John 14:15-21 NIV
15 “If you love me, keep my
commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of
truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as
orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me
anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will
realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and
keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by
my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
The Table
So, there we were; all gathered
together for some kind of special occasion, that I really didn’t understand.
The conversation passing back and forth over and around me was deep. I mean
really deep. I couldn’t figure out much of it, but it came from all directions.
First off let me introduce myself. I
was created by God and used in so many ways. I would bring to life the fruit of
the world. I would also bring to life the fruit that would be a great downfall
for mankind. And yet my very being would bring about so much pain and
suffering, along with a vehicle to salvation for all of mankind.
One main purpose I have come to
understand is the God has created me, AND God has created all that exists. It’s
important to know this, because, in the past, some people have used me to
attempt to create God. Well that just won’t work. I can’t create God from
myself and others can’t create God from me. That just won’t work.
So, the question becomes as to why
God created me in the first place. I’ve come to understand that God has created
me and all that exists, SO THAT, creation may come to love, serve, adore,
praise and honor God. So, yea, that’s why I’m here in this place. And that
applies to all of these folks gathered around me in this place and time. For
now, that’s enough about me.
Let me tell you what I witnessed
this moment in time in an Upper Room where Jesus gathered together with twelve
of His closest friends. This stuff you can’t make up, so listen closely and
observe all of Jesus’ words spoken.
The best that I could gather was
Jesus speaking and showing how He is One. One with God the Father, One with God
the Spirit, and One with all of those who believe in what He is about to do.
It’s really a mystery listening in on all of this.
Jesus is all about love. So much
about love that He cares for all of those God gives to Him, in a deep deep way.
Speaking of love, Jesus knows that there are powers in this world that run wild
with the need to lie about everything. Powers that want death to be the ruler
of this world. Powers that want sin to flourish and overtake everything that
there is or will be. And yet these powers won’t be able to see or accept what
Jesus is on the verge of doing.
And Jesus knows that what He has
been called to carry out will set in motion a separation, followed by a
reunion, followed by a sending to these believers gathered this evening around
me.
Oh, how it pains me to realize how
I have been used throughout time and space. And then again, realize what God
has made of me, even though I have brought so much pain into this world by
being, well, just being me. And then again, somehow, this Jesus, this Father,
this Spirit, created in me a wonderful and glorious way to love, honor, praise
and adore God.
Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
But I’m not that totally different from any of these disciples gathered all
around me, for a supper of bread and wine. A supper of food that Jesus claims
to be His own flesh and blood. A supper consumed so that even in the bread and
the wine, Jesus could, and would, be ONE with all those who take Him in and
believe what He has to say.
Well now that I have run all around
the bush with this stuff, bear with me a while longer. A long time ago, God
gave mankind a command and a restriction. I’m talking about some of my very own
fruit here. God didn’t want man to eat of a certain fruit of mine. Yet, being
tempted by an evil idea, mankind wanted to be like God and know all that God
knows. Kind of like making a god of themselves. So, obedience to God flew out
the window that day and into the gut of mankind.
So, that’s how this whole sinful
world came under the rule of sin and death. That old foe thought he had this
creation of God in his own hands now. Well, he still does a bit, but first his
power is going to be defeated and then he will be eliminated. Why?
Because God loves His creation and
will save His creation in the end. There is a connection to the Law of God and
the Love of God that lasts.
So, all along, God has created a
way out. All along God has in place a Savior, for mankind. All along God the
Father planned to send God the Son into this world to defeat this power over
sin and death, that the Evil One so greatly prized and cherished over all of
mankind.
And this is where, after Jesus,
ministry, teaching and all of the healings that He had been bringing forth into
this world was about to unfold. The love of God in Christ Jesus was here and
now, on display this evening, right above and all around me.
And on me, this Jesus would suffer
and die. Why? Because He would become the sacrifice that would free all
creation and those who believe in Him from sin and death. How? Because Jesus is
One with the Father and One with the Spirit; it’s in His power to do just that.
Then after Jesus death on the
cross, after He forgives the sin of those hateful people, those fearful people,
those killers, He will be placed in a tomb. So, upon the wood of that cross,
Jesus would forgive mankind of sin and die. Later to be placed in a sealed
tomb.
And guess what? Jesus rose again.
Bunches of people saw it and understood what had taken place. So many that no
court in the land would be able to deny what God had done. Jesus wandered
around for a while and went back to be with God the Father. Yea, He ascended
into heaven.
And here is where this speech that
Jesus gave on that night in the Upper Room, before His death comes in. Jesus
promises to all those disciples that He will send God the Spirit to be with
them after He leaves. So, those disciples of Jesus will not see, yet still will
see Jesus, in the Spirit of God and in His presence with them and in them. Kind
of like that bread and that wine, that body and that blood.
But this world’s powers and this
world’s unbelievers won’t see this Spirt of God. They will deny this whole
thing. They will deny salvation through God’s love for His creation.
But to all who believe; Jesus will
be constantly present through the Spirit, leaving none of us alone. Even when
my eyes can’t see Jesus, bet you didn’t know I had eyes, creation can see
Jesus’ presence all of the time in the Spirit.
So, Jesus tells us of a day, coming
soon. The Day of Pentecost, when we see how Jesus the Father and the Spirit all
wrapped into One are One IN us.
And you know what? If God created
me, and turned me into something that brought sin into this world to something
that would bring honor and glory because of what He did upon me… He can do the
same and more upon you.
So, what to make of this story? Is this just a
crazy tale from a silly Old Man? Maybe.
But one thing is true from my perspective.
As God used the tree that produced the fruit that
Satan used to tempt mankind into selfish sinfulness; did the wood of that tree
know what was taking place?
Did the wood of the table at the Last Supper know
that it would hold the life-giving bread and wine of Jesus?
Was the wood of the cross aware that it was
supporting the Savior of the World that came to earth as God, to forgive
mankind of sin, to die and defeat the power of sin?
I don’t know… But I do believe that God uses me,
you, and sinful mankind to lead us from sin to eternal life IN Him, to be ONE
with Him, THROUGH, what God has done.
And I do believe that God, through the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, has called us out from ourselves, to proclaim to all the world
what He has done to bring us to Him and into His Kingdom.
An Old Man with a vision of a tree in the Garden,
to the wood of the tree at the Lord’s Table during Communion, to the Wood that
made up that cross of Salvation, to the Tree of Life that stands forever in
eternity.
All to make us ONE, with Him, and through Him.
So now, all is revealed in and
through the Love of God in Christ Jesus, and the Love of God in the Spirit,
that flows out to all the world through believers.
Love, Forgiveness, Everlasting life
in communion with God.
Like Jesus said that night above me
and all around me…
“The
one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and
show myself to them.”
And yes… I love you, Father, Son and Spirit… Don’t
you too?
I leave you with this YouTube Music
Video that inspired me this past week in the writing of this Reflection… enjoy…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHAu3fLF7NI&list=RDWHAu3fLF7NI&start_radio=1
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