John 14:12-14: I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
It's good to be back from a great stay-cation and Christmas break. I'm excited to jump back into two-a-day, 5 days a week. Before I dive in, I will say that it is remarkable how breaking routine can easily be manipulated to diminish my hunger for the Word. There are forces at work to keep us from thirsting after scripture, and I find it very easy to fall prey to them. I am very guilty of falling out of routine, and know that, in high school especially, it is even more difficult to be consistent. We must continually pray to stand firm in our commitment, and by my experience I know that habit and routine will transform to passion and pursuit. Not to mention, dependence.
John 13 and 14 are fast approaching Jesus' arrest and crucifixion, and thus are completely packed full of depth. Jesus is speaking with the highest levels of intentionality in order to take advantage of his final hours with the Twelve before he is arrested.
This normally makes it really difficult for me to pick out a scripture or section to reflect upon. However, today I learned something new about this commonly quoted and misunderstood passage.
First off, it's important to recognize the full context of this passage, which really begins around verse 5. The crucial truth expressed is this: Jesus is the Way, Truth and Light. He is God in the flesh. By knowing Jesus, we know his Father. The gravity of this truth is so overwhelming.
Jesus says that he is in the Father, that the Father is in him, and that (in verse 20) He is in his followers. I feel like I could meditate and reflect all month on this. For now, I land on my true identity. Imagine being completely saturated in, around, and by God. Wow.
So, in all of that, here's what I see happening in verses 12-14. "Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Thus, followers of Christ will do what he's been doing. This doesn't mean they will match Christ in miraculous, supernatural power and authority. It means that they will carry on the gospel and do even greater things, because Jesus is going to the Father (he's leaving earth), and his disciples are not just yet. But with his power in them (and us), incredibly awesome things will happen. The book of Acts records the start of just how great those things would be: the start of what would become the global ministry of the gospel, the church, that we are blessed by today.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
I've learned a lot about this verse specifically. It's definitely tricky, because at first glance it appears that by simply tagging my prayers with "InJesus'NameAmen", God will cash whatever check I write. This isn't the case, and I struggle with this, because I pray in Jesus' name.
The key word here is "And". It's important to leave these verses intact, as Jesus is expressing a clear point. "Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing..." Jesus has made clear in this chapter what having faith in Christ means: he is in the father, the father in him, and he in us. Therefore, praying "In Jesus' Name" doesn't mean that a tagline will grant my prayers true. It means that by praying in Christ's name, I am literally praying in accordance with his will, because he is in me. Praying in Jesus' name means that, when we are so rooted to Christ as he is in us, we are literally remaining in him and praying his words in alignment. "In Jesus' name" means that such prayers are to advance the Kingdom, his work.
What does this all mean then? You and I must not shy away from praying in Christ' name. Instead, pray boldly and confidently in his name because Christ in us has transformed us to be in and of God, and thus we are enabled to pray within Christ's sovereign will.
That just blew my mind, as it got me thinking "...and I deserve this...why?" But grace is another topic I will always wrestle with, and I look forward to learning more and more.
As for today, God opened up my eyes to learn something new about how identity, dependence, and prayer are directly and intimately related.
Father God,
thank you for new discovery, for showing me how little I know and how vast you are. Thank you for the bits and pieces of understanding that encourage me and give me life and passion for your Word. I pray that I hold on to them and not let fervor slip in my weakness. May I pray boldly in Christ's name that you would move in magnificent ways through your me, as greater things are still to come. Thank you for your Son and for transforming me in spite of me. In Jesus' Name.
No comments:
Post a Comment