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     There was a marriage in the White House this day, June 2nd, 1886. The only President in history to marry while in office wed Frances Folsom and together they had five children. He was both the 22nd and 24th President, being the only person to serve a second term after being defeated following his first. Who was he? Grover Cleveland. In his Second Inaugural Address, President Cleveland stated: "Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being… whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people… He will not turn from us now if we humbly… seek His… aid." Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.

Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.

We always keep God waiting
while we admit more importunate suitors.
--- Malcolm de Chazal


Don't look for God in the sky;
look within your own body.
--- Osho



... from here, there and everywhere

12 Before being ruined, a person's heart is proud;
before being honored, a person must be humble.

13 To answer someone before hearing him out
is both stupid and embarrassing.

Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible-OE
: An English version of the Tanakh (OT) and
B'rit Hadashah (NT) (1st ed.). Clarksville, Md.: Jewish
New Testament Publications.

What are you haunted by?

     What man is he that feareth the Lord? --- Psalm 25:12.

     What are you haunted by? You will say—'By nothing,' but we are all haunted by something, generally by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our experience. The Psalmist says we are to be haunted by God. The abiding consciousness of the life is to be God, not thinking about Him. The whole of our life inside and out is to be absolutely haunted by the presence of God. A child's consciousness is so mother-haunted that although the child is not consciously thinking of its mother, yet when calamity arises, the relationship that abides is that of the mother. So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time.

     If we are haunted by God, nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties. We see now why Our Lord so emphasized the sin of worry. How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us? To be haunted by God is to have an effective barricade against all the onslaughts of the enemy.

     "His soul shall dwell at ease." In tribulation, misunderstanding, slander, in the midst of all these things, if our life is hid with Christ in God, He will keep us at ease. We rob ourselves of the marvellous revelation of this abiding companionship of God. "God is our Refuge"—nothing can come through that shelter.

Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest

   I feel sometimes
         we are his penance
   for having made us. He
   suffers in us and we partake
         of his sufferings. What
   to do, when it has been done
         already? Where
         to go, when the arrival
   is as the departure? Circularity
   is a mental condition, the
   animals know nothing of it.

         Seven times have passed
   over him, and he is still here.
         When will he return
   from his human exile, and will
   peace then be restored
         to the flesh?
                       Often
   I think that there is no end
   to this torment and that the electricity
   that convulses us is the fire
         in which a god
   burns and is not consumed.

Thomas, R. S. Selected Poems, 1946-68

D'RASH

     During the Second World War, an Austrian psychiatrist, Dr. Viktor Frankl, was among those Jews arrested and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. During the three years of his incarceration, Frankl paid careful attention to how human beings reacted to the most horrid examples of "man's inhumanity to man" in modern history. His observations became the basis for his book Man's Search for Meaning and a new school of psychiatric thought, "logotherapy." Frankl wrote:

     We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been a few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. (p. 104)

     The Nazis could dictate and determine every single aspect of a person's life, except for one: how that person would respond to what the Nazis did.

     The same lesson applies to a person who is the victim of a debilitating disease or of a terrible accident. Much may have been taken away from them: their mobility, their health, even their future. But one thing remains: How they will react to the terrible blow. Some people become bitter and spend their days striking out at everyone who tries to come near—doctors, friends, even loved ones. There are those who choose to pull away from others, withdrawing into a world of their own, overcome by sadness or self-pity. But there are also those who choose a different path: They decide to make the most out of every day that remains to them. Instead of obsessing on what they cannot do, they concentrate on what they are able to accomplish, and then go out and do it.

     It's no different with the mundane or ridiculous problems that each and every one of us faces every single day. So much of what happens to us is out of our control. We are all, in one sense or another, victims of fate, circumstance, and bad luck. We cannot pick the cards that life deals us. But once dealt a mediocre, or even a terrible hand, there are still options and choices we have. We can give up and quit, or we can make the best of a less than perfect situation. As Victor Frankl came to see, the choice we make under such situations tells a great deal about character and inner strength.

     Rabbi Ḥanina taught the very same lesson from a religious perspective: "Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven." God determines everything, except for one thing: What we feel about God. We have been given the power to say "Yes" or "No" to God … and to life. All else can be taken from us and decided for us, but never that.

     Even the one who has a miracle happen to him does not recognize his own miracle!

     Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven.

     Text / Rav Yosef expounded: What does this text mean: "I give thanks to You, O Lord! Although You were wroth with me, Your wrath turned back and You comfort me" [Isaiah 12:1]? What is the text speaking about? Two men who set out to trade. One of them got a thorn, and he started to revile and blaspheme. After a while, he heard that his friend's ship had sunk in the sea; he began to thank and praise. Therefore it is written: "Your wrath turned back and You comfort me." And this is what Rabbi Elazar said: "What does it mean: 'Who alone does wondrous things; blessed is His glorious name forever' [Psalms 72:18–19]? Even the one who has a miracle happen to him does not recognize his own miracle!"

     Context / Three times a day in the Amidah, we acknowledge the miracles that God performs for us:
     We proclaim that You are the Lord our God and God of our ancestors throughout all time. You are the Rock of our lives, the Shield of our salvation in every generation. We thank You and praise You morning, noon and night for Your miracles which daily attend us and for Your wondrous kindness. Our lives are in Your hand; our souls are in Your charge. You are good, with everlasting mercy; You are compassionate, with enduring lovingkindness. We have always placed our hope in You. (Translation, Siddur Sim Shalom : a prayerbook for Shabbat, festivals, and weekdays )

     This homiletical explanation comes in a series of expositions contrasting God and human beings. People have the ability to do certain things, while God, with infinite power, has the ability to outperform humans. Several examples are given, and our text is one of them.

     The explanation by Rav Yosef starts with a person who is initially angered but subsequently becomes comforted. This proves the point that a person cannot see even one's own miracle. Rav Yosef uses a story of two traders to explain his approach. One trader is angered that he is prevented from traveling on the ship because of a thorn in his foot. However, he is actually the fortunate one: The friend's trip will continue with his taking the boat on an ill-fated voyage. The thorn in the foot turns out to be a fortuitous accident, saving the first man's life. This, says Rabbi Elazar, shows that one does not even recognize a miracle as it is happening.

     Rabbi Elazar uses the verses from Psalm 72 to prove his point, though he quotes only the second half of the first verse and the first half of the second verse. The verses in their entirety read:

     Blessed is the Lord God, God of Israel,

  who alone does wondrous things;
  Blessed is His glorious name forever;
  His glory fills the whole world.
    Amen and Amen.

     If we read the first verse with the emphasis on alone, we understand better Rabbi Elazar's point: God alone does miracles. We cannot do them; we usually do not even see them. Often, what we think of as a bad turn of events is, in reality, an auspicious one. We human beings are left to thank God after the fact.

Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. (1998). Swimming in the Sea of Talmud: Lessons for Everyday LIving . Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society.

     When you pray, say: "Father." --- Luke 11:2

     This new name, Father, Christ places at the very commencement of the model prayer. The model prayer;: A series of expositions on "The Lord's Prayer", This name is to be the very basis of our prayer. The psalmist asked himself this question one day: "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?" Who has the right to worship God and pray to him? And he proceeds to answer the question. "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false." But the psalmist's answer is one of blank despair. For who is there whose hands are clean? Who is there whose heart is pure? When we look on ourselves what do we see but sin! SIN! SIN! If we have to wait till our hands are clean and our hearts pure, we will never, never ascend the hill of the Lord or stand in his holy place. What right have I, sinful being, to pray? What warrant have I for coming boldly to the throne of grace? I have no right but that which this name gives. I have no warrant except that which the name Father supplies. That is my right—not that I have clean hands or a pure heart, but that I am a child, and he, the almighty God, is my Father. Lord of the universe? Yes. Maker of the worlds? Yes. King of Kings? Yes. But my Father. Let us preface every prayer with that blessed word. It is our claim on God.

     This name is ours to use; the love implied in it is ours to enjoy. Not one of us need go through life alone; not one of us need be orphaned and poor; not one of us need carry a troubled, anxious heart. For Christ has taught us to see love on the throne and to call to the almighty and everlasting God, who faints not, neither is weary, "Our Father in heaven."
--- J. D. Jones

Wallis, D. (2001). Take Heart: Daily Devotions with the Church's Great Preachers (27). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

     Jesus teaches how we are to be in relationship, union with God. We are united in him the way the branch is united in the vine. We, the branch, receive our spiritual life from the vine. Just so we also receive our strength from the vine. If we are going to produce fruit it too must come from the vine or it will not be sustainable. Can we do anything truly lasting on our own?

     Ministries begin with the best of intentions, but somewhere along the way they become disconnected from their source of power, the vine. Unless you and I stay continuously connected to the vine, in intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, we will lose our power to continue to produce, and just like the ministries whose failure is promoted by the media, we too will fail. We have to learn that life is not about us.

     I love the metaphor I heard Bob Gass preach. He said we are called to be extension cords, not lights. Stop trying to be a big light and be content to be an extension cord. Remember, extension cords are under the rug, behind the chair, out of sight. The media does not write songs, books or movies about extension cords.

     Even if we cling desperately to the vine, always recognizing that it is indeed our source and that we can do nothing apart from it ... we will still be cleaned and pruned through discipline and blessing.

     Then there is prayer. How can we pray the effectual prayer of a righteous person if we are not connected to the vine?

     Power for the New Life: John 15:1–17

     The new community of Jesus asks us to adopt a lifestyle far beyond our capacity. Knowing this, Jesus then explained how a life of fruitfulness is possible for human beings. The fruit Jesus promised here is, of course, the fruit of the Spirit, who will soon settle down into the disciples' lives. The "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" Paul lists (Gal. 5:22–23) are promised in these chapters of John.

     Where does the fruit grow? On a living vine, of course. Branches (and this is how we believers are pictured in Jesus' illustration) are unable to bear fruit by themselves. They must be connected to the vine. Roots and trunk support the life of the branch, and only the branch "remaining in" the vine has the potential for fruitfulness.

     Several questions are asked about this passage in Scripture. They range from an eager, "What is remaining in?" to a fearful, "What does it mean to be thrown away and wither, especially with the reference to gathering branches and throwing them into the fire?" Let's look at these two typical concerns and then return to the great promise of fruitfulness.

     Remain in Me (John 15:4). This often-repeated exhortation is explained here as well as in John 14. If we keep Jesus' commandments, we will remain in His love (15:10). As His words take shape and form in our personalities, as we experience for ourselves the goodness of God's will, we will live in the center of His love. Living close to Jesus is part of remaining in Him.

     Thrown away (John 15:6). The simile of the vine and branches focuses on fruitfulness, and does not refer to salvation. This is why the text carefully says, "He is like a branch that is thrown away."

     In any living vine the function of a branch is to bear fruit. But it cannot fulfill its purpose unless it remains in intimate connection with the vine. Without that intimate "remaining in Me" relationship, it will never accomplish what it was designed for. How empty will the life of a Christian who fails to remain in Jesus be? As empty as that of a branch torn from the vine; it has no potential for fruit bearing. Its only use would be to serve as fuel to provide momentary warmth; then it must disintegrate into ash.

     The warning is clear. We cannot become what we are intended to be without having a close relationship with Jesus, with our love for Him expressed in obedience to Him. How tragic if you or I, branches now, fail to experience the joy that comes as we fulfill our potential for bearing fruit. How tragic if, after life is over, we can point to nothing but ashes.

     The promise. But this paragraph is not meant to depress us. It's meant to excite us and to give us joy. Because we are branches, we can draw life from Jesus the Vine! What we cannot do by ourselves, Jesus can accomplish in us! The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—all these are possible now. As we live in Him, we will become fruitful. As we remain in Jesus, we will become the kind of people who can make the new community a reality here on earth.

     How natural then that Jesus would return to this new-community theme. "This is My command," He repeated. "Love each other." We are Jesus' friends; we are enabled by His Spirit, empowered by His own life flowing through us; and we can fulfill His command to love one another.

     John 15:18–17:26

     These chapters, containing the last words of Jesus to His disciples and a lengthy prayer, are extremely significant, for they focus on the lifestyle of disciples, and on the church. Here we find out more of how we are to live with one another. And here, especially, we begin to see how we are to live as Christ's people in an often hostile world.

     These chapters are so significant that literally hundreds of books have been written about them. I have one book of over 400 pages on John 17 alone. It has been suggested that every truth which has been developed by the apostles in the New Testament letters is here, in seed, in Jesus' Last Supper Discourse.

     Be One. John 17 stresses Christ's desire for believers to "be one as We are One." This has been taken as a prayer for Christian unity, and an argument for denomination unification.

     A careful study of the chapter, however, makes it clear that what Jesus prays for is that we might experience our union with Him, even as He had experienced His own union with God the Father throughout His life on earth. Through faith we are united with Jesus, linked to Him in an unbreakable bond. But we must experience that union by living in responsive obedience, for the One to whom we are united is God.

     Believers across the ages have yearned for the new community Jesus described to His disciples in the Upper Room. We long for the loving fellowship, the humility expressed in foot-washing, the deep experience of Jesus' presence, the sense of remaining in Him.

     Some have found this ideal impossible to reach in society, and so they have formed separate communities. The monastery of the Middle Ages and the commune of the twentieth century often have been attempts to withdraw from carnal Christians or from the pollution of pagan culture.

     But in these chapters (John 13–17) we do not hear Jesus advocate withdrawal. He calls us to involvement! The Christian does not experience Christ by removing himself from the world; we experience Christ in the world, though we are distinctly not of the world.

     The World / John painted reality boldly, with vividly contrasting concepts. He showed us life versus death, grace versus law, light versus dark. Then he contrasted Jesus' followers (a fellowship of love) with the world (a society of mere men).

     The Greek word used here for "world" is kosmos. According to the A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament , kosmos has several meanings. It can refer to "the sum total of everything here and now" (the universe as a whole). Or it can refer to "all beings above the level of animals." In this usage it includes both men and angels, or may focus specifically on mankind. In a moral sense, "the world" refers to "that which is at enmity with God," that is, every thought and action, every value and behavior, that is tainted by sin.

     In this moral sense, the New Testament portrays the world as far more than tainted: it is lost in sin, ruined, and depraved. It is hostile to God and godliness. The principles on which the world operates stand in dark contrast to divine righteousness and a godly life.

     To grasp the difference between the two approaches to life, we must be born again. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (literally, "perceptions," or "perspective") (Rom. 12:1–3). Because the "whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), we are to keep ourselves "from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

     What the world identifies as "adult," we recognize as perversion. What the world praises as "success," we often must label failure. What the world views as the highest of values—material success, popularity, and so on—we recognize as emptiness. There is a deep and abiding antagonism between the society of unredeemed man and the community of Jesus' own.

     Because this antagonism always exists, there are two great dangers the Christian continually faces. The first danger is conformity: "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold" (Rom. 12:2, PH). And John added this warning in his first epistle: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:15–16). The world's basic approach to life is twisted and perverted. We are to love the people of the world but decisively reject (and fear) the attitudes and values of the world.

     The second danger for the Christian is withdrawal. If we do not recognize the world system for what it is, we may unknowingly adopt its lifestyle. When we do recognize the world system for what it is, we may be so repelled that we seek to escape it. This, of course, is the route taken by early monastics; it is the way of the Essenes in Old Testament times, and the way of the Qumran community. It is also the way of a distorted kind of separatism practiced by believers in many churches today. When Christians attempt to protect themselves from the practices of others, they frequently build a wall that rejects people and refuses relationships with those "outside."

     The New Testament picture of the world challenges us with important questions. How do we relate to the society in which we live? Should we withdraw? Are there any other options? How do we relate to non-Christians who have only seen worldly values? How can we construct the new community within the ruins of man's society … or are we even supposed to try?

     The last paragraph we studied (15:12–17 above) restated Jesus' command to His disciples: "Love each other." In the context of loving each other, lasting fruit will be produced, intimate relationship with Jesus will be experienced, prayer will be answered. Together we will experience new life. But how will the world respond to this radical new community that is founded on principles so opposed to its own lifestyle and views?

     With antagonism (John 15:18–27). Christ immediately warns that as we learn to live out the new community, the world will react with hatred. "Keep in mind that it hated Me first," Jesus reminded the disciples. "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

     Antagonism develops because light shows up darkness, and grace morality reveals the perversion of sin. Jesus went on to remind His followers that men had seen Him do "what no one else did." They had been forced to recognize their own works as sin and, consequently, "They have hated both Me and My Father."

     This witness of Jesus to the Father continues in and through the Christians in the new community (vv. 26–27). God has taken us out of the world. At one time, we were part of that sinful system, and our lifestyles reflected its values. But in Christ we have been "chosen out of the world" and have been called to live a new life in the world. Our lives and our relationships with others are to be a visible, continuing testimony to God in our godless, hostile world.

     Our witness to God will produce hatred and persecution at times. But God the Spirit will shine through our lives, declaring that God is life and love and light.

Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The Teacher's Commentary (323). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

     At times the world's antagonism has led to persecution, oppression, and death of those who follow Jesus. This would soon be the experience of the 11. Jesus warned, "They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God."

     How are we to understand and to respond to persecution—often in small things, but sometimes the ultimate that Christ described, being killed because we love Jesus? Jesus helped us understand by speaking of the advantage to us of His return to the Father. By going away, Jesus made it possible for the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us. When the Spirit came, He would take the witness of the Christian under persecution and use it to prove the world wrong (or, convince, convict) about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment. The world will see the truth in Christians, and though the world as a whole will not respond with faith, individuals will believe.

     The Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds to understand the ways and the truth of God. He will make clear to us what Jesus has said in the written Word. He will give us the wisdom we need to apply that Word on a daily basis and to live in responsive obedience to our Lord.

     A little earlier I noted two wrong reactions of Christians to the world. We can see more clearly now why they are wrong. If we adopt the values and lifestyle of the world, if we conform to the world system, God is left without a witness to truth and life and grace. But if we withdraw and cut ourselves off from the world's people in order to develop separated communities, God is also left without a witness. Only by living in the world—by being involved daily with the men and women around us, by being involved in the issues of our own times and society—can we show the contrast between human ways and God's ways.

     The natural response to persecution, to antagonism, to pressure, is to withdraw or to conform. But you and I, like Jesus, are to live under pressure. We are to open ourselves to hurt. We are to resist protecting ourselves and, instead, to expose ourselves, for God yearns to reveal His glory in our lives. As we learn to love each other, we will have the strength to become involved in the world and to find joy in our suffering, even as Jesus found joy in His. We will begin to love all men, even as Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us.

     Prayer is a resource (John 16:16–33). It is all too easy in reading Jesus' warnings to become fearful or depressed and to feel that the Christian life is a burden almost too heavy to bear. Jesus had already pointed to some resources He had given: the Holy Spirit, and Jesus' own continuing guidance. Then Christ spoke of the resource of prayer.

     Jesus Himself was soon to leave the 11. At first the events of the Crucifixion would create despair, but soon the disciples would know joy. "I will see you again," Jesus promised, "and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." Life in the world, in spite of hostility and persecution, is a life of secure joy.

     How is joy possible? It is possible because we are not cut off from Jesus! We are free to bring every need to Him in prayer, and can be confident that He hears us. "My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name," Jesus said. "Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

     Where can we find joy in times of pressure and uncertainty? First, by acknowledging that each of our ministries and everything we possess is God's. Jesus is Lord, and everything I have and do is committed totally into His hands. If Jesus in grace chooses to use it for His glory, I rejoice. And if He chooses not to use it, but to bring all I have planned and worked to achieve to an end, He can use disaster too to glorify Himself—and I rejoice.

     To know that Jesus lives, that He hears, and that He responds as we speak to Him, brings abiding joy whatever the pressures may be.

     And so Jesus concluded His words to His disciples. "The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God." With this assurance, what have we to fear? "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

     Jesus is Lord. --- And God loves us. --- No wonder we have peace and joy.

     Jesus' Prayer for Us: John 17

     The intimate Upper Room experience concludes with Jesus' prayer. This is a prayer for us, His people in the world. "I will remain in the world no longer," Jesus said, "but they are still in the world."

     Jesus had described the world's hostility that we will face. Now what will He ask for us? What is His deepest desire?

     Glory (John 17:1–5). Jesus first spoke to the Father about Himself, thus giving us a model. "I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do." This work finished, God would lift Jesus to His presence again and give His Son the glory that "I had with You before the world began."

     We live in the world now, but this world is not the end! The end for us, as for Jesus, is glory in the very presence of the Father. The word "glory" speaks literally of brightness, splendor, radiance. Expanded to denote the majesty and sublimity of God, it carries a sense of magnificence and splendor. In the verb form it means more than "to praise or honor"; it means to "clothe in splendor."

     With Jesus' work on earth finished, He returned to the Father to be clothed again with the splendor that was His from eternity past. For Jesus, life in this world had a purpose. Christ lived to reveal and to glorify God. But life in this world was only a momentary experience for Christ.

     How good to know that for us as well, life in this world is only a momentary experience. Like Jesus, we will be lifted by the Father when our work here is accomplished. Then we too will be clothed in a splendor like Jesus' own. While we are on earth we may never know the glory God intends for us, but one day we will see Jesus, and then, "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Our destiny is to be clothed with our Lord in splendor.

     Manifest Your name (John 17:6–10). What is the work God has for us on earth? To be "great"? To be noted evangelists? To be famous teachers? To be known and respected by all? Hardly. God wants a very simple thing, which every believer, no matter how humble, can share in fully. God wants us to manifest (make known) His name. We have received Jesus' words (v. 8) and believed in Him. Now we are to live out those words on earth. The quality of our lives is what will make plain to those around us the character of God. Each of us can brighten the world around us by reaching out to others with a grace and love that are like God's own.

     Sanctified (John 17:11–19). Christ then prayed that God will guard us while we live in the world's hostile environment. "My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one." He asked that we be sanctified by God's truth, that is, that we will be set apart to a holy way of life, and then "sent into the world" (v. 18). We are to not only witness to, but are to personally experience Christ's joy as we become more and more like Him. And we have Jesus' added promise that He consecrates Himself to aid our growth in godliness.

     Reproductive (John 17:20–26). Jesus then emphasized the fact that He was not praying just for the 11 disciples, but for "those who will believe in Me through their message." You and I, and our local fellowships, along with all believers throughout the centuries are included in this great commitment of Jesus and His Father to all who belong to Them.

     The society of those who belong to Jesus is a community that grows in love and then multiplies. Jesus is still reaching out, through you and me, to rescue men and women lost in sin.

     There is, of course, one source and one source only for the strength we need to live a God-glorifying life. This is our union with Jesus Christ. Jesus lived in union with the Father, drawing on Him for strength and power. As we are "brought to complete unity" with Jesus and the Father, then the world will know that Christ has sent us and that He loves us still.

     Grace and Glory / John's themes of grace and life, and his emphasis on light versus darkness, find special expression in the final chapters of his Gospel.

     John, like the other Gospel writers, reported in graphic detail the events that are associated with the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. By comparing the treatment of each of the Gospels, we have a more complete picture of this three-day span than of any other period in ancient history!

     John's emphasis is on triumph—the triumph of truth, the victory of life over the dark powers of death. How good to be able to share this sense of victory with those we teach. And how good to realize that for us as well, the resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of life throughout eternity.

     Truth. Pilate demanded of Jesus, "What is truth?" The passage shows how captive this Roman ruler was to pressures, how controlled by the demands of others. Without a sense of absolutes, and a certainty that there is right and wrong to guide our decisions, we would be just as wavering and tormented. Thank God there is truth—that we know reality as unveiled in the Word of God. We need to choose to live by that truth, rather than the uncertainties of expediency.

     Commentary / The time for words had now passed. Jesus had spoken much about grace and life and light. And also of the darkness that grips those who are of this world. Now, if anyone had questions, those questions were about to be answered decisively.

     How deeply is the world entrenched in darkness? How great is God's love for us, and His grace to us? How vital is the life that Jesus offers? How bright is the light by which we are invited to live? The answer to each of these questions is found in the events of the final night and day of Jesus' life on earth … and in His resurrection.