Category Archives: Apostle John

And the Word became flesh – John 1:14

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The late Grant Osborne, commenting on this verse, said, 

In my opinion, this is the single greatest sentence ever written in the history of the human language, the deepest theological statement ever written.*

Here it is in its entirety,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

We live very far removed from stable in Bethlehem and the cross of Calvary.  From our standpoint, we look back on millennia of church history, some of which is exceedingly troubling to look back on, assuming we ever take the time.  But if we go back far enough, we see the truth of the incarnation, the moment when God the Son took upon himself the nature of humanity.  This makes all the difference.

He became one of us.  One result of that universe-changing event is that we never have the need, nor even the option, to hesitatingly raise our eyes to heaven, turn our thoughts toward God, and imagine that he does not know what it is like to live the life that we live.

His was only one life, but it was full enough of relatable experience.  He was born under the specter of illegitimacy in a cultural setting where that mattered a great deal.  It would seem by the time he entered public life that his adopted father Joseph was deceased.  This means he bore substantial responsibility for the family’s provision while he was still young.  Though he attracted a following in his ministry, those closest to him and those who mattered in religious circles tended to misunderstand or oppose him.  Eventually he was betrayed by a friend, arrested, tried and sentenced to death unjustly.

There were those, however, like the Apostle John, who realized when they were in his presence that they were in the presence of deity.  He was human, but so much more than human – so much more than anyone or anything that anyone had ever seen.  His was a glory unique to himself.  

This didn’t have to happen.  Christ didn’t have to be born, or die, or take our sins upon himself at Calvary, or rise from the dead.  This was God coming down to meet us on our own level and living a life full of tedious, miserable human experience.  This life was made glorious simply because he lived it, and nothing he ever did could remain poor or miserable or insignificant.  

And he did it for our sake. 

No deeper theology need ever be written and no deeper encouragement need ever be offered than what we find here in John 1:14.  Let us never tire of it.  We have everything to gain from this reality and everything to lose if we fail to appreciate its wonder.

* Osborne, Grant R.. John Verse by Verse (Osborne New Testament Commentaries) (Kindle Locations 703-704). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.

Faith that overcomes – 1 John 5:4-5

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The truest kind of faith thrives in situations where it looks like it is losing.  The Christian martyrs of old, and for that matter, of the present day, die passively.  They may anger and irritate their attackers, but they clearly do not oppress them.  They are and look like victims.  One might imagine they were defeated souls who were finally giving up, and in a way that is true.  There is a sense in which faith is a form of surrender, not to the bully, but to Christ.  It is evidenced by taking up our cross and following him.

The Apostle John wrote the following after all of his fellow apostles had already met untimely deaths at the hands of their persecutors.

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Faith lives while imprisoned, exiled and sometimes put to death.  If we think an overcoming faith needs to look victorious on the outside we get it wrong.  It doesn’t have to look like anything in particular.  Paul knew this when he said, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7).  Faith may be inspiring, but it is not intimidating.  

The important thing about faith is that it just keeps going no matter what happens to it.  Consider that the words faith, faithful and faithfulness are all related in the languages of the Bible as they are English.  At times, in fact, the word translated in the Bible as “faith” needs to be translated as “faithfulness.”  For example, in Romans 3:3, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?”

So a wavering, sometimes uncertain faith can still be real.  The faith of the underdog may be more authentic than the faith of the perpetual champion.  The champion is certainly more tempted to trust completely in himself and his abilities.  The faith that is baffled by circumstances, but nonetheless rises to meet its next challenge, may be the greatest faith of all.  G. K. Chesterton summed it up nicely.

Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all its conquerors.*

 

* Chesterton, G. K.. The G. K. Chesterton Collection [50 Books] . Catholic Way Publishing. Kindle Edition, location 87385

Is it I? – Matthew 26:20-25

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If we follow the events of this last week in Jesus’ life day by day, this evening would be the night of the Last Supper.  Let’s look at an interaction that took place between Jesus and his disciples as they gathered around that table.

20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”

Jesus had some very bad news for Judas: It would have been better for him if he had not been born.  It is no small thing to betray the Lord of all.  But before that awful revelation, all of the disciples are seen questioning their own commitment to Christ.

Lack of faith can diminish our trust in Jesus.  Deepening faith should cause us to distrust ourselves.  How committed are to Christ, really? 

The record probably shows that we are capable of denial, betrayal and numerous unjustified doubts.  Not a pretty sight.

As we look forward to the crucifixion on Good Friday and even more to the resurrection that comes later, let’s pause to question our commitment.  And then let’s remember that neither the quality, strength, nor the confident enthusiasm of our faith is nearly so important as its object.  Who or what are putting our faith in?  A little faith in an all powerful, all loving Savior who died for our sins is sufficient to overcome the world.  

One of those present at the Last Supper, on the night before the day that Jesus died, who questioned himself by asking, “It it I?” was John the beloved disciple.  Much later, he put it like this in one of his letters (1 John 5:4-5),

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

Resurrection Sunday 2019

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Nabeel Qureshi 1983-2017

Nabeel Qureshi 1983 – 2017

Jesus’ death on the cross is not the end of the Christian message. The gospel is that Jesus then rose from the dead. Whereas every other life ended in death, Jesus’ death ended in life, and his resurrection is the basis of all Christian confidence.

Resurrection 2019.pdf

Resurrection 2019.mp3