by Beth Moore
The joy of Jesus comes to the believer only one way: transfusion. Like an intravenous drip from Vine to branch! God doesn't just have more for you. He has much. Much love. Much fruit. Much joy. And the God of the universe derives much glory from one measly mortal. Who can beat a deal like that?
Chapter 28
MORE REVELATION
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
what fun I've had studying the concepts of more and abundance with you through John's Gospel! My spiritual life-particularly my prayer life has already been marked by what we've discovered. Next we have the opportunity to study yet another Scripture in John with such zenith implications that I am relying on God to help me do any justice to the topic. We already touched on this segment of Scripture, but I purposely saved our considerations of it for now.
The passage is John 14:19-25. Jesus told the disciples in verse 21, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." We're going to focus on the words show myself and try to determine what Christ meant. The original word emphanizo means "to make apparent, cause to be seen, to show ... of a person, to manifest oneself meaning to let oneself be intimately known and understood."
A comparison between several translations of the Bible can be very helpful when trying to understand a term or concept. Read the following renderings of the phrase "show myself to him" (14:21 NN) in the translations noted:
· The King James Version: "will manifest myself to him."
· The New American Standard Version: "will disclose Myself to him."
· The Amplified Bible: "will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him.
[I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]"
· The Contemporary English Version: "show you what I am like."
· The Message: "make myself plain to him."
In Christ's response to Judas's question, He clearly states that this particular "disclosure," "manifestation," or "making plain" would not occur in heaven but on earth. "We will come to him and make our home with him" (v. 23). This statement is in perfect context and beautiful contrast with Christ's promise in John 14:2-3. Christ promised that one day He'd come to take His followers back to be with Him. The assumption is that they (and we) would dwell in the many rooms Christ is preparing. Not coincidentally, the plural word monai translated "rooms" in John 14:1 is used in its singular form monen in "home" (14:23). Based on the use of these terms, I believe this is what Christ was saying to them:
I am going to leave you so that I can prepare rooms for you where you will one day dwell and indeed make yourself at home where I live in heaven. Until then, I have built a room in each of you where I can make Myself at home with you. This way I am at home with you in Spirit until you are at home with Me in heaven.
Christ is making heavenly rooms for us while making earthly room in us. Glory to God! During this period of time when Christ and His Father would come to their obedient followers, Christ's promise is that He would also manifest or disclose Himself to them (John 14:21). Certainly Christ would reveal Himself to them at the resurrection (v. 19), and then they would experience a glorious manifestation of His making Himself at home with them at Pentecost. But I believe John 14:21 implies spiritual revelation as well.
R. C. H. Lenski offers this explanation of the wording in John 14:21. "The future tenses refer to the day of Pentecost and thereafter. This appears especially in the last verb; for the appearances during the forty days were only preliminary manifestations to be followed by his constant presence, help, and blessing in the spirit (v. 18)."
As we have seen previously, God and Christ reveal themselves in several different ways. First and foremost, they reveal themselves through the Bible. Scripture is our only totally reliable source of revelation because it is certain rather than experientially subjective. Scripture is also clear, however, that God reveals dimensions of Himself and His glory to us through other sources. Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1; and Acts 14:17 all point to the display of God's power and glory through creation.
God has never revealed Himself to me in flames of fire from within a bush like He did to Moses in Exodus 3:2; nor have I ever seen chariots of fire like Elisha; but I have often beheld God's glory through nature. My soul is as drawn to a certain chain of mountains in the Northwest as a river is drawn to the sea. At least several times a year I feel the wooing of God to come and meet Him there. I confer with Him every day at home, but occasionally our souls crave a display of His glory that can best be seen against a less common backdrop, don't they?
A few months ago I stayed by myself in a small place in the national park overlooking "my" mountains. Every night when I got into bed, I reminded myself that I had come for rest as well as inspiration. I'd try to talk myself into sleeping past dawn, but I never could. I rose every morning long before light, threw on a heavy coat, and drove to find a front-row seat to behold the sunrise. I rolled down my window to hear the mighty beasts of the field bugle their presence. In perfect covenant consistency, every morning God caused the rays of sunlight to baptize the tips of the mountain-then I watched until He bathed the valley as well. I was so overcome by the majesty such awesomeness suggested that I thought my heart would leap from my chest. At such a moment, Habakkuk 3:3-4 invaded my thoughts: "His glory covered the heavens / and his praise filled the earth. / His splendor was like the sunrise; / rays flashed from his hand, / where his power was hidden."
God's Word suggests He can reveal Himself in numerous ways, but His ultimate revelation to man was through His very own Son, Jesus. He came to show us God in an embraceable, visible form. I believe a very important part of Christ's promise in John 14:21 is that after His departure, He would continue to reveal, manifest, or make Himself known to His followers here until they were there. Now that His Spirit has come and His Word is complete, I believe they (the Holy Spirit and the Word) are the primary means by which Jesus discloses Himself to His followers.
Having built what I pray is a solid theological foundation for Christ's continued revelation to His followers, let's celebrate the enormous ramifications toward our lives.
Notice that John 14:21 places some restrictions on its promises: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
First let's immediately defuse any upset over Christ's statement, "He who loves me will be loved by my Father." Doesn't John 3:16 tell us that God so loves the world? Absolutely! First John 4:19 also tells us that we love because He first loved us! John 14:21 is not suggesting God's love for us is conditional and responsive to our love for Him. I believe the phrase is best interpreted by a deeper understanding of the nature of God's love.
Romans 5:8 tells us that "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." One of the most significant qualities found in God's brand of love is that it is demonstrative. Christ directed His followers to love as He loved them. I believe John 14:21 is implying that the more we obey and love God, the more vividly we may see, experience, and enjoy demonstrations of His love.
Mind you, Romans 5:8 says His most profound demonstration of love was while we were still sinners, but like His disciples we are often unable to recognize the demonstration until we obey the wooing of the Spirit in repentance and sprout the first-fruits of love. Like you, I have always been loved by God, but I have been more aware of the demonstrations of His love or what we might call His favor when I've been loving and obedient-especially through painful circumstances. I've lived an illustration that might, help:
God brought a darling young woman into my life who had been through untold turmoil. Abused and misused, she didn't trust anyone. She needed love as badly as anyone I ha
d ever known, but she was terribly suspicious and hard to show love. God kept insisting that I show her the love of Jesus. One day I said to Him, "Lord, I'm trying to be obedient, but she is just like trying to hug a porcupine!" Over the months and years, God turned my beloved porcupine into a puppy. I loved her throughout our relationship, but the softer and more loving she became, the more love I was able to show her. On a much greater scale, I believe the principle applies to God's demonstration of love to us.
What about you? Are you more like a porcupine or a puppy in terms of receiving the demonstrative love of God (whether via His Word, His Spirit bearing witness in your inner being, or His demonstration through a human vessel)? I am convinced John 14:21 suggests that the more we obey and love Christ Jesus, the more He will disclose Himself to us. These manifestations or ways He makes Himself known and understood are seen with the eyes of the Spirit within us. Isaiah 6:3 tells us the earth is full of His glory.
Beloved, I don't believe I'm stretching the text when I say the glory of our Lord Jesus surrounds us constantly. We are perpetually surrounded by means through which He could show us His worth, His providence, and His presence. We don't want to miss them! Think of the examples all around us. I'll share a few:
· Christ sometimes discloses His forgiving nature by empowering someone to forgive us for something that seems unforgivable.
· Sometimes Christ manifests His activity in our lives so strongly through a Bible teacher or a preacher that we feel like we're the only ones in the audience and they've read our mail.
· Often we read a portion of Scripture, and suddenly our eyes are open to an astounding, transforming understanding of Christ.
· Many of us have attended a dying loved one who knows Christ, and He manifested His presence in our midst in such a way that we were overwhelmed by His care and comfort.
· Christ sometimes makes His nearness and omniscience known by working through a detail no one else knew anything about.
· Sometimes an impending disaster is suddenly averted, and we're covered by chills as we sense Him as our Deliverer.
· Very simply, sometimes as we are engaged in worship, we sense His powerful presence and sweet pleasure.
I've experienced each one of these, but I want to see more. I want Jesus Christ to manifest Himself to me! I want to know Him on this earth as well as a mortal can know Him. Don't you? Then let's pray toward that end!
At this point in our journey, I am persuaded that the truth God inspired the apostle John to pen in John 14:21 became the apostle's virtual philosophy and approach to life. We have already concluded that John forsook ambition for affection. Love became his absolute center. As we continue our journey, we also will discover that he was a man who pursued obedience even when no one was watching.
With his whole being, John lived the divine conditions of John 14:2 1. Years down the road, is it any wonder our immortal Savior and Lord handpicked him when He determined to deliver the incomparable Book of Revelation? How fitting. John himself represents the ultimate human example of his own penmanship.
Chapter 29
MORE INTERACTION
WITH WOMEN
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. (John 4.27)
Some of Jesus' followers are still surprised to find Him talking with women. This chapter is an unapologetic apologetic supporting the biblical fact that Jesus Christ talks to women. And highly esteems them. Before we go a single step further, please hear me say that the furthest thing from my mind is disrespecting men or downplaying their biblical roles in leadership. I have never been and will never be a male basher.
I was raised with two brothers and two sisters and tend to get along with men as easily as women (though understandably differently). I have a good, solid marriage with a man I deeply love and treat with respect. I am delighted to say that I have very healthy, respectful relationships with my brothers in Christ and very rarely have been in conflict with any. I believe strongly in the biblical roles designed for men and women and am convinced our churches are rarely stronger than the men of our churches. Ladies, our men are key! I do not want women to take men's places. I just want to see women take their own places.
Occasionally someone asks me if I wish I could have a church of my own and be a pastor. My answer? "Are you out of your mind?" Frankly, I like passing the proverbial buck to my pastor and my husband. If women realized how directly God holds men responsible for so much, we'd pray unceasingly for them. I treasure the memory of a service one night at my church when the men were called to kneel at the altar and the women formed a shield around them and cried out in intercession in their behalf. Our hearts were bound together with a unity that could only accompany a fresh realization of distinct but equal purpose.
Hear me clearly: I am pro-men. And (not but) I am also pro-women. What may come as a news flash to some is that these pros are not exclusive. The biblical roles and responsibilities of men and women differ sometimes to complement and complete each other. Our places in the heart of God, however, are the same. I am very comfortable in my womanhood in the body of Christ, but not every woman is. Sometimes a spiritual inferiority complex stems from having been exposed to steady doses of inaccurate representations of Christ and His Word.
Not long ago someone handed me the book When Life and Beliefs Collide by Carolyn Curtis James, and I began to read it without knowing anything about the subject matter. The author explained that God had birthed the entire concept of the book from an unsettling statement a seminary professor made to her years earlier. "With more than a hint of mischief in his eyes, he said, `You know, there have never been any great women theologians."" He had no idea how God used him to propel her to study the Word of God and prove him wrong! Like the disciples, he might have been surprised to find that Jesus talks to women.
My purpose today is not so much to prove the tie between women in the Bible and theology as to prove an unmistakable tie between several women in the Bible and Christ. Ties, I might add, from which Christ knitted some very deep theology. Yes, Jesus speaks to women who listen. Always has. Always will. Anyone who wants to believe Christ didn't have profound encounters with women might want to skip the Gospel of John. Let me again be clear that the New Testament bulges with encounters and relationships between Christ and men. We're not taking away one iota from those. Our goal, however, is to study His interaction with women. Once. again, John's Gospel supplies more detailed accounts abundant in meaning.
Each of the following segments record a time when Jesus had an important encounter with a woman. Before you become frustrated with such varied selections of Scripture, keep in mind that we want to draw conclusions based on all the snapshots rather than staring intently at one picture.
John 4:1-39 introduces us to the woman from Sychar. You probably know her by the label "the woman at the well," but do you realize she was the first person to whom Jesus declared His messiahship? Jesus sent the disciples on to town to buy food. The woman came to the well in the middle of the day to avoid those who would look down on her. She was surprised because Jesus treated her with respect. He led their conversation from His request for a drink to His gift to her of Living Water. The woman then became an evangelist as she returned to Sychar to proclaim: "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29).
John 8:1-11 tells of another dramatic encounter between Christ and a woman. This time the Pharisees and teachers of the law were out to get Jesus. Their method was to grab a woman who was taken in the act of adultery and bring her before the Lord. There they demanded that Jesus judge her, but He refused to play their game. He knelt and drew on the ground until their consciences began to accuse them. When the crowd melted away, Christ asked the woman, "Where are they? Has no one condemned you?" When she replied, "No one, sir," Jesus responded, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin" (vv. 10-11).
John 11:17-44 p
rovides us with our next glimpse of Jesus and women. This time He deals with the sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Jesus waited while Lazarus lay dying. Then Christ came when his friend had been buried three days. In this instance we see Jesus deal with the two sisters as individuals.
Martha went to meet Jesus with combined words of reproach and hope. "If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask" (vv 21-22). Jesus calmly accepted her words and revealed Himself to her in a fresh way. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (vv 25-26).
Mary met Jesus differently. She also stated her belief that Jesus could have healed her brother, but she fell at His feet weeping. In this case Jesus "was deeply moved in spirit and troubled" (v. 33). He asked where they had laid Lazarus, and Christ wept. Then to the joy of both sisters He called Lazarus from the grave.
John 12:1-8 continues the story of Martha and, particularly, Mary. Six days before the Passover when Jesus would die, the sisters gave a dinner in Jesus' honor. Overcome by her love for Jesus, and I suspect, both motivated by a premonition of what was to come and driven by the Spirit, Mary poured perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. In this incredible moment two voices spoke.
Judas Iscariot declared the gesture an extravagant waste of what could have gone to the poor. Jesus declared Mary's action sacred in anointing Him for His burial. Matthew 26:13 wraps up this scene best with Jesus' words: "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." Our very words at this moment continue the fulfillment of His promise.
Have we seen that Jesus made time for, talked to, honored, and treated women with dignity? What passage could possibly compare with these words from the cross: "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, `Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, `Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home" (John 19:26-27).