Daily Devotions
John
A deep teaching ministry
Text: John 13 : 21 - 38
A DEEP TEACHING MINISTRY
Jesus continued to teach His Disciples deep and important truths. Judas had the privilege of being instructed, but the wonderful words that he had heard had left hardly any impression on him at all. The work of the evil one in his heart was to snatch away whatever was sown, lest the Word of God took root in his heart (Matthew 13:1-23 The Parable of the Sower).
He had just taken time to teach His Disciples concerning “Humility”. However, these words were also lost on Judas. Did he feel anything at all when Jesus personally washed His feet? His heart remained obdurate and unregenerate.
In the absence of Judas, Jesus went on to speak of other important topics that He wanted His Disciples to consider deeply. One of the topics that Jesus brought up was the subject of “The Glorifying of the Son of Man”.
THE VARIOUS TITLES OF JESUS
The favourite term that Jesus used for Himself appears to be “Son of Man”. There were other titles that He could use for Himself, but the most common one recorded in all the Gospels was this one. John sometimes abbreviates this term to simply “The Son”. The utilization of the term “Son of Man” does not detract from the fact that He was also the Son of God in the least. At one and the same time Jesus was both Divine and fully human.
Let us consider the following examples:
1. “Son of God”
John the Baptiser bore witness of his faith in Jesus at this Baptism.
“And I have seen and testified
that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:34
2. “Son of Man”
Jesus speaking to Nathanael described Himself simply thus.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see
heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man.”
John 1:51 (John 3:13)
3. “Son”
Jesus in His conversation with Nicodemus described Himself using all three titles, as if they were highly interchangeable terms, and indeed they were.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him
might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned;
but he who does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God.”
John 3:14-18 (John 5:19-23)
THE MANIFESTING OF THE GLORY OF JESUS
John seemed most conscious of the intrinsic glory that rightly belonged to Jesus. In his introduction of the Gospel of John he introduced Jesus as the Word of God Incarnate.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God
and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:1, 14
John located the glory of Jesus in the mighty sign-miracles He performed. He wrote,
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
John 2:11
The glory that John wrote about however was largely confined to the Disciples. To what was Jesus referring when He spoke these words?
“Now the Son of Man is glorified,
and God is glorified in Him.”
John 13:31
Jesus had kept the glory that was rightly His from public knowledge. He wanted people to believe in Him because they have faith in Him. He wanted people to believe that He was indeed the only begotten Son of God!
However, that approach would change on His death at Calvary. His resurrection would truly cause people to appreciate the glory that was His. In His glorification, so was His Father honoured and glorified. It is amazing that Jesus spoke of His glorification as if it has already occurred!