Shalom,
We draw near to the end of the year and in a few hours we will enter 2021. What has come out of our mouths this whole year? Were there more grievances and grumbles over the worry and fear of the never-ending pandemic rather than thanksgiving? As we begin our New Year’s Eve service, may this be not only a celebratory and liturgical tradition that will soon be forgotten. Let’s learn to be grateful, not only during church service, but in whatever we do and wherever we are, because He gives us strength and comfort beyond the ones given by the world.
We have arrived at the final chapter of the Gospel of John. This year, we have discussed 20 chapters through which we have been reminded by the writer of this gospel to believe all the verses written in it that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and by believing it we may have life in His name (John 20:31). For this reason, don't get caught up in certain religious celebrations (Christmas, Easter, etc.), then we focus on reading only specific verses related to that event. That is the same as making the Bible a religious book, not the Word of God, for religion is just a particular system that regulates a belief within a certain culture and a group of people.
What advice can we get from the Word of God at the end of 2020? John 21: 24-25 write, “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.”
From the two verses above we can infer that they were not written by the Apostle John. As commonly known from generation to generation that of the 66 books canonized as the Bible, the Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John. However, according to historical records, the above verses were not written by the Apostle John but by the elders of the Ephesian church. And the Apostle John never declared himself in his writings but he always identified himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20: 2; 21:20).
We have gone through 365 days in 2020 and have studied the Gospel of John from chapter 1 to chapter 21. Do we believe that Jesus has done so many things not only for certain individuals or groups? If we do, and we have faith in it, we may have life in His Name. Conversely, if we reject some verses in the Gospel of John, we will enter 2021 with no Do we still remember and do we still believe in what is written in John 1 that in the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God? The Word incarnated as a human and dwelt among us and so on. Let’s never forget that these verses are the foundation of the creation of the universe!
The Apostle John wrote "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book" (John 20:30). What signs did He do? And how many were there? Did he record the signs that Jesus did that he saw during the 3½ years following his Teacher? Did he also record the signs that Jesus did during the 40 days on earth prior to His ascension? Was that all? Did his words “if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” indicate a classic nature of arrogance ascribed to Jews at that time who liked bragging about themselves? How could the Word of God be viewed as joke and nonsense? Wasn't the Apostle John led by the Holy Spirit when he wrote the Gospel of John? Should we then doubt a verse or two in it? Although the Apostle John did not want to boast as the writer of his book, the church elders confirmed that John's testimony was true.
There are three evidences that support the truth of what was written by the Apostle John, namely:
- “…But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs…. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”” (John 19: 31-37)→His death already happened.
The Apostle John’s writings fulfilled an event thousands of years earlier. After the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were to eat roasted lambs but they should not break even one of the bones. It was the Passover for them (Exodus 12: 5,8,46).
John the Baptist once pointed to Jesus who came to him saying, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Wasn’t the purpose of Jesus' death to take away the sins of man (1 Corinthians 15: 3)?
Let’s take it as a strong incentive to continue on in our faith, for all have sinned and the wages of sin is death. Men, out of fear of eternal death, have used all kinds of ways to seek salvation. And God provides a solution, as testified by the Apostle John: Jesus died to save sinners.
- “And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they ” (John 19: 37) → will happen.
Jesus, who died for the sins of sinful men, is waiting for anyone to come to Him and confess their sins so that all their wrong doings and transgressions are washed away by His blood. As a result, we will not do the following action. What is that?
“…Him whom they pierced.’’
Those who pierced Jesus were the unbelieving Jews who rejected Jesus while for us, who now believe in the writings of the Apostle John, have faith that Jesus died and will return again according to the prophecy of the Scriptures.
The Apostle John’s testimony in John 20: 30-31 show that Jesus' death has the power to forgive all the sins of mankind while His resurrection has the power to guarantee eternal life. If we have faith in His death and resurrection, we will also believe in many other signs that Jesus did. What are they?
The Apostle John, who always hid his identity because he wanted to highlight the Person of Jesus in his writings, wrote the Gospel of John 60 years after Jesus’ ascension. He wrote about the work of Jesus during His 3½-year ministry on earth and about 40 days He spent after His resurrection. Furthermore, Jesus had worked long before His coming and He still worked long after He returned to Heaven. In fact, He was still working with His disciples when they went out preaching everywhere and confirming the word through the accompanying signs (Mark 16:20).The Apostle John must have written about his 60-year experience with Jesus before his death; not to mention the testimonies of other apostles. A biographer, out of admiration and respect for a certain great figure, will provide a detailed description of that person to give his readers a historical context. How many piles of books have been collected containing the signs of Jesus? Obviously the world itself cannot contain all the books that could be written about the work of Jesus because He has worked from eternity to eternity. All 66 Books of the Old and New Testaments showcase the work of God the Father, the Son of God (the Word) and the Holy Spirit.
Each of us has a personal journey with the Lord. And our biography books must be very thick since He knew us since we were formed in the womb (Psalm 139: 13-16). A Christian family consisting a husband, a wife and one child could publish at least three biography books about their journeys with Jesus. Now, can you imagine how many stacks of books are produced by Christians all over the world? I’m sure that the world will not be able to contain all the books regarding the Christians’ journey with the Lord because there is always a new moment with Him. The more we know Jesus and the closer we draw to Him, the more stories are written in our biographies with Him.
Before penning a book of personal journey with Jesus, we first should know the true Jesus precisely. He is Jesus who has ± 250 names and titles, among others: Jesus, Immanuel, that was given when Mary conceived (Matthew 1: 21,23); the Lamb of God (John 1:29); the Bread of life (John 6: 35,48); the Light of the world (John 8:12), the Door (Jn 10: 9); the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), Christ and God and so on. Having known that we are kept by the One who has so many names and titles, are we still overwhelmed with fears and worries? Let’s be honest, don't we often sweet-talk with a high- ranking person in order to approach him and use his influence to our advantage?
Since we still live on this earth, what should we pay attention to in the end times? The Apostle Paul warned us, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3).
Be very careful! Don't be easily deceived by a spiritual revelation (the "Holy Spirit" revival), a preaching (in emerging crusades of the prosperity gospel) as well as letters and religious books that do not focus on Jesus crucified but on miracles of healing and temporary wealth. Can you imagine that the deception already existed in Paul's day, even more so in these last days!
How old are you? How many volumes of books have you published containing your personal experiences with the Lord? And what signs has He done for you? Is there a new story every day in your “book”?
The apostle John wrote the Gospel of John in Ephesus and the Book of Revelation on the Island of Patmos while he was disowned as a political prisoner there. Where and under what circumstances do we write our testimonies about Jesus? Indeed, the Bible, which consists of 66 books, is complete and whole in revealing the power of God, the work of the Word and the Holy Spirit to prepare His church to become the Bride of the Lamb of God one day. The Bible is more than adequate in telling the magnificence of God, but unfortunately it is still very little translated into other languages as well as native languages, hence there are still many people who do not know who Jesus is.
What experiences have we gone through with the Lord that are written in our biographies? Do they contain more thanksgiving for what the Triune God has done in our lives? Or, do they contain more ungrateful complaints and grumbles to Him? Or, do they contain only blank sheets because we don't know Him intimately? In this coming new year, let’s get to know Him more and let’s experience His limitless work in molding us to become His future brides. Our biographies should also be able to be read and witnessed by those who do not know the Lord (yet) so that they too can know Him and receive salvation. Amen.