John Chapter 1 The Light Announced Testimony to the Light, the Life, the Lamb Eternity Testifiesm - John the Baptist Testifies - Nathaniel Testifies Who He is Who ARE you? Light and Life John the Baptizer - witnesses to and testifies about the Light anf Life Apostles Acquired v29 - John merely see's Jesus and he leaps up and crys out "LOOK! There He IS!" - even as he jumped in the womb at 1st being with Jesus in Mary John Chapter 2 >1st< miracle - wedding water to wine 1st time He Purged the Temple 1st predicted His death and Resurrection v20 - The jews scoffed because they thought rebuilding a 46yr job Temple in 3 days was hard - HA!! Piece of CAKE compared to resurrection!! John Chapter 3 Nicodemus in the Dark and the Baptizer Rejoices Nicodemus in the Night Jesus Testifies to Himself v1-21 Jesus Testifies to Jesus v22-36 v14 - Predicts His death again - #2 v22 - Jesus Baptized too? NO - see 4:2 v22-36 - Jesus increases & John Decreases The Bridegroom and the Groomsman Chapter 4 - see separate file Chapter 5 The Pool of Bethsaida v11 - having experienced His authority to heal, one is NOT likely to question His authority over mere tradition v36 - here is WHY He worked miracles - to PROVE His Diety, His Messiah-ship *Multiple Witnesses* *A Multitude of Witnesses* v1-15 - The healed Cripple - Tho HEALED, the man NEVER rejoiced, NEVER thanked Jesus, he DID obey Jesus by picking up his bed and walking - therefore, knowingly violating tradition (NOT the Law) Then he >ratted< on Jesus to the Pharisee's - was he angry at Jesus pointing out his sinful state? v7-9 - Jesus did NOT say "Your faith has healed you..." v6 - Is this a ODD question? Or is it really the HEART of this issue? How many of us become "adjusted" to the way things are? Become acustomed to our situation, even if it is crippling? How easy to give up and just "accept" the sin that so frequently overcomes me, that time after time I just jump back into! SO, Jesus asks the question to the INNER issues - do you REALLY want to become well? Do you MEAN it? v7 - Always SOME excuse to facilitate our/my problem - "Oh well, I'm only human..." v8 - Jesus can do what we could NEVER imagine was even POSSIBLE; He did NOT rail at the others, shouting "HEY! You selfish louts! How about giving this poor crippled guy a chance?! Huh?! How about letting him in >1stpreferred< to be crippled? That he was content with his condition? Shored up by his excuses?? v16-32 - Jesus v33-35 - John the Baptist v36 - Miracles v37 - The Father v38-47 - God's Word "The Father and the Son" - One and the Same v1-16 - The Father and Son are the Same with the Law and in Propriety; The Son rightly interprets the Father's Sabbath Law v17-18 - Father and Son are the Same in Position - Equals v19-23, 31 - Father and Son are the Same in Purpose and Activity Giving Life Giving Judgement Receiving Honor v23-30 - Same in Power v31-47 - Father and Son are the Same in Proclamation John chapter 6 - The Bread of Life! v1-15 - feeding the 5000 (the intro - the physical model of the spiritual reality) v16-26 - water walking, storm stilling v27-71 - I AM THE Bread of Eternal Life; No man except the Father draws him...) V28 "what are we to do...?" they wanted an improved list of good works - hoping for a better list, more accurate; Jesus gave them the ONE thing som many were UNwilling to do: Abandon personal works and become totally utterly dependent upon HIS adequacy, HIS Grace - to only believe in HIM, and thereby making HIM the SOURCE of salvation, of personal worth; to depend on HIS accomplishments and NOT on MY OWN! Not depend on what I do - but upon WHO HE IS - THE Bread of Life; v42 - at LEAST they called Him the Son of Joseph, hence not directly insulting Him with the reference ?pattern: Proclaim truth (v26-40) The Jews Murmur and fuss (v41-42) Jesus RE-proclaims the truth (v43-51) NOW the Jews ANGRILY contend (v52) Jesus RE-proclaims the truth (v53-59) NOW the Jews start to contest the TRUTH itself of it (v60) Jesus RE-proclaims (with BETTER explanation) the Truth (v61-65) NOW they give up and LEAVE Him (v66) **This was a distillation process - "Quadruple" Distilled!** Leaeving behind ONLY those who believed (plus ONE) - v67-71 Did the ones who stayed simple have a better understanding or insight into Jesus words? NO! Then WHY did they stay and the OTHERS leave? THEY believed in HIM, so even when His words were hard and unclear, they STILL trusted in HIM - in WHO He was; Those that left were NOT looking to Jesus, but ONLY to the words (i.e., they were trying to deal with the >philosophy<, the >religion< WITHOUT the RELATIONSHIP! Same as those who go to church, try to take the Christian philosophical concepts while DENYING the Savior who BOUGHT them AND Taught them; This is why such people HAVE to pick and choose >WHAT< they "like" in scripture, BECAUSE the ENTIRE thing is JUST as indigestible NOW as it was THEN; ANY time people try to separate the truth from THE TRUTH (i.e., the words from THE WORD), they are gonna CHOKE! ANd turn away from HIM even MORE... John Chapter Seven - The Feast of Tabernacles Authenticating the Son of God I AM the Water of LIFE v1-10 - His BROTHERS reject Him it says in v1, people wanted to KILL Him in Judea, so WHERE do THEY urge Him to go?? JUDEA?! Some Family! Or were they accusing Him of being a fake because He LEFT the trouble and headed home? v12 - BOTH were wrong! And 2000 years later people STILL can't agree in this point and STILL miss the TRUTH in the process! v15 Like so many do today, they confused "knowledge" or an education for insight / understanding / wisdom! v19 - He KNEW to whom He was aiming this condemnation - NOT at the "crowd", but at the Pharisees - the LEADERS of Israel; v25 - having reminded them of the case in point, some DID realize that the Leaders wanted Him DEAD v27 - they whisper among themselves, HE proclaims it from the FRONT! v29 - I AM! v41 - They could have asked Him regarding this reasonable question, but they weren't >interested< in discovering the TRUTH, but only in discovering reasons for >rejecting< Him; i.e., having already decided they would NOT believe, they sought reasons to >justify< this decision; v45ff - How do you >explain< THIS one to your Boss? Do you say, "Hey, you HAD to BE there, ok??"? v48-52 - What SPECIOUS reasoning! At LAST the >true< character of these false leaders is admitted to - "He is false because we WANT Him to be!" v50 - POOR Nicodemus! The boys all say, "Hey, None of US accepts Him..." ANd HE'S sitting there AFRAID to speak up and say, "Well...that's not QUITE accurate..." But he makes up for it by PUBLICALLY >begging< for the body of the One whom he couldn't find the courage to acknowledge while He was still alive... v52 - MAN is the anger and scorn THICK here; John Chapter 8 v1-11 - I AM THE LAW; Jesus does NOT violate the Law by forgiving instead of stoning her... WE cannot offer such forgiveness from ourselves - there is NO sacrifice under Mosaic Law to >atone< for such a sin (i.e., David's same delimna!), so WE (under the Law) can only stone her. BUT HE! JESUS CAN FORGIVE because HE IS GOD. Like with David, HE can see into the heart and SEE that contrite spirit and offer MORE than the Law can - He can offer FORGIVENESS that transcends the limits of the Law; v12ff - I AM THE LIGHT! ?Pattern? v12 - Jesus proclaims Truth - I AM the LIGHT v18 - Jews/Pharisees deny His authority, His authenticity v14-18 - Jesus answers charges with MORE truth: I AM the SON v19 - Jewish Leadership deny His Sonship v20-24 - Jesus proclaims Truth - I AM of ABOVE, YOU are LOST in SIN - Jesus HAD to have spoken such words with a powerful and compelling authority, otherwise they would have (and probably had) KILLED anyone ELSE making such outrageous and shocking claims; v25 - Jews deny His claim with their questions "Who are you ANYway?" - as if He ahdn't already made that clear! v25-32 - Jesus proclaims "I AM FREEDOM" v33 Jews deny their slavery v29 - OH, the GREATNESS of His sacrifice - He Who had NEVER been apart from the Father >willingly< agrees to cry out in agony "WHY hast Thou FORSAKEN ME??!!" v34-38 - Jesus answers their denials with MORE truth - I AM THE SON v39a - Jews deny His unique Sonship, claiming their own as EQUAL, as GOOD as HIS; v39b-41a - Jesus claims THEIR true source - their FAILURE to be God's Son's - their Spiritual Illigitmacy 41b - Jews counter-accuse Jesus of being Physically Illegitimate v42-47 - Jesus answers their charges by proclaiming their true "legitimacy" - That of the DEVIL; Jesus contrasts His Sonship with theirs! v48 - Jews counter-attack by accusing Jesus of being an unclean half-breed AND demon-possessed to boot! Telling Him He >started< unclean PHYSICALLY and is ALSO unclean SPIRITUALLY; v49-51 - Jesus answers them with TRUTH - I AM ETERNAL LIFE v52-53 - Jews deny His claim; try to force Him into a corner with what they consider an unfair and inarguable comparison - Him compared to Abraham v54-59 - I AM GOD! So the Jews decide to kill Him John 7 & 8: The Fast of Tabernacles Discourse 7:1-13 The Setup - Intro Background 7:14-17 Jesus - A Superior Teaching v18-24 Jesus - A Superior Rghteousness v25-52 Jesus - A Superior Origin & Destiny 8:1-11 Jesus - A Superior Judge of the Law v12-20 Jesus - A Superior Witness, a Superior Testimony v21-24 Jesus - A Superior Origin & Destiny, Superior to Any Earthly Order v25-36 Jesus - A Superior Freedom v37-51 Jesus - A Superior Father v52-57 Jesus - A Superior Position, Superior to Abraham v58-59 Jesus - A Superior SUperior Over ALL CREATION John 7 & 8: The Tabernacle Claims 7:37 - Do You Thirst? I Am Enternal Waters! 8:1 - Do You SIn? I AM Forgiveness! 8:12 - Do You Struggle in Darkness? I AM The Light Eternal! 8:31 - Are You Ensalved to Sin? I AM Freedom! 8:51 - Do You Fear Death? I AM Eternal Life! 8:59 - I AM GOD ETERNAL, ALWAYS AND FOREVER! John Chapter 9 *The Blind Men of Israel* (The Man Born Blind) Though physically blind, this man was >ready< to believe, to >rfespond< to the power of the Gospel. Though able to see and in fact able to see that SAME POWER'S effect on the "blind" man, the Pharisee's were UNWILLING to respond! Having decided to reject Jesus, THEIR problem was trying to discredit the ever overwhelming MOUNTAIN of evidence! No WONDER they were so cranky! Imagine their constantly rising sense of FRUSTRATION! v1-3 God can call us to the hard painful places of the world and in our life so we can be ready to be used by Him for ETERNAL purposes, ETERNAL Glory; This man was physically blind for 20-30 years and yet >because< of it, gained an ETERNITY of SALVATION; Had Jesus just healed his eyes, he would have lived another 20 or 30 years with "vision" and an eternity in HELL; or lost his eyesight some other waya week later; v11 - "The MAN called Jesus..." - All he knows so far is that Jesus is a MAN; he knew Who He was, although he had NEVER seen him v16 - HEALING is NEVER "work" to God, so, it's NEVER a violation of the Sabbath v25 - The >ultimate< PURE example of giving a witness! He >refused< to speak to an issue he ahd no knowledge of, INSISTING instead on repeating the stark simple facts of the case, without commentary, without embellishment: I >WAS< BLIND, >NOW< I CAN SEE "One thing I know..." as if to say, "And I KNOW it whether YOU accept it or NOT..." and he refused to back down from it, to apologize for it or even BEG anyone ELSE to believe it; v26 - PATTERN! When Pharisee's hit a wall they can't avoid or discredit, they >ask< the question AGAIN! WHY? Stalling for time? Also, like Police now, who insist on endless repetition of the story by the suspect, hoping he'll slip, hoping to discover some inconsistancy, however slight, that would allow them to discredit the story. v27 - he was BLIND, NOT stupid! He, having coped with blindness in that society, was perhaps a student of human nature; he surely understood scorn, rejection, reproach, SO he recognized it in THEM - I feel he was being sarcastic, having NO patience for the group who almost assuredly attributed SIN as the original cause of his blindness, and so tarred his parents and him with that brush all his life; treated them all with that galling smug self-righteous disdane, and so added their torments to the burden of his blindness; NOW Jesus is a Man AND a Prophet Also NOTE: He said, "...also" to his rejoinder to them. So he had already decided to "become His disciple..." He never expressed bitterness at God's choice of having him born blind - to be blind for a fleeting flickering nao-moment of time compared to ALL of ETERNITY to be with HIM; v30 - AGAIN sarcasm - blunt, in your face, unapologetic, returning fire He ahd had THESE clowns all his life and all he would have recieved from them was rejection, distain and false charity at best. He had known Jesus only a moment and he recieved his sight - a first in ALL Human HISTORY! SO! Who do YOU think HE'S going to believe and follow? Perhaps he was even enjoying the outraged discomfort of those religious jackels and all he ahd to do was STAND there and LOOK at them with TWO EYES ONCE BLIND! A trick? Hardly! Even if the parents were afraid at getting caught helping their son run a phoney blind-man scam, No one ELSE would have hesitated - it would mean INSTANT praise from the ruling powers. But NO one could credibly deny the man's blindness NOR his new vision. v31 - a dig at the pharisees? v31-33 - he is able to reason for himself - his testimony gaining weight and power as his insight into his salvation grows; v34 - confirmation of the way they treated him all his life; "In sin" >1st< in word order AND emphatic; "teach" - >emphatic<, as if with utter incredulity; v35 - "Do you believe..." The Gr format indicates an affirmative answer is expected, as in, "You do believe, don't you...?"; since you let them throw you out... v36 - NOTE: Jesus sought him out. Perhaps the man recognized Jesus, and believeing Him to be a Prophet, was prepared to listen and believe what Jesus had to say regarding this "Son of Man". As he responded to the revelation given him, Jesus gave him MORE until in v37 the man is SHOWN salvation; v38 - and here he responds with belief and WORSHIPPED Him- - that ONLY reserved for God ALONE; That man KNEW what he had been and KNEW what he had become BECAUSE of Jesus. v39 - Only TWO possible responses responses to the Gospel - ACCEPT or REJECT - you can NOT be neutral EVER; "Judgement" in the sense of a separating, a FORCED >delineation< between TWO >clear< alternatives v40 - They were so used to beng feared and intimidating others that they must have thought "He wouldn't DARE call us blind to our FACES!" (wrong-O, boys!); Gr format here indicates a NEG answer is expected here! Oops! and "we" is emphatic - "WE aren't blind, are we?!" v41 - Oh well!! Poor pharisees - the perfect tragic straight men for Jesus. But Jesus' answer wasn't meant as just a slam; it was one more attempt to >teach< them, to >reach< them with the Dx they HAD to hear AND ACCEPT before they could ever be saved. It was CRUCIAL that they understand >what< their problem is - a >refusal< to admit a NEED for a Savior. Their human sinful state they shared with all humanity was NOT the issue here, but their overwhelming blinding self-sufficient PRIDE that "blinded" them to >their< need for salvation APART from their OWN efforts! Chapter 10 - The Door, the Shepherd, the Son of God v1-10 I am THE Door v11-21 I am THE Shepherd v22-42 I am THE Son of God - GOD INCARNATE. v1-10 - not merely a teacher about salvation but the very actual SOURCE of salvation, and the ONLY way TO salvation; many methods, BUT - only ONE door And ALL the other methods (i.e., religions) ONLY lead to DESTRUCTION; v10 - HE is not mere existance for us, but LIFE OVERFLOWING, lived and enjoyed to the MAX; If I'm NOT experienceing it that way, the problem isn't with the >source<, BUT WITH ME; V11-28 - The Shepherd v11-13 contrasted with teh "hirelings" - i.e., the Pharisees, in it for themselves only; v13-18 (and through V30) The SOVEREIGN Shepherd- He gives up AND TAKES BACK His own life - doesn't ask for it, or beg for it or "seek" IT - HE TAKES IT BACK, as only GOD can do; He takes His own and NO one can take them away from HIM, EITHER. v1-10 - The Door Who is v11-22 - ALSO The Shepherd, Who is v23-42 - ALSO GOD >I< give them eternal life, NO one snatches them out of MY hand, so THEREFORE >I< and the Father ARE EQUIVALENT: are ONE - are INTERCHANGEABLE! v24 - they asled is He was the Messiah, NOT knowing or realizing just WHAT that MEANT, so jesus couldn't simply say, "Yeah, that's me alright" because HE knew that THEY STILL wouldn't understand it, SO He went further and told them "Yes, I >AM< Messiah, and THAT means that I AM GOD!" v40-42 - His sheep heard His voice and followed Him >indeed< The issue of Soverignty is one of LIFE - He gives up and takes back His OWN life AND He gives THEM eternal life; His divine credentials are His WORKS which PROVE His WORDS are true and His WORKS are ones of LIFE; This entire Chapter 10 is one long declaration of His DIVINITY, because ONLY God = can be the source of salvation = can give >eternal< life = can do the WORKS He had done = can be >equal< with God the Father Door - Shepherd - Son of God = A progression from the most abstract to the most open and blatantly concrete statement of His Reality; Bill Moore's Chapter 11 Lesson 1. Jesus' Call 2. Jesus' Prediction 3. Jesus' Explanation 4. Jesus' Clarification 5. Jesus' Testimony 6. Jesus' Action 7. The Worlds Response v4 - "NOT unto death" - NOT resulting in separation from God immortality on Earth would be HELL - an eternal separation from Him. DEATH is His GIFT to us because it's very existance gives us the >choice< and the chance to go to Hell OR Go BE WITH HIM v9-10 - cf Psalm 139 - "Our days are numbered"; Death is gonna happen - but NOT yet for ME; v11ff - Proof of Jesus power - He >predicted< what He did, it was NO accident or coincident John Chapter 11 LAZARUS LIVES! v2 - "THIS Mary" - forgiven MUCH v1-16 - The Set Up - In Galilee v17-37 - In Bethany v38-45 - In the Cemetary v46-53 - In the Sanhedrin v54-57 - In Self-Exile This is the FINAL Reality Busting Act! The "Last Call" to Israel as a Nation and they REJECT it! v4 - Sickness unto GOD'S GLORY, NOT death; Laz already BELIEVES, so do his sisters, so, for WHO'S benefit IS this? The disciples AND the leadership of Israel - the 1st to accept (v15) and the 2nd to reject (v17), setting the FINAL stage for the coming crucifixion; v8 - Notice, they don't argue with Him when He doesn't go, ONLY when He DOES; "LORD! They're gonna KILL ya!" (and maybe US, TOO, is the hidden thought, I'll betcha) v9-10 - What's His POINT? Is it, Hey, people are going to do what theyare bound to do - i.e., there's an inevitability here that hanging out in Galilee is NOT gonna prevent ? Or, fella's, quit thinking like the ones stumbling in the dark! Get God's perspective! v11-16 - How thick-witted can a group of guys BE? They have SEEN the other acts, >including< the resurrection of the Son of Nain, and YET, they are >focused< on the threat of the leadership - that's a LOT of horsepower for these simple country small town men to consider v15 - HERE'S WHY: so that the disciples would be able to believe BEYOND what they can NOW; v16 Ah Tom, what a GROUCH! v17 - dead FOUR DAYS; v18 - close to the threat! v19 - who WERE these folks that so MANY would come to the funeral? They were't ALL followers of Jesus, as we will see; Laz maybe was a man of prominence? v20 - Martha ran out while Mary waited v22 - Did SHE hope for a resurrection?? v24 - Obviously Jesus has already talked of resurrection topics, of "final things" v28 - even after declaring Him God, she still referred to Him as Rabbi?! Teacher?! Because He remained this though He was/is God? Or is this how they thought of Him best, at the most tender level of their hearts towards Him? The >Universal< Redeemer, but also, too, for them personally, the TEACHER...to hold Him intimately tenderly thus in one's heart does NOT deny the other about Him as well; v28-32 - How perfect a comparison and contrast of the World to Jesus for the lost, the ONLY place left to pour out their grief is at the grave, a hopeless howling out of rage and despair into the endless darkness; BUT for US, YES, we too leap up to go pour out our hearts, but NOT at a grave, but to our JESUS, our Saviour, out tender compassionate friend - not at the foot of a grave, but at the feet of our Saviour v32 - Broken-hearted, she fusses at God for how painful His choices, His will, His decision was; v33 - Tender-hearted, HE doesn't fuss back at her lack of faith in HIS choices for Lazarus, for her, for this situation; He instead hurts with us, NEVER retracting the wisdom of His will, but still >always< understanding the pain His path for us sometimes has to have for us; He instead GOES TO the place of our hurt and >REDEEMS< our hurt for HIS glory and our comfort and our blessing; v35 - "Jesus wept" - Jesus >understands< our pain, having felt it Himself. Feeling now WITH us as we go through it, see how DEEP His love runs for us HIS decision caused HIM pain, too. NOT just hard for us, BUT for HIM, too; HERE God reveals His INNER HEART for us, our sin in Adam created sickness and death and pain - HOW our sin and it's results GRIEVE HIM - make Him weep! v43 - "A loud voice" - He made sure ALL present understood the Cause and Effect relationship between HIS command and Lazarus's resurrection; v45 - The REAL result of that day was NOT that Mary and Martha got their brother back, but RATHER in what THEY learned about Jesus! What had 1st been only a real but theoretical hope in a >promise< of some FUTURE resurrection NOW was an UNSHAKEABLE understanding that HE is GOD and when HE says He is the resurrection and the life, HE ISN'T KIDDING, He ISN'T just mouthing platitudes to encourage "positive thinking", or to provide a whitewash bandaid to merely cover the hurt withOUT healing it, He ISN'T spouting some pseudo-spiritual drivel meant to be >spiritualized away with humanist pap about He is an "inspiration" for us to try to do the "best we can" before we die and drop into oblivion - NO! He MEANT LIFE ETERNAL AND >NOW< THEY KNEW IT TOO. For US, who live in the light of His own resurrection, we can base OUR hope of resurrection in HIS accomplished resurrection, but M&M did NOT have this to look back on - UNTIL NOW. They got back a brother who is STILL gonna die someday - AGAIN - but what Jesus meant all along for them to also "get" was a powerful undeniable TRUE understanding of WHO He REALLY WAS, AND STILL >IS< TODAY - God ALL powerful, tenderhearted, compassionate and ABLE to SAVE for ALL ETERNITY those who know Him; side note: M&M ddn't get MORE saved as a result - had they never seen Lazarus raised, they ALL (including Laz) would have truely been raised in "the resurrection of the last day" even as Martha knew and acknowledged in v25 BEFORE Laz was raised; SO, what they >got< was a better deeper more perfect understanding of WHO Jesus really was (and is), a >greater< realization of WHO God is, a >deepening< of the tender intimacy in their presonal relationship with Jesus; AND/OR Maybe that day they went from just believing in what Jesus said and started believing more in WHO Jesus was? Martha DID call Him "Teacher" to Mary - did she not understand Him when He declared Himself to BE THE resurrection AND THE Life?? Yes, but with a limited view as to what that meant about Him, about WHO He was, and WHAT He could DO and BE - now that view was crystal clear! v46-53 - YIKES! NEVER EVER UNDERestimate the power of >bitter< denial in the human heart and mind. They witness an UNdeniable act of VERIFIABLE resurrection (note - even THEY did NOT argue about WHAT happened) and ALL THEY can see is a >threat< to them and their own little setup, rather than the Sovereign ACt of a God-Messiah; v47 - None of the >leadership< denied the act >either<. They believed the ACT but STILL DENIED the One Who ACTED; How do we >know< of this meeting and conversations? OBVIOUSLY SOME of those who originally denied Him and plotted against Him, >later< came to know Him and were able to share their testimony to the Church so it could be recorded here - not to mention that those who opposed Him were NOT "quiet" about their oppostition, nor about their plans for Him - He was PUBLICALLY opposed, denied, declaimed, discounted, why should THIS event be any different? v54 - From then on - No more national Messianic appearances - Israel's leaders HAVE DECIDED AGAINST it's Messiah and so Jesus turns inward towards His disciples and onward towards the Cross; His last appearance as "Messiah" was as the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God - Doomed, knowing it, and facing it with an implacable determination - His face granit-hard and set towards the Cross; v53 - How terrible is their blind hatred that the most "Holy" of Israels race should calmly plot the >murder< of an innocent man. v54-55 - An indeterminate time has passed between these vs's - John sort of skips back and forth in time, trying to set up the "stage" for Ch 12; It just now occurs to me that Jesus intentionally PICKED Passover to be the time of His death - one last attempt to make Israel SEE the connection between the original sacrificial Lamb and Himself; Chapter 12 "Israel, Behold the Lamb of God..." "and they beheld Him not..." v1-9 - Preparation of the Lamb v10-33 - Presentation of the Lamb v34-50 - Rejection of the Lamb even those who "believed" were unable and unwilling to publically declare for Him; OR v1-9 - Annointing of the Lamb v10-33 - Announcing the Lamb v34-50 - The Final Refusal v1: sort of a flashback from the previous 4-5 verses v2: "Martha served..." - as ALways; she had to love Him with her hands busy >doing< domestic things v3: was this nard some last remnant of that profligate life that had >earned< her that prior evil reputation? SOme >last< clung to treasure of the past glittering existance that so poisoned her life? She gave it ALL up! Her FINAL pouring out of all her life and ALL it's treasures to Jesus filled HER with it's precious fragrance and it filled her >house< and blessed all who were in it with it's fragrance; v4: and YET - there will always be those (in the house AND in the Church) whose selfishness rebels at ANY gift, any sacrifice that does not >directly< >personally< profit them above ALL others - Judas couldn't >stand< the fact that everyone ELSE ALL profited from the fragrance when HE might have satisfied his OWN personal selfish agenda instead; And see how he >hides< his selfish motivation in words sounding SO "high" in purpose and "holy" in motivation! I can picture it! His lip curled with disdane and false piety as he announces his accusation like a dagger at Mary. I see Mary wilt from shame, uncertainty as the superficial truth of his evil is pondered - she, at first so caught up in her giving of herself, her personal sacrifice to Him, now withdrawn, hurt , pulling away from Jesus, >embarrassed< at her own actions, suddenly wishing so selfconsciously wishing the fragrance would go away. >She< understands disdane, rejection, shame - the wounds still too easily re-opened even now. v7: BUT THEN - HEAR the voice of Jesus! Loud, firm, authoritive, perhaps even >sharp< in HIS rebuke of this attack - "LET HER ALONE." MAN! I believe that for perhaps just a moment that same Divine WHITE FIRE >blazed< in His eyes that had glittered balefully when He purged His Father's House of similar selfish psuedo-pious men! That rebuke was aimed at Judas I believe - THEN to sweep away that evil cobweb of doubt Satan sowed through Judas, Jesus makes an explanation to the rest, to insure THEY wouldn't be suckered in by Judas' lying facade; I see Judas wilt before that look of the Shephard baring His teeth in ferocious protection of one of HIS innocents, His defenseless lambs. This remark, this "Let her alone" was a >snarl< of Holy Warning, the LION warning the jackal - "BACK >OFF< JACK!!" and suddenly Judas must have seen a glimpse of a God Who saw his every scheme, his every petty theft - realizing that he had not fooled the Master, not then, not EVER - was it >here< that Judas decided to cut his losses and turn Jesus in for one final "take"? Did he fear exposure by Jesus of his pilfering so he chose to betray and take the money and run? POOR JUDAS! Peter, too, had known the rebuke of Jesus ("Get thee behind me, Satan!") and had known the bitter galling taste of being "caught" by Jesus (the cock crows thrice and Jesus looks at Peter...). BUT, whereas Judas fled away from Jesus, Peter always finally went BACK to Him and found forgiveness and healing and restoration; OH, how PRECIOUS thise words should sound to US - "LET THEM ALONE!" - The battle cry of a conquering God - a Warrior King - flung in the face of Satan as if hitting him in the face with a club. Backing Satan away from us as we cower - weak, hurting, awash in the guilt and bitter acknowledgement of our weakness, sinfulness and inadequacy. "LET HER ALONE" - a COMMAND >snapped< at Satan, calling him to heel, jerking back that Divine choke-chain that both galls and restrains him from cutting us to pieces. "LET HER ALONE" - a command that protects and comforts and reassures us, it restores us in our uncertainty, it reminds us that regardless of our plight HE remains faithful, committed to US, a God of our Protection - Who sheilds us WHo promises Satan will NEVER pluck us from His hands, inspite of what Satan would have us believe. See Satans strategy! He would have try to call worthless wasteful and wrong her act of sacrifice and giving - try to hide it behind a psuedo-holy or EVEN TRUELY GOOD AGENDA! Some Christians can get so caught up in their personal spiritual/ministry service agenda that they can't see anyone ELSE'S calling, agenda or response to God's personal prompting in >their< lives and >worse<, even therefore >attack< them for it; And this can confuse and pull other Christians into a conflict that has NO value to the Lord - one that wounds those in the Church; Against such Jesus has only ONE response: "LET HER ALONE!" We had BETTER heed the >commands< of our Lord, eh?? v8: sounds like a hard remark but actually it is >critical< point for wach of us! Doing a good act is NO good if it is NOT GOD'S >specific< will for you at that moment! Yes, we must always strive to do good to all people all the time BUT the POINT HERE is that GOD had ANOTHER plan for those $s represented in that perfume SO if Mary HAD given the $s to the poor INSTEAD of following God's calling to her SHE would have been GUILTY of DISOBEDIENCE to God's will! God's purposes canNOT be simply reduced to a bunch of simplistic generic platitudeinal advisories or guidelines - >sometimes< He calls us to do what does NOT make simple sense to anyone except to Him - Lord Jesus please enable us to discern these times AND THEN OBEY You there; v9: This starts the next section - Presenting the Lamb; I don't think the Lord ever turned someone away just because it was only curiosity that brought them to Him - all that mattered was that they came to Him - and many were surprised. I'll bet they came merely to gawk - and they left with Eternal Life! My Grandfather was one of those men 0 going to hear Billy Sunday, the famous Baseball player turned preacher - purely for the entertainment's sake - and came away with eternal life! V10-11: sometimes all we need to do to witness to the world is to let them examine our lives - le the world SEE the >open< book of our lvies and see how God >can< work, see how GOD has worked IN us; v12-15: How did Jesus feel KNOWING what was facing Him? Knowing these same voices praising Him would soon be >howling< for His blood?/ Shrieking obsenities at Him demanding His death - He >grieved< for them AND for Himself. He was no masochistic Martyr, gleefully licking His lips in perverse anticipation of His coming agony - He grieved over it ALL (see v27ff) and yet His love for me, for us ALL, compelled Him with a force Hell itself was helpless to arrest. A beam of incadescent heat cutting through all reality on it's way to a resurrection; v16: Oh John, how you must have re-examined in amazement and awe and joy ALL that you saw and heard in the light of your new understanding - suddenly those 3 years became NEW all over again to you! v17: again here, ultimately what does a witness do? They TELL what they have seen! You can argue with them regading it's >meaning<, perhaps, but you CANNOT >deny< the events - you see, THEY WERE >THERE v14-16 Is 6:9 & 53:1 --> v38-41 v27-28: in the face of grief and trials, when faced with a sore reality of hurt, what to DO? TELL Him HOW you >really< feel! If you're upset and frightened at the prospect - TELL Him so! There is NO need to apologize for it either! THEN ask HIM to take it, USE it asw ONLY HE can, to glorify Himself! v28b: I believe the Father called out partly to encourage Jesus, but 1ly to glorify Himself in ANSWER to His prayer; v31: is the implication that >prior< to the crucifixion and resurrection SATAN had been granted MUCH greater rein? Or merely that what >before< had been a PROMISE Satan could deny is about to become a Hell's Gate-shattering reality. One that Satan can HATE and >scream< against, BUT NEVER ignore or deny again! It MUST be tough being >constantly< faced with the evidence of Jesus triumph EVERYtime he looks out his front door at his PERMENENTLY wrecked Gates - blasted from the INSIDE OUT! v34: BEHOLD the results of BAD theology and BAD teachers; The "LAW" they quoted was in fact NOT the Law BIT THEIR LEADERS >INTERPRETATION< of the Law; v35: The ONLY solution to darkness is LIGHT; the world scurries around only exchanging one darkness for another, and the differences between Christianity and ALL other world religions are just as stark in their distinctions; This was a >rejection<, NOT an honest request of clarification. WHY? Jesus always answered >honest< questions with straightforward answers. As always, He spoke (in v35-36) to their MEANING. NOT their "words", when He urged them to NOT reject the light but to believe in it - in HIM; Note, they did NOT ask Him what/Who the "light" was... v39-41: This is >still< hard for me to understand - unless God responded to their blatant refusal to acknowledge what happened in front of their very eyes as a judgement of it, just as the Sodomites were blinded by the angels as they took Lot and Co out of the city to safety...I don't know... Is this where Calvin found support for his "Limited Atonement"? v42-43: Note it does NOT say Jesus rejected them, condemned them or refused them salvation - He takes us where we are; what about v48? He refered to those >rejected< Him, who refused to believe, NOT those who believing were too weak to take a stand - Joseph of Arimathea was one - his "salvation" did not occur when he finally found the courage to beg the body of Jesus from Pilot, but BEFORE - when he BELIEVED. Even His disciples ran away- Peter denied Him, yet jesus NEVER told him he needed "RE-saving"; v46: There it is AGAIN - out of the darkness into the light; cf to Col 1:13 - delivered out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son of His love; How stark a contrast that must have been for Paul - SEE the struggle he felt >before< his salvation described in Rom 5-8; H. G. Wells (of ALL people) captured this image in the Time Machine - the underground dwelling creatures - MEN who instead of seeking the light chose instead to remain in the darkness and overtime this decision caused them to >adapt< further and further into creatures of the darkness, UNABLE to seek the light; So man is SPIRITUALLY - refusing the light, he turns instead to dig >deeper into< the darkness, craving it and degenerating as he goes; Is >that< a description of what Isaiah talked of and quoted of by John in v40? v49-50: The >flawless< unity and agreement between the Father and the Son, as ONLY God can experience within Himself; [Jn 13-17 UPPER ROOM DISCOURSE] *John 13* LOVE ONE ANOTHER - A NEW COMMAND; Bathing Feet and Betraying Friends v1-20: Serve one another v21-38: Betrayal unto Glory 21-32: Judas 33-38: Peter - and yet Jesus didn't call it betrayal, but rather "denial" - "ONE of you will >betray< Me..." Think about it - Jesus washed Judas's feet TOO. He extended to His betrayer >every< measure of opportunity for confession and forgiveness - pouring out His love on him even to the end, even as he plotted Jesus betrayal; v1: Setting the Stage -Jesus >already< knew but they DIDN'T - He had taught themn like this for three years. so tonight was only one more lesson to them. Only looking back could John >realize< that THIS discourse was His FINAL one, His LAST WORDS to them as Master and Friend, Teacher and Savior on Earth; So John realized the >added< measure of meaning to them ALL and gave us FOUR chapters worth; John realized THEN, AFTER it all, perhaps as he sat writing this Gospel, that Jesus was giving them ONE FINAL CRUCIAL teaching to >prepare< them like never before - BECAUSE He loved them so and knew what was coming ahead for them ALL; Jesus tells us the reason for ALL the following discourse - BECAUSE HE LOVED US v2: SO during supper... Judas betrayal >began< with a thought placed there BEFORE the supper - "already" v2-3: John sets the stage for v4-20 v1: Jesus loved us to the max v2: Judas was getting ready to betray Him v3: Jesus >knew< all the above AND that the Father was in charge and the show as HIS, Jesus, to direct up to and through the Cross Becasue of the above... v4ff: How vividly this image must have shone in John's mind while he wrote this. Flickering lamplight shining off the bare shoulders, face and eyes of Jesus, his frend and more. The sense of joy and wonder - having entered the city in triumph, their enemies apparantly powerless to stop them, seeing and hearing Jesus, feeling His sense of joy and love and wonder at His precious Master and yet companion growing and growing. And now seeing Him here doing this utterly unexpected and "inappropriate" thing. Jesus taking his feet, the water cool and wet, the towel dry and rough on his feet, the surprised silence in the room, the only sounds being the guttering of the lights, the dripping of the water, the scraping of the bowl on the rough cut floor as He moved from one to the next, saying nothing, just...SERVING >them< quietly, perfectly, completely, flawlessly - >showing< them FIRST before attempting to give a name, a description to what HE was calling them to do; v6: Then Peter's turn - he breaks the silence - loving Him, confused becauseonce again his Savior refuses to ACT like what Peter thinks a Savior should be; v7: Jesus reassures him, give ittime, TRUST me v8: Poor Pete, just can't leave well enough alone - but that's OK - this didn't make sense or seem "right" so he HAD to press, to insist until it DID seem "OK". He does it again, later, when they sit/lay around the table and only HE pushes John to find out WHO Jesus was referring to in His pronouncement of pending betrayal; Nothing wrong with that except PETER had done again what he had done on the lake - he took his eyes OFF Jesus and ONTO the circumstances! The 1st made NO sense AND frightened him - this 2nd time made no sense and CONFUSED him. Each time Jesus CALLED Peter attgention BACK to the REAL issue here: HIMSELF. We are ALWAYS to trust Jesus above ALL ELSE. Whether it's confusing or NOT, or frightening or NOT. Address the situation BASED on WHO He is, NOT the other way around; v9: Poor Peter - his heart is full even if his comprehension is w-a-y low; v10: Jesus doesn't slam Peter for not understanding. He responds to the eager sincere desire of Pete's heart and goes on to explain. THIS speaks to the difference between gaining salvation and restoring fellowship?! They are >already< saved (i.e., "clean" - those who "have bathed") SO the issue is NOT THAT status - BUT just by walking through the world, one will get dirty feet, pick up stuff from the world that is not "me" and is dirt - BUT I do NOT need a "bath" (salvation), BUT I DO need to "wash my feet" - prray, confess sin (1 John 1) to restore fellowship And Jesus has pointed out the absolute interdependence that have and are to have on one another IN all this process. OR is Jesus referring to >sanctificationutterly< without glory... We cannot appreciate the utter shockingly hard contrast presented to the disciples that evening! Here is a man seen as God Incarnate performing a LOW and DESPISED task, not aprtially, but fully, completely and totally UNTHINKABLE to them - to us, merely eccentric. Jesus knew no simple words would do - it HAD to be demonstrated AND experienced - hence, He didn't tell them to watch Him was someone >elses< feet - He CAUSED them to PARTICIPATE IN the lesson; to FEEL the cool wetness and the warmth of His hands on their feet. v12 - Then NOW with time so short He PRECIPITATES the lesson, not waiting for THEM to get around to asking but rather sitting back down and ASKING THEM: "DO YOU INDERSTAND WHAT i HAVE DONE TO YOU?" v13 - Then without waiting for their answer He moves intot he lesson; He FIXES in their minds the stark contrast - 1st, re-establishing His >prominence< - not bragging, but >clarifying< v14 - THEN the punchline! If >I<....THEN ...surely YOU TOO to EACH OTHER v15-17 - the follow on to the punchline - this is NOT about keeping each other's FEET clean, it's about SERVING EACH OTHER - humbly, tenderly, >caringly< - AND UNDESERVEDLY! As seen by His washing BOTH of His >betrayer's< feet - BOTH Judas AND Peter v16 - a pithy aphorism to FIX it all in place in their minds - to >broaden< the >application< to ALL that they ahve seen Him do - NOT just the glorious stuff, but ALL He did, humble, caring, tender v17-18 - was He trying to convince Judas to change his mind? "I know what's going on and it DOESN'T HAVE to be YOU that >does< it..." "And if you DO, at LEAST KNOW that I >could< have stopped you, but chose NOT to..." v19 - THAT was for the remaining >11< to remember... v20 - WHAT is THIS all about? Remember, He is speaking to them, teaching to prepare them for AFTER the crucifixion and resurrection - When THEY will ONLY have each other and time will scatter them, divisions will spring up, various "schools of thought" ...if Apollo...of Paul... Jesus is telling them here - "LOOK! TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER! AND DO IT FOR >ME<" v21 - Does our sin hurt Him? YOU BET. MY sin can >trouble< Him even as (and more than) it troubles ME; makes sense - when I see someone I really care about screw up, I feel BADLY for them and >sorry<, wishing they wouldn't or hadn't DONE so...the more I care for them, the DEEPER my distress - imagine how Jesus is with His INFINITE love for me?? v22 - WHOOPS! Bet that threw a curve in the proceedings - things are beginning to speed up - the pace is accelerating - Jesus no longer waiting to let them ponder then come back with their questions - tonoght, it's SLAM! BANG! Here it comes AGAIN. ALL out of left field for these poor guys who have NO idea what's coming! Jesus knows it and can only tell them things now that will take a >resurrection< to explain; Jesus dropped that line on them and then STOPPED. NO f/u! Just silence filled with His obvious visible distress; v23-25 - SO Peter, being Peter, HAD to know! And John asked the question; v26 - Jesus answered as straight forward as He could without naming the name; v27 - How bitter and sad; Even amidst the very >presence< of Jesus, Satan has access to those who let him, to those who aren't filled with Jesus; Jesus only washed Judas's feet, too? So maybe Judas was >savedfail< Him, and they BOTH were offered His love and chance for forgiveness, but only ONE took it....the one who had accepted Him from the start? Also sounds like to me Jesus saying "JUst DO it and get it OVER with!" v28-29 - Not even JOHN understood - WHY? He heard Jesus, saw Jesus GIVE the condemnatory morsel, but it did NOT register? Or could he just not accept the idea that after 3 powerful years ANY of them could do such a thing, EVEN Judas...? v30 - "And it was night..." - terrible words conveying the darkness of the soul, of the moment, of what awaited them - John is now looking back and seeing it all in his minds eye, remembering the horror, the fear, the confusion, and ALL made >worse< by the >night<; v31-32 - No irony here - it must have felt like hearing the bolt of the lock slide into place - seeing Judas leave - from then on, it was only a matter of a few hours and then it would begin... Jesus spoke both in present AND past tense here. ANd then the future and the >immediacy< of it all roaring down on them all... v30: darkness --> v31-32 Scintillating Light of Glory --> Seperation --> v34-35 NEW Commandment - Love One Another! Also, Francis Schaefer points out that this vs reveals what will be THE distinguishing characteristic of us to the WORLD - HOW WE LOVE EACH OTHER. v36 - POOR PETER! He doesn't even HEAR the new commandment - he is still STUNNED by the news Jesus is >going away<, that they will be left withOUT Him "But you shall follow Me..." NOT "You >can<", but "You WILL..." Sad words, as only Jesus could know...BUT ALSO REASSURING WORDS given BEFORE the news of Peter's impending failure - hope even amidst heartache... v37-38 - Peter >meant< his promise - but could NOT understand how frail our promises are/can be compared to the over whelming reality waiting to flatten us. But JESUS knew and loved him and us all the same; >DENY< - COMPLETELY disown - as absolute a failure as can be imagined; SO absolute Peter coouldn't imagine it... Hey! Peter didn't know then, Judas was the referred to betrayer, so he >certainly< cold see this statement as naming HIM as the betrayer...although in the other Gospels Jesus says ALL the disciples will fall away from Him (Mk 14, Lk 22:31, Mt 26), PETER is the only one PUBLICALLY singled out as the Denier! v36-38 - in these 3 vs's we see the ultimate power and impact of the Gospel to REDEEM men - Jesus doesn't hem and haw or hesitate Jesus TELLS him - YOU can't come NOW BUT YOU WILL - without qualification, without reservation. A TRUTH UTTERLY INDEPENDENT of the harsh bitter revelation in v38. You WILL follow Me INTO ETERNITY >AND< YOU >WILL< FAIL ME UTTERLY IN THE PROCESS! This is no cause and effect relationship - the FACT of his failure CANNOT negate the TRUTH of his salvation; clearly the salvation is NOT earned since with in one breath of a discussion of his eternal salvation is the declaration of his denial; The Gospel doesn't just redeem men from their pasts, but ALSO from their FUTURES - we need not fear >either< now that Jesus has declared us for His own... John 14/Chapter 14 The Trinity The Promises of God v1 - The Premise of ch 14: FIRST, Don't be Afraid, INSTEAD (SECOND) Trust in ME Then the REST of the chap is a series of Promises that explain WHY they should follow v1, believe Him in v1; [Promise One] v1-11 - I WILL prepare a place for YOU v12-14 - I will "Authorize" You and empower you / v15-17 - I will send the HS to COMFORT you v16-26 Trinity - a Holy Spirit sandwich, the Father and Son's vs's (v18-24), between 2 HS vs's (16-17 & 25-26); All 3 of the Trinity in v16 - then each one spoken of 16b-26; orv16-26 WE will come TO you, INDWELL you, enable and teach and remind v18-24 - I will come back to INDWELL you (v23 "we"..."our"...)` v25-26 - I will ENABLE you v27-31 - Summary - Recap Note the constant interchange and interrelationship between all THREE of the Trinity, making all co-equals with each other - a complex ceasless graceful dance of unity and completeness, of totality and trinity; harmony and integrity; v1 - How >critical< this chapter, this vs is to them then and is now. How distrubing, disrupting?even terrifying the news of ch13 was - "He is LEAVING US?!" They (and we) NEEDED to hear this ch 14, to KNOW that unlike all the rest of the world and it's religions, WE are NOT left to our own devices to "get along" as best as we can, on our own - our own efforts, our own strength; NO! Unlike the rest, we do NOT rest our hope, our peace on a religion BUT ON A RELATIONSHIP with a living active knowable God who loves us enough to make US promises - world religions demand promises FROM us, true Christianity makes promises TO us - based on HIS character - NOT OURS! Sure, He calls us to obey OUT OF LOVE - But His promises were (and are) UNconditional - His call to obedience is an expectation He has, that in response to HIS promises WE will LOVE and our love is seen in our obedience; He made these promises to men He KNEW were going ot fail Him, to run away and abandon Him - He made these promises to men He knew wew hating Him and going to >crucify< Him - He made these promises to a world that/who HATED Him, dispised Him, wanted Him tortured to death because he irritated and frightened and threatened their vested selfish self-interests; Imagine the most wretched terrible evil men you've ever heard about and realize that He made these promises to THEM, TOO; Promise One v2 - In my Father's House There is a place for you >I< will prepare (too important to leace to ANYone else) >I< will take you there (to insure you do get there) WHY? So WE can be together (Jesus and Us) for all eternity Who does the preparing and the bringing? JESUS. v2-3 - He says His GOING is the proof of His promise of His return; The only way He could fail to return would be if He never left, >otherwise< they are a SINGLE CONTINOUS unbroken >event< - His going is merely the 1ST step to His return FOR us; ALSO, He's NOT returning for HIS benefit, but for OURS; He is coming back FOR US v4-5 - Then the surprise - He tells them YOU KNOW the way to where I am going - imagine their surprise! We didn't even know you were GOING and NOW You tell us WE know the WAY?? The way to YOUR Father's HOUSE?? How beautifully Jesus set them up for this lesson! And good old Thomas TOOK the bait; v6 - This is NOT about a journey, but about a DOORWAY; NOT about geography but belief - poor old Tom, concrete thinker that he is - HE'S thinking roadmaps and Roman Highways; Jesus uses this time to remind them, to teach them, it is NOT what you DO/WHERE you GO, but WHO YOU KNOW that gets you into Heaven; This is the cutting edge of Jesus - He declares for ALL to hear: "NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME" He throws down this gauntlet at the feet of ALL who would try to weasle out of His call, His truth - He flat out declares it - This is NOT merely a >superior< methodology among many - IT IS THE >ONLY< ONE!! YIKES!! This is the heart of the issue - WHAT DO >YOU< DO ABOUT JESUS?! He REFUSES to let you temporize or placate - you CANNOT "include" Him among your other gods, your "other" beliefs - "THERE IS NOT >ROOMyour< perfect adherence to my philosophy is the way... "NO!", He cries out, ">I< AM THE WAY!!" v7-11 - explain HOW that >can< be so - How can a MAN be the "way" to salvation? ONLY IF He were ALSO God; if He were to make these claims and NOT be God, He would be a >monster< instead. Here Jesus reaffirms that HE and the Father are EQUAL - to "see" Him IS to see that Father - THEY are INDISTINGUISHABLE in ESSENCE, in CHARACTER, in PERSON; v8 - poor Phil, he doesn't understand - would it be HARDERto believe, knowing Jesus >1st< as a >man<, a man Who eats, sleeps, weeps, gets tired and only gradually seeing Him as God? OR would the front row center seat to miracle after miracle bridge that gap? Not until AFTER the ULTIMATE one - His resurrection - would the truth start to sink in... [Promise Two] v12 - Imagine their surprise at THIS remark! But then v13-14 explains HOW - THEY would NOT become the SAME as Jesus (as Mormons would claim) INSTEAD, BECAUSE HE >IS< GOD, HE will be the way >by< which and THROUGH which THEY would be able (or ENABLED) to do all those things He did and MORE - Makes sense - only HE can DO what He had done - ONLY >now< He would do it THROUGH THEM; the power would be the same, the >source< would be the same, the only "limits", as such, would be the confidence the believer has IN JESUS AS that Power and Source [Promise Three] v15 - "if" - ? same as "because"? The BASIS for obedience is LOVE for HIM; v16 - all THREE if the Trinity in this vs; although the focus is on the HS; "ANOTHER" comforter - Jesus is ALWAYS OUR Comforter - His promises, His love, His essential character are anchors that HOLD us >steadfast< in the storms; So ALL the implied characteristics of the HS as "paraclete" are ALSO true of Jesus - Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby... Another example of the >unity< and >commonality< of the TRIUNE God "...remain with you >forever<" when Jesus the Son asks, God the Father gives wholeheartedly and in FULL measure - an eternal giving of Himself to us; v17 - "Spirit of Truth" "He >lives<" - >present< tense "...will be in you..." - >future< tense of >indweeling< Whats the result of the above? WE will >know< and >recognize< the HS as >distinct< from the world; [Promise Four] v18 - >I< will come back - the HS is not some sort of Divine consolation prize, WE KEEP the HS and then ALSO get Jesus back TOO! God ALWAYS ONLY gives >more< of Himself to us - NEVER less! v19 - "It's coming SOON, Guys"; BUT, you WILL see me... "I live" - present tense - ?a permanent present tense? EVEN as He >faces< the cross... Because HE, JESUS, lives, we ALSO will live - >again<, this declares Jesus as >unique< - as NOT a mere 1st of many partakers of life, BUT AS THE SOURCE - HE is the cause of which WE are the effect!! His resurrection life >triumphant< over death is the WHY, the BECAUSE of why WE WILL ALSO triumph over the grave; His "coming back" is not merely to "demo" His resurrection, not ,merely to return to what was before - BUT TO BE LIFE to us! Also, He's saying "don't see/look as the >world< looks, but with SPIRIT seeing abilities..." v20 - "...that time..."?? His resurrection? His ascension? HIs 2nd coming? Pentacost? His resurrection, I think... v21 - LOVING HIM is the HEART of obedience!! v22 - What distinguishes us from the world? What will enable us to see Him that the World won't have? v23 - The INDWELLING of God - ALL THREE - "WE" - so we shouldn't so much pray asking God to make us obedient - but rather pray for the outpouring of His love IN us, TO us, THROUGH us - HIS love IN us - enabling us to LOVE HIM - THAT will PRODUCE OBEDIENCE v24 - obedience is the >evidence< of His love in us, of OUR love for HIM; [Promise Five] v25-26 - "What I am telling you NOW is merely >prelude<" v26 - Again the Trinity at work - the Father sends - the Lord enables ("in my name") - the Holy Spirit IS SENT: to TEACH ALL things and to remind/recall Jesus the Son's words [The Summary] v27-31 v27 - "Peace" - this chapter >started< with it and now concludes on the same note >contrasting< feelings based on >contrasting< viewpoints; implied in this verse is the element of CHOICE - we don't HAVE to become dismayed, troubled, discouraged - we CAN know PEACE in the same place as the worlds sits when it DOES worry and feels afraid; The difference is NOT us, is NOT our circumstances - IT IS JESUS; it's because of WHO HE is - The PEACE GIVER that we CAN have the option of no fear in a scarey world... v28-30 - we can BASE our confidence in WHO He has DEMONSTRATED Himself to be - by His fulfilled predictions; by His obedience to the Father; "Father is great than I am"? because the Son CHOSE to humble Himself? v30-31 - He tried to explain to them to help them understand HOW it could be that Satan "appeared" to triumph over Him - it wasn't Satan's power but Jesus Divine >obedience< to the PLAN that would allow what was about to unfold...