Day: February 21, 2017

[John 12:44-50] True Light = Eternal Life

“Then Jesus cried out, ‘Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.'” [44-45]

Jesus came to us as a light. He is the source of all light. We know that the moon lacks luminosity, and that it is merely reflecting sunlight. We know that the light we see from the stars are years old. The stars we know are in the past.

However, there is a light on this world that shines directly into each person’s heart. [John 1:9] This light is Jesus, God’s son, and displays the majesty of God the Father, the ultimate source. [1:18] This light does not merely display a God of the past, it shows us the God of the present; the God who is with us in this very moment. This is because God the Father is one with Jesus. Not even a moment is between them.

Jesus claims that his words and deeds come from God the Father. Therefore, God the Father and Jesus says the same thing. Exactly. [50] Jesus lived by God’s command. He states that obedience to God’s commands is the key to eternal life. When we dwell within Jesus, we no longer dwell in the darkness. [46]

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” [John 17:3]

Amen

[요 12:44-50] 참 빛 = 영생

“예수께서 외쳐 이르시되 나를 믿는 자는 나를 믿는 것이 아니요 나를 보내신 이를 믿는 것이며 나를 보는 자는 나를 보내신 이를 보는 것이니라.”[44-45]

예수님께서는 빛으로 오셨다. 모든 빛은 근원이 있다. 우리는 달이 그 자체로는 빛이 없고 태양의 빛을 반사해서 보여준다는 것을 안다. 우리가 보는 별들도 지금 현재의 별을 보는 것이 아니라 몇분전 심지어 몇년전 별에서 온 빛이라고 배운다. 그래서 우리가 아는 별들의 실체는 오직 과거뿐이다.

그런데 참 빛 곧 세상에 와서 각 사람에게 비추는 빛이 있었다.[요1:9] 이 참 빛은 성자 하나님으로 그 근원이신 성부 하나님을 보여주신다. [1:18] 단순히 과거의 하나님을 보여줄 뿐아니라 바로 지금 이순간의 하나님을 보여주신다. 성부하나님과 성자하나님께서 함께 하시기 때문이다. 그 사이에는 찰라 (한순간)의 간격도 없다.

성자 하나님께서는 자신의 말과 행동이 성부하나님께 근원을 두고 있다고 하셨다. 성부와 성자의 말씀에는 차이가 없다. 그대로다.[50] 예수님은 그 명령대로 사셨다. 예수님은 성부하나님의 명령이 (명령에 순종하는 것이) 영생이라고 선언하신다. 우리가 예수 안에 거할때 (나 있는 곳에 나를 섬기는 자도 거기 있으리니[26]), 어둠에 거하지 않게 된다. [46]

“영생은 곧 유일하신 참 하나님과 그가 보내신 자 예수 그리스도를 아는 것이다.”[요17:3] 아멘

[John 12:34-43]  Idolatry – Loving the Glory of Men

Jesus explained that to gain eternal life, you must first lose it, and that even a small seed of faith can give fruit. Yet the crowd did not understand. This was because the interpretation of the law still held on to their hearts. However, Jesus is the completion of the law, because Jesus spoke, and he is the Word.

The crowds probably were not even aware of what they were saying. When Jesus said ‘when I am lifted up’, the people questioned ‘how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up’. The phrase ‘lifted up’ seems to have very little connection to death. Instead, it usually refers to the transition to a higher level. It is going to the heights of the skies, not the depths of the abyss. (Of course, transcending into the sky could refer to a glorious form of death).

“The Son of Man must be lifted up” is closely related to the phrase “The Son of Man must be glorified.” Who is the Son of Man? John explains what the crowd failed to realise, despite having Jesus in front of them. He uses the Book of Isaiah.

Gregory Beale states in his book, ‘We become what we worship’, the titular idea of men becoming what they worship. The book interprets Isaiah 6:9-10 to mean this: “Do you like idols? If you like them so much, I will make you like them. Idols cannot see, hear or understand and lack a spiritual life. You will lack spiritual understanding and depth.”

Those who swear falsehood by the Bible; to them, the Bible is just another idol. In the same way, the law was the idol of the Pharisees.

Putting the Glory of Men before the Glory of God; this is Idolatry.

“We become what we worship – A biblical theology of idolatry”, Gregory K. Beale.