In today's section, we read about:
The Holy Spirit is promised after Jesus goes away
Jesus' prayer for his disciples
Jesus is arrested, tried, sentenced to death and crucified
Jesus rises from the dead, appears to his disciples
The epilogue to John's gospel with the encounter on the lake shore
Jesus ascends into heaven, and the disciples choose Matthias to replace Judas
The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost
A lame man is healed, Peter and John are questioned by the religious authorities and instructed not to preach about Jesus
Ananias and Sapphira are struck dead
The apostles agree to appoint men to oversee food distribution so they can concentrate on teaching and prayer
Some thoughts that occurred to me:
These chapters covering the final hours before Jesus' arrest really demonstrated to me the truth of Is 55:8 "my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts". Jesus devotes these last few minutes to comforting and reassuring his disciples and the degree of intimacy between him and the Father are a golden thread running through it. The situation would appear to indicate a world thwarting God's will, yet it is clear that at every stage, Jesus is consciously deciding what will happen in order to bring about the Father's purposes.
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, with a three-fold purpose: (i) to convict the world of its sin (not believing in Jesus); (ii) to convict the world of God's righteousness (which is accessible to us because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross); and (iii) the convict the world of the coming judgment. In the same way that Jesus' entire purpose is to bring glory to the Father, so the Holy Spirit will bring glory to Jesus.
The scales finally fall from the eyes of the disciples in 16:29 - they have seen clearly that Jesus is the Son of God. This clarity of vision is reflected in the promises about prayer in 16:23-24, "At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."
The prayer in ch 17 summarises the discourse of the preceding chapters, drawing on the close, intimate and dependent relationship he has with the Father. The theme of unity is repeatedly stressed (viz Chris' recent sermon on 1 Cor 3), as is the fact that Jesus has granted his followers citizenship in God's kingdom.
John’s account is different in some aspects from the other gospels. For instance, John does not record the disciples falling asleep, it tells that Peter was admitted to the courtyard only after the intervention of another disciple who was known there, that Jesus himself carried his cross (19:17), and gives a different time for the beginning of the crucifixion (19:14, cf Matt 27:45).
I find it ironic the lengths the religious leaders went to in order to remain ceremonially pure (18:28), while perfectly happy to arrange the death of the blameless Son of God.
John stresses until the end that Jesus is in total control right until the end. Most tellingly, we read in 19:28, “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfil Scripture he said…” and in 19:30, “then he bowed his head and released his spirit.”
I like the way ch 20 finishes, “the disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name” (20:30-31). This is complemented by the last verse of the gospel – “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25).
The NLT gives Jn 21 the title ‘Epilogue’, and I am sure there must be various theories why this chapter has been added after what seems to be a natural conclusion to the gospel. The chapter revolves about this one encounter between the risen Lord Jesus and some of his disciples back on the shore of lake Galilee, where they have returned to their former trade. Jesus again performs a miracle (the catch of 153 fish which doesn’t burst the net) and then gives Peter the opportunity to make a three-fold confirmation of his devotion too Jesus to make amends for the triple denial the night before the crucifixion. Restoration is complete, before the sending out to do God’s will. I also like v24, “this disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate” – cf Lk 1:1-3, Jn 19:35.
There appears to be a discrepancy between Mt 27:7 and Acts 1:18 as to who bought the field. The important thing is the fulfilment of the prophecy in Zech 11:13.
Would we recommend that we follow the procedure the apostles took in Acts 1:24-26. Yes to the first part – prayer. I’m less convinced about the second, casting lots!
God has prepared everything perfectly for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He has brought people from all over the known world to Jerusalem to hear the truth of Jesus proclaimed, so that the message can go out into the whole world. And while the risen Jesus was seen by more that 500 of his followers (1Cor 15:6), but the end of this day – the Festival of the Gathering in the First Fruits – 3000 were added to the number who believed (Acts 2:41).
Peter is able to claim the fulfilment of specific prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) in Acts 2:18-21. He is clearly speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet it is worth remembering that not only did he spend three years as a disciple of Jesus, but his brother was also a follower of John the Baptist before (Jn 1:41) and he must have had an interest in prophecy because they were clearly expecting the Messiah. The point is that God can use Scripture in us if we are in the habit of learning it. We are storing up these pearls of treasure as we do so.
I like the way that Peter can compare David’s tomb in 2:29 with the empty tomb that couldn’t contain Jesus.
The unity that Jesus prayed for in 17:21 is wonderfully fulfilled in Acts 2:43-47.
“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses to the fact!” (3:15).
When Peter speaks of the faith that heals in 3:16, it is worth remembering that the essence of faith has changed from the Old Testament faith, which meant waiting for the future fulfilment of God’s promise to the acceptance that all these promises have met their wonderful and complete fulfilment in Jesus – “For all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory” (2 Cor 1:20).
The religious leaders are still as desperate and ridiculous as they were in Jn 9. It seems bizarre that the Council could think that it was acceptable to flog these people who have been let go free without charge. Yet the disciples’ response to that they “left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” (5:41).
It is a salutary reminder that while the community and fellowship among the very young church was in many ways exemplary, there were still problems – deceit (Ananias and Sapphira – 5:1-11, factional grumbling - 6:1). However, the Spirit is able to lead them in wisdom into the right path to take, with the result that “God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.”
One verse from today - "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)
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