“John 14:1-15”

Monday, June 22, 2020

“‘Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. ‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.’”

---End of Scripture verses---

Jesus had told His eleven faithful apostles that He would be leaving them soon and that they could not follow Him where He was going (13:33). He told them that one of them would betray Him (13:21) and that Peter would deny even knowing his Lord three times before the sun arose the next morning (13:38). These were disturbing times and, as you can imagine, Jesus’ friends were very troubled. Jesus took the time to encourage them and to assure them that He was going to prepare a place in His Father’s house for them to live forever.

What about your life upsets you the most? Whatever it is, if you belong to Jesus, “do not let your heart be troubled” (verse 1). You just remain faithful to Him and He will make everything alright. The Father sent Jesus to earth to take care of everything for you. He even went to prepare a place in heaven just for you, and one day He will come back for you personally to take you home (verses 2-3).

Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (verse 6). The apostle John uniquely reveals in his writings the true nature of who Jesus is. Jesus is THE way. Jesus is the exclusive pathway to the Father and there is no hope of heaven outside of Him. Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

Jesus is THE truth. We live in a society of moral relativism and conditional truth, but that is not reality. Jesus is absolute truth. He doesn’t merely KNOW the truth and HAVE the truth. Jesus IS the truth. To exist without Jesus and adherence to His perfect teaching is to live a life of falsehood, untrue to the very purpose for which life was given. “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:17-18)

Jesus is THE life. Jesus is the Creator of all physical life (John 1:1-3), and the wellspring from which eternal life flows (John 4:14; 7:37-38). But Jesus does not merely HAVE life and GIVE life, Jesus IS life itself (John 5:26). “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

Jesus is God. The apostle John goes to great lengths to let his readers know for certain that Jesus IS God. Jesus told His apostles to believe in Him just as they believed in God (verse 1). Look again at John 1:18 and 1 John 5:20 where Jesus is called “the only begotten God” and “the true God”. Jesus could rightly tell Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (verse 9) because God the Son shares equality in nature and purpose and eternity with God the Father.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Jesus is everything! To have Jesus is to have everything. To not have Jesus is to have nothing. Obey Jesus because He is God. If you love Him keep His commandments (verse 15).

Please read John 15:1-17 for tomorrow – Jesus is the Vine.

Have a blessed day!

-Louie Taylor

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