Scripture

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”

Observation

Jesus warns that His disciples will be expelled from the synagogues, and that those who kill them will think they are doing a holy service for God.

When Jesus is taken away from them, He will send them an Advocate , a helper. He will convict the world about sin, about God’s righteousness and about the coming judgement.

When the Spirit comes, He will guide them into all truth. He will speak what He has heard from the Father, and He will glorify Jesus.

Application

Some people read this verse, and others like it, and they assume that it means that they don’t need anyone else to teach them how to follow Jesus.

The problem is that, without other people to help us and direct us, we soon lose sight of where the Spirit might be leading us. It becomes easy to assume that every thought that sounds “spiritual” must be from the Holy Spirit.

Our revelations need to be checked against Scripture to see whether or not they conform to what God has already said. Any revelation that contradicts the Bible is not from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus here is talking to a group of people- His disciples. It is possible for a group to be led astray by a charismatic leader, but it is less likely than a single believer being deceived. In a group, we can hear the Word of God being applied and we can check “truth” against Truth.

We need each other in order to stay on the right track.

Prayer

Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you lead me in your ways of righteousness. May I never mistake wishful thinking for your holy ways. Amen.

Scripture

“There is more than enough room in my Father’s house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”

Observation

Jesus encourages the disciples not to be troubled. He will come back when He has prepared a place for them in the Father’s house.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Him.

Philip says, “Show us the Father.” Jesus says that anyone who have seen Jesus has seen the Father.

Anyone who believes in Jesus will do even greater things, and anyone who asks for anything in His name will receive what they ask for.

Application

The gospel of salvation is available to every person who puts their faith in Jesus. There is plenty of room in the Father’s house.

Salvation is not limited to a certain group or nationality or the 144,000 of Revelation.

God desires that all people should be able to receive salvation. There is plenty of room in heaven.

The reference to going and preparing a place and then returning is part of the Jewish wedding process. After the engagement, the groom- to- be would prepare an extension at his father’s house. When all was ready, the marriage itself would take place, and the bride would be taken to the place prepared for her.

Jesus is using the analogy to compare the way of discipleship to the covenant of marriage- an intimate, life-long relationship.

His love for us is never ending. He loves us passionately and eternally, and He will never let us go.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for your great love for all people, especially for me. Thank you for the assurance that you will never let me go or abandon me. Amen.

Scripture

“A new command give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples.”

Observation

Jesus reveals that one of the Twelve will betray Him. He hands the bread to Judas and tells him to do quickly what he is planning to do.

Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that He will shortly leave them. Peter asks Him where He is going, but Jesus tells him he cannot follow Him there. Peter says, “I will lay down my life for you,” but Jesus warns him that Peter will disown Jesus that very night.

Application

The new commandment, the new ethic for the christian community is to love one another in the same way that Jesus loves us.

That’s easy- love God and love people.

We make christianity so complicated at times. This church believes different things about the Holy Spirit than we do. Those people worship differently.

If they are Jesus followers we have to love them sacrificially. We can agree to disagree on some issues, but never let those things become a barrier to love.

Jesus goes on to say that by our love, all people will see that we are His disciples. It is said that the reason that the church became dominant across the Roman Empire after only a few generations is that they loved one another, cared for their widows and the sick, and rescued abandoned babies.

They literally loved the Empire into faith.

In a hostile, unbelieving culture, the church needs to rediscover real love- the love of Christ for His people. This is not Government- funded programs, but one- on- one love that shows the world what Jesus really looks like.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you command us to love one another. Please fill my heart with your love so that I can give it to others. Amen.

Scripture

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Observation

Some Greek Jews ask Philip to take them to Jesus which, along with Andrew, he does.

Jesus says that His time to be glorified has arrived. A seed must die in the ground to multiply. A person who loves his life will lose his life.

Jesus calls out, “Father glorify your name.” A voice from heaven answers Him. Some of the onlookers hear it as thunder, while others say that an angel spoke to Jesus.

Jesus goes on to say that they have their light with them for just a short time. He urges them to put their trust in the light so they may become sons of light.

Application

The person who lives as though this life is all there is will ultimately lose their life. The person who lives for eternity will gain eternal life.

Many people, even christians, are consumed with the things of the world- career, marriage, family, housing. These things are important, but must not be the focus of our attention.

Many people talk about work- life balance. What is the point about juggling career and family when all of it will pass away so quickly?

We need to put God’s will at the centre of all our thinking. If you are to be a doctor or engineer, electrician or mechanic, do it all for God’s glory.

If God calls us to move to another town or another country, let’s do it because it is God directing us not our personal ambition or the directive of some boss.

Jesus tells us to “hate” our life in this world. He doesn’t mean that literally, but He is saying that what we do for Him must be more important than the concerns and worries of this life.

He also promises that if we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, then He will provide all the other things for us.

Prayer

Lord it is so easy to be captivated by the things of this world. Please help me to let go of these things and let you direct every part of my life. Amen.

Scripture

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.

Observation

Jesus enters Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. The great crowd that had gathered for the Festival meet Him, take up palm branches and shout “Hosanna!”

Jesus rides through the crowd on a donkey to fulfil Zechariah’s prophecy.

The crowd that had seen Lazarus raised form the dead continue to spread the word about Jesus, but the Pharisees be come more desperate as they say, “the whole world has gone after him!”

Application

The ongoing reaction of people to the miracle of Jesus being raised from the dead is a thorn in the flesh for the Pharisees. They claim that “the whole world” is following Jesus because of the witness of these people.

One of the the themes of John’s gospel is the power of testimony. Here we see it again as people are wanting to follow Jesus because others have told them what they saw.

My testimony is powerful because nobody can contradict it. It happened to me. I was there. My life since I met with Christ testifies to the transforming. power of salvation.

We can argue about theology, spirituality or philosophy. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Nobody can argue with my testimony.

The reason why the gospel spreads so rapidly and continues to impact lives is simple. It is true experientially. Countless millions of people around the world agree. Jesus is alive. He was dead but now He is alive.

Prayer

Thank you God for the reality of the gospel. Thank you for this relationship I have with you that changes everything. Amen.

Scripture

Mary took a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she wiped it on Jesus’ feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Observation

Lazarus, Mary and Martha hold a feast in honour of Jesus. During the meal, Mary takes a pint of expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet. The fragrance fills the house.

Judas asks why the perfume wasn’t sold to give to the poor. Jesus tells him to leave Mary alone.

Meanwhile a large crowd gathers to see both Jesus and Lazarus. The chief priest make plans to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus.

Application

In a sacrificial act of worship, Mary poured out expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, and the fragrance of it filled the house.

True worship will always be costly. It may carry a financial cost as we sow into God’s kingdom. A bottle of perfume worth a year’s wages is an extravagant act of worship.

Mary’s worship was costly in terms of her reputation and people’s opinions of her. She didn’t care about that. She poured out her love for Jesus in a way that seemed excessive to all who did not have a heart for worship.

Worship is about honouring Jesus. The whole feast was about Jesus, not the quality of the food or the living standards of the hosts. When we allow our adoration of Jesus to be side-stepped by the choice of songs or the noise of children, we have missed the point. We must focus on Jesus.

There is a fragrance about sincere, heart-felt worship. It fills the house, even the city, and it transform the neighbourhood. It can do nothing less.

Judas was not impressed. He didn’t see that Jesus, the Son of God, was worthy of honour. He found self-righteous reasons to justify his lack of worship, but he missed the point because his heart was not right.

Prayer

Lord, teach me to worship you extravagantly all my life. Amen.

Scripture

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Observation

At the Feast of Dedication, the Jewish leaders again confront Jesus. They demand that Jesus tell them plainly that He is the Christ.

Jesus replies that He has already said plainly that He is the Christ, and that His miracles confirm this. The problem is that they do not hear His voice because they are not His sheep.

The Jews try to seize Jesus to stone Him, but He evades them and goes back to the Jordan, where many believe in Him.

Application

To be a follower or a sheep of Jesus means that we recognise His voice. There are several ways of doing this:

1. Through the Bible. The Bible is God’s word to us. It reveals His nature, His desire to set us free from sin, and His will for the way we should live.

2. Through the preaching of the Word and the worship of the community of faith. The local church is a great focal point for seeing how God’s people live, and also for pointing out the blind spots in our understanding.

3. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every true believer. He is the voice of Christ inside us, guiding us into righteousness, convicting us of sin, and raising our consciousness of our ability and opportunities to serve Christ.

4. The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit such as prophecy and words of knowledge. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in the “still, small voice”, speaking directly into specific situations. Sometimes other people will bring to us a word that confirms what God has already been saying to us, or perhaps sparking something new about the direction we should take.

In all of these ways, the Lord never contradicts Himself, and our main check should be the Scriptures. God will never tell you to commit adultery or to steal; but He will give you insights into loving Him and the people around you more.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that you speak often to us. Help me to recognise your voice. Amen

Scripture

“Ever since the world began, no one has ever been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”

Observation

Jesus comes across a man who was born blind. His disciples ask who sinned to cause this to happen. Jesus replies that it is for God’s glory, and proceeds to restore the man’s sight.

There is some doubt about whether this man is the same beggar, but he keeps testifying “I am the one.”

The Pharisees get involved. They conclude that Jesus could not have done this because He is a sinner. The man responds by saying, “God doesn’t listen to sinners, yet Jesus healed my sight. He couldn’t have done this if He were not from God.”

Application

The healing of someone born blind was a miracle that people believed only the Messiah could perform. In the investigation into this matter, every alternative explanation is explored. Even when it is clear that the man born blind is healed, the Pharisees could not accept that Jesus is the Messiah because they had already labelled Him a sinner.

The man’s testimony is vital in this narrative. Nobody has healed a man born blind, and certainly a sinner could not do this. Jesus must be who He claims to be, even if the Pharisees don’t like it.

God often comes to us in ways that are surprising or that defy our understanding. Maybe we don’t like the person who prays for healing for us. Maybe a prophetic word is delivered in a way we find offensive.

Sometimes God answers prayer in a way that we don’t expect, and we find it hard to see how this could be His work.

Always we need to look beyond circumstances and past our prejudices. God appears to us in surprising ways because He is bigger and smarter than we are!

Prayer

Lord, thank you for every answered prayer and every God encounter, even when they don’t look the way I expect. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Observation

Jesus continues to teach the crowds at the Temple. He tells them that because they are from below and belong to this world, they will die in their sins.

The people do not understand who Jesus is or what He is saying to them. He tells them that when they see Him lifted up on the cross, then they will know that He is the one sent by the Father.

Everyone who sins is a slave to sin, and many of those who claim to be children of Abraham are in fact children of the devil.

Application

The true disciple of Jesus is the one who remains faithful to His teachings. Saying a prayer or going to church will not save you. You must be born again in such a way that your life reflects the teachings and the lifestyle of Jesus.

A true disciple walks the walk as well as talking the talk.

As we grow in faithfulness to Jesus, we will increasingly know the truth that sets us free.

There are two aspects to this word truth.

Firstly there is truth in respect to doctrine and scripture. As we live out the path of discipleship, we will gain greater insight into who God is and what the Bible teaches.

Secondly, Jesus is the Truth. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” So as we determine to walk with Jesus we get to know Him better, and He is the Truth.

The truth sets us free. True religion s about freedom from guilt and shame. True religion sets us free from meaningless rituals based on fear of an angry God. Jesus Christ has set us free from all guilt, shame and fear.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus, you are the truth that sets me free. Help me to walk in your ways every day so that the truth of who you are opens up in me. Amen.

Scripture

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Observation

Jesus continues to teach the people. He says He is the light of the world, but the Pharisees say His testimony about Himself is not valid. Jesus says His Father testifies about Him also, so there are two witnesses- Jesus and the Father.

The Pharisees say they don’t know His Father, not realising that He is talking about God.

Application

Jesus is the light of the world. He brings knowledge of the grace of God to all who will receive it.

Light is the source of nearly all life on earth- without light there are no plants. Even people need exposure to sunlight to produce Vitamin D. Jesus came to bring abundant life to the world. Without Him, we live ghostly, miserable existences that lead to hell.

Light brings knowledge and interaction with our environment. We use sight as our main source of knowledge in the world. Jesus brings us true knowledge about eternity and salvation.

Light brings safety. Crime plummets in areas where there is adequate street lighting. The people of darkness don’t like the light to expose their deeds. Jesus protects us from the deeds of satan, the prince of darkness.

Light cleanses and purifies. Sunlight kills germs in clothing. Ultraviolet light is often used to purify drinking water. Jesus cleanses sin from our lives, removing the desire to sin as well as the results of sin.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. Come and light up my life, purify my heart and make me like you. Amen.