Using the analogy of a vine, Jesus explained what a true Christian is: he is a person who, as a result of being joined to Jesus, produces fruit. Fruit, of course, represents the good things that we do. It includes our actions, attitudes, words and answers to our prayers. We can only produce that fruit if we are connected with Jesus.

Notice how Jesus emphasized fruitfulness, stressing its great importance. Whether a person produces fruit is what determines his eternal destination. Those who don’t produce fruit are like worthless branches on the grapevine—and they are destined to be burnt by fire, spending eternity in hell. God prunes those who do produce fruit so they may become more fruitful.

If you’ve believed in Jesus, then you are already producing some fruit. But God will not be satisfied until you are just like Jesus. So, like a gardener who prunes his grapevine so it might produce more fruit, God will work with us, cutting off what is displeasing to Him. He is dedicated to our spiritual growth.

Our job, according to Christ’s command, is to remain in Him (see John 15:4). To “remain in Jesus” means to continue to believe that He is the Son of God and thus continue to follow and obey Him. If we will remain in Him, He’ll remain in us and we’ll produce much fruit.

Jesus also instructed His followers to remain in His love (see John 15:9). That’s the same thing as remaining in Him, because the proof of a person’s remaining in Jesus’ love is the same proof as that of a person’s remaining in Jesus: his obedience. In today’s reading, Jesus stressed the importance of our obeying His commandment to love one another. He expects us to love one another just as He loves us. He literally laid down His life for us, and wants us to give sacrificially of ourselves to one another. John wrote, “Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions” (1 John 3:18). Have you demonstrated your love for a fellow Christian recently?

Q. Jesus talked about the branch that was cut off from the vine because it wasn’t bearing fruit. Does this prove that a person can be joined to Christ but produce no fruit?

A. As with every parable and comparison, we must be careful about searching for significance in every detail, because at some point, the similarities in the comparison end. We shouldn’t necessarily conclude, just because the fruitless branch was connected to the vine, that it’s possible for a person who doesn’t produce fruit to be connected to Christ. That might be reading more into His analogy than Jesus intended. The way a person becomes connected to Jesus is by faith, and the Bible tells us that “faith without works is dead” (see James 2:26, NASB). For that reason, it seems unlikely that Jesus was trying to teach that a person can be joined to Him yet remain fruitless. In fact, Jesus said that fruitlessness is what results in being cut off from the vine.

Q. For those who do remain in Him, Jesus has given tremendous promises regarding their prayers. He said, “But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7). Does that mean we could ask for all our enemies to be killed in car crashes on the same day?

A. People who remain in Jesus and who allow Jesus’ words to remain in them would never make such a prayer request, because Jesus said in another place that we should bless our enemies and pray for them, not against them! We can pray with assurance for anything that God has promised us in His word, and we should only want to pray for what is His will.

Application: Jesus is our Lord and Master, but He’s not a distant master who only cares about our obedience and doesn’t care about us. He’s our Friend. But don’t forget that He’s only our Friend if He’s first our Master and Lord. Jesus plainly said that those who obey Him are His Friends (see John 15:14). Too many people want Jesus as their friend but not their Lord. But Jesus does not offer such a relationship to anyone.

As Jesus’ disciples listened to Jesus talk after their Passover meal, their hearts became troubled. He had told them that He would be leaving them very soon, and that they would not be able to go where He was going (see John 13:33). Keep in mind that they had been with Him for over three years, so the thought of being separated from Him was traumatic. Jesus told them not to be troubled, and gave them at least five good reasons why they shouldn’t be.

First, He said He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, a house in which there were many rooms.

Second, He promised that He would ultimately come back for them to take them with Him to His Father’s house. Then they would never be separated from Him again.

Third, during the time they were apart, He would send them another Helper, the Holy Spirit, who would never leave them. The Holy Spirit would lead them into truth, teaching them and reminding them of what Jesus had said.

Fourth, soon after His departure, they would see Him again for a time after His resurrection and be assured that He was alive forevermore. Once they saw Him raised from the dead, they wouldn’t entertain the idea that He was dead and gone.

And fifth, He would give them peace in their hearts, His own peace, as a gift. They only needed to tap into it. What more could they ask?

In today’s reading, Jesus made several claims, most of which only God could rightfully make. He claimed to be the way, the truth and the life (see John 14:6). That is, He is the only way to heaven, the only One who knew and revealed spiritual truth, and the only One who could give eternal life. He claimed to be one with the Father, to the extent that anyone who saw or knew Him could say they’d seen and known the Father.

He claimed that His words were His Father’s, and His ability to do miracles came from the Father. As I’ve written before, Jesus didn’t leave us the option to think of Him as just a good man or a prophet. His claims were too outrageous. If He wasn’t God, He was the biggest liar who has ever lived.

Finally, Jesus made it very clear who His people are. They are those who love Him and who prove their love by their obedience to Him. And those are the people whom God indwells by His Holy Spirit. Isn’t it great to be one of them?

Q. Near the end of today’s reading, Jesus said, “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father” (John 14:30-31). Who is the “prince of this world”?

A. Satan.

Q. What did Jesus mean when He said that the prince of this world was approaching?

A. He was referring to how Satan was orchestrating His imminent betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. Jesus implied that Satan was only doing what God was permitting him to do, and, unknowingly, was playing right into God’s hands. By motivating men to kill Jesus, Satan was setting the stage for Jesus to fulfill God’s preordained plan for His Son to be sacrificed for the sins of the world!

Application: Jesus said, “For I will live again, and you will, too” (John 14:19). For Christians, death is not something to be feared. It’s the beginning of a new life. We have that promise from someone we can trust, someone who knows what He’s talking about, and someone who’s crossed over the line of death and come back to life!

Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him (see John 6:64,70-71), and of course God knew it from eternity past. In fact, it was predicted in Psalm 41:9 that the Messiah would be betrayed by one with whom He would share His food. Jesus revealed to Peter that Judas was the betrayer, and in so doing proved His foreknowledge of what was about to happen.

Was Judas really responsible for what he did? Didn’t someone have to betray Jesus in order for prophecy to be fulfilled? And doesn’t Satan really bear the responsibility, since the Bible says he entered Judas? And what about Jesus? Wasn’t He partly responsible for His own betrayal, since He instructed Judas to do quickly what he was about to do?

The answer to those questions is that Judas bore most of the responsibility for Christ’s betrayal, Satan bore some and Christ bore none. The Scriptures only foretold what God knew would happen, so we shouldn’t think that someone had to betray Jesus or that Judas was predestined to do it. Judas decided to betray Christ on his own (see Matthew 26:14-16).

The Bible does indicate that Satan was involved in tempting Judas, so he also bears some guilt. However, his tempting of Judas didn’t remove Judas’s guilt in the matter. Satan didn’t force Judas; he only tempted him. Judas still had to decide whether or not he would yield to the temptation.

Finally, when Jesus told Judas to do quickly what he had planned, we shouldn’t think Jesus was encouraging Judas to betray Him. Judas had already made up his mind what he was going to do; Jesus was revealing to Judas that He knew he was about to betray Him. Jesus’ words should have made it more difficult for Judas to follow through on his plan, since he certainly didn’t want Jesus to know what he was about to do, but now he knew that Jesus knew.

Jesus also realized that His time with His disciples was very short. He would soon be in heaven. So He took His final opportunity to share what was most important with those who would carry on His work. They would be the ones who would lead the church, and the one thing that could ruin them before they got started was strife. However, if they would love one another, they would remain unified and strong. So Jesus commanded them to love one another, saying that their love would be the identifying mark that they were His disciples.

Unfortunately, either this truth hasn’t sunk into the hearts of many Christians, or many people who claim to be Christians are just fooling themselves, because they don’t display what Jesus said would mark them as being His. Sitting in church once a week is not the identifying mark of a true Christian, neither is prophesying, possessing Bible knowledge, going on youth retreats, nor playing on the church softball team. True followers of Christ love each other.

Q. Why did the chief priests need someone to betray Jesus? Why didn’t they just arrest Jesus when He was teaching in the Temple each day?

A. Because they were afraid that the people would riot if they arrested Jesus in a public place. So they needed someone to inform them of Jesus’ whereabouts when He would be alone or with only His twelve disciples (see Matthew 26:3-5; Luke 22:6).

Q. Jesus not only knew Judas’s plans, He also knew what Peter would do: denying Him three times after boasting that he was ready to die for Him. Can you think of a spiritual principle that describes what happened to Peter?

A. “Pride goes before destruction” (see Proverbs 16:18).

Application: Jesus didn’t suggest that we love one another. He commanded it. And the standard by which He said we should measure our love for one another is by His love for us. That means we should really love each other, from our hearts, proving our love through our words and actions.

One of the many laws that the Israelites were required to obey was to observe the yearly Passover festival in Jerusalem. It was a time to remember when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt over a thousand years before Jesus was born. God’s destroying angel had killed all the firstborn Egyptians, but he didn’t harm the firstborn Israelites because they had obeyed God’s instructions to kill a lamb and mark their doors with its blood. When the destroying angel came to a house that was marked with the blood, he “passed over” it. The Egyptians were so afraid of the Israelites’ God that they released them from slavery, and all the people of Israel left Egypt to journey to a new land God would give them.God had said that from then on, the Israelites should kill a lamb every year on that same day to remind them of what He had done for them in Egypt. He also wanted them to understand that their sins could be forgiven only through a sacrifice that served as a substitute. Of course, an animal can’t really serve as a substitute for a human being, so we know that the animal sacrifices only served to reveal what Jesus would do for us when He died as our substitute on the cross. That is why Jesus is referred to as “the Lamb of God” in the Bible. Jesus died on the cross during a Passover festival.

When Jesus was young, He journeyed every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Mary, Joseph and many other people who lived in Nazareth. The festival lasted for one week, and then everyone returned to their home towns. Mary and Joseph, probably knowing that Jesus was responsible enough to take care of Himself, didn’t worry that He wasn’t with them when they departed from Jerusalem. They assumed He was with their friends and relatives traveling back to Nazareth with them. Once they discovered He was missing, however, they went back to Jerusalem and frantically searched for Him, finally finding Him three days later talking to the religious leaders in the Temple. Mary and Joseph were probably very angry with Jesus at first, but they could hardly remain angry since He was amazing everyone in the Temple with His deep understanding of spiritual matters. (If you were missing for three days, your parents would be very angry with you, but if they found you at school teaching your teachers and the principal, they would probably cool down quickly!)

Jesus was surprised that Mary and Joseph had searched for a whole day in Jerusalem before they found Him. He thought they should have known right where He’d be, in His “Father’s house,” the Temple. But Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what He meant, which is often the case with parents and their children!

Q. At twelve years of age, Jesus was most interested in spiritual matters. Does that mean He was a nerd?

A. No, it means that He was a very wise boy with whom God was pleased. Kids are often very interested in sports, hobbies and other fun activities, and there is nothing wrong with those interests. However, wise young people are most interested in learning more about their relationship with God. Knowing and obeying God should be the most important thing in everyone’s life, young and old.

Q. Because Jesus remained in Jerusalem when His parents left for Nazareth, does that mean He was disobedient to His parents?

A. Although it may seem that way, it couldn’t be that way because disobedience to parents is a sin, and Jesus never sinned. Mary and Joseph apparently departed from Jerusalem without being certain Jesus was with them, assuming that He was with others who were also departing. It could be considered a case of negligence on their part. Perhaps when Jesus discovered that His parents had departed without Him, He assumed they would soon return upon discovery of His absence. And the best place to wait for them was at the Temple, as that would surely be the first place they would look for Him, knowing who He was. One other possibility is that Jesus’ heavenly Father had instructed Him to remain at the Temple. If that was the case, Jesus had to obey regardless of how Mary and Joseph reacted. The only time it is acceptable to disobey parents is when obeying them would mean disobeying God.

Application: Since we are followers of Jesus, we should obey our parents just as Jesus obeyed Mary and Joseph.

In Jesus’ time, foot washing was a common practice. People wore sandals, and their feet would often become dirty from traveling dusty roads and paths. Upon entering a house, the first order of business was the washing of feet. If a person were wealthy enough to have a servant, his servant would wash his feet and the feet of visiting guests.

By washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus was doing what an ordinary servant would do. What made His act so extraordinary is that He was their Lord and Teacher. In their society (and ours) no one of any stature would stoop to such a lowly level of servanthood. But Jesus wanted to demonstrate to them what true greatness was in God’s eyes. In God’s kingdom, the greatest person is the one who serves others. Jesus, of course, is the greatest servant there ever was—He gave His life for us all.

If Jesus visited you and wanted to teach the same lesson, He probably wouldn’t wash your feet, but would do something more culturally relevant. He would perform some equivalent lowly and undesirable task to demonstrate true servanthood. Perhaps He would wash out your garbage cans or clean your toilet. If He was visiting your church on Sunday, He might work in the nursery, changing diapers. Then He would say, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). God wants His children to serve each other in practical ways. The question is: Are we?

To a casual reader, it might seem as if Matthew and John were writing about the same incident. The two stories, however, contain details that differ significantly. Mary anointed Jesus six days before the Passover, and the unnamed woman anointed Him two days before the Passover. It seems Mary anointed Jesus while He was visiting her, her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus in their home; the unnamed woman anointed Jesus in the home of a man named Simon the Leper. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair; the unnamed woman poured her perfume on His head.

Both women were expressing their love for Jesus in a costly act of worship, spending the equivalent of a year’s wages in a few minutes of adoration. Both women obviously believed Jesus was God! He was worth it.

Both women were rebuked for what they did, the unnamed woman by Jesus’ disciples, and Mary by Judas Iscariot. This gives us some more insight into Judas’s evil character. The disciples’ rebuke of the unnamed woman was motivated by concern for the poor, certainly a worthy motive. Still, Jesus rebuked them, correcting their perspective. Four days later, they again watched as another year’s wages was spent on Jesus’ feet. Even after being among those rebuked by Jesus four days earlier, Judas still grumbled about it. Beyond that, John informs us that Judas really wasn’t concerned with the poor. He often stole money from the box where Jesus kept money that was to be given to the poor, and he wanted the perfume to be sold only so there would be more money for him to steal.

Judas was a classic example of someone whose true god is money. Anyone who enriches himself in ways that are sinful or unethical proves that money, and not the Lord, is his god. People have often speculated what Judas’s motive was in betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The answer is that he saw an opportunity to make a large sum of money easily.

Q. Let’s pretend that your parents spent thirty thousand dollars in one day on your sister, buying her all kinds of expensive and unnecessary things. Let’s also pretend that you complained about it, saying that the money could have been spent on a much more worthy cause, perhaps given to the poor for the basic necessities of life. If your sister responded as Jesus did, essentially saying that she was more important than all the poor people who could have been helped, what would that say about her?

A. It would prove she had a huge ego and was incredibly selfish.

Q. Then what about Jesus? Didn’t His answer prove the same about Him?

A. No, because Jesus was God. He is infinitely more valuable than all the people of the world, rich and poor, combined. It would be impossible for Him to think a thought or say a word that could be considered egotistical. He has no equals and couldn’t do anything that could rightfully be considered selfish. Selfishness is a sin that can only be committed by a human being.

Application: When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with her expensive perfume, the house was filled with the fragrance. Likewise, when we sincerely worship Jesus from our hearts, there seems to be a heavenly fragrance of God’s Spirit that fills the place where we worship.

Today we’ve read about a portion of Jesus’ final full day on earth. Thousands of Jews from all over Israel had journeyed to Jerusalem for the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread, which began with the Passover celebration. On that day, every Israelite family would kill a year-old lamb, commemorating the time when the angel of death, who killed all the firstborn in Egypt, passed over their homes on the night of their exodus from Egypt. The Bible refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God because He came to fulfill what every previous Passover lamb prefigured—His substitutionary death for the sins of the world.

Jesus and His disciples had been staying each night in the nearby town of Bethany. On this particular day, Jesus sent Peter and John before Him into Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal so Jesus and His disciples could eat it together. The instructions Jesus gave them for the preparations were amazing. Just as they entered through a gate in Jerusalem’s wall, they would meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. They should simply follow him to a house he would enter. Then they were to say to the owner of that house, “The Teacher asks, ‘Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'” He would take them to a large upstairs room that was already set up for them.

Apparently, the owner had some prior knowledge that Jesus wanted to use his upper room for a meal with His disciples, but how he knew that, we don’t know. Either Jesus had previously made arrangements with him, or God had somehow informed him. The man, whom Peter and John followed, was on an errand to bring a pitcher of water to the house they needed to find. He wasn’t specifically waiting for Peter and John at the Jerusalem Gate, but just “happened” to be walking there at the same time they entered the city. God had arranged the circumstances so that they were all at the right place at the right time. If He desires, God can slow us down or speed us up to make sure that we’re in the right place at the right time as well. For example, God might arrange for a slowpoke driver to be ahead of your car to help you avoid an accident in which you would otherwise be involved.

Once Jesus and His disciples had gathered for the Passover meal, Jesus made it very clear that it would be the last time He would eat the Passover meal until it came to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God (see Luke 22:16). Either He was speaking of the time of His thousand-year reign on the earth, indicating that He would join people then who would celebrate the Passover in commemoration of His sacrifice, or He was speaking of celebrating the Passover in a spiritual sense with every person who would believe in Him.

Although Luke didn’t record it, as Jesus shared the cup of wine with His disciples, He said, “This is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many” (Matthew 26:28). God couldn’t simply forgive people’s sins by a decree of forgiveness; otherwise He would be compromising His own holiness and justice. As the Creator and moral Judge of all humanity, He must punish all sin. Amazingly, Jesus was willing to suffer our deserved punishment, dying as our substitute. His blood being poured out speaks of His violent and painful death. And like all ancient covenants that were ratified by blood being shed, God has entered into a covenant with us, promising to forgive all our sins. That covenant is ratified by Jesus’ shed blood.

Just as the wine Jesus shared represented His blood, so the bread He broke and shared represented His body. Our eating and drinking what represents His body and blood is symbolic of our becoming one with Him. We’re in Him and He’s in us. Our sins have been paid for in full by the One who now lives in us by His Holy Spirit.

Q. Did Jesus tell us how often we are to share in what is now called Communion or the Lord’s Supper?

A. No, He didn’t. He just said that as often as we do it, we should do it in His remembrance.

Q. Is the Lord’s Supper something we can only celebrate in a church service officiated by an ordained minister?

A. No, not according to the Bible. When Jesus broke bread and drank wine, He did something that was extremely common in His day. People broke and ate bread at practically every meal of their lives. Wine was the most common beverage other than water. For this reason, some Christians believe that every meal we eat can be viewed as Communion, blessed at the beginning, done in Christ’s remembrance and serving as a reminder of our oneness with Him.

Application: The author of Hebrews wrote, “We have become partakers of Christ” (Hebrews 3:14, NASB). One of the greatest truths of the New Testament is that Jesus lives inside of everyone who truly believes in Him. Now Christ in us wants to live through us. Our job is to allow Him to do just that.

When Jesus told the crowd that He would die by being lifted up on a cross, they were confused. How could He claim to be the Messiah if He was going to die? Didn’t the Old Testament promise that the Messiah’s kingdom would have no end?

The problem was their limited understanding of the Old Testament messianic predictions. Yes, the Scriptures did promise a never-ending messianic kingdom, but they also revealed that the Messiah would die for our sins.

Jesus emphasized that His remaining time on earth was limited, and encouraged His audience to take advantage of the opportunity that would soon be gone. Comparing Himself to a light that was about to be shut off, He told them to walk in His light and believe in it. Light is symbolic of truth, and that is all Jesus spoke. In fact, He Himself was a revelation of God’s truthfulness, because He was the Savior God promised to send. Those who walk in His light, that is, base their lives on what He said, and believe in Him, become His spiritual offspring, members of His family, or as Jesus said, “children of the light” (John 12:36).

Perhaps anticipating that some of his readers might wonder why so many Jews rejected Jesus if He was their long-awaited Messiah, John mentions that Isaiah the prophet foretold Christ’s rejection. Thus Jesus’ widespread rejection is not reason for readers to doubt He is the Messiah; rather, it is even more reason to believe He is the Messiah.

Unfortunately, the New Living Translation, in translating John’s paraphrase of Isaiah’s prophecy, makes it seem as if God hardened people’s hearts so that they could not believe in Him even if they wanted to. However, other translations leave room for varied interpretations of Isaiah’s words. It would certainly seem strange and unfair if God expected people to do what He made it impossible for them to do! Paul wrote that it is Satan, not God, who blinds the minds of the unbelieving (see 2 Corinthians 4:4).

In the final part of today’s reading, Jesus again repeated His often-made claims, clearly conveying that He was nothing less than God. To believe in Him was to believe in God. To see Him was to see God. He was the sole source of truth in the world. He had come to save the world. He should be obeyed. The truth He had spoken would be the standard by which every person will be judged on the last day. His words were actually the words of God the Father, and they were the words that could bring eternal life. Anyone other than God who would make those kinds of claims would be guilty of blasphemy!

Q. Although many people rejected Jesus, according to John, many people also believed in Him, including some Jewish leaders. However, John told us that they wouldn’t admit their faith to anyone for fear that the Pharisees would throw them out of the synagogue. Does that mean that they weren’t true believers?

A. No, it just means they were timid believers. John criticized them for loving the praise of men more than the praise of God. When we are hesitant to confess Christ openly and boldly, we are guilty of the same fault.

Q. According to what we read today, Jesus expects people to believe in Him and obey Him. Which is more important?

A. That was a trick question. They are equally important, and, in fact, the two can’t be separated. If a person believes in Jesus, he will also obey Jesus.

Application: Jesus, although obviously the Son of God sent from heaven, is still rejected by the majority of people. Because of the hardness of their hearts, they refuse to believe in Him. As the saying goes, “The majority is not always right.” Be glad that you’re a part of the minority who is right!

Continuing to answer His disciples’ questions about His return, Jesus concluded by telling them what would happen soon after He did come back. That will be the time when He will judge everyone on the earth, ultimately allowing them to remain in His kingdom or be cast into hell.

The question most asked about this portion of Scripture centers on the criteria used by God to determine who is saved and who is not. If we are saved by grace through faith and not by works, then why are people’s works the determining factor in their salvation or damnation? The answer is that our deeds show if we believe or don’t believe in Jesus. The Bible often declares that every person will be judged according to his or her deeds. The reason is because deeds alone reveal the faith a person possesses or doesn’t possess.

True believers in Jesus love others who believe in Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). The apostle John wrote, “If we love other Christians, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life” (1 John 3:14). Love is manifested in deeds, and that is why the saved in today’s reading were the ones who gave food, drink, hospitality and clothing to their needy brothers and sisters, cared for them when they were sick and visited them when they were in prison. That is what true believers do, and when they show their love for the brethren, they show their love for Christ.

On the other hand, unbelievers could care less about Christians who are suffering. In fact, they are often glad because of it. And when they show their hatred for Christians, they show their hatred for Christ. Again, the apostle John wrote, “Anyone who hates another Christian is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them” (1 John 3:15).

Q. Today’s reading gives us another indication that God wants everyone to be saved. What indication is that? (Clue: It has something to do with for whom hell is prepared.)

A. Jesus said that hell was prepared for the Devil and his demons. That could indicate that is wasn’t originally intended to be a place for human beings. God’s will is for everyone to be saved, even for those who will spend eternity in hell. The unsaved forfeit what God wants for them by their unbelief.

Q. Jesus said that His kingdom was prepared for saved people from the foundation of the world. Does this prove that God has predestined only certain people to be saved?

A. No, that would contradict what He said about salvation being offered to everyone. God planned from the foundation of the world that anyone who would believe in His Son would inherit His kingdom. The kingdom has been prepared from the foundation of the world for all who will believe the gospel.

Application: The most important question any of us could ask is this: Is my love for Jesus Christ evident in how I treat fellow Christians? More specifically, what needy Christian have I served or am I serving?

Jesus knew that He would be crucified in Jerusalem during the Passover festival in just a few days. He had already predicted His death on several occasions to His disciples, but now He wanted them to begin to understand the purpose of His death.

First of all, Jesus didn’t consider His death to be an end, but a beginning. He said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory” (John 12:23). That is, it was time for Him to go to heaven. The death of any Christian should also be viewed as a beginning. However, Christians enter into God’s glory when they die, not their own glory, as did Jesus.

Second, Jesus’ death was not an accident or twist of fate. It was God’s intention that He die. In fact, it was the main reason Jesus became a human being and lived on the earth (see John 12:27).

Third, the result of His death would be new life for a lot of people. Jesus compared Himself to a kernel of wheat that dies and is planted in the ground. The result is new life for many more kernels of wheat that grow from that single seed.

Fourth, Jesus explained what we must do to reap the benefits of His death, saying, “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Before a person can be saved, he must come to the place of despising his life, recognizing that he is a sinner trapped in his sins, and is displeasing to God. Then and only then will he be motivated to come sincerely to Jesus, repenting of his sins and seeking a new life that is pleasing to God.

Fifth, Jesus’ death would glorify God (see John 12:28) because it would reveal the greatness of His love for humanity.

Sixth, Jesus’ death would be the beginning of the end of Satan’s rule over the millions of sinful people in the world (see John 12:31). The reason is because God has allowed Satan to hold everyone who is a sinner in captivity. But once the penalty for people’s sins was paid, those who were made righteous by believing are released from Satan’s captivity. Moreover, one day only righteous, redeemed people will be living on the earth, and then Satan will have no authority whatsoever. He himself will ultimately be cast into hell. And it will be due to Jesus’ sacrificial death.

Seventh, Jesus’ death would, more than anything else He did, draw people to Him as they learn of His great sacrifice on their behalf (see John 12:32). His death on the cross is the central part of the gospel.

Q. People often “accept Jesus” for different reasons. For example, some people hope God will give them a better edge in their business or enhance their relationship with others. Are these valid reasons for becoming a Christian?

A. No, according to Jesus, they’re not. A person must despise his life in this world if he wants eternal life. People who supposedly “accept Jesus” to help them become more successful in life aren’t meeting the requirements Jesus laid down. They are those, who, as Jesus said, love their lives in this world, and don’t recognize their pathetic condition—rebellious, lost, and hell-bound.

Q. We read today about God speaking in an audible voice to Jesus so that the crowd who was listening to Jesus heard it. Everyone heard the same thing, but not everyone who heard God’s voice agreed about what they’d heard. Why do you suppose they disagreed?

A. Because everyone in the crowd was more or less receptive to the truth, either believing or doubtful. The less receptive ones didn’t want to admit that anything supernatural had happened, so they explained God’s voice by saying it was thunder. The more receptive ones thought an angel had spoken. However, all of them knew that Jesus had just addressed His Father in prayer, but none of them were apparently receptive enough to believe that God Himself had spoken.

Application: The problem is not that people can’t believe, it’s that they won’t believe because of the hardness of their hearts. Here is a modern example of the same kind of unbelief Jesus encountered, found in an article in Popular Mechanics magazine that explains how Jesus was able to raise Lazarus from the dead:

“Dr. Gerald A. Larue, professor emeritus of biblical history and archeology at the University of Southern California and president of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER), a secular humanist organization, says it’s possible Lazarus was either in a coma or a catatonic state….Larue says that a person in a catatonic state shows few signs of a heartbeat or breathing. The biblical account leads him to suspect Lazarus was actually in a coma, since in this condition hearing is often the last sense lost. “Assuming Jesus had a loud voice, and he called out ‘Lazarus,’ the man may have heard him and come out of the coma,” Larue says. (Popular Mechanics, Vol. 173, No 12, p. 42).

What do you think?