, and relate to them as such; and as I adopt various peacemaking activities that allow the world to become more like the Kingdom where God reigns! Amen!

Jesus, the Way to God - thoughts on John 14:1-12

Jesus says to us > "Do not let your hearts be troubled".

We might be tempted to respond – “Easy for him to say!”

There is a very full list of reasons why we might be troubled through life!!! The disciples had just heard from Jesus that he was going away from them {to the cross and death}, which caused them great confusion and distress. We know how that all turned out, but still there are many things around to worry us:

· Difficulties with family members
· Communication barriers with our husband or wife
· Financial difficulties, too many bills/debts, not enough resources/employment
· Ill-health
· Problems at work, stresses at school/university
· Trouble with decision-making eg. property

Jesus’ answer to this may seem trite at times, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. Jesus says that the way to move forward is to > "Believe in God" – and that the way to access this is to "Believe … in me [Jesus]".

We have already seen in the Gospel of John, that it is the person of Jesus who can revolutionise our lives. Jesus is the “Logos” of God, the very presence of God in our midst. Jesus can turn the plainest water into the best vintage of wine. Jesus can give us the sort of living water that will mean we will never thirst again. Jesus can meet all the basic needs that human life requires. Jesus can open our eyes to see with new spiritual insight, allowing us to fully experience God on a daily basis. Jesus is the provider of life in all its fullness – a quality of life which so thoroughly exceeds just ‘going through the motions’ (this life is called “eternal life”, and can begin here and now … if it hasn’t already).

To believe in Jesus is to thoroughly and completely trust in him in all facets of life. This is not just in some carefully compartmentalised parts of life (what we might define as the Christian bits), but in every facet of life – everything we think, everything we decide, everything we say, everything we do!

To believe in Jesus is to know that God can turn around the gravest situations.

To believe in Jesus is to accept the gift of forgiveness offered through the cross {on which Jesus died}, to be determined to participate in a process of {transformational} change, and to be raised into new life … following in the way of Jesus – adopting his emphasis on love and peace, adopting his attitudes & priorities.

To believe in Jesus is to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and guide us through the challenges of life. In this way we escape the sort of despair that might otherwise overtake us. And when we do have moments of doubt and significant trouble, we have a loyal personal friend to refer back to and cuddle up with.

Could Jesus really be that interested in little old me? After all I feel like a bit of a disappointment really! I sometimes feel unlovable, and that I haven’t got much to offer!

The answer is an emphatic YES!! There is room for everyone in God’s heart.

We see in verse 2 that there are endless rooms in God’s kingdom – enough space for everybody. No-one need be excluded! [Certainly more than a four bedroom house with a study and two bathrooms!] But you need to want to be there – to knock on the door and walk through the entrance!!

Jesus is wanting to take our hand and lead us to our room in the motel of God’s kingdom. Think of the bellboy picking up and carrying our suitcases while taking us up in the elevator to the accommodation that the cleaning staff has previously prepared for us. And whenever we have a need that is connected to the activities that this motel promotes, room service is available to all the guests.

We also encouragingly read here how Jesus will always be ready to claim us as his children for all eternity, and take us to where he is dwelling. There is nothing that can separate us from Jesus aside from our own detrimental decision-making.

In verse 4, it seems that Jesus had assumed that all the disciples by now had got it! "And you know the way to the place where I am going."

Quite often my passengers may reasonably assume that I know where I’m going when I’m driving, but sometimes that’s not the situation. And unless I quickly admit this, and ask for directions or grab the Melways, then I’m going to get really lost. At least Thomas was willing to admit that he wasn’t sure what Jesus meant – he was still thinking of some necessary physical movement (or some set of written instructions) as being the way to God – How can we know the way. Thomas was still looking for someone to draw him a map. But we clearly know today that the way to God cannot be found in a street directory, but only in a person.

"I am the Way…"

Jesus being the “way (to God)” identifies him as the point of access to life with God – life as it’s meant to be experienced (in all its fullness).

The way of Jesus bringing us into “eternal life” would be through the cross; not that we ourselves would have to physically go to a cross to follow him, rather accept that Jesus was going to his cross on our behalf. Our sin and our brokenness are nailed to that cross, allowing us to be free and liberated in new life. We will still have our ‘crosses’ to bear, because we are human beings in a human inhabited environment, but we have the very presence of Jesus with us to enable our troubles not to get the best of us. So Jesus can rightly say to us: "Do not let your hearts be troubled".

Jesus is also the truth.

In fact, Jesus is the life and the way because Jesus is the truth.

Everything that Jesus has taught and done and modelled out … has been the perfect representation of the heart of God. Jesus’ life has been lived out with perfect integrity, with his teaching being thoroughly exampled by his activity; all this intimately linked with the will and purposes of God for the salvation of the world’s peoples. The life of Jesus in history actually links with God’s intentions at the beginning of creation ie. facilitating people to make a choice to be in relationship with God. Jesus’ life, death and life … brings inexhaustible creative power to our lives.

Jesus is the truth because he provides a clear, undistorted picture of God.

So it is no wonder that no-one can actually come into personal relationship with God without Jesus. How would we know what God was like, without being shown by Jesus! We can’t really enter into a proper relationship with someone without beginning to know them.

We begin to know what God is like by getting to know someone we can certainly relate to, and by getting to know someone who can certainly relate to us. Yet another reminder of Hebrews 4:15-6, where the depth of this human/Divine identification is explained:

"For we do not have a high priest [using the Hebrew understanding of a ‘confessor’ – the one who hears our deepest internal pain] who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

In seeing Jesus, in knowing Jesus, we can know God. The search for God is completed through personally connecting with Jesus. God has lovingly and intricately created us and sought a relationship with us. The arrival of Jesus brings God into the realm of human experience, God’s truth in flesh and blood, so that our quest for life might be fulfilled. As we experience Jesus through the Gospels, as we are given understanding by the Holy Spirit, we experience God.

Too often the last phrase of John 14:6 … "No one comes to the Father except through me" … is used in a very unhelpful and negative way. It is sometimes used arrogantly to lift the claims of one belief system over another. It is sometimes used in an exclusive sense to divide some people off from the possibility of participating in God’s Kingdom.

When these words were originally said and then written down, they would have been simply and clearly understood to mean that access to Father God was not gained through any written law (as the Pharisees etc maintained), but rather through the person of Jesus. This would have been joyously liberating for these hearers.

These words should really be taken as a positive statement of the glorious inclusive possibility of knowing God through Jesus. These are words of invitation to all people to come to know Jesus, and therefore come to truly know God.

Another disciple, Philip, still didn’t get it (refer v.8), but at least he really wanted to! Sometimes things don’t make sense to us, and so we shrink away, rather than continuing to search things out. Philip was one who would probably ask questions until everyone seemed thoroughly sick of him, but then still asked more questions. For Philip desperately wanted to fully know the truth.

One of the ‘beattitudes’, given to the crowd in Matthew chapter 5, was: "Blessed are the meek …" and the “meek” are the gentle ones, yet sincere learners; they are teachable and open to new understanding. This is the way through which we can grow and thrive in this experience of “eternal life”.

Jesus was able to use Philip’s questioning to draw the disciples’ attention to the signs that he had been giving of God’s presence. How could anyone say that Father God had not been in the turning of water into wine, the feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fish, the giving of sight to a man born blind, the raising of Lazarus from the dead; surely these were unmistakably acts of God – worked through the very Son of God.

Indeed, these disciples would also be able to do the works of God as they followed the resurrected Jesus, as would all those who subsequently followed Jesus, as we are able to as well (in significant public ways and in simple unassuming ways) – representing the risen Jesus in our daily journey.

Jesus has introduced us to God, and through this God is working in our lives. God has liberated us from our sin and brokenness, and given us the experience of “eternal life” here and now. God has given us meaning and purpose. God is with us in any difficulty or suffering we face. So, do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in Jesus!

Jesus and the Resurrection of Lazarus - a sermon on John 11:1-54

I guess stories that involve death get our attention because of our feelings about our own mortality, and also because the mortality of those we love is never far from our minds. Some will not want to think about the prospect of death much and push it to the back of their minds. Others will continue to be preoccupied by the notion of death, and often have dark thoughts concerning it. Jesus has something to say about death in the face of its inevitability … but in more in terms of life – spiritual life, eternal life!

Mary and Martha and Lazarus were well known to Jesus. When Lazarus was gravely ill, his sisters sought to contact Jesus in an attempt to get him to save their brother’s life. Jesus’ response (v.4) is curious is it not! "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

We know that often illness does lead to death, and tend to think that when a terminal illness strikes someone (especially when we feel they’re way too young to die), that this indeed is a tragedy. And I think we’d be right – such a premature death is tragic.

Take Billy Thorpe for instance. Although he wasn’t a young man (at 60) he still had a lot of life before him, still much to offer to his family, and his music was still maturing and developing. If only he had paid more attention to those earlier signs of his heart problems, this trouble might have been attended to, and he could have lived on.

We don’t take illness lightly, or we shouldn’t. When we are unwell, we go and see our doctors, listen to their advice, take the prescribed medication, make necessary adjustments to our lifestyle, and carefully monitor our well-being. [Some of our workplace agreements would include the necessity of annual health check-ups.]

We also pray at times for our healing and restoration to full health, understanding that God works through the whole of our being to bless our lives. Hopefully this combination of medical science and spiritual faith brings us back into fine physical working order.

Sometimes though, the years catch up with us. Also, the prevalence of some diseases existent in our world environment, sometimes take their full toll. Why some survive and others don’t may remain a mystery at times, but my point here is that illness is something we rightly seek to avoid. And death too, is something we rightly try to avoid.

It is true we may learn some important lessons through times of illness, however seeking to prevent such illness is still to be preferred. This is supported by the way God created within us immune systems through which our bodies fight off disease.

Therefore (in v. 4) Jesus was obviously on about something else!

It was this particular illness of Lazarus that wasn’t going to lead to ultimate death, but rather be a sign of some deeper understanding of death (and indeed life). This new insight would lead those – who had their eyes wide enough to see and understand what was being demonstrated – into a vibrant, committed worship of Jesus – Son of God.

Also, whereas this illness would lead to a real experience of death for around four days, this death would be reversed, as if it never happened. So, this illness would only lead to an experience of physical death, and not to the sort of death that was more permanent and more crucial – spiritual death.

We don’t want to underestimate the real fear of death that some people experience. We don’t want to lessen the impact that physical death can have on us! We don’t want to diminish the reality of grief and loss when we lose loved ones. But we are alerted here to deal with Jesus’ challenge concerning our spiritual well-being, and the spiritual well-being of others.

Having made this curious statement in verse 4 (and you could just imagine the people hearing this scratching their heads in confusion), Jesus delayed another two days before travelling to the home of Lazarus. This was not through any lack of love or feeling for this family, but something else was afoot. Why such a delay?

Well we know that God sometimes delays His response to our prayer requests until the time is right. Jesus is no prisoner to our human timelines or expectations. But there would even be more to this delay than that! Jesus was out to absolutely demonstrate that the incidence of physical death was not more powerful than God.

In this particular case, Lazarus was going to be allowed to die, before there would be a remarkable demonstration of physical death not being the last word on life. Jesus seems to hint (in verse 15) that if he had already been with Lazarus (as he suffered in grave illness), Jesus may not have been able to do anything other than just heal him there and then (such was Jesus’ level of compassion – that could not be denied). But given that Lazarus would succumb to his illness in Jesus’ absence, then this would be an opportunity for his disciples (and all those others who would witness or hear about this) to develop in their understanding of who Jesus is – and truly believe in him!

By the time Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had been dead and laid in a tomb for four days, and much grief and consolation had been expressed. On his arrival, and through his interactions with family and other mourners, Jesus too got caught up into all the emotion surrounding this tragic death.

First Martha (and then Mary later), express what we can see as natural human thoughts, at the same time as tremendous statements of faith! Martha (in vs. 21-22) first expresses disappointment and regret that Jesus hadn’t arrived early enough – ‘if only you’d been here’ – an understandable response to the loss of her brother; but then confesses her trust … she knows that now Jesus is here, all is not yet lost.

In the face of this deep human need and clear statement of faith, Jesus makes a radical and extraordinary statement (vs. 25-26): "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die".

Those who come to believe in Jesus, although they will still physically die, will live on spiritually. Therefore, in effect, life will not end for the believer in physical death, but rather move into a new dimension (which continues for ever). The “eternal life” that begins through “believing” in Jesus, first experienced in the here and now, cannot be terminated, not even by physical death!

This is the truth of the matter because it is God who is speaking it. And just to prove that it is God who is speaking it, and to prove that death has no power to subvert God, Jesus will now give a sign in the physical realm to prove what is possible in the spiritual realm.

The body of Lazarus, now dead for four days, had begun to decompose, attested to by the stench when they began to remove the stone from the entrance to the cave. What was this meant to prove? Jesus would be able to offer a remarkable sign of the reality of resurrection – Jesus didn’t just choose to heal another person from illness, didn’t just raise someone several minutes after being clinically dead, but chose to raise someone who was absolutely gone and lifeless. There would absolutely be no shadow of a doubt that Jesus had recalled a dead man to life!

What does this tell us?? This was no magician’s trick! More than this – it shows that nobody, no matter how far gone, no matter how much their life seems to be in decay, is without hope!

Jesus can bring life into what seems to be completely dead. Jesus can take our dead hopes and revive them! Even those areas of our lives that seem so deeply lost, can be restored under the healing, resurrecting hand of Jesus! Jesus can bring a vibrant newness to what seemed diminished or lifeless.

When Jesus cried out, Lazarus come out (v.43), the formerly dead Lazarus came out of his tomb!

Ironically it would be this ultimate expression of God’s re-creative power that would seal Jesus’ fate – death on the cross. Such a threat to the comfortable status-quo had to be dealt with severely and removed from the scene. The giving of life to Lazarus would rally the call for Jesus to be killed. But even then, this injustice will bring God’s plan of salvation to a climax, culminating in Jesus himself being raised from the dead.

Many would come to see in this Lazarus incident, a forerunner to Jesus’ own experience of death and resurrection.

All who will truly “believe” in Jesus (and accept that he died in our place for our sins) can participate in the resurrection of the One who holds the keys to life. Jesus both in his teaching ministry and with his very life, confronts the reality of death, and lifts the possibilities of God’s creativity beyond it. Christ’s resurrected life becomes the vital dynamic that drives our life.

2 Timothy 2:11 says: "The saying is sure: ‘If we have died with him, we will also live with him’..."

Jesus is victory over death. Jesus is eternal life. When the people asked Jesus for bread, Jesus said, “I am the Bread…”! When the people were looking for guidance through the darkness, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world”! Our positive, fulfilling, and ongoing experience of life depends not on accepting a doctrine, or adhering to a particular religious form, but trusting in a Person! It is through a relationship with Jesus that we enter “eternal life”.

We will surely die physically; but because we “believe” in Jesus, and have already ‘died to sin’ and begun to live “life eternal”, death will simply be a passing from one dimension to another. We will pass from the limits of our humanity, to the unabashed and pure worship of God for all time.

In conclusion, one question is: ‘how much of this unashamed and pure worship of God can we experience in the here and now’? Will we be able to receive the full measure of God’s love that is being offered to us, freely and confidently express our commitment and worship, and take our unreserved faith out in the highways and byways of community life? Another question to ponder is: ‘whether or not we really know Jesus’? We can far more easily know things about Jesus; but do we know Jesus personally? Do we encounter Jesus every day?