Author: ianfrancoisdt

The most powerful Being helpless, on a cross, portrayed like a lamb being sacrificed. Another enigma of the Christian faith. Unlimited power relinquished, and like a lamb, allowing himself to be crucified – and all for my benefit, for our benefit.

”I have purposely portrayed myself as a lamb. Held captive and falsely accused, I chose not to retaliate but to submit to the unreasonable, unfair, farce of a trial, so that my purposes would be accomplished. So, whenever you see or think about a lamb – think absolute submission for your personal sake. But don’t stop there, I have also called myself the lion of Judah, a picture of the king of all the animals. I have risen from that grave and taken up my full power again, Lord and King of all creation. And My rule and power is all available to my people. You too, as we build my kingdom together”.

Jesus, the most remarkable man ever to have lived is dead. Was He just a “Super prophet”? Or was He more than that? There have been many prophets in the history of the Israeli nation who died and that was part of their history. What was going to be different here? These questions must have been churning around in the minds of the disciples. Jesus had on several occasions warned them that the Son of Man MUST die and will be raised again after 3 days. Yet hearing, they didn’t hear. Just like we so often do when we read the scriptures or have it taught to us. So Jesus often will go over to action to wake us up to the reality of what He has said.

So today we enter into the new reality of the world after Jesus’ physical death on the cross. I am reading John 20:1- 9. These scenes are so familiar that we need to stop and take stock that we don’t miss the thread of the story, as it unfolds.

According to John the first person to reach the tomb was Mary Magdalene. Interesting. The body had been taken down from the Cross and buried by two respected Jewish elders who had both become believers in Jesus. But what a contrast, the fact that the tomb was empty was discovered by Mary Magdalene. Remember who she was? She was a loose woman (maybe a prostitute) who Jesus had rescued. In that male dominated society no woman had any standing. Yet Jesus chose her, of the lowest caste to be the first to discover the empty tomb. His whole ministry had shown that He had come to rescue the lost and restore them to full shalom in Himself. What a lovely way of showing the extent of His ministry. He has come for the sake of everyone here on earth, especially the lost and hopeless, the poor and destitute. Yet the more affluent and educated were also part of His plan.

After running to tell Peter they return and are astonished to not only find that the tomb was empty, but that the grave clothes were neatly folded up. Such an important detail. Remember the raising of Lazarus? When Jesus called him out of the tomb he was still wrapped in the grave cloths 11:44. Clearly what had happened here was on a different level. A level where everything was carefully under control. Notice that John thinks this detail is important by giving it so much space in his gospel story.

Then in vs 8 “the other disciple”, presumably John himself, arrives. He enters the tomb and there is a remarkable statement: “He believed”. But what did he believe? I think he just believed, at this point that the body was gone. You see ultimate, saving faith seems to have only dawned on all the disciples at the end of this chapter. But whatever is the case virtually every person who comes to a saving faith often goes through steps of belief before full understanding and saving faith comes. And even then we all only see through a glass darkly now and will finally understand when we are face to face with our Saviour.

What is important to us, the reader is that all this, and the following detail should deeply convince us of the truth of the events being described here.

May God bless you all for this coming week

Singing the precious hymn: “How great thou art”, which has become a favourite since Emily‘s passing from this world. When I come to the final stanza: “When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart”, I am reminded that those words were being sung when Em took her last breath and answered his call to take her home. Tears flow, tears of sadness and tears of joy; what a privilege it is to know she is now with him in the heavenly Jerusalem.

“That final destination should be the ultimate focus of each one’s hope, who loves Me. Paul quite rightly said: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men”. What is now unseen to the eye of the ordinary person, is seen by faith by the children of the kingdom, and will become each one’s reality into eternity. You are in this world, but not of it and actually aliens and strangers, but in the “New Heaven and the New Earth” you will have come home and will belong completely.”

The last paragraph of ch 19 in John’s gospel, ch (19:38-42) may appear to be a passing remark to complete the story of the crucifixion, but it is actually a very important detail. Notice how much detail is given here compared to the bare “Here they crucified Him” (19:18), which describes the act that is the focal point of God’s whole story.

So why is it so important? It is to complete and emphasise the statement in vs 30: “With that He gave up His Spirit”. Although it was on the cross that Jesus did His huge work of redemption, this would not have been proved real without His resurrection. Throughout the book of Acts, the early Christian’s testified to the one central fact, that changed their lives that Christ had risen from the dead. Over time many people have tried to suggest and prove that Jesus did not really die. That He was merely in a sort of swoon or coma when they took Him down off the cross.

As we look at the detail in this section we also see God’s complete control in the preparation for this act. Two prominent Jewish figures, with sufficient stature, were prepared by God to take Jesus’s body to a new grave. They would have had to have sufficient authority to approach Pilate for permission and to override the objections of all the other senior Pharisees and scribes.

The preparations of the body, described in detail, wrapped in strips of cloth and embalmed with 75 pounds of myrrh and aloe. It is inconceivable that Jesus could still have survived this even if He was alive when He was taken down. We already have the description of the soldier piercing His side and water and blood running out. Now we have this pierced body, bruised and torn by repeated beatings, with His hands and feet pierced by huge nails, wrapped up like a mummy. Was He alive all the time? Did He have the strength to wriggle His way out? I think we all agree the evidence shouts that He was actually dead.

To the first time reader of this gospel, the night was dark, everything seemed lost, yet the world was poised for the greatest, most supernatural miracle of all time when the new dawn would burst forth and a new era would begin – the gospel era. The era where the New Covenant of God with His people started.

Before we close, let us take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The bible story starts in Genesis with the greatest catastrophe of all time, Adam’s failure to fulfil his role, on behalf of all mankind to have a relationship with God. It happened in a garden. Here, at great cost the betrayal is reversed, also in a garden. The fully obedient One, with the perfect relationship with the Father is laid, the “First Fruit” of all those who will have a relationship with the Father into the future. Great Symbolism, since relationship seems to be the goal of Jehovah.

My heart is filled with thankfulness as I consider this great sacrifice, for me personally, but for each one of you also individually and personally. God bless till next week.

I feel totally encompassed by your love. Completely safe knowing your faithfulness and purpose that you are working in all things. Both in my life and those around me towards an ultimate goal which is focused ultimately on Your glory.

”As you have been singing Psalm 139, you know My eyes, My hand, My heart are focused on you, the one I created to be exactly as you are. I have led you along a path specifically designed for you all these years. When you have wandered I have lovingly wooed you back to Me. Now, as the years gather, I am taking you forward where you will meet Me and experience My glory and My glory will be revealed in you. Bathe in that knowledge and feel completely secure – nothing can separate you from My love”

The end of the suffering of His earthly life is now imminent. What does John want us to learn about these last moments. Let’s read John 28-37.

Once again what is happening here is clearly linked to the Old Testament. Firstly the small detail about Jesus being offered a drink when He says He is thirsty. It is easy to miss the symbolism of the wine vinegar being offered to Him on a stalk of Hyssop. Hyssop plays quite a varied and interconnected role in the OT. Here the link is with the Passover. Moses instructed the Israelites to paint the blood of the lambs on the doorframes using a bunch of hyssop. Hyssop symbolises purification for instance in Psalm 51:7 where David asks for purging with Hyssop. So this little act, mentioned here connects Jesus’ death to the protection from judgement symbolised in the Passover story as well as His role in the purification of those who will trust in Him.

Then, His well-known statement in vs 30,”It is finished”. The Greek word “teleo” is perhaps better translated “it has been completed or accomplished”. This denotes the firm statement that the whole purpose of Jesus’ mission to earth has reached completion with His death on the cross. As passive as Jesus has appeared, we see Him actively giving up His life in the end (vs 30), showing that even here at the end He is in control.

The next verses, 31-36 are devoted to showing how everything that was happening to Him had been prophesied, carefully explaining how His bones were not broken and His side pierced (Exodus 12:46, Psalm 34:20, Zech. 12:10).

Reading this passage I was again enthralled with the way that God’s story has unfolded from the very beginning of the Bible. It is a reminder of the importance of reading the OT to see how everything unfolds according to God’s plan. Ultimately it is all about God. It is His story. But it does not end with Him. While it starts with Him and focuses on Him, it finally boils down to His interaction with us. His creation, with us in the centre are for His glory and enjoyment, but He is intimately involved with each one of us. Psalm 8 reminds us, “What is man that you are mindful of him?“ and of course the wonderful Psalm 139, I was singing earlier.

This all brings me great comfort, knowing how central we are in His plans and that we are intimately bound up with them and kept secure till we go to be with Him.

Blessings till I see you all next week.

You lead me beside still waters and make me lie down in green pastures, you restore my soul, your tender mercies follow me all the days of my life. I will trust in you alone as I stand before another year of life you have gifted me.

”You have been and still are a precious sheep in my flock of lovers, bound for the eternal home I have prepared for all of you. Your loved ones who have preceded you wait for you to join them so that you all can relish the ultimate pleasure together. Time, not restricted, with Me in My presence. Time to enjoy the best I have for you. Time to enjoy Me who represents the best you could ever inherit and enjoy. Your love is precious and I continue to cultivate it as I woo you into a deeper and deeper relationship with Me.”

As we read today’s passage, John 19:16-27, we should have the sense of entering a holy space, observing and participating in the key moment of God’s entire plan for humanity coming together. The moment when Jesus opened the way for us to the Father in heaven, so momentous that the earth shook.

The story is so familiar to every Christian that we may miss some of the subtle points. So let me make some observations:

The actual act of crucifixion is described in 1 verse, vs 18. Compared to that 4 verses describing the name under which He was condemned: “The King of the Jews”. Then a further 2 verses describing the dividing up of Jesus’s clothing and 3 verses describing the role of the women and His care for His mother.

So what was John wanting us to hear?

Jesus is described as carrying His own cross. No mention of help. Presumably this is to emphasise His loneliness. He is facing this enormous task now without any human support. Then, crucified between two criminal strangers. Have you ever felt you are facing difficulties on your own, no friendly support, only those who seem against you or are indifferent? Jesus has been there.

The fact that He is crucified with criminals and then the detailed description of how His clothes were divided up is clearly emphasised, to link with some of the prophecies in the OT. (Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53) Both those chapters are devoted to the explanation of what is happening here before the eyes of the people who had received these promises and before our eyes. It is John’s way of explaining the whole purpose of that terse statement “Here they crucified Him”.(vs 18)

Beside this purpose, it is also a reminder of how God has planned everything that is happening, down to the last detail. And it is all working out, despite the fact that the people involved were antagonistic towards Him. And as we stand back we need to remind ourselves that if we had been there we would have been among the mob crying “Crucify, crucify!” Because that is the only way we could ultimately be saved.

But standing further back as we view this whole scene, there is a huge comfort. No matter how dire our circumstances are, God IS in control of them. These are not just nice words, this passage again reminds us of that reality.

Then finally the picture of the women. What a beautiful reminder of the role you, my dear sisters, play in our lives and in the unfolding Kingdom. The emotional makeup and faithful love you show is a massive encouragement to how God has balanced the kingdom membership and reminds us of your unmissable role and place in our kingdom lives. The touching words of Jesus to John to look after His mother are a fitting end to the chapter reminding us of His continued, tender compassion.

May this reading be a real encouragement to you all during these cold, grey days as we remind ourselves of God’s intimate care and knowledge of ourselves.

How great thou art, then sings my soul my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art and I bow in humble adoration.

” I appreciate your humble adoration, I appreciate your worship – that you can see and declare My worth. That is why I created you and countless others who have gone before you. Not to achieve greatness or a claim, but to recognise something of My greatness and be moved to a true and humble adoration, no matter what the circumstances are that you are experiencing, no matter the challenges – to see past that, to get a glimpse of My greatness and to be filled with joy by what you see, hear and experience of Me. So continue to draw near and look up and perceive Me and My greatness for who I am and enjoy Me”

We read on, in ch 19 verses 1-16 of John’s gospel account. The interaction continues between Pilate and Jesus, with the Jews shouting in the background as the crucifixion looms darker ahead.

Perhaps the key verse here is 7b: “because he claimed to be Son of God” .We should remember that the triple question John seeks to answer in the gospel is: Who is this Man? What has He come to do? What should our response be? So we have been reading of the focus of the accusation against Jesus, that He claimed to be “the King of the Jews”. This is escalated in this passage cf 19:1-3, 5, where they go through the mockery of “Crowning Him”. But the real issue comes to the fore now in vs 7. He is actually claiming divinity!

This was a serious accusation from the Jewish point of view. This was the real reason they used to have Him crucified. So the reader, you and I, are called to make a decision. Who do we think Jesus really was and is? John has spent His whole gospel laying out the many proofs of who Jesus is, the real issue is: who do you think Jesus is? Do you really believe all the material John has put together as proof? I think it was a huge step in my faith life when the penny really dropped and I suddenly knew that Jesus is in fact God Himself in human form.

Standing back and allowing my mind and emotions to take in this scene in John 19, the feelings of hopeless confusion easily flood over me. Put into today’s context one sees the protests around the world and how easily they escalate and end in violence. Here, Jesus is the focus of the “protest”. I’m sure many of the people present there didn’t even understand the issues, but were carried along by the rising sense of crowd power and emotion

In the midst of all this we have a word from Jesus. A word for then, but also a word for us today, when Pilate says “Do you not realise I have power either to free you or crucify you” and then Jesus’s clear and ultimate answer into eternity, “You would not have any power over Me if it were not given you”. As completely out of control everything appeared to be, God/Jesus had complete control and was only allowing the riot, to achieve its purpose. The crucifixion was central to God’s plan and this is how it was going to play out.

I don’t pretend to understand all the relevant movements in the story. Why God chose to use these evil people to accomplish His purposes. Why God chose this evil man, Pilate to be in a place of authority, and used him to play a key role. Yet even as I write that, I realise I am as much one of the people that would have shouted and agreed with the mob. It was equally necessary for my salvation as it was for each of you, dear readers. So, I submit to His complete wisdom in carrying it out like this. What this does bring home to me is that no matter how confused and bad matters seem to be in our world today, it is always God’s plan being worked out for His ultimate glory. That gives me huge peace and assurance as I look at the chaos in the world today.

Nest week we will look at the actual crucifixion. Till then bless you all.

My Maker and my King I owe all to thee.

“It is good to set yourself aside as you meet with Me so that you can clearly hear what I have to say to you. It is so easy to do good things, but in the process have the attitude that you are seeking to make a name for yourself. So it is good to humble yourself in My presence and allow your compass to be reset so that I am your True North and the light by which you live. I am that light which illuminates your life, both from outside as well as inside. It is not necessary to generate a light for yourself. Allow yourself to sink into My arms as you remind yourself that I am your Maker and your King and you do owe everything to Me because you belong to Me.”

As I was reading the next passage from John’s gospel story, I felt almost as if I was entering a holy space as we approach the central point of the whole Message of God collected in the bible. So we take up the story as Jesus is taken to Pilate: John 18:28-40.

This section, deals with Jesus’s interaction with Pontius Pilate, the Roman prelate who held the power of life and death over Jesus. But did he really? Jesus makes it quite clear that, while he had the legal right to pronounce a death sentence, this right had been given him by none other than God Himself. V 36.

Pilate, a really evil man, who was later banished and ended his life by suicide, is merely the tool which God has used to continue to work out His redemption plan.

In this interaction with Jesus one can sense how Jesus was ultimately in control of the conversation, despite Pilate’s superior position. The central point of this passage lies in the words of Jesus in vv 36,37. Especially the statement: “For this reason I was born”. What Jesus says about His Kingdom is so important. It was important then. As John uses this to remind the reader thatJesus’s program was far greater than just an insurrection in Israel.

It is just as important for us today to remember this central fact. God’s kingdom, while hugely real, operates on a different level, an unseen level, to what we see in the world. It is a global kingdom, crossing all lines of state. The members of that kingdom are made up of every one who is a true “born again” believer. The main law of that kingdom is Love. Love for the King and flowing from that love for each of the other members of the kingdom. All the other laws flow from that central one.

The key that was to unlock this new kingdom lay at the door now. As we approach the inevitable and awful mistreatment of this King, it is hard to see how this was going to be the greatest moment of Jesus glorification. But we will come to that later. John just wants the reader to place himself into this scene and experience something of its awfulness as the story rises to its climax.

The other thing that struck me here is the incredible, vitriolic hate, expressed against this innocent man. This was no doubt a sign of the intense spiritual battle that was going on in the “heavenly realms” and being expressed here. Although Jesus conquered the “Evil one” on the cross we are still being drawn into his rearguard action, aimed at destroying the Kingdom by destroying every member. Read Revelation ch 12 for a very picturesque description of what is going on even now.

It is important that we recognise that this spiritual battle is still going on so that we can take our stand against the Evil One, (1 Peter 5:8) and not be mislead by his attractive lies.

With that, make sure Jesus is your True North and have a blessed week.

Every morning I wake to this thought – “Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God should die for me?”

“Maybe it is especially amazing that the thought of love should be centred on the whole concept of death. However, consider this – after the curse I passed on the world, every human’s mind is focused, if not all the time, at least some of the time on death. Death is the greatest enemy to each one of you. That is why I chose to come and taste it, after that, pass through it opening the way to My glory through My resurrection. So as you focus on your reading today the spectre of death becomes greater and greater, but at the same time it is not the end – just as your death is not the end– rather see it as a gateway to glory – the golden light shines beyond the Gateway, lighting up My glory which you will share in.”

As we continue reading in John’s gospel we are immersed in the final climax as Jesus’s death looms larger and larger. Today, as we read John 18:12-27, I invite you to allow your imagination to take you into that scene. Feel the anticipation, the fear, the darkness still enveloping, the smell of terror and experience the violent antagonism. And most of all the additional loneliness as one by one all Jesus’s friends and followers desert Him and everyone around Him is focussed on doing Him the utmost harm, even to death.

As the officials take Jesus to Annas there is a verse which reminds us of the whole purpose of what is going on. It is slipped in, almost unseen, but should be a reminder to the reader of what this happening is all about. Vs 14 “ Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for all the people.” His words, so prophetic were obviously meant in a different way by him, yet is a summary of what Jesus was going through.

Today’s section is dominated by the description of Peter’s denial. Jesus had warned him earlier, after he had insisted on his eternal allegiance, that he would deny Jesus three times before the cock crowed (John 13:38). While much of the rest of what was happening is dealt with quite succinctly, the three denials of Peter are described in graphic detail.

Now I have heard a number of sermons where Peter is used as an example of unfaithfulness and desertion. However, I want to suggest that we should not be too hard on Peter. Firstly, Peter was the only disciple that did not run away completely. Why are the rest of the disciples not equally criticised? Secondly, may I respectfully ask you, dear reader, whether you too have not at some stage effectively denied your relationship and love of Christ? Maybe in a general discussion or even in a one on one conversation? The moment is there for you to speak up, but your courage just fails you in that instant.

Maybe we should see this denial in a broader picture. The intense pressure on the disciples with everyone turning on Jesus and the natural tendency of us humans to flee from that. The important thing is that the story does not end here. As much detail that is given here to Peter’s actions, the gospel will end with the restoration Jesus offers him, which is dealt with in just as much detail.

So even when we do drop Jesus by not speaking up at a specific time, He will not condemn us for that and will keep restoring us. Then, of course we are in a period of time when the Holy Spirit had not yet been given to the world, so Peter was operating in his own strength. Later He became the chief spokesman for the disciples for instance in Acts ch 2. And then tradition has it that he died by being crucified himself, asking to be done upside down because he did not want to take any of the glory of Christ’s death away from Him.

In the centre of this description of Peter’s denial, we return to the farce of a trial that Jesus is going through. As you read those verses 19-24, what is your instinctive reaction? The sense John is building is the extremely unfair way Jesus is being treated. Above all that He is completely innocent of the charges being put to Him. At the same time, His calm reaction to these accusers. It is so important that the reader not be confused into thinking that He deserved this punishment, because the whole gospel pivots on the fact of His innocence so that His death on our behalf could be effective.

I hope that as we read these last chapters in John’s gospel we will be captivated afresh by this amazing story about such an amazing love that He should die for you and I.

God bless till next week.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus – Oh the wonder of it all, that God loves me.

“It may be a wonder to you that I love you and every precious soul I have created. But the whole purpose of My creation exercise has been to make a platform where I can demonstrate My wonder and My glory and have a creature to respond to Me in love and awe. Those who I have created in My image to be able to relate to Me and worship Me, giving Me the Glory I deserve. Your great reward is still coming when you will pass into My presence and remain there in worship for all eternity. So do not lose your sense of wonder because that is what I want from you.”

Our reading today launches into the final action leading up to Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. We are just reading John 18:1-11 today.

Standing back and looking at the whole scene in the garden there is a certain symbolism which we should not miss. The whole of the story of God’s creation started in a garden called Eden. Everything was perfect. God with His beloved creatures Adam and Eve, relating freely to each other. They were completely free with one condition; they had to recognise God for who He is and follow Him willingly. Enter a serpent who offers a different perspective and they fall completely for it, as it seems to offer them autonomy from God. We all know the consequences which resulted in the chaos we still experience today. However from the beginning God has had a plan and that plan was coming to fruition in a garden in Palestine thousands of years later.

Here God Himself, in human flesh faces the serpent in the form of a detachment of soldiers led by a great traitor, Judas. Initially it appears as if Satan is once again going to win the battle for the world and the souls of men everywhere. But such is the enigma of Christianity, the apparent loss of this skirmish is the beginning of the greatest victory of all time.

In this paragraph we see the clear indication that God is in charge. Firstly in the soldiers initial reaction to Jesus’s identification of who He is, “I Am” in vs 5. Then the remark in vs 9 “This happened so that the words He had spoken would be fulfilled.” Finally His statement in vs 11, “Shall I not drink this cup which the Father has given Me?”

Reflecting on the passage I find it interesting that the soldiers were prepared to go on with the arrest, even after their initial reaction to Jesus’s identification of who He is. It shows the perverse nature of humanity. I think that sometimes when we are about to do something contrary to God’s will we may also stand up and continue despite the sense of God’s presence. Fortunately we have a forgiving Father who patiently draws us back to Himself, even though we may have to live with the consequences of our actions.

To me the main message of this opening section of action is that even when we are in the garden of conflict and suffering we are living with a Saviour who has experienced the greatest suffering possible yet won the victory for us. That even when all appears to be lost there is an underlying golden thread of ultimate victory which will be our reward.

The other encouragement we can get from this passage is that when we experience one of the greatest trials as humans, when someone who we love and trust betrays us, Jesus has been there and understands and can minister to us. Judas had walked with Jesus for three years, been intimately close to Him and shared in everything all the other disciples shared, yet for a few pieces of silver was prepared to betray Jesus, knowing that it would lead to His death.

This story is so familiar, maybe before you finish, close your eyes and imagine the scene. The dark, then a group of men running with torches clamouring for blood like a pack of hounds. Imagine the emotions of the disciples and of course Jesus who is the target. Smell the night air, the oil from the lights, the heavy scent of the garden and the smell of fear. He did this all for us and this was just the beginning of this long and fearful night.

God bless till next week.

Behold the wondrous mystery – of Christ who died for me. Yes oh Lord, although you have revealed much of Yourself, You still remain largely a mystery. Yet I am not a mystery to You because You know me so intimately that You know my thoughts even before I speak.

”You are right to understand that there is much about Me which is still mysterious to you and to the whole world. I have created you into a wondrous being, incredibly complex in design. Even the most astute scientists don’t understand everything about man. Your minds are finite and could not take it all in. Yet you can enjoy Me fully because you can know that behind the mystery is all My goodness and love. Enjoy everything you know about Me, what I have revealed about Myself and enjoy knowing that there is so much more to learn about Me.”

Today we come to the end of the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus in John 17:20 – 26. We have looked at the long prayer Jesus prayed for His disciples, those who were intimately connected to Him during His earthly life. Although that prayer was specifically intended for these men we could nevertheless draw some important words which are still applicable to us today.

The section we are looking at today covers His prayer for “all those who will believe in Me through their (the disciple’s) message.”vs 20. In other words all Christians including each one of us. Let us look at the priorities which He raises in this prayer of His.

His first priority is that of unity among believers. This unity is intimately bound to the unity between Jesus and the Father and is the surest demonstration of our faith, vv 23 and again 24.This is a theme from way back cf 14:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men shall know that you are My disciples.” The whole section which follows that statement shows us the importance and value of abiding as a demonstration of relationship which flows from Jesus’s relationship with the Father. This relationship then underpins the whole idea and practical application which is ultmately displayed in unity.

Sadly, one of the greatest problems in the Christian Church today is disunity. People who call themselves Jesus followers, squabbling and arguing and splitting apart into multiple denominations. Families rent apart in strife followed by divorce. I think this is one of our greatest challenges today. To be able to love one another, despite our many differences. The world, which is in constant conflict on a national as well as a personal level, should be looking at the Christian Church in wonder at how we demonstrate His love. Instead they often see exactly the same problems as they are experiencing. This is a huge challenge to us both in our prayer life as well as our everyday actions.

True unity comes from the Spirit’s work as He first brings us to humility and dependence on God’s grace. Disunity mostly arises from pride and selfcentredness causing a sense of entitlement. A symptom at best, of immaturity in the faith, at worst of not being believers at all. On top of that I would be remiss if I did not mention the role of Satan who recognises this weak spot and capitilises by promoting differences and strife and thus making the church ineffectual in its great task of spreading the gospel.

Jesus then goes on to discuss Glory. He has given all believers His glory, the glory which the Father gave Him. This is more of a nebulous concept which I suppose we will only appreciate when we are fully exposed to the the Father’s glory in the new heavens and the new earth. It is the ultmate goal in our relationship with Yahweh though, which is indicated by it being one of these priority themes in this prayer.

The third idea which is brought forward is the reality of God’s love. vs 23b 26c. A major part of Jesus’s revelation to the world and especially to His disciples is His love. That is what underpins everything else in what He has said and is the fitting last word in the prayer.

Looking back at this prayer should make us reconsider what the focus of our prayers and actions should be. As we demonstrate the Father’s love for Jesus and thus His love for us we must remember that that love was shown most graphically by His death on the cross on our behalf. Greater love can no man have than that he should die for you. Twice He includes in the prayer the importance of making Him and His love known. Firstly in vs 20, it is through the Apostles’ message, ie God’s word that people come to believe, and in vs 26 as Jesus makes His love known, how else will the nonbeliever get to know Him if we don’t tell them. Romans 10:11ff

Once again a fistful of input to chew on. Enjoy doing that till we meet again next week.

The matchles name of Jesus, a mystery in the past, revealed in part at the cross and resurrection, yet we still see through a glass darkly.

”My Name, which is called in the song ‘Matchless’ is in no way seperate from Me. My name represents everything I am. As you accept and believe in My name you accept and believe on Me. When you call on My name you are calling on Me. My name represents everything I am, everything that I do. It is who I am. Yes there is much about Me that you do not understand which is still a mystery, but your mind would not be able to take it all in if it was revealed to you now. Be patient, one day you will see face to face and experience My full glory while you, yourself will be glorified.

We continue today with John 17:6-19. Last time I almost tripped over the whole concept of “I protected and held them safe by that name you gave Me” Why do I say tripped? Over the years I have associated with many brothers and sisters in Christ. In some circles there would occasionally be a testimony to calling on Jesus name or His blood and the sense is almost that these two expressions release a power of their own. Reading this passage and especially this phrase almost took me into that realm.

There is a bit of emphasis on Jesus’s name in this passage. Right back in vs 6 where the NIV translates “you” the actual reading is “I have revealed your name to those you gave Me”. In vs 11 Jesus prays to the Father “protect them by the power of your name – the name You gave Me”. On reflection we must see that the concept of the “name” merely represents the full character and power of the One who carries that Name. So the interplay here is really on understanding that all the power and character of God is available and real in Jesus. Their names are therefore equally powerful and this is just another mystery of the Trinity. In the letter to the Colossians Paul puts it this way; “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him”. So the emphasis in Jesus’s prayer in John’s gospel is not on the name as such but on the power which is available to protect those disciples.The power of both God and Jesus. The interesting thing is that the aim was “that they may be one” vs 12.

The fact that He mentions Judas as the only one that has been lost also suggests that He is asking God to keep them faithful to the task that they have been given. There is nothing wrong with us calling on the name of Jesus whatever the circumstances whether in a crisis or just every day. The important thing is that we undestand that calling on His name is just another way of calling out to Him in His full capacity and divinity and everything He represents.

Let us look at the last part of the prayer for the disciples then. After praying for their safety Jesus expresses the desire that they may experience joy in their service even when He is gone. I find that quite interesting since it is easy to be carried away by the earnestness of our task that we forget that the underlying emotion we should experience in Jesus is one of joy. We must enjoy our service.

He then turns back to the reality that bcause they are no longer “of” the world, the world is going to reject them. So as they experience that He prays that God will protect them from the evil one, the one who is behind much of the battle for the kingdom’s spread.

Then finally He prays that God will continue to sanctify them as they continue with this task of taking the message of the Kingdom out into the world. This is a good reminder that we are never to stop growing in our faith.The process of sanctification is only complete when we arrive in God’s presence.

Well that is quite a mouthful. Plenty to meditate on in the coming week. See you all after the great cold front which is arriving.