We continue our study of the Gospel of John. Picking up at chapter 14, verse 28, John is quoting Jesus as teaches at the last Passover. Jesus said,
“You heard Me say I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved Me you would be glad I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over Me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father asks of Me. Come now, let us leave.” John 14: 28 – 31.
Since the Lord continued to teach after He said, “Come now let us leave.”, some say He continued to teach as they walked together to the Garden of Gethsemane, others say He was preparing them to leave the upper room. Either way, it was around this time that some of the Lord’s most beautiful statements and teachings came that we will look at going forward. Though His Disciples did not understand, what He is doing here in these words is reminding them that He is going away, but that He was coming back as He had told them before, and they should be glad. Instead of just Him, they would have the Spirit of Him, and The Father, and the Holy Spirit with them, and within them. He was telling them He would not have much more to say, because it was time for the plan to begin. The last dance for Him on earth was getting ready to start and the enemy was on the way. Things were going to get ugly because the prince of this world was coming to try to destroy what Christ had taught and brought to the world. And, even though it would appear that Jesus was being defeated, the Lord wanted them to know the enemy had no hold over Him. That was because He was the Son of God, and was without sin. So it is with us.
When we accept Christ as Redeemer, and Lord of our lives, we are without sin in the eyes of God, and the enemy has no hold over us because we are children of God. He tries to make us think he does. He attacks us with fear, but we have nothing to fear as we walk in and with Jesus, for Jesus has defeated him. He tries to put guilt on us for the mistakes we make in the flesh. But we walk in Grace and Forgiveness, and God’s love. As we walk in these things, and the righteousness that we have in Jesus, (2 Corinthians 5:21) the enemy has no power over us. What Christ has done for us makes us want to do the right thing, Righteous is what we want to do and be because of His love. If we miss the mark, we want Jesus even more. Our focus is on getting it right in Christ out of Love, not out of guilt.
That night, Jesus was going to allow Himself to be captured, and falsely tried, and ultimately crucified, but this was done for the love He had for the Father, and for us, God’s other children. Father had asked Him to do this, and Jesus was going to do it out of Love. What was about to happen was ‘the plan’. The Plan of Redemption. The world would come to know that Jesus had the starring role in that plan. He took it out of Love, but He did have a choice.
So it is for us. We have a choice of accepting the plan of salvation. Of walking in the Love that comes from it. Love for God. Love for our brothers, and sisters in Him. The enemy wants us to walk in the flesh. To be more concerned about the external part of our life, than the Spirit within that connects us all. He has the display of it all in his bag of tricks. He can make his side look like the way to go. But his stuff is temporary. What is ours in Christ, is forever.
Let us make the choice to show the world the Love of the Father. He asks us to walk in His Love, and to love one another. Let us make the choice to do that every day. ?