Unit 2: The Word: The Agent of Creation
Key Verse:
John 12:46 NLT
46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.
There are so many reasons to place your trust in Him. Come see.
What you need to know
John 12:25-26 NLT
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
As we approach this week’s lesson, consider what has transpired before we reach today’s text (John 12:44-50). In Chapter Eleven (next week’s lesson), Jesus and his disciples return from the wilderness outside of Judea in response to Mary and Martha’s desperate plea to come to Bethany, just on the southeast side of Jerusalem, to heal their brother, Lazarus, who was dying. His return to the area carried some risk because, during His last visit to the area, the religious leaders in Judea threatened to stone Him (John 10:31-32). Nevertheless, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and raised Lazarus from the dead, literally calling him from the tomb. In the moments preceding that miracle, we have the record of His exchange with Martha, where He declares Himself in another of His ‘I AM’ statements to be the One who has the power of death, hell, and the grave. He declares that He is the resurrection and the life, the very power of God to give life and to give it eternally. It is right after Lazarus’ resurrection the religious leaders determine that Jesus must be killed.
John 12:3 NLT
3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar[b] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
Song of Solomon 1:12 NLT
12
The king is lying on his couch,
enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume.
Immediately after Lazarus' resurrection, Jesus and His disciples returned to the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim on the other side of the Jordan, to avoid those who were plotting His death. He and His disciples returned to the area to observe Passover, the last Passover that He would observe with His disciples. They arrived at the home of their friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. A grand meal was prepared for them, and in attendance were some of the very religious leaders who were planning to kill Him. It was here that Mary very publicly took the jar of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet. In doing so, Mary silently declared that which inspired the religious leaders' ire. Her silent, thoughtful worship made it clear to all that Jesus was the Messiah.
John 12:12-15 NLT
12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,
“Praise God![f]
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hail to the King of Israel!”[g]
14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:
15
“Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem.[h]
Look, your King is coming,
riding on a donkey’s colt.”
Zechariah 9:9 NLT
9
Rejoice, O people of Zion![a]
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,[b]
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.
Next, Jesus makes a public and very bold declaration of His identity as the Lord’s Messiah, Very God, and Very man, by entering Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover celebration on the foal of a donkey. By doing so, he declares victory and peace. In both cases, they are proclaimed with the air of finality and eternity. He declares victory over sin and death forever at the cross on which his enemies will have Him executed.
John 12:30-32
30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
Finally, Immediately preceding this week’s lesson, God speaks from Heaven, declaring that He will glorify His great Name through the name of His Son, Jesus. This declaration still stands as an eternal witness that the Father and the Son are One. These events, each significant in their own right, serve as a backdrop for this week’s lesson. Let’s get started.
The Lesson
John 12:44 NLT
44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me.
This is Passover, a distinctly Jewish observance celebrating God’s deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt. Subsequently, Jesus is speaking, primarily to Jews. Let that sink in. To the uninitiated and uninformed, Jesus’ statement provides a teachable moment: that Jesus identifies with the Eternal and Almighty God of Heaven. This is a truth emphasized throughout Scripture. For Christians, this is a core belief that we accept and become comfortable with from the time that we first believe. However, to the Jew, Jesus’ declaration presents a much different problem. Upon hearing these words, a Jew is confronted with a choice. To believe Jesus’ words is to reject key parts of their understanding of their history, their culture, and God. To reject Christ’s words is to embrace their reverence for their heritage as children of Abraham and for the Law of Moses. To accept Christ’s words, in their minds, they would have to tune their backs on the very things that made them…Jews. Their entire concept of God was intricately woven throughout the fabric of their culture. Jesus invited them to a new and living way. In the next brief verses, He will paint a picture of God that they are heretofore unfamiliar with.
John 12:45 NLT
45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.
“For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.” With these words, Jesus not only identifies Himself with God, but He also identifies God with Himself. That’s not just a cute play on words, but a profound truth that warrants our consideration. Beloved, Jesus wants you to know that He is the express image of the invisible God. He wants you to know that all you need to know about God is Jesus. What that means to me is that God is fully expressed in the words and actions of Jesus. This truth is so profound, especially to the Jews, that just a short time later, He would make this very same claim to one of His disciples, Thomas. Thomas walked with Jesus for three years, somehow waiting for the ‘big reveal’, that Jesus had direct access to the father. Not yet convinced, Thomas finally confronted Jesus with these words, “...show us the Father”. Jesus responded, “When you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” Again, for you and I, these words are part of our learning as Christians. For a Jew, these words change everything. What, then, does Jesus reveal to us about the Father?
John 12:46 NLT
46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.
1 John 1:5 NLT
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
James 1:17 NLT
17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.[d] He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
Beloved, Jesus wants us to know that God is Light. James identifies Him as the Father of Lights. He no longer speaks to us from thunder, storms, billowing smoke, or whirlwinds. He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus. All Jesus has ever done is prove His love for us. He rescued us from our lost state. He pulled us from some of the darkest places. He has only ever offered us …Grace. He has only ever shone us Love. That is what the Father wants us to know about Him, that He is love.
John 12:47 NLT
47 I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.
In this dispensation of Grace, Jesus and His Father, our Father, want us to know that we are not under judgment. Not by them. Not in the Church age. All Jesus wants us to know about our Father is that He loves us. Jesus had no problem hanging out with tax collectors and sinners, drunkards, and prostitutes. He wants us to know that the Father sent Him for the express purpose of saving those very people. He wants us to know that those people are not invisible, nor are they lost. God knows exactly who they are and where they are. He sent us Jesus to save them (us).
1 John 4:16 NLT
16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Matthew 5:3 NLT
3
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,[a]
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Beloved. God is love. All Jesus ever expressed to His followers was love. Above all else, He wants us to know that we are loved. He doesn’t care what our station in life might be. Lepers didn’t frighten Him. These regarded among us are cherished by Him, and by God. Don’t ever think for a moment that God feels anything but love for you, no matter how disappointed you are…in yourself. God loves you. He’s not sitting over you in judgment. Instead, by His Holy Spirit and by The Word that He sent to us, He continually calls us to life, eternal life to all who will trust His Son.
John 12:48 NLT
48 But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.
It is at this point that I must remind you that Jesus’ primary listening audience are…Jews. He is confronting the Jews with a choice. They must either choose Him and His message or …not. But He is warning them that the failure to choose Him will result in eternal separation from the Father and from Himself for eternity. He’s not pointing an accusatory finger at any and every sinner, or any and every sin. No, He is simply telling Jews that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one can come to the Father and gain eternal life without trusting Him (Christ). Beloved, the same is true today. The only message that we have for the lost is this: Jesus saves. Trust Him. You can come to Him just as you are, and He will save you. I’m a witness. Jesus loves sinners. He demonstrated that fact continuously during His earthly ministry.
John 12:49-50 NLT
49 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
Jesus closes His narrative with this point. He has only done what the Father has commanded Him to do. He has taken care to stick to the script. He has only said what the Father has instructed Him to say. Why? Because God saw it all from the beginning. He saw our eventual fall and devised a plan to save us, all of us, before the world was spoken into existence. After all, He wants us to know the most important thing about Him is that He loved us from the beginning. From the beginning, God is Love.
Selah,
wb
1 John 4:19-19 NLT
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[b] because he loved us first.
Amen !! Great Letter Brother
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