Greetings and welcome to the May 6, 2020 edition of the daily post from Peachtree Baptist Church, my name is Paul Capps, pastor and I’m thankful for all the listeners, near and far who have received encouragement from these posts. I would love to know what has been especially meaningful for you, reach out by commenting on this site or replying to emails or on Facebook.

Last week and the week before we took a deep dive into Acts chapter 2, a historical record of when the Spirit came with Power on the followers of Jesus and the church as we know it was born. As we continue to move towards the church’s remembrance of Pentecost on May 31, we will be looking at the themes of the Spirit and Power in our Sunday morning zoom Bible Study sessions from Luke and Acts. In our time of worship for the rest of May we will be using John’s gospel, a more theological record, to see what it has to say about the Spirit as well.

We’ll begin with John chapter 14 for the two weeks, which is near the beginning of a long speech Jesus gives at the Last Supper, which we remember each week during worship. No other gospel provides this much detail of the words of Jesus during this time he had with his disciples, but that is a good place to start in thinking about the speech itself. It was a very intimate speech, with love as its overarching theme, given to a small group of disciples with whom Jesus had become very very close. So in chapter 13 we have Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, a physical act that showed how much Jesus loved them and wanted them to understand true love and servanthood. He then predicts his betrayal and Judas leaves, but the disciples don’t really understand what was really going on. Jesus then begins talking about his glorification which includes the idea of his ascension.

Much of the rest of the speech, which ends in prayer, is a reinforcement of Jesus’ identity as God’s promised hope for the world. In Chapter 14 he promises both his future presence that is right around the corner as well as a long term future hope of his presence. Leading up to this coming Sunday we’ll be looking at verses 1-14, but today I just want to read the passage. John 14:1-14 read from the New International Version:

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

This is the Word of the Lord, thanks be to God!

Ain Vares, Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life, www.ainvaresart.com.