At the end of the prayer that we have been looking at Jesus
summarizes His ministry. And if you think about it, that's quite a feat. How
would you summarize Jesus' ministry? There has been so much that has gone on,
so there are many ways to do that. Listen to how He does it here.
I made known to them your name, and
I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me
may be in them, and I in them.
Jesus summarizes His ministry by talking about making the
Father's Name known. What's He talking about? For one thing, you need to
remember that in Jesus' culture a person's name was more than a label. It was
to be a description of the person. So, the explosive brothers, James and John, became
'The Sons of Thunder', and Simon became Peter, the rock. And Jesus would build
His Church on this rock. The Name of the Father is a description of who He is.
Jesus came so that people would come to know that Name, that they would come to
know the Father. And that fits with what Jesus said at the beginning of this
prayer.
And this is eternal life, that they
know you the only true God.
Jesus has come so that you would know the Father.
This isn't about gaining information that you could produce
for a test. It's so much more than that. It's about understanding the Father's
heart. Jesus came so that you might actually understand why the Father acts as
He does and what He is aiming at, what's really important to Him and what's not
so important. It's as you understand the Father that you will understand life.
And it's those who understand life who can live it well. That's why Jesus has
come. That's what the Gospel is about.
Now, how did Jesus do that? How did He make the Father's
heart known? Jesus explains that in something He said to one of the twelve.
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us
the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you
so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the
Father.
Do you see what Jesus is saying? 'Do you want to understand
the Father? Then, watch Me.' And what would someone see if he were to watch
Jesus in action? There was His balance of law and grace in the incident with
the woman caught in adultery. There was His compassion for the people who
wandered about because they were like sheep without a shepherd. There was His
anger in the Temple because of those who prostituted the worship of God. There
were His tears at Lazarus' tomb because of all the pain that death brings. And
there was His patience with twelve men who still weren't getting it. Do you
want to understand the Father's heart? Watch Jesus. Listen to what He has to
say. He has come so that you would be able to know the Father.
Now, did you notice that Jesus' ministry of making the
Father's Name known isn't over? Listen again.
I made known to them your name, and
I will continue to make it known …
But wait. Isn't Jesus saying these words at the end of His
life? Isn't there a cross waiting for Him on the next day? What's this about
His continuing to make the Father's Name known? This is where you need
to remember that Jesus promised to send the Spirit. Remember how He said that
by the Spirit He would remain with His people, abide with them? So, Jesus is still
busy, still pursuing that same goal, still making the Name of the Father known.
He is doing that with you. Jesus has sent the Spirit so that you can understand
the Father's heart. By the Spirit, Jesus is still busy with you so that you can
become wise, understand life and live well.
Now, that sounds pretty good. Jesus is still busy in His
Church so that we can know the Father's heart. Good. But there's a problem.
It's just a fact that coming to understand the Father's heart is hard. It takes
work. There are things to learn. And, again, this isn't about gathering
information that you could put on a test. Part of the learning is more subtle
than that. It has to do with how you think. One of the things that Jesus did in
so many situations was to confront people about how they thought about things,
how they understood what living well was all about. That's pretty clear when it
comes to the Pharisees. Jesus and these men were poles apart on the question of
what it means to live well. But it's also true when it comes to the Twelve.
Remember the time that they were caught in a raging storm and the boat was
filling with water? In their panic, they awaken Jesus. And what does He say to
them?
Why are you afraid?
I think that you can imagine what they might have thought in
response to that. 'What do you mean, 'Why are you afraid?' Don't you see the
storm? Don't you see how the boat is beginning to sink? We're going to die!'
Well, no, in fact, they weren't. And they didn't. But there was a problem. Their
thinking about the situation was all wrong. There were things that they had to
learn. They had to learn how to think accurately about life. And they did. Read
about this same group of guys in Acts, and you will find men who weren't
afraid. They learned what they needed to. The way they thought, how they
understood life, was changed. And as a result, the way that they lived was also
changed. Jesus came to change how people think so that they might be changed in
how they live. Right thinking and right living go together.
There are things that we have to come to understand. It's
coming to understand, for example, that everything, including raging storms
that threaten death, is under the Father’s control. Getting to the point of not
being afraid will mean getting to the point of trusting your God, even in the
midst of storms. And that can be a hard lesson to learn.
But it is a lesson that you can learn. And the key? Want to
learn it. Want to learn these sorts of things so that you will understand the
Father's heart better. And the process of learning returns us to the familiar.
Repentance and faith. Jesus pointed out the unbelief of those twelve men in the
boat, their unbelief in how they thought. They needed to repent of that
unbelief. And, ultimately, they did. That's what you need to do whenever the
Spirit points out some sin, whether it's a sin of wrong behavior or a sin of
wrong thinking. And as you do this you will be blessed with a little more
understanding of the Father. And that will show in how you live. Yes, Jesus is
still busy making the Father's Name known, but it will take some effort on our
side.
These things will look different for each of you. No cookie
cutter answers. But in light of the importance of this, it seems to me that
this is something to pray about. It may well be that you are on the right path
so no big change is necessary. But then again, maybe not. That's what you might
want to ask the Father to make clear to you. It is those who invest themselves
in coming to understand the Father who will live well.
But lest this become overwhelming, remember where the text
places the emphasis. The point of the text isn't on what you need to do. The
point of the text is on what Jesus does. Jesus wants you to understand the
Father. He is eager to make that happen in your life. Your hope is not in
you're getting this right. Your hope is that Jesus is still making the Father's
Name known. Your hope is in the grace of the Gospel.
Now, let's consider one more question. Why should someone be
interested in pursuing this? Jesus
answers that in His prayer.
I made known to them your name, and
I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have
loved me may be in them …
One of the main themes of John's Gospel is eternal life.
This isn't about how long. It's about what kind. Jesus has come that you might
enjoy the life of eternity. And this life of eternity is the life of God. What
else could it be? And at the heart of God's life is love. And that makes so
much sense when you remember that God is one yet three. So, for an eternity,
before there ever was a creation, the Father, the Son and the Spirit were busy
loving each other. That fills out John’s statement, 'God is love.' And
this love was, and is, a love that is pure and beautiful and without limit.
Jesus has come to make the Name of the Father known so that
the love with which you have loved
me may be in them…