New Year 2026 – The Gospel of John
Wednesday 25th March – John 17:11-19 ‘Not of the world’
In the world, but not of it. That brief summary – taken directly from vvv15-16 in today’s passage – is a great way to understand our lives as followers of Jesus. We do not withdraw from society – we live out our faith where we are, among the people God has brought us alongside. At the same time, we have a dual citizenship: we are not just citizens of this world, we are also citizens of heaven – we serve a different Lord, a higher calling. We are no longer of this world.
It’s a hard balance to strike. Too much ‘in’, and our lives may look indistinguishable from everyone else’s; not enough ‘in’, and we become a holy huddle, insulating ourselves from the full impact we might have as Jesus’ followers, in a world which desperately needs his good news.
This dual citizenship is a spiritual fact (see, for example Ephesians 2:6-7), but also a challenge; it’s one reason why not everyone likes Christians (v14). Our lives attract many, and repel others. So, Jesus prays for his followers in this glorious text that we might be protected, by the power of God’s mighty name (v11). It’s a prayer focused specifically on his friends, but equally applicable to us as well.
And the prayer for protection has two dimensions: first for protection from the evil one (v15). It’s important to notice that Jesus doesn’t pray that we are taken out of the world – we continue to live out our real faith in our real, everyday life; rather, in this very life, he prays that we might be protected from spiritual attack. It’s a theme he’s addressed before, famously in the last line of the Lord’s Prayer: ‘deliver us from the evil one.’ It’s something many of us pray every day, and here Jesus testifies to its importance. The spiritual battle is real, and Jesus has won the war – but there are still skirmishes. Hence we pray for protection, in the name of Jesus.
It’s not just protection from, though – it’s also protection for: for unity: (v11) ‘protect them by the power of your name… that they may be one as we are one.’ We’ll return to this theme in more detail tomorrow, but it’s worth observing that, by praying in these terms, Jesus himself is testifying that the unity of the church is one of the great spiritual battlegrounds of history. Complete unity lies at the heart of the Godhead (’as we are one’), so it must be at the heart of our calling as Jesus’ body, the Church, since we reflect the image of God. Our chronic dividedness is not just a practical obstacle but a sign of spiritual defeat – food for thought!
Jesus closes this part of the prayer with a lovely intercession: (v17) ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.’ Sanctification – becoming holy – is a key element in our protection. And God’s word is intrinsic to that process of becoming holy. As we engage with these reflections day-by-day, it’s heartening to observe that immersing ourselves in God’s powerful word is helping us to become holy i.e. clean, set apart. May the Lord work his powerful word in us today. And may our precious Lord Jesus protect us by the power of his name – from evil, and for unity. Amen.
Tuesday 24th March – Psalm 97 ‘Good foundations’
Our brief pause from John continues with a second reflection from the Psalms:
Some years ago we tried to buy a house in Manchester. My sister lives there and the idea was that once we’d bought it, she would have the security of long-term tenancy and (reasonably) nice landlords. However, when we had the survey done we discovered huge problems with subsidence. It was a Victorian end-of-terrace at the bottom of the slope and over the last century had been very gradually sinking. We sadly had to withdraw. Thankfully my sister is well housed elsewhere!
It was a harsh lesson in the importance of good foundations. Every good edifice rests on them. And in today’s psalm, we learn that God’s throne has vital foundations, too: they are ‘righteousness and justice’ (v2).
It’s easy to see these words as being ‘cold’ or abstract, but that would fall short of their original meaning. Biblical scholars have emphasised the relational meaning of both of these words. Here’s how one described each: ‘righteous action is action which conforms to the requirements of the relationship and in a more general sense promotes the peace and wellbeing of the community’; ‘justice [is] the strongly ethical notion of action which is to be legally upheld because it is productive of communal wellbeing.’
That might sound like a mouthful, but it’s a valuable insight because it earths these foundational words in God’s relationship with us. When God is righteous, he is righteous for the good of his creation – including us; when God is just, he is just towards us.
Although we might instinctively have preferred something a bit cuddlier like ‘love and peace’ as the foundation of God’s throne, in fact what we get is something even better. God’s righteousness assures us that his love is perfectly directed. God’s justice is what secures our peace. As the old liberation slogan reminds us: ‘No peace without justice.’ Wonderfully, in knowing God we get both.
So, we can be thankful for these words! God’s throne is founded on two pillars which ultimately secure our wellbeing, too – righteousness and justice. The heavens proclaim it (v6); and we are called to model it too (vv10-12). We are called to live just and righteous lives because we are made in God’s image and therefore reflect our Maker’s intentions.
In our shifting world, God’s throne is secure. And we too can rest secure in these same unchanging qualities. May those qualities shine on us today (v11), producing joy and praise in our hearts and on our lips.
Just and righteous Lord, thank you that your foundations are secure. Help us to rest firm on those same foundations. Guard our lives today, and deliver us from evil. Shine on us, we pray, and in all the dark places of our community. Amen.
Monday 23rd March – Psalm 96 ‘A new song’
To begin our week, a reflection from the Psalms:
Some years ago we took out a subscription to Amazon Prime’s ‘Music Unlimited’. Generally our family are always late to any technological party – I still mourn the demise of beacons on hillsides as the primary means of communicating news. Admittedly, many of my peers had already been users of a music subscription channel for 5 or 10 years. But by our standards, this was a revolution. Suddenly almost every song that had ever been published – 50 million or so pieces of music – was available for us to listen to: anytime, anywhere.
Today’s psalm begins by inviting us to ‘Sing to the Lord a new song.’ In today’s world, this could be considered straightforward when you’ve got 50 million songs to choose from – but how do we lift our hearts in faith to sing a new song every day? Surely words are limited? Feelings are finite? What does a ‘new song’ really mean?
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to minister to some wonderful old saints – people who inspired me far more than I ever did them. And what’s noticeable about such amazing people is that, no matter their age, their faith is young – it is childlike, enthusiastic. They wake up with God every morning as if they found faith just yesterday, and it still causes them wonder. They speak of God with the joy of the newly-in-love. They remember answers to prayer with excitement and thanksgiving, as if this was something that had just started to happen to them.
I think this is what the psalmist means by a new song. God does not change. His character is steadfast, constant – always loving, faithful and good. He remains the same, yesterday, today and forever. But whilst this is true, one of the keys to faith is that we receive these truths as ‘new every morning’. They remain fresh, exciting, awe-inspiring. They put praise on our lips, peace in our hearts and joy in our spirits. They cause us to ‘proclaim his salvation day-after-day’ (v2), and ‘declare his glory among the nations’ (v3).
It’s easy to get tired and stale – in faith as in life. Which is why the infectious joy of the psalmist is so valuable. I need a bit of whatever he or she is having! Maybe you do too.
So today, can I encourage you to pray this psalm, and offer your praises to God. And may God renew our hearts as we do, so that we would, this day and every day, sing a new song to the Lord.
Saturday 21st March – Ephesians 1:4 ‘Chosen – for what?’
In 2017, the then little-known producer Dallas Jenkins released a film called ‘The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.’ It got mediocre reviews and largely flopped. Working out what to do next, Dallas started binge-watching other dramas and gradually realised there was something that had never been done before: no-one had ever filmed a multi-season series of Jesus’ life. There were many big-budget famous films, and also short series for TV – but no-one had ever attempted something more ambitious. It was indeed a Big Idea – the problem was, there was no money to do it. So, he started crowdfunding; the money started coming in, and, using a cast of relatively unknown actors, he started filming a pilot.
He called the show ‘The Chosen’, and some of you will know what happened next. The programme has been a huge hit – now running to multiple series, it has its own app but is also available on Prime and Netflix, and has been watched by more than 100 million people. The actor who plays Jesus has also met the Pope twice, to talk about the show!
It’s a remarkable cultural phenomenon, and has introduced Jesus to millions of people in a new way. I must confess it’s still on my list of things to watch, but I’ve heard many good reviews – even from those who wouldn’t profess to believe its message. But why ‘The Chosen’? The short answer is that it refers initially to Jesus’ choosing of his twelve apostles. But the more general sense is this idea that all followers of Jesus are chosen by God.
The idea that we are chosen is one of the more controversial in Christian thought. And yet, it occurs numerous times in the New Testament, so we cannot dismiss it. We do, however, have to face the awkward question: does that mean that others are not chosen, and therefore cannot be saved?
At one level, we’ll never know this side of heaven. The best answer, though, is this: no-one living can say ‘I have not been chosen.’ However, those who are followers of Jesus can declare with joy: ‘The Lord has chosen me!’
This is the first of the great spiritual blessings Paul refers to in v3 (see yesterday’s reflection). And it naturally comes first because of the timeline: when did God choose us? When we were born? When we first started exploring faith? No – before the world began. Wow! This is not a roll-the-dice, toss-a-coin kind of choice; this is a fixed and firm decision. God chose you – a long, long time ago.
But not just so you could feel special – although we all should! There’s a bigger, redemptive plan. We are chosen ‘to be holy and blameless in his sight’ – in other words, to lead the kind of life God meant for humanity to live, in harmony with their Creator and with transparent integrity. God’s choice is not designed to spoil us, but to transform us. We are the Chosen – for a bigger role than even a global TV series; we are chosen to become a new humanity, filled with the fulness of God.
Today, take a moment to give thanks that God has chosen you. And pray that, by his wonderful grace, you can live that abundant, holy life he has chosen you for.
Friday 20th March – Ephesians 1:3 ‘Every spiritual blessing’
Having quoted this verse yesterday, we conclude our week with two further reflections from Ephesians 1:3-4:
‘It’s the hope that kills you.’ You’ll hear this phrase often on the lips of a sports fan. The great joy – and curse – of following a team is that success is only ever temporary. It makes the wins all the sweeter, knowing that defeat is inevitable at some point – probably next week!
That sense of impending doom, a glass half empty, the sense that things will always go wrong in the end, is often thought to be a ‘mature’ way of looking at the world. What we experience in the fantasy world of sport becomes our mantra in life, too. If something seems too good to be true – well, it probably is. Life will come back to bite to you in the end.
St Paul would be entitled to feel like that more than most people. Walking away from a privileged upbringing and rapid career rise through the religious ranks in adult life, he’d spent the last 25 years or so being rejected by his own people, thrown out of towns and cities, beaten up, stoned, occasionally betrayed by friends, and in and out of numerous prisons. He even writes this current letter under permanent house arrest.
And yet, what is his perspective on life? Cynical? World weary? Tired of hope? ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ Every spiritual blessing. Not just a few, or even plenty – but all we need. Whatever life throws at him, Paul’s perspective is that there are deeper things, hidden realities, firm foundations, eternal truths which outlast anything we face here on this earth. In Christ, we can overcome, because these spiritual realities, these blessings, are ours.
There’s a lot to be fearful or depressed about in the world at present. And those things aren’t going away anytime soon. But, when I read this wonderful verse, I find myself thinking: ‘I want a bit of what he has.’ In fact, I want a lot of it. A hope which runs deeper, holds faster than anything else.
Over the next few days, we’ll look in detail at the blessings Paul names – and there are plenty! But today, let’s receive this verse as an invitation: to believe that, whatever our daily challenges, or the bigger problems in our world, we really do have every spiritual blessing in Christ. May that word be written on our hearts. And, like Paul, may it cause us to praise our great God today. Amen.
Thursday 19th March – John 17:6-10 ‘Yours’
Letter writing is increasingly a lost art. In our modern world of phones and computers, we use texts and emails, or don’t use words at all, substituting them for pictures and emojis. Those of us old enough to remember the days when the letter formed a major part of our communication would have learned a set of protocols, particularly with regard to how we ended a letter. ‘Yours sincerely’ if the person was named, ‘yours faithfully’ if the addressee was unnamed (‘Dear Sir/Madam’). These in themselves are effectively shorthand: go back further in time, and the sign-off was often far more florid. If you enjoy a good Victorian novel, you’ll often find sign-offs like: ‘Believe me, sir, that I remain humbly and affectionately yours…’ – or somesuch!
In our consumer world, where possession is considered an absolute, we are uncomfortable with images of ownership. What does it mean when we tell someone we are ‘theirs’ – even in a letter? It is good to remind ourselves that scripture takes a far more positive view. As we see in today’s passage, the idea of mutual dependence is rooted in the very personhood of God himself. The Father and the Son belong to each other, as Jesus prays: (v10) ‘All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.’ You could say that every communication between them is ‘yours faithfully’.
One of the great blessings of following Jesus is that we, too, are drawn into this community of mutual dependence, invited to be ‘faithfully yours’. This is an ongoing privilege: Jesus prays for his friends, noting to his Father that ‘they were yours’ (v6), and also that ‘they are yours’ (v9). We can abide continually and eternally in this divine community of love; an abiding which brings glory to Jesus (v10).
What is our response to this extraordinary invitation? To believe in Jesus and his mission (v8) and to obey the word of God (v6). Believe and obey – not out of coercion or fear, but in hope and love.
And what Jesus declares is what can declare also. All we have is God’s; and amazingly, all God has is ours: ‘praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.’ (Ephesians 1:3)
May the Lord grant us all grace to be ‘faithfully and sincerely his’ today – believing, obeying and abiding. And may that divine life flow out through us and into the lives of those we love and those we meet, that we may be ‘faithfully theirs’ too, for Jesus’ glory. Amen.
Wednesday 18th March – John 17:1-5 ‘Glorify your Son’
To read John 17 is to stand on holy ground. All scripture is God-breathed, of course, but when we read this chapter, we get a glimpse into the heavenly throne room, as the divine Son shares intimately with the heavenly Father. Imagine being John, listening to Jesus offering this remarkable prayer. No wonders he remembers it word-for-word decades later. It’s not a prayer any of us would be likely to forget.
After the Lord’s Prayer, this is probably the second most well-known prayer in the bible – and if the Lord’s Prayer was powerfully simple and direct, what is known as Jesus’ ‘High Priestly Prayer’ is gloriously deep and profound.
Gloriously being the operative word. The prayer begins with no less than five references to ‘glorify’ or ‘glory’. The word ‘glory’ in the bible literally means ‘weight’. It is the manifest, tangible presence of God. When this presence made itself known in the Old Testament, it was experienced as a literal weight: people fell on their faces in awe and wonder (see, for example, Leviticus 9:23-24).
As time went on, this sense of weight attached to ‘glory’ broadened into a more general sense of honour that is due to the Lord when his manifest presence is made known. This is how we use the word today – albeit not necessarily in reference to God – and this is how Jesus uses it here. As he faces the cross, the literal presence of God will be made manifest in the most extraordinary and powerful way. The world will see it as disgrace; but the Father and the Son see it as honour, as glory: (v1) ‘Father the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.’
Jesus has all the authority in the universe (v2). The incredible thing, as we observed before, is that this authority is demonstrated through the cross – what appears to be a terrible defeat is in fact the greatest victory. A victory that brings life to all who will receive it (v3).
In the coming days, we’ll see how Jesus prays for his friends, for the church and for the world. But today, he begins with his Father. He is about to complete the work the Father gave to him (v4); now he looks forward to once again enjoying the glory of heaven in the presence of his Father (v5). It’s not long now, and the thought of it must have sustained him through the trials to come.
Jesus is glorious. A glory revealed through the incarnation, the miracles, the teaching, the cross, the resurrection and the ascension. Those that lived with him got regular glimpses of that glory. By the Spirit, may the Lord grant us grace, too, to see just how glorious he is. And may that glory fill our hearts and our lives today.
Tuesday 17th March – John 16:25-33 ‘A time is coming’
And so this special conversation between Jesus and his disciples comes full circle. We began at the start of chapter 13, as the Passover Meal commenced: ‘Jesus knew that the hour had come…’ It is fitting that he concludes this conversation by repeating this phrase: ‘The hour is coming…’ (v25, v32) It’s often translated time, but the word ‘ora’ is the same in both passages.
But what time? What ora?
In a continuation of what Jesus said in yesterday’s text, it is a time first of trouble, then of joy. Jesus refers to the trouble last: (v32) ‘A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.’ Jesus knows that the trials he is shortly to face will terrify the disciples, who will flee.
Yet this is not the end of the story. He will prevail, and once he has risen and sees them again, he will be able to teach them more about the God they will dedicate their lives to serve: (v25-26) ‘A time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name.’ This surely refers to their time together after Jesus’ resurrection, when, as Luke says, ‘he appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.’ (Acts 1:3)
Jesus is particularly keen to emphasise that, once he has risen, we will be able to seek the Lord directly in prayer, and not rely on Jesus to do it for us. Of course, Jesus is always praying for us – but the amazing promise here is that we are not somehow dependent on Jesus persuading his Father on our behalf – God the Father will be listening to us personally, a divine Parent who ‘loves you because you have loved me’ (v27).
There is one last great promise in this text, which concludes one of the greatest conversations ever to have taken place in human history: (v33) ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’
Life is challenging. But Jesus has overcome! So we take heart, and can know peace.
What a summary of our journey of faith. And a good basis for our prayers today, or any day, which we can pray direct to our heavenly Father, just as Jesus encouraged. May the Lord grant us all grace to turn our troubles to him, to trust in his victory, and to find hope and peace in the loving arms of our Lord. Amen.
Monday 16th March – John 16:16-24 ‘Your grief will turn to joy’
Lent is traditionally a season of self-denial. Many millions of Christians every year give things up, or make extra sacrifices. Why? Sadly, there is much misunderstanding of Lent’s true purpose. It’s not to earn brownie points with God – as if that would ever work! It is certainly to identify with Christ, in some very small way, on his journey to the cross. However, the other main reason is to increase our gratitude and joy. As we willingly forego things we might have come to see as ‘rights’, we remember again that most of them are privileges, blessings. We choose the path of ‘death’ in order to experience the joy of ‘resurrection.’ Our grief turns to joy.
Something similar is about to be experienced by the disciples in today’s passage. Jesus has already told them he is going away, but only temporarily (13:33, 14:18-19, 14:28), and he repeats this promise at the start of our text: (v16) ‘In a little while you will see me no longer, and then after a little while you will see me.’ He knows that this will cause them pain: (v20) ‘You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.’
Their pain is partly born of confusion. We know the end of the story: after the cross comes the empty tomb. The disciples did not: (v18) ‘They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”’ Jesus has been their whole world for three years; it is impossible to imagine life without him.
This time, then, Jesus is much clearer about the certainty of their reunion: (v22) ‘Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again…’ Not only that, he is more definite about the effect of this reunion: ‘…and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.’
For the disciples, the primary outcome of the resurrection is joy. Sheer joy. Joy which no-one can take away, and which is also complete (v24). It is good for us to be reminded of that, too. The resurrection produces many things: the ultimate proof of Jesus’ divinity; the defeat of death; the Great Commission, followed by the ascension of Jesus to heaven; as well as the subsequent power of Pentecost and the pouring out of the Spirit. These all require Jesus’ resurrection to be effected, and praise God that they are! But let’s not forget the most simple outcome of all: joy. After the cross, the empty tomb. After death, resurrection. After grief, joy.
‘Your grief will turn to joy.’ Whatever season we are in at the moment, including whatever causes us to grieve, let’s receive again today the gift of resurrection joy. Jesus has defeated death and is with us always. ‘Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.’ Amen.
Saturday 14th March – John 16:12-15 ‘Guided into all truth’
When I first came to Christ in 1982, I didn’t know very much at all. I wasn’t quite ten years old. I had attended church every Sunday (not very enthusiastically, as I admitted yesterday), and all I really knew was that Jesus loved me and died for me. As I write this reflection more than forty years later, I hope I’ve learned a bit more since then. Not as much as I might have done, no doubt – but some things.
If, after that service, my Dad had tried to help me to understand the Trinity, or different atonement models, or good answers to the question of suffering, or how Jesus related to politics, or a biblical understanding of the environment, or how to help persecuted Christians, or any one of a hundred other things, I wouldn’t have had a clue what he was going on about. Jesus loved me and died for me, and that was enough for a nearly-ten year old. (It’s still my foundation now!)
Jesus faces a dilemma with his disciples on the night of the last supper. He knows this is his last chance to teach them before he dies, and there’s so much he could say, so much he must have desperately wanted to say. But, like all of us, there’s only so much they could hear, and even less they could understand. Worst of all, there was probably only a tiny fraction they could actually bear (v12). So, when does he stop? What does he leave out?
Today’s passage is such a valuable one, because it reminds us that our journey of growth, in faith and understanding, is lifelong. The Holy Spirit will guide us, and continue to guide us, into all the truth (v13). This text is sometimes abused to indicate that there is some sort of ‘special knowledge’ that comes later, but that is to misunderstand what Jesus is saying. We have what we need in scripture – but it takes us a lifetime to really grasp it. There’s always more we can learn, new ways to grow. The supply of Jesus’ wisdom never runs out.
What an encouragement! What is God teaching you at the moment? What eternal truth are you being guided into?
There’s also a lovely image of God as Trinity in this passage. The Father gives everything to the Son. The Son communicates everything through his Spirit. The Spirit brings glory to the Son. The Son completes the mission of the Father. A community of divine love, blessing the world.
As we close this week, let’s continue to trust that the Lord will lead us and guide us, even in these uncertain times. As Minnie Louise Haskins famously wrote: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’ May we, in faith, hope and love, go forth, and finding the Hand of God, tread gladly into not just the night, but also this day, and all that lies ahead.
Friday 13th March – John 16:7-11 ‘Deep conviction’
July 25th 1982. Just a normal Sunday. I went to church with my family, to (what we then called) the Family Service. My Dad was giving the talk, about Jesus meeting Nicodemus in John chapter 3. It was the days of Overhead Projectors (OHPs – remember them?!), and he showed this acetate of a wooden cross. When he got to the text, ‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,’ he overlaid a second acetate with a picture of a snake, which was now wrapped around the cross. Then he completed the verse: ‘so the Son of Man must lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’
At this point, he removed the snake and instead placed a third acetate over the cross – this time of Jesus. And suddenly I understood. Jesus had died for me. Not just for the world, for me. I was no more or less religiously-minded than most children; the chief attraction of church on Sundays was playing football in the church hall after the service! But at that moment, just before my tenth birthday, I knew something profound had happened. I prayed directly to Jesus, I think perhaps for the first time; and I made a mental note to remember that day, because on that day my life changed.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, but I still remember that family service from over forty years ago. And what I experienced is what countless others have through the ages, and what Jesus speaks about in today’s passage. I came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is more than just revelation. The modern NIV translation renders it ‘prove the world to be in the wrong,’ but that doesn’t quite cut it either. Conviction is revelation which fundamentally touches our hearts and changes our mind. It compels us to change. What others experience as ‘just words’ seem to be given specifically and directly to us, to transform our lives immediately.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. In particular, the Holy Spirit will convict people in regard to ‘sin and righteousness and judgement’ (v8). If this sounds negative – where’s the love of Jesus, or the peace that comes from knowing him, you might be thinking? – then we should never forget that we need a Saviour. Without sin there’s no grace. Without grace, there’s no gospel, no good news. We only truly understand the love of Jesus when we know what he has saved us from. We only truly know the peace of Jesus when we fully grasp that, because of Jesus, God’s just judgement has been fulfilled and ‘the prince of this world now stands condemned’ (v11). Whatever we face in this life, our future is secure.
I can’t explain why it was that day in 1982 when the Holy Spirit first deeply convicted me. I’m sure people were praying! But this I know – it was real, and true, and good. It’s what the Holy Spirit does, and is still doing, all around the world, every day, every minute. Today, let’s give thanks for our own journeys, those moments of conviction in our lives. And let’s also pray with faith for that same conviction to be at work in those we love, and those we’ll never meet. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Thursday 12th March – John 15:26-16:7 ‘Testify’
‘Crucify, torture, condemn, crush us. For the proof of our innocence is found in your injustice. It is on this account that God suffers us to suffer this… Yet no cruelty of yours, though each were to exceed the last in its exquisite refinement, profits you in the least; but forms rather an attraction to our sect. We spring up in greater numbers as often as we are mown down by you: the blood of the Christians is a seed.’
This famous quote was written by the great church leader and writer Tertullian at the end of the second century, in the face of severe, ongoing persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire. It is usually paraphrased as ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’, but it’s worth sharing this longer portion, to set the quote in context. It comes at the end of his long defence of our faith (Apologeticus – from where we get the word apologetics), and the details he includes in his text are often harrowing.
It’s a good reminder that Jesus’ words in today’s passage, foretelling the trials that would come to his followers (v2), are not exaggerated. Indeed, the word we translate as ‘witness’ in today’s bibles, is martus – from which we also get the word ‘martyr’. Such was the persecution the early Christians faced that the two ideas became synonymous – to witness was to suffer.
And yet, this apparently powerless (in human terms), persecuted group went from 120 souls on the Day of Pentecost, to an estimated 20 million by the time of the Emperor Constantine’s conversion in 312AD. Why? It’s not just the impact of human testimony, although Jesus’ disciples were outstanding in giving courageous voice, just as Jesus commanded (v27).
It is due to another power, a divine power, a strength beyond our strength, one that could only come when Jesus left this earth (v7): the power of the Holy Spirit, who will testify about Jesus (v26). Our divine Advocate is sent by the Father to bear witness to Jesus. Indeed, everything the Holy Spirit does points to Jesus – we’ll look at this in more detail tomorrow.
When we think about the suffering of our sisters and brothers, it naturally fills us with grief (v6). But we are not left on our own. The Holy Spirit has the power to keep us (v1) and anoint us, for the glory of God. Today, let’s give thanks for all martyrs, all who have paid the ultimate cost for their love of the Lord. Truly their sacrifice is the seed of the church. Let’s also pray for all those who witness powerfully in our age, and for our small acts of witness, that they too may testify to the One in whose wonderful name they are done.
Wednesday 11th March – John 15:18-25 ‘They hated me first’
In January every year, the charity Open Doors publishes the World Watch List: a list of the 50 countries where persecution of Christians is most severe. If 50 sounds like a large number, bear in mind that the Bible is restricted, banned, or heavily controlled in at least 52 countries. An estimated 400 million Christians live with persecution for their faith.
This makes Christianity the most persecuted faith group in the world, by some distance. However, as today’s passage indicates, this is nothing new. Indeed, it goes right back to Jesus himself. He is soberingly candid about the reality of being his apprentices: (v18, v21) ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first… They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.’
In fact, in this passage, Jesus gives two more specific reasons why his followers will face opposition. The first is that he has chosen them out of the world: (v19) ‘If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own… but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.’ It’s much easier to swim with the tide. If we simply follow along with the ways of the world, we can avoid all kinds of difficulties. But this is not the Jesus way.
Second, and leading directly from this first observation, Jesus’ teaching is the flashpoint for opposition: (v20) ‘If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.’ Jesus’ reaching is the greatest wisdom the world has ever known – but it is also a dividing line. People obey it, or refuse it (and even hate it). It shines a light into the darkness, not just in a general sense, but also into the dark corners of our lives and our souls. We can choose to come into the light, or stay in the darkness. (This formed part of the famous discussion with Nicodemus in chapter 3.)
For those who prefer the darkness, not even Jesus’ amazing signs and miracles will sway them (v24). No wonder he quotes the psalms: (v25) ‘They hated me without reason.’
But if it is perverse, it is also real. And many millions of Jesus’ followers pay a daily cost for that. Most of the rest of us may not, but we still face milder forms of marginalisation or ridicule. Today, let’s firstly take heart that Jesus knows and understands: he has walked this way before us, and he has indeed ‘chosen us out of this world.’ Hallelujah! But let’s also pray for our precious sisters and brothers around the world, who have to live this passage as their reality. May they know the true peace of Christ which passes understanding, and may the joy of the Lord be their strength. Amen.
Tuesday 10th March – John 15:12-17 ‘Friends of Jesus’
‘I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’ (v15)
Just take a moment to let that sink in. The Almighty Creator of the universe calls you his friend. No other religious worldview contains this idea. We are servants, subjects, vessels – but not friends.
For followers of Jesus, however, we have this unique, wonderful privilege. It doesn’t happen by accident – it is Jesus’ choice (v16). A choice is an act of will – Jesus wants us to be his friends. Do we want to be friends with him? Can we imagine relating to God in that way? I hope so!
This friendship is signified by the extraordinary access we have: ‘everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.’ We can know the mind of God, through the teaching and wisdom of Jesus. He holds nothing back, to those who earnestly seek him. We have the pages of scripture, and the divine Advocate, the Holy Spirit, ‘teaching us all things’ (14:25).
This access is reciprocal: (v16) ‘whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’ As we observed previously, this promise rests on the assumption that Jesus can put his name to it – something that comes naturally to those who, through Jesus’ teaching, know the divine will.
Finally, this friendship is not just Jesus’ choice, it is Jesus’ purpose: (v16) ‘I… appointed you so that you may go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.’ As we become like our rabbi and friend, we have the kind of transformative impact he had, and still has. Maybe on a smaller scale, but powerful nonetheless.
You are a friend of Jesus. Take a few moments today to reflect on that amazing truth. How will you enjoy this day, sustained by his friendship?
Monday 9th March – John 15:9-13 ‘No greater love than this’
Some things are so important they need to be repeated. As Jesus talks with his disciples on the night before he dies, he shares deeply about many vital, life-changing things. If you were to read chapters 13-17 in one sitting (or listen, as the disciples did), it’s clear that this extraordinary teaching revolves around a few simple themes and commands, which get shared repeatedly in slightly different ways: the presence of Jesus, the gift of the Spirit, boldness in prayer, not to fear the world or the future, and, here, the primacy of love.
Love one another.
Arguably the most basic, foundational command of all. And yet, it’s so easy to forget, to overcomplicate. Jesus knows this, he knows our frailty and forgetfulness, so he returns to this theme once more.
He reminds them that love is not an abstract emotion, it is primarily communicated through example: ‘Love each other as I have loved you.’ The disciples have just received an illustration of this with the foot-washing episode – this time, however, Jesus goes further: (v13) ‘Greater love has no-one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’
As we read this famous verse today, we know how the story unfolds from this point; the disciples did not, although they were about to find out. In the next 24 hours they were to see a literal embodiment of this love, as Jesus gave himself for them – and for us – on the cross.
Nowadays we tend to soften this teaching, translating ‘laying down our lives’ into any form of sacrificial service – which is fine, we can live this command in figurative terms. But it’s important not to lose the visceral power of what Jesus is saying, and to remind ourselves that not every Christian gets to interpret this saying figuratively. Today, we can pray for those whose laying down of life is a daily threat, or even reality.
As we absorb the sheer beauty and power of this simple command, let’s also remember that this kind of love does not ‘come from nowhere’ – we receive it from the Lord. The Trinity is a community of love – as Jesus reminds his friends (vv9-10): the Father loves the Son, the Son loves them. To be a follower of Jesus is to be drawn into this eternal community of divine love. This love enables us to be obedient to this command to self-giving love.
As we begin this week, let’s open our hearts again to receive this gift of divine love. And may that gift take root and flourish, enabling us to love each other, as Jesus has loved us. Amen.
Saturday 7th March – John 10:10-11 ‘The Good Shepherd’
And so we finish our week with the iconic image of Jesus as The Good Shepherd. There’s so much we can say; but before we explore the image further, today let’s remind ourselves to link verse 11 to verse 10. Paragraph breaks are not there in the original text – we impose them in our translations. These translations are wonderful, not least because we can read God’s word in our own language; but sometimes we can miss obvious clues – and here, let’s just pause to reflect on the simple point that the abundant zoe life that Jesus talks about in verse 10 is directly linked to our relationship to the Good Shepherd in verse 11.
Indeed, relationships lie at the heart of what Jesus means by abundant life – in laying down his life for the sheep, the Good Shepherd comes to restore us to right relationships, in every dimension:
First and foremost, with God. Jesus doesn’t explain how laying down his life will do that for us in this passage, but there’s plenty of other texts in scripture that do. His sacrificial death on our behalf makes forgiveness possible, wiping the slate clean and restoring our souls. We are set free to live lives of praise to God, at peace with ourselves.
But it doesn’t stop there – having set us in right relationship with God, it also restores and renews our relationships with each other. The Good Shepherd longs for us to start relating in love, just like he does; and he gives us his presence, by the Holy Spirit, to do just that. Most of the references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament are addressed to people plural – i.e. to the community of God. We are being built into a place of worship where God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
Finally, the abundant life of the Good Shepherd brings purpose to our wider relationships. We carry the good news of the kingdom everywhere. We have a message of justice, of care for creation, of the value of all people – we have a vision that gets us up in the morning, and is with us when we go to bed at night. In short, we become people of purpose. When we pray ‘your kingdom come,’ we also pray: ‘your will be done, on earth as in heaven.’ That’s Jesus’ manifesto for the world, that earth would increasingly resemble heaven, as the abundant life of God is done here, too.
This is the abundant life which the Good Shepherd longs to bring us. It what he lays his life down for. As we’ve reflected over the last few days, our calling is to know his voice, and follow, trusting that his is voice is the way to salvation and fullness of life. This is your Good Shepherd. Take a few moments to praise him, to receive his peace and presence, and be filled with purpose for all that the Lord calls you to, today. Amen.
Friday 6th March – John 10:7-9 ‘I Am the Gate’
On the second Sunday of 2017, we were about to start the 9.30am service, when one of our welcomers came and found me urgently. ‘Come outside, you’ll want to see this,’ they said. So, I hustled out and watched one of the more unusual sights I’ve seen in my years here. Running along the road, and just passing the churchyard gate, were about fifty sheep. We had no idea where they had come from or where they were going. I don’t think they had any idea where they were going either!
There was great excitement – and, for lack of a better idea, we decided to corral them in the school car park over the road from the church, and try and find out who the farmer was. A few willing souls stood on sentry duty. It actually took about 2 or 3 hours to get hold of someone, by which time the grass verges around the car park had certainly had a good trim from fifty grazing sheep, and the ‘hired hands’ were very cold. By lunchtime, the sheep were safely back in a nearby field.
What’s the moral of this story? Sheep need a shepherd. Look what happens when a large flock is left to its own devices. Alongside this, ‘never leave your gate open,’ would certainly be another! As we edge closer to Jesus’ famous saying, ‘I Am the Good Shepherd’, today we think about the much less well-known counterpart in this passage: ‘I Am the Gate’. And the most important thing to observe is that, in the farming culture of the day, Jesus is basically talking about the same thing, or rather the same person – the shepherd is the gate for the sheep. And here’s how….
In those days sheep lived mostly out on the hills by day, and then at night in the sheepfold, which was not a covered barn, but more like a fortified pen. It would be built with loose stones piled to form a rough, walled enclosure – just high enough to keep the sheep in and wild animals out. There was no gate as such, but when the sheep were in the pen the shepherd himself (or a colleague) would literally be the gate. They would sit in the gap and protect the sheep directly. No dogs or locked metal gates – just one brave shepherd. This is why Jesus calls himself both the Gate and the Good Shepherd: in first century Israel, that was two ways of saying the same thing.
It also explains why Jesus makes the link with salvation: (v9) ‘Whoever enters through me will be saved.’ He is literally the way in to the sheepfold, the entry point to all God’s promises. Those who come in via His gate will ‘find pasture’ – all they need to live.
As we spend the today and tomorrow delighting in this rich biblical image of the shepherd, today let’s give thanks that Jesus is our ‘way in’: our Gate. He is the Saviour, not just of the world, but of each of us. We have all found our way into his sheepfold. Simply put, the key to life is found in Him; and, as we claim this beautiful truth, may we go out and find pasture – all that we need to live – today.
Thursday 5th March – John 8:12-20 ‘The Light of the World’
Light is one of the universal religious metaphors in our world. Jews have Hanukkah, or festival of lights; Hindus and Sikhs have Diwali; Buddhists talk about the path to enlightenment. Light is one of the few images to have almost universally positive connotations. 1.5 million people each year even take about 12 million trips to Blackpool for its illuminations, and other attractions, making it the second most popular single European tourist destination after St Peter’s in Rome. Strange but true.
So, what is it about the Christian understanding of light that makes it so distinctive? What have we got to say about it that sheds any unique, well, I have to use the word, light on the subject? Or is today’s passage just a Christian version of something which all religions can aspire to?
It all comes down to the source: lots of religious teaching on light says: ‘this is the light’. Only Jesus says: I am the light. And not just for my followers, for the whole world: (v12) ‘Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’
In saying ‘I am the light,’ Jesus is not just pointing to his divine identity, he is saying some other vital things as well: first, I am the source of life. Matter needs light to grow – the ancients didn’t have the scientific proof of photosynthesis, but they knew it all the same. As chapter 1 of John says: ‘in Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.’ We don’t just need sunlight, we need Son-light. Today’s word from Jesus is an invitation to life, life in all its fullness. Where is Jesus inviting you to enter more fully into his life?
Second, Jesus is telling us that he is the source of truth. Returning to ch1, the Light is also the Word, or as Psalm 119 famously puts it: ‘your word is a lamp to my feet and a…? light to my path.’ Light and truth are connected – think of the phrase ‘to shed light’ on things. Jesus’ light is there to guide us, to direct our paths. So, our second invitation from Jesus for today is: is there something in your life where you need Jesus’ light for your path? Why not ask him to shine his light, to help you see the way ahead?
Finally, Jesus is telling us that he is the source of goodness. This is the more challenging aspect, one which Jesus refers to in chapter 3 of John: ‘Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.’ When we come into Jesus’ light, it both causes us to grow, but also shines a light into the dark places, it exposes things which Jesus wants to heal or to change. So, our third invitation from Jesus for today is: is there something ‘dark’ in your life where you need Jesus’ light?
Jesus invites us, today and every day, to come into his light. To experience his life, to shine his light on the paths of our life, and to expose the things which need to change or heal. By God’s grace, will you accept that invitation today? Whoever follows him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Amen.
Wednesday 4th March – John 6:35-40 ‘I am…’
As we’ve enjoyed the last of Jesus’ seven ‘I am’ statements – I am the true Vine – let’s spend a few days revisiting the other I am statements in John, beginning with the first:
Who are you? Or rather, if you were asked to describe yourself, what would you say?
Studded throughout John’s gospel are seven answers to this question: seven ways that Jesus used to describe himself. But they’re not quite the sort of thing we might say about ourselves! Which probably isn’t a surprise… today, however, we read the first of them: ‘I am the bread of life’ (v35).
It’s a natural follow-on from what Jesus has been saying in the last few verses. Life is found, Jesus has said, not just in physical sustenance, but in believing in him; in working for food that endures, eternal nourishment. It makes sense, then, for Jesus to summarise his teaching in this famous and striking phrase: ‘I am the bread of life.’
To know life, we must ‘feed on’ Jesus. As the church grew, this sense of feeding naturally became associated with the act of receiving bread and wine, which is variously called Communion, the Eucharist (from the word ‘to give thanks’), the Mass (the old word for ‘feast’) or the Lord’s Supper.
That’s all well and good, and it gives us a tangible ‘hook’ to interpret the phrase – but this is probably not the first meaning. Since, from what he’s just been saying, Jesus is quite clearly drawing a distinction with the physical act of eating bread, it much more likely means a spiritual union with Jesus – to trust in him, to receive his Spirit, to be filled with his abiding presence day by day.
And let’s go a little further and note that the very phrase ‘I am’ is significant. In Greek it’s heavily emphasised by Jesus in the words Ego eimi – I Am: capital I, capital A. The name God gave the Israelites, the name so holy that no Jew would speak it – Yahweh – is almost impossible to transcribe, but in Greek it is usually rendered as (you guessed it) ‘I Am’.
So, this is more than just a striking description of Jesus’ mission and purpose. It points towards his identity at the very deepest and most profound level. Jesus is not just a good human being, he is the divine Son, God on earth in human form.
It follows that, as we feed on this bread of life, we are not just receiving something that leads us towards God, we are feeding on God himself. Jesus dwells in us by his Spirit – not just for a few hours until we need to eat again, but permanently. No wonder Jesus was able to say: ‘if you feed on me, you won’t go (spiritually) hungry again’ (v35).
Today, let’s give thanks for this gift of the bread of life. Let’s consciously choose to receive it again. And let’s resolve to keep ‘feeding’ on the abiding presence of Christ, nourishing our lives every hour of every day.
Tuesday 3rd March – John 15:3-8 ‘Remain in the vine’
Over the winter I’ve been clearing a lot of dead ivy off the trees in my garden. Ivy is an incredibly efficient plant. It seems to be able to grow at will, usually quickly, and it wraps itself around whatever other objects – be they trees, shrubs, posts or walls – are at hand. But this ivy had all died. Why? The tree surgeon came last summer and cut off the ivy at the roots. Over the winter, all the rootless branches died. Now they can find their way into my green bin!
No matter how healthy or productive the plant, if a branch gets cut off it usually dies. Branches need to remain connected to the main plant to live. This is the image Jesus uses here to describe our spiritual lives: only this time, he is the vine and we are the branches (v5) – ‘If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.’
It’s always tempting to do things our own way, in our own strength. It becomes a particular temptation as we get older and seemingly more mature in the spiritual life. As young apprentices, we knew we needed Rabbi Jesus’ help with everything; but as time passes, we can find ourselves forgetting. We start to rely on our historic walk with the Lord, our essential competence as Christians. Maybe we even feel that we should somehow be more self-reliant as we mature in faith.
It’s a dangerous temptation. We might be more resilient, yes; but we can never be self-reliant – we remain as God-reliant as ever. Jesus’ words are blunt: (vv4-5) we ‘must remain in the vine…. apart from me, you can do nothing.’
The good news is that there is a flip side; if cutting ourselves off from the vine is spiritual death, then remaining in the vine brings life. As the abundant life of the true Vine flows into our ‘branches’, then we bear much fruit – something Jesus is keen to share with his friends, so much so that he repeats it (v5, v8). We can even ask him for anything, ‘and it will be done for you.’ Of course, that presumes that Jesus’ words sit deep in our hearts (v7), so that what we ask of Jesus flows naturally out of a life in tune with the divine will. But it’s a striking promise nonetheless, which both demonstrates our apprenticeship and brings glory to God (v8).
We often sing the great old hymn ‘Abide with me’ at funerals – the line is taken direct from this passage, where in older translations ‘remain’ is rendered as ‘abide’. And at one level it’s a line we can sing at all stages of life; but this image is really meant more for our lives than our deaths. We are to abide/remain in Jesus day-by-day, experiencing his life flowing into ours. May that be our reality today – and may the Lord grant us all grace to ‘bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’ Amen.
Monday 2nd March – John 15:1-2 ‘I am the true vine’
In April 2013 we had a week’s holiday near Toulouse in the South of France. It was bitterly cold – that freak winter which didn’t really end until later in April – and the landscape was striking. Field after field was full of rows of small stumps, hacked down to little over a foot above the ground. Initially we were not sure what they were – then we realised that they were thousands upon thousands of vines.
It seemed almost impossible that these little stumps could produce anything at all; but later in the week we went on a tour of a vineyard and the owner told us that this is what they do every year. To get the best fruit, the vine has to be pared back to practically a stump. But sure enough, come the spring and summer, it grows like crazy and produces beautiful grapes to make fabulous wine. The severe pruning is necessary for growth and health.
This is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today’s passage. It’s an iconic image – one those 7 ‘I am’ statements in John, indeed the very last of them: Jesus as the Vine. In biblical terms, the vineyard is traditionally a picture of Israel – see Isaiah 5:1-7 – here, Jesus co-opts it, to tell his friends that he is the true Vine. Where Old Testament Israel’s vineyard had failed to produce fruit, Jesus promises those who are grafted into his vine will bear much fruit (v5; more on that tomorrow).
And part of this fruit-bearing process is pruning: the spiritual equivalent of what we saw in those fields of vineyards in southern France. The word used for ‘prunes’ here also means ‘cleans’, which helps us to identify the sorts of things Jesus means when he talks about our spiritual lives being ‘pruned’ (cleansed): it’s anything that hinders or blocks our growth as followers of Jesus. That could be distractions, bad habits, wrong attitudes, or secret sins. It could also be things which are not bad in themselves, but act as a sort of ‘worldly security’ which stops us trusting God. It could even be a ‘wilderness’ time – a season when God seems hidden and the spiritual ground seems bare.
The point is that this kind of pruning is not cruel or unnecessary – quite the reverse: (v2) ‘Every branch that does bear fruit [my Father] prunes, so that it will become even more fruitful.’ Pruning is for our long-term health and growth. It is so that we might become even more like Jesus, more fruitful in our faith.
As we begin our week, you may feel in need of some ‘pruning’; or you may feel that you already are, and you’re not sure if it’s good news or not; or you’ve come out of such a season, thankful you can see its benefits. Wherever you find yourself at present, give thanks that the Lord is our true Vine, and that his purposes are always good and kind – that we might be as fruitful as possible. And pray for grace for yourself or others to embrace whatever pruning we experience, trusting that it is always for our good. The divine gardener knows what He’s doing.
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