Reflecting On The Week Of Reading

As I come to the end of our first week of reading the gospel of John, I look back to assess a few of the lessons learned. First, it seems that we learn how great is God's love for us that He would allow His one and only Son not only to rescue us, but to do so by taking on human form. Jesus becomes flesh, and in doing so gives us a great deal of what it means for Him to be a part of the eternal Godhead. He does this, not only out of obedience and love for His father, but no doubt out of a sense of love and loyalty to us. Rather than condemn us, He bears the cost to rescue us. So this is, in the end, not about gaining power are advancing some kind of institutional kingdom, rather, it is about restoring people...simple, ordinary and sinful people like you and I. God's mission, then, is about saving and restoring people to a pre-fall state of wholeness and relationship before God.

Second, God will do this not only through the work of His Son, but through the obedience of humble people. We see this through John the Baptist, who does not use his position as a prophet to advance himself, but deflect attention from his own minitry to that of Jesus the Messiah. He points his own disciples away from himself and toward the Lamb of God. Andrew, once coming to faith, then seeks to bring Peter to the Messiah. Philip, in like manner, informs Nathanael who then becomes a follower. And so this is a ministry both about people and for people that incorporates people in its own advancement. How amazing is it that God would not only save us, but give us a privileged place in that entire process.

Finally, we learn of the central role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Messiah. It is true that Jesus does amazing things in His ministry. It is true that he teaches with authority, heals the lame and the cripple, restores sight to the blind and hope to the hopeless, confronts the powerful, confounds the wise of the world, and defeats the work of the devil. But He does not do these things alone. The Holy Spirit fills Him, leads Him, and empowers Him in the same way that Spirit will empower His followers. So, as I come to the end of the chapter, I am challenged to be a humble, Spirit-filled follower who seeks to exalt Jesus in a way that brings people back to a relationship with their Maker. As I do this, I take my place in a long line of faithful followers who have given their lives for the advancement of God's kingdom as established by Jesus the Messiah. This, of all things, is the most meaningful thing for which one can give their life.