Some who know about the gospel, question how God can judge those who haven’t heard it. They offer this question as their own excuse for not believing. Yet, Jesus told Nicodemus that this attitude is based not on reason, but on their passion for darkness and sin. Those who hear the gospel about Jesus and reject it are already under God’s judgment. They have loved darkness and rejected the Light, so God has rejected them. What we do with Jesus has everything to do with what God does with us.
This is the first of seven “signs” that the apostle John recorded in his gospel. John calls them signs and not miracles because signs point to something other than themselves. On a recent trip to see the Grand Canyon I noticed “Grand Canyon” road signs all along the way as we drove up from Phoenix. Yet, we didn’t fly from NC to AZ to see these signs. We didn’t stop driving until we stood before the Canyon itself! Many during Jesus’ day were attracted to his miracles, but his true disciples saw them as signs that pointed to Him. Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding in Cana. The master of the feast and the wedding guests were enthralled with the taste of the new wine that Jesus had made, but the disciples were focused on the wine’s Maker. The whole creation is a miraculous sign pointing to the Creator, yet many worship the former without recognizing the latter (Rom. 1:19-25).
The disciple Nathaniel went from expressing doubt to proclaiming belief simply because Jesus told him he had seen him earlier under a fig tree. Jesus appears to find this humorous. He responded that it didn’t take much to move Nathaniel to believing, but there would come a day when his faith would be rewarded with full evidence of Christ’s identity. Jesus then described a coming day when all would see him as the “stairway between heaven and earth.” This is a clear allusion to Jacob’s vision in Genesis 28 when Jacob saw this same stairway and named the place Bethel, which means “House of God.” Jesus is the fulfillment of Jacob’s vision. He is the Ladder of Love come down mediating the only way to the Father (John 14:6, 1 Tim. 2:5).
John began his gospel as Moses began the Torah, “In the beginning…” This signals the lofty aspect of John’s gospel that clearly proclaims Jesus as God’s Son. Using the Greek for “word” (λόγος, logos), John proclaims Jesus as not only equal to God in every way (essence, preexistence, eternality, creator, unity…), but also the ultimate revelation of God to humanity. As the “Word” He is the very communication of God, superior even to the revelation that Moses carried down from Mount Sinai. The law came through Moses, but the free gift of life and the full revelation of God came through Christ (John 1:17). If you want to see God, look upon Jesus. If you want to know God, know Jesus. If you want to be right with God, receive Jesus. Got Jesus? Got life (1 John 5:12).
After Jesus was resurrected he “opened the minds” of the disciples, so that they could understand the Scriptures concerning him. There are over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament and Jesus fulfilled every one. Yet, many doubted or misunderstood. Now, the risen Jesus did more than explain, he “opened their minds.” This is more than instruction. This is a miraculous spiritual sight given to those previously blind. They were now able to see Jesus in the Scriptures. He became not only the object to which the Word pointed, but the lens through which they could rightly interpret it. Jesus is the criterion for right understanding of God’s Word. Without him, there is no true understanding for we would be left as the “natural man” who finds God’s Word as foolishness. Only the spiritual, whose minds have been “opened” can understand (1 Cor. 2:14-16).
This question asked by the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb is still relevant today. Christ’s first century followers had to be reminded that Jesus had told them he would be crucified and would arise from the grave three days later. It wasn’t that they suffered from amnesia. They didn’t simply forget what Jesus had said. Perhaps they thought he was merely speaking metaphorically or that his prediction had some hidden spiritual meaning. Whatever the reason, they were surprised to discover the tomb empty and Jesus alive. Many today look for Jesus “among the dead.” They read dusty doctrines and puffy philosophies looking for him. They search for him in skeptical histories and among agnostic catacombs. They look with their eyes but they never open their hearts. They never consider the possibility that Jesus is alive. That he is risen. He is not someone just to read about, but to meet. Why keep looking for the living among the dead? Invite Jesus to reveal Himself to you. He is alive.
This psalm is a call to worship. It announces God’s victory and coming justice. After inviting believers to shout, sing, and play all kinds of musical instruments, it also encourages the earth itself to join in praise. The rivers are to “clap” and the hills to “sing.” All creatures and creation itself are instructed to join in worship of the Creator. Who will answer this call?
The “mocker” is made nervous by too serious a tone and feels the need to interrupt with sarcasm and sly remarks. He satisfies himself with an awareness of knowledge without commitment to the same and questions others sincerity. He may rise to the king’s court, but never as more than the king’s fool. Everyone laughs at the mocker’s comedy, but no one follows his command. In contrast, the one with “understanding” is able to grasp knowledge and to accept and apply it to their own life situation as well. The one with understanding may know less than the mocker, yet applies what he knows. While the mocker knows without application. The one with understanding becomes wise. The mocker remains a fool.
Both the humanity and divinity of Jesus are seen in this prayer. His humanity in his desire to avoid suffering and death. His divinity in his obedience to the Father to lay down his life for our sin. That Jesus is both Son of God and Son of Man is seen, but also a new way of praying. Praying like Jesus, we not only express our desires to God, but we invite God to realign our will with His. We pray like Jesus when we pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done” prayers.
After the generation of Israelites who had seen God’s deliverance from Egypt, provision for 40 years in the wilderness, and His power to overcome the inhabitants in the Promised Land had died, the next generation forgot the Lord. Was it the failure of the former generation that didn’t train them up in the way they should go? Did they fail to hand off the baton of faith to their children? Or was this the historical pattern of humanity, that they have such a short memory of God’s grace? Whatever the cause, it is a reminder that we are always only one generation away from falling away from the faith. Parents, we must pass on the faith to our children. And we must pray to our Lord that He visits them with revival, so that they experience His mighty works for themselves.