Not only does Jesus love his heavenly Father in wholehearted and self-sacrificing obedience, as we saw in Meditation 15 but the Bible also shows us how much the Father loves his devout Son.
Already 700 years before Jesus’ first arrival in our world, God had indicated the future messianic ministry of his Son. He announced by his prophet Isaiah: "Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, and I am very pleased with him. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1 and Matthew 12:18. See also Meditation 9).
After Jesus’ baptism and anointing with God’s Spirit - before the start of his Earthly ministry - a voice from heaven said to him: “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you” (Luke 3:22).
In a remarkable message, John the Baptist speaks about Jesus and explains to his followers: “He (i.e. Jesus) has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come from heaven. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit. The Father loves his Son, and he has given him authority over everything” (John 3:31-35).
During Jesus’ 'transfiguration', not long before his eventual suffering and sacrificial death, a voice from heaven speaks again of Jesus, saying: “This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).
During his earthly ministry, Jesus discloses to the Jewish religious leaders how intimate is the loving relationship between himself and his heavenly Father: "I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing...” (John 5:19-20).
On the evening before his death, Jesus professes his love to his friends. He assures them that his love for them is the same divine love which the Father has for him: "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love” (John 15:9-10. See also Meditation 13).
That night Jesus assures his heavenly Father that he will continue to demonstrate God’s love for his friends: “I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them...” (John 17:26).
So, if we live as Jesus lived, and if we love God as Jesus did, we will experience God’s love as Jesus experienced it. That is Jesus’ promise!
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
15. LOOKING INTO JESUS’ HEART : HIS LOVE FOR GOD
The first thing that strikes us when we look at Jesus, is that he embodies the way God wants us to live. (See meditation 13).
He summarises the divine criteria for human life as follows: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets (i.e. the Old Testament) hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
True and pure love is the essence of Jesus’ life, and it is in that way that he reflects the heart of his heavenly Father for “God is love...” (1 John 4:16).
The apostle John tells us that Jesus’ first coming into the world is the greatest demonstration of God’s love: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
In his earthly life and sacrificial death, Jesus showed us how true and pure love is displayed in practice.
In our meditation today we want to look at God’s first commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ( Matthew 22:37-38).
How did Jesus live up to that commandment?
Jesus said of himself: “... I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:31).
He told the listening crowd: “... I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.” (John 6:38)
To his disciples Jesus openly explained what drove him: “My food ... is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). In meditation 5 we saw what that meant in practice.
In his wholehearted and self-sacrificing obedience to his heavenly Father, Jesus showed us how we should love God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.” That is the life God created us for.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except Matthew 22:37-40 and John 4:34 (‘New International Version’).
He summarises the divine criteria for human life as follows: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets (i.e. the Old Testament) hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
True and pure love is the essence of Jesus’ life, and it is in that way that he reflects the heart of his heavenly Father for “God is love...” (1 John 4:16).
The apostle John tells us that Jesus’ first coming into the world is the greatest demonstration of God’s love: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)
In his earthly life and sacrificial death, Jesus showed us how true and pure love is displayed in practice.
In our meditation today we want to look at God’s first commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ( Matthew 22:37-38).
How did Jesus live up to that commandment?
Jesus said of himself: “... I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:31).
He told the listening crowd: “... I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.” (John 6:38)
To his disciples Jesus openly explained what drove him: “My food ... is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). In meditation 5 we saw what that meant in practice.
In his wholehearted and self-sacrificing obedience to his heavenly Father, Jesus showed us how we should love God “with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.” That is the life God created us for.
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except Matthew 22:37-40 and John 4:34 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, April 9, 2010
14. JESUS CHRIST RESEMBLES HIS FATHER !
The Bible is clear about the fact that, apart from Jesus Christ, “no one has ever seen God...” (John 1:18). It is Jesus himself who, during his life on earth, told us a lot about his Father in heaven. The apostle John continues by saying: “... but his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:18).
Jesus has not only spoken extensively about his heavenly Father (see the Gospels). Being God’s Son, he also looks like his Father! He has the character of his Father! Jesus said: “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30). Furthermore, he explained: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9).
The apostle Paul reveals in his letter to the Christians in Colossae that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15).
Speaking about Jesus Christ, the anonymous ‘Letter to the Hebrews’ starts with the declaration: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being...” (Hebrews 1:3).
To the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth the apostle Paul writes: “... Christ is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
What all these biblical texts are saying is that, when we look at Jesus’ character we begin to understand more about who God is.
And thinking of Meditation 13, it starts to dawn on us that looking at Jesus’ character helps us discover how he wants us to live. So then, let us start our journey of discovery!
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except Hebrews 1:3 (‘New International Version’).
Jesus has not only spoken extensively about his heavenly Father (see the Gospels). Being God’s Son, he also looks like his Father! He has the character of his Father! Jesus said: “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30). Furthermore, he explained: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9).
The apostle Paul reveals in his letter to the Christians in Colossae that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15).
Speaking about Jesus Christ, the anonymous ‘Letter to the Hebrews’ starts with the declaration: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being...” (Hebrews 1:3).
To the Christians in the Greek town of Corinth the apostle Paul writes: “... Christ is the exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
What all these biblical texts are saying is that, when we look at Jesus’ character we begin to understand more about who God is.
And thinking of Meditation 13, it starts to dawn on us that looking at Jesus’ character helps us discover how he wants us to live. So then, let us start our journey of discovery!
All Bible verses are quoted from the ‘New Living Translation’, except Hebrews 1:3 (‘New International Version’).
Friday, April 2, 2010
13. LIVE LIKE JESUS, ACT LIKE JESUS !
In the first 12 meditations we saw a little of what the Bible tells us about Jesus. After our short exploration of his life and ministry, we might wonder what the Bible wants us to do with this knowledge.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the Greek town of Philippi: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (*). In other words, they should think and act like Jesus.
Paul encourages the church in Ephesus with the following words: “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” – Ephesians 5:2 (*)
For the Christian community in Rome the apostle Paul desires: “May God ... help you live in complete harmony with each other-- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.” – Romans 15:5 (*)
The apostle Peter writes to Christians who suffer persecution: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21 (*)
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to live the way he lives: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:1 (**)
Jesus himself invites us to learn from him how to live: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 (**). In Jesus’ days, “taking someone’s yoke upon you”, meant accepting someone being your teacher.
In his story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the apostle John takes us to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem on the evening before Jesus’ death. At the start of the meal, Jesus voluntarily does the work which a slave in those days would have done: he humbly washes away the dirt from his friends’ feet. Afterwards he encourages them by saying: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” – John 13:14 (**)
Years later, the same John declares in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:6 (*).
All these biblical texts leave us with questions such as:
- If I should live and act like Jesus, how did Jesus live?
- Is there any chance whatever that I could live and act like Jesus?
- If yes, then how could I learn to live like him?
- How could our church or Christian community learn to live and act like Jesus?
Let’s look into these and other questions in the forthcoming meditations.
Biblical quotations: (*) New Living Translation, (**) New International Version.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in the Greek town of Philippi: “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (*). In other words, they should think and act like Jesus.
Paul encourages the church in Ephesus with the following words: “Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” – Ephesians 5:2 (*)
For the Christian community in Rome the apostle Paul desires: “May God ... help you live in complete harmony with each other-- each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.” – Romans 15:5 (*)
The apostle Peter writes to Christians who suffer persecution: “This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps.” – 1 Peter 2:21 (*)
The apostle Paul encourages Christians to live the way he lives: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 11:1 (**)
Jesus himself invites us to learn from him how to live: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 (**). In Jesus’ days, “taking someone’s yoke upon you”, meant accepting someone being your teacher.
In his story of Jesus’ life and ministry, the apostle John takes us to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem on the evening before Jesus’ death. At the start of the meal, Jesus voluntarily does the work which a slave in those days would have done: he humbly washes away the dirt from his friends’ feet. Afterwards he encourages them by saying: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.” – John 13:14 (**)
Years later, the same John declares in his first letter: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:6 (*).
All these biblical texts leave us with questions such as:
- If I should live and act like Jesus, how did Jesus live?
- Is there any chance whatever that I could live and act like Jesus?
- If yes, then how could I learn to live like him?
- How could our church or Christian community learn to live and act like Jesus?
Let’s look into these and other questions in the forthcoming meditations.
Biblical quotations: (*) New Living Translation, (**) New International Version.
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