John 1:1-18
The Word Becomes Flesh and Dwells on Earth
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 14:1-31
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
For me, maybe in the Gospel of John, we learn so much about Jesus and His very close relationship with God...Especially in chapters one and fourteen...And in these chapters beside their relationship with each other, Jesus is teaching us so much about His Father...As we follow Jesus on His ministry, we're gaining a deeper understanding of God, even beyond His Personal Relationship with Him...Jesus reflects His Father's Teachings, Ways, Deeds, and Nature...Jesus is our Mirror to God...
We needed and need Jesus to better understand God...Jesus knows and teaches us so much about His Father, God...God's Nature has always been Eternal and Unchanging...We also know Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever...When John writes about the Word (Jesus) existed with God before the creation of the universe, he is indicating that God's LOVING nature has always been a part of His Essence...Man has only limited human type understanding...We still have only limited knowledge about God, but when Jesus came to dwell on earth we learned much about Him and even more about what we knew about God...The Old Testament often portrays God as stern, showing wrath, and being avenging due to our limited understanding of God's Nature at that time before Jesus came to earth... We needed Someone to show us God better and how He is...To interpret Scripture the Way God wanted it to be interpreted...And Jesus did just that...Jesus fulfills Scripture...When Jesus came to us from above our knowledge of God grew, we came to have a deeper understanding of His LOVING and compassionate nature, as Jesus depicts Him...Jesus can be seen as a Revelation of God...Jesus' life and teachings revealed the true Nature of God...His LOVE, forgiveness, and compassion demonstrated the Eternal LOVE that God has always had for humanity...Our Old Testament understanding of God was a gradual process...We started out with our limited knowledge and gradually grew some in our understanding about God when Jesus came to us...The Old Testament may sometimes depict God as harsh, this is due to the limited understanding of God's nature at that time...The true nature of God, is revealed in Jesus, and is one of Eternal LOVE, Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Compassion...
William Barclay was a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow...He said this about the Old Testament and how Jesus changed some of our beliefs and views about God as Jesus' gospel came into being: “If the Word was with God before time began, if God’s Word is part of the eternal scheme of things, it means that God was always like Jesus...Sometimes we tend to think of God as stern and avenging; and we tend to think that something Jesus did changed God’s anger into LOVE and altered His attitude to human beings...The New Testament knows nothing of that idea...The whole New Testament tells us, this passage of John especially, that God has always been like Jesus...What Jesus did was to open a window in time that we might see the eternal and unchanging LOVE of God...We may well ask, ‘What then about some of the things that we read in the Old Testament?...What about the passages which speak about commandments of God to wipe out whole cities and to destroy men, women and children?...What of the anger and the destructiveness and the jealousy of God that we sometimes read of in the older parts of Scripture?’...The answer is this – it is not God who has changed; it is our knowledge of Him that has changed...These things were written because people did not know any better; that was the stage which their knowledge of God had reached...When children are learning any subject, they have to learn it stage by stage...They do not begin with full knowledge; they begin with what they can grasp and go on to more and more...When we begin music appreciation, we do not start with a Bach Prelude and Fugue; we start with something much more simple, and progress through stage after stage as our knowledge grows...It was that way with human beings and God...They could only grasp and understand God’s Nature and His ways in part...It was only when Jesus came that they saw fully and completely what God has always been like.”...
So as we read and learn about Jesus, we are reading and learning about God...Let us trust in God, and trust also in Jesus...Let us believe in God and believe also in Jesus...Jesus and God are One...If one has seen Jesus, then they have seen God...Jesus states that believers will realize that I AM in My Father...These sayings very much suggest a very close and intimate relationship between God and Jesus...This Special Relationship of God and Jesus is further explored in other parts of the New Testament, where Jesus is referred to as the Son of God and co-equal with the Father...
Jesus teaches us that if we love Him, we will keep His commands....Then He would ask God to send us another Advocate to help us and be with us forever...He is called— the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit...It's important to note that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity affirms that God exists as Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...While these Three Persons are distinct, they are also co-equal and co-eternal...This means that they are all equally God, but they also have unique roles and functions within the Godhead...
So we learn that Jesus' teachings offer a deeper understanding of God and the Old Testament in several ways...Jesus fulfilled numerous prophecies in the Old Testament, revealing the true meaning and purpose of these ancient texts...His life and ministry provided a context for understanding the Old Testament in a new and deeper way...Jesus emphasized God's LOVE and mercy in a way that was not always fully understood in the Old Testament...His teachings about forgiveness, compassion, and unconditional love revealed a new dimension of God's character...Jesus reinterpreted many of the laws of the Old Testament, emphasizing their spiritual meaning and the importance of loving God and neighbor...He challenged the legalistic approach to religion that was prevalent in His day...Jesus' own life and teachings serve as a powerful example of how to live a life that is pleasing to God...His LOVE, humility, and sacrifice demonstrated the true meaning of God's law...The Holy Spirit, who came upon Jesus at His baptism, also guides believers into a deeper understanding of God's Word...The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the meaning of the Old Testament in light of Jesus' life and teachings...
In conclusion, Jesus' teachings offer a deeper understanding of God and the Old Testament by fulfilling prophecy, revealing God's LOVE, reinterpreting Mosaic Law, providing a powerful example, and guiding believers through the Holy Spirit...By studying Jesus' life and teachings, we can gain a richer and more complete understanding of God's Nature, His Ways and His Plan for humanity...