Author: Jeff Englund

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

At this point in John’s gospel, we transition from the first-person account of Jesus’ words to John’s narrative of events. These events happen as Jesus’ time on earth draws to a close. It seems hard for me to believe, but we have spent nearly five months discussing the last night before Jesus’ crucifixion. It was clear back at the beginning of Chapter 13 with “Destinations” that the gospel text started describing Jesus’ last evening on earth. In today’s passage, John draws several threads together in just a few quick strokes of the pen.

Jesus leads his disciples out of Jerusalem into the night. They cross the Kidron Valley. This is interesting because throughout the history of Jerusalem the Kidron Valley was used as a dumping ground for foreign idols. Whenever the Jews repented and needed a place to dump the evidence of their shameful ways that is where they went.

On the other side of this valley was a hill called the Mt of Olives and on the hill was a garden. Not a garden in the sense of a vegetable garden or what the British might call a yard, but more of an orchard. An olive orchard to be precise. It is in this orchard that Jesus waits for Judas to betray him.

Continue reading “Fears – John 18: 1-3”

…and they [Jesus’ disciples] know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

Jesus is talking to his Father about his disciples. He reports that he has made the Father known to the disciples and then he says something very interesting. Even though he knows that his death is imminent he says that he, “… will continue to make [the Father] known…”

Jesus has a plan. It became necessary when sin entered creation. It was formulated by the Father and the Son. It involved sacrifice and redemption. But it doesn’t end there. Jesus plans on continuing his work of making the Father known to people.

How?

In John 16: 7b Jesus tells us that when he leaves he will send the Advocate. (See “Comfort”) This Advocate will convey Jesus’ message to people. (See “Jesus Calling” John 16: 14) Jesus tells us that he will be communicating directly to people through his Holy Spirit.

Why?

Why is Jesus doing this? In the rest of today’s verse, he explains. Jesus wants the love that God has for His own Son to extend to all that will accept Jesus as God’s son. Through his Holy Spirit, Jesus himself will be in those who accept him.

Jesus reconciles us to God and fills us with God’s love by filling us with himself.

Food for Thought: If you know the Lord, what would life be like without Him? If you don’t know the Lord, how would being filled with God’s love change your life?

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Continue reading “The Plan – John 17: 25b-26”

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you…

Jesus knows the Father. Okay. A lot of people can make that claim. Moses knew God. Abraham knew God. Adam and Eve knew God. All these people interacted with God, but Jesus has been with God from the beginning. Furthermore, Jesus is one with the Father.

Imagine if you will a beautiful place filled with sunshine and light. Imagine this is a place of limitless horizons. There is no end to it as far as the eye can see. Imagine flowers of every color, grass as green as emeralds, trees of every shape and size laden with every fruit imaginable. In the midst of all this color and light is Jesus and his Father.

Now imagine that there is a small windowless cabin somewhere in this vast garden of life. Inside the cabin is the world we know, The earth and all its people exist inside the darkened cabin.

Jesus has stepped into the cabin from the place where he has always been with the Father. He squeezes into a tiny earth body and grows to be a man. Into the darkened world he brings the light and life that fills the bright world outside of the cabin.

Jesus is about to return to the bright and colorful place that he came from. He is about to return to being with the Father. He states what is obvious from the heavenly point of view, but what is very hard for those in the darkened cabin to understand. Jesus is light and life. He has come from the Father and is returning to the Father. He knows the Father and is one with the Father.

The world does not know the Father, but Jesus does.

Food for Thought: What is it like to really know somebody? How do you describe that knowledge to someone else?

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Continue reading “Light in a Dark Place – John 17: 25a”

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

In a material world, it is easy to get sucked into wanting things. As I look back over my life I can see a lot of changes that have happened. For instance, consider the car. Back in the late 50s and early 60s cars were typically a heavy metal shell on a heavy steel frame. Standard features in those days included a gas pedal and brake pedal. Windshields were standard, too. Turn signals were optional. Almost all cars had manual transmissions.

The features we consider standard on cars today would seem like miracles even thirty years ago. Sixty years ago many of our standard features would have been impossible or so expensive that almost nobody could afford one. Power windows, air conditioning, power brakes, ABS braking, and parking cameras are all amazing innovations that we tend to take for granted in new cars. The “new” options we get excited over might be bigger engines, electronic sensors that keep us in the lane, and fancy electronic control panels that show us where we are going as well as how fast we are traveling.

Jesus lives in a place without material distractions. His wants are simple. Since before the beginning of time, there has been nothing new to attract the curiosity of the Creator. His whole world is wrapped up in pleasing his Father. His Father, in turn, wants to glorify his Son. Both the Father and the Son want their creation to know them.

Jesus wants us to be with Him. He wants us to see what he sees. He wants us to share in the joy of knowing you. Jesus has his eye on what is important. He wants us to do the same.

Food for thought: What happens to your desires for worldly things when you focus on Jesus?

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Continue reading “Distractions – John 17: 24”

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus understands his creation well. He knows that we do not always listen as we should. He is not repeating himself because his Father is hard of hearing. He is repeating himself so that we understand what he is saying is important. Let’s take another look at it:

”I have given them the glory that you gave me,”

What glory did the Father give to Jesus? What did Jesus pass on to his disciples? We talked about the meaning of glory in “Humble Glory” (John 17: 10). Honor is a major component of glory, and Jesus shares the honor of being a child of God with those who follow Him. This, in turn, glorifies God.

”that they may be one as we are one— “

In the post on “Oneness” (John 17: 21), we talked about this concept of two being one. My view is that oneness is both simple and complex. It is simple in that all we have to do is to submit completely the will of the Father as revealed to us by Jesus through his Word and the Holy Spirit. It is complex in that we humans can make even the simplest thing complicated.

”I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.”

My personal journey to understanding God’s Word has taken me down some lonely roads. It seems like the world is full of people who want to “interpret” God’s Word for me. Instead of finding unity in Jesus, they typically want me to find unity in them. Having been down this path many times before I have become very sensitive to any attempt to draw my attention away from my Lord.

The image for today’s post is an example of a photobomb – someone inserting themselves into a picture that was supposed to be of someone else. This is what happens when a person draws attention to their interpretations instead of allowing the picture to focus on Jesus.

Continue reading “Photo or Photobomb? – John 17: 22-23”

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

At the beginning of his gospel John lays out the principle elements of Jesus mission to earth:

• Jesus is both with God and is God. (vs 1)
• Jesus is the source of life (John equates life with light here) (vs 4, 9)
• Jesus (God/Life/Light) came into the world but the world did not recognize him. (vs 10,11)
• Jesus gives the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name. (vs 12-13)

If people will believe that God has sent Jesus, if they believe in Jesus’ name, he is able to fulfill his mission. The question then becomes what does it take for people to believe that Jesus is real?

People of the world are very aware of people who claim they are not of the world. What believers say and do is important. It affects what the people of the world think about God. If we as Christians act like frauds then it makes sense that our claims about God carry very little weight. If we as Christians live like Christ, then we can credibly represent him to the world.

Our power to live like Christ does not come from our own will. It comes from Christ within us. If we are not one with Christ we have no credibility. If we are one with Christ, then our testimony is valid and our actions reflect our Lord.

But what about other people who claim to be believers?

Being “of the world” does not mean that you cannot claim to be a believer if that is what you want to do. Being one with Jesus does not guarantee that the world will believe you. Jesus asks his Father that his believers would be “in us” so that the world “may believe” that Jesus was sent by God.

I pray that God answers Jesus prayer.

Food for Thought: Does who you accept as a brother or sister in Christ reflect on your credibility as a Christian believer?

Continue reading “Credibility – John 17: 21b”

… that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.

Jesus is praying to his Father. It is late in the evening. He and his disciples have finished the Passover meal. Judas has left to betray Jesus to the chief priests. The clock is ticking. The moment Jesus dies for the sins of all mankind is quickly approaching.

Urgently he prays for his disciples. In our last verse, he expanded the scope of who he is praying for to include you and me. Now, in today’s verse, he tells us why. He wants us to be one.

So the question for today is what does that mean? What does it mean to “be one?”

When we looked at John 17: 16 (“Worlds Apart”) we examined the concept of what it means to be in the world but not part of the world. Now we look at a similar concept from a different angle: What does it mean to be an individual and at the same time so much a part of a group of people that the entire group is considered one?

Oneness suggests that people share a common goal. After 9/11 America seemed to stop its bickering and infighting for a moment and unite in a common cause. For a brief period of time, there was a feeling of oneness in this country. Unfortunately, it was not an enduring oneness.

Continue reading “Oneness – John 17: 21”

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…

As Jesus continues his prayer to his Father, he reveals more and more about himself and his mission on earth. He wants to glorify the Father and make sure that you and I have eternal life. We learn that he is from the Father and is returning to the Father. Jesus also plainly admits that he existed before the world began (vs 5).

Jesus and God are one. How many times has he told us that in this gospel? A lot! Since he is one with God and existed before the world began, he very likely knows the end of the world as well. He knows that others will follow in the footsteps of his own disciples. Many, many others. In fact, he knows about you and me. I believe he knew about you and me when he walked on earth 2,000 years ago. He knows about us all.

In today’s verse, he prays specifically for you and me. We are among those who believe in Jesus through their message, the message of the early disciples. Jesus knew you would believe. Jesus knows who you are.

Because of his love for us, he sends us a message across two thousand years. He says, in effect, “I am praying for you, too!”

Food for Thought: Does knowing that Jesus knows you personally, and knew about you two thousand years ago affect how you think about him?

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Continue reading “Personal Message – John 17: 20a”

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

As we look at these three verses it is very important to understand the word, “sanctify,” to get what Jesus is saying. I looked up the Greek at blueletterbible.com and learned that the word means to “make holy,” to set apart, to clean and purify. With this understanding, let’s look at the text again.

Jesus says: Make my disciples holy, set apart, cleansed by your truth.

That makes sense, doesn’t it? Yesterday Jesus talked about being in the world but not part of the world. Today he describes a bit about what that means.

The “world’s” view is that truth is relative to who you are and how you feel about things at a given time. Jesus refers to “the” truth. He then adds the clarification that God’s word is truth. This word is not only the word spoken to Moses but every word that Jesus himself has spoken. The truth cleanses the mind, it purifies the one who hears the word, and to those who believe it sets them apart.

Food for Thought: If you are a believer, you are being sanctified. How have you seen that work out in your life?

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Continue reading “Clean – John 17: 17-19”