Christology by Jesus

Photo from “Journeys with the Messiah” by Michael Belk

John 17:7-8

“Now they have come to know [four realities]:

[a]  that everything you gave to me [and that they have experienced in me] comes from you;

[b]  that the words you gave to me are the very words I gave to them (and they have accepted them as such [i.e., as the very words of God]);

[c]  that I really [and not just figuratively] came down from your very side;

[d]  and that they have come to believe that you sent me.”

~translation by Frederick Dale Bruner

One of the 7,000 things I love about John’s Gospel is how he is so up front about who Jesus really is. You actually have to try to miss it.

Notice that Jesus does not pray, “Father, they have realized that I am a great teacher, and a really good example to follow.”

No.

He acknowledges that His disciples have come to understand that He really is from God, of God, giving the actual words of God…and that they have accepted it, believed it, and placed their trust in Him accordingly. And with that, it is now time to move forward.

Once you accept these truths as realities, as these disciples did, you will experience a new Ruler over your life. The old ruler (you) has been dethroned, and you couldn’t be more gratefully relieved. You also experience and operate out of a new power–the very Spirit of God. The old power source (you alone) is dead and discarded, and you couldn’t be more ecstatic about it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *