“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.”
-John 15:1
In the grand tapestry of John's Gospel, we encounter a profound and stirring portrait of Jesus Christ, painted with words that exude and shimmer with divine revelation.
John, the beloved disciple, opens his account not with the humble manger of Bethlehem, but with the resounding declaration of The Eternal Logos, The Word, made flesh. From the very first verses, he draws us into the mystery of the incarnation, where The Eternal Logos, who was with God and was God, gloriously irrupts into the fabric of human history.
Throughout his narrative, John continually emphasizes the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father. It is a relationship marked by perfect unity and mutual glorification.
Jesus, in his earthly ministry, acts as the divine agent of the Father's will, revealing His character and purpose. "I and the Father are one," Jesus declares, and this unity is not merely a theological abstraction but the heartbeat of His mission.
Central to John's Gospel is the call to faith. Yet, this is no ordinary belief. It is not the mere assent to doctrinal truths or intellectual acknowledgment of Jesus' identity. Rather, faith is a profound trust, absolute reliance, and desperate dependence on Him as the Messiah, the Son of God.
Scripture makes it clear that even the demons believe in the existence of God and tremble at His power, but this is not the faith that brings about regenerative and transformative life in Christ.
True faith is a wholehearted abandon, surrender, and commitment to Jesus. This is the faith John unashamedly heralds as The Good News.
This faith is the conduit through which we receive life in His name. John painstakingly illustrates this through the signs and miracles that punctuate his Gospel. Each sign is a divine indicator pointing to Jesus as the glorious source and power behind it.
Jesus' divine authority beckons hearers to allow the Holy Spirit to take them beyond useless religion and human traditions to authentic faith. Whether turning water into wine, healing the blind, or raising Lazarus from the dead, these signs point beyond themselves to the greater reality of who Jesus is—the resurrection and the life; God the Son.
In his poignant conclusion, John tells us that these things are written so that we may have faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by that faith, we may have life in His name.
This is not mere existence, but abundant, everlasting life—a life infused with the very presence and power of God— that doesn’t begin when Jesus returns in glory, but at the very instant we are born again by God’s grace through the gift of faith.
Thus, John's Gospel stands as a clarion call to a transformative faith in Jesus. It beckons us to move beyond superficial belief and to embrace Him as the very wellspring of life and hope. It is an invitation to know the Father through the Son and to enter into the perpetual dance of divine love and communion through the power and presence of The Holy Spirit.
How deep the Father’s love for us! How deep indeed!
Blessings & love,
-Kevin M. Kelley
You can hear my sermons and messages >HERE<
Comments