An enormous amount of material here, and no way to get through it all and do any justice to it. So, I think that I will make a few notes on some of the significant points in each chapter. Just enough to help me remember, and apply it to my life.
When Jesus talks about going to the Father in John 14 it’s “wedding language”. The groom would get engaged, then go home and prepare a home for the bride. That usually involved adding on to the homestead, or building nearby. when the work was finished, the groom came back to be married and take the bride home. We are “engaged”, and our engagement ring is the Holy Spirit. One day the groom will return and take us to be at home in heaven.
The idea that anyone can do the same works that the Father did needs to be explored further. I am certain that other cultures see the Holy Spirit moving in ways that we do not. That may be because it’s God’s gift to them, or it may be because we don’t have the same faith. Either way, I think that we could receive more than what we are asking for.
If you love Jesus, then you will obey His commands. If you obey His commands He will reveal Himself to you, which includes sending the Holy Spirit to instruct us and help us understand. We should pray more to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to guide and direct us. I believe we honor the Spirit when we address Him by name. And by acknowledging the Spirit we also acknowledge Jesus who sent Him.
On Grapevines: This is a contemporary example for the people of Jesus’ day. Most homes would have grapevines, and everyone knew about tending them. Since we do not, it bears a little explaining: the grapevine produces fruit for one year and then that particular branch is done, and trimmed off. Then a new vine is “trained” for the following year. Since the grapevine produces many shoots, they all must be trimmed off except the one the will be used the following year, and the one being “trained”. That means there is a constant trimming of the vine. Our lives must also be constantly trimmed. We could go any number of directions, but God chooses one for us and trims the rest. This helps keep us focused and gives us enough energy to do the “one thing” that will produce fruit.
Jesus asks us to serve Him, and He has that right, since He is the Master and the authority. However, here He tells us that we are considered friends, not just servants. We do what servants do, but we aren’t considered slaves to the kingdom. We are sons and daughters, worthy in God’s eyes of learning His thoughts and understanding His ways. What an incredible gift, to be able to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn why He does what He does. What does God think about when he looks at the creation, when He looks at you and me? What does He think when He looks at someone who doesn’t acknowledge Him? All this and more are revealed to us as we serve and learn from the Master.
I cannot overestimate the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the disciple. The Christian life is simply not possible without Him. His teaching and guidance and the gifts that He provides are integral to the Christian life. Anyone who says that the Holy Spirit isn’t constantly active in our lives, or downplays the role of the Spirit should be disregarded.
In Chapter 17 “the High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus we hear Him ask God to be with us, and in us in the same way that God is in Jesus. Allow that to sink into your mind for a minute….that’s incredible. Jesus himself prayed for our protection “the ones who would believe in me through their message” That’s us! Jesus himself prayed for us! And His prayer was that we would be “one”. That alone should put an end to bickering, fighting and gossiping about one another within the church. Jesus has prayed that we will all get along with each other, and that’s what we should do. After all, this was His command “love one another”. Is that difficult sometimes? Sure . But since Christ himself prayed for it, then we should be doing it.
Jump back up to Chapter 16 for second and read verse 23. it says “you won’t have to ask me for anything, you can do direct to the Father”. I don’t think that means we can’t ask in Jesus’ name, or that we can’t pray “to Jesus”, but it does show us that we no longer need an intermediary. Jesus has opened the door for us to go directly into the throne room of heaven, unassisted by any other person. His name and His sacrifice have provided the opportunity for us to bring our prayers, praises, complaints and questions directly before the throne. We have access to God in a way that even the angels don’t have. The whole concept is beyond my ability to truly appreciate. It’s amazing, it’s wonderful, it’s powerful and it’s mystical. It’s it’s underused. Ugh.
Here we are standing next to a missile launcher trying to fight with a pocket knife. Lord, help us to see what great potential we have in You!
Faithfully,
PR