THE SAVIOR CAME to save your life.

I remember stealing several cases of beer out of the back of a truck when I was in high school. The truck had been parked on a dark back street. If it had been parked on Main Street under a streetlight, we would have stayed away. Jesus said that some people love darkness (John 3:19). I did that night.

            “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it” (John 12:46-47, nlt).

Jesus came to save people. That is the word He used (vs. 47) when He described His reason for showing up on earth. The word save (Greek eksodzo) is translated in the Bible as “saved, made whole and healed.” To save means to lead out of darkness, death and destruction into light, life and salvation.

One time the Jewish religious leaders blasted Jesus for healing a crippled man during a Sabbath-day church service. Here is His reply to His critics: “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9, nlt).

Jesus equated saving life with doing good. Read verse nine again. The Lord equated destroying life with doing evil. Legalistic, man-made, ungracious religion actually does the evil one a favor, because it destroys lives. Religion often gets off track when religious people see themselves as the prosecution instead of joining in on God’s defense team, actively defending and saving lives. Jesus came to help and heal and make broken people whole.

Aren’t you glad? This boy is!

Life-action: Think back over your life and remember a time when you did something wrong in the dark. Thank God you didn’t go to jail, or thank Him that you did.

LIVE for an audience of One.

At some point during my sophomore year of high school I went AWOL, turning away from my family and their faith. It seemed apparent to me that I would not be popular with the people I admired (gifted athletes and pretty girls) unless I got rid of the Christian ball and chain I’d been dragging around since childhood.

Over a three year period I walked away from God, heart-first. My head followed my heart and I soon came to the conclusion that Christianity was a made-up religion. Late in my senior year, confused and depressed, I tried to believe in God again. I tried reading the Bible, but the words that seemed to shine with revelation when I was a young boy now appeared to be nothing but ink on paper.

What made me blind? What keeps people from seeing and moving toward God-light? What blinded so many of the people who heard and saw Jesus? What kept them from seeing His “cascading brightness?” (John 12:41, msg).

Revelation requires information. That is a head issue. Revelation also requires courage. It requires a willingness to please God even when it displeases those around you. And that is a heart issue. Trusting Christ and following Him courageously takes grey matter and backbone. The concrete of faith needs the rebar of courage. Fear of man caused many in the Lord’s audience to wimp out with a head-only faith.

Because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God (John 12:42-43).

Who is in your grandstand? Whom are you trying most to please? Your fellow workers? Your kids? Your spouse? Your parents? The “gifted athletes and pretty girls”?

Even when I couldn’t see any proof of God’s existence as a seeker in high school, the light of revelation was all around me. Light is light, even if you don’t see it. The moment I took off the blindfold of people-pleasing, I began to see His reality. Because my heart was right, I saw the light.

Life-action: Finish this sentence: “Because I love God’s approval more than the approval of other people, I will….”

* * *

Saved

John 12:44-47

THE SAVIOR CAME to save your life.

I remember stealing several cases of beer out of the back of a truck when I was in high school. The truck had been parked on a dark back street. If it had been parked on Main Street under a streetlight, we would have stayed away. Jesus said that some people love darkness (John 3:19). I did that night.

            “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it” (John 12:46-47, nlt).

Jesus came to save people. That is the word He used (vs. 47) when He described His reason for showing up on earth. The word save (Greek eksodzo) is translated in the Bible as “saved, made whole and healed.” To save means to lead out of darkness, death and destruction into light, life and salvation.

One time the Jewish religious leaders blasted Jesus for healing a crippled man during a Sabbath-day church service. Here is His reply to His critics: “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9, nlt).

Jesus equated saving life with doing good. Read verse nine again. The Lord equated destroying life with doing evil. Legalistic, man-made, ungracious religion actually does the evil one a favor, because it destroys lives. Religion often gets off track when religious people see themselves as the prosecution instead of joining in on God’s defense team, actively defending and saving lives. Jesus came to help and heal and make broken people whole.

Aren’t you glad? This boy is!

Life-action: Think back over your life and remember a time when you did something wrong in the dark. Thank God you didn’t go to jail, or thank Him that you did.

* * *

ASK JESUS about life and death.

Years ago when Michael Jordan was racking up wins in professional basketball, “I want to be like Mike” was a common saying. In other words, “I want a 40-inch jump reach…I want to be an elite athlete…I want to be popular…I want to be rich.”

I doubt that anyone who saw Jesus gasping for air on the cross thought just then, “I want to be just like Him!” His feet were three feet off the ground, but it wasn’t pretty.

Although few present at Golgotha cheered or felt drawn to God on that dark day, multiplied millions would do so in years to come. “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die (John 12:32-33).

What kind of death did Jesus die? He died a brutal death, a criminal death. What’s more, He died your death and my death. Knowing that ultimate death is separation from God, Jesus absorbed our sin and was separated from God for three days—so that you and I could be connected to God forever.

            His being “lifted up” makes sense to me now, but it didn’t to His listeners. Most of the people who understood that He was talking about death by crucifixion wondered how He could even hint that He was the promised Messiah—if He knew He was going to be executed.

The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” (John 12:34, nlt). When God answers one question, it usually raises two more. Do you ever ask God questions? Does He answer? If so, do you usually like His answer?

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you” (John 12:35a).

In other words, Jesus was saying, “Just stay close to Me and I’ll turn the light on when you need it. I’ll answer your questions at just the right time.”

I need to remember that today. Maybe you do, too.

Life Question: Could asking questions be considered a form of prayer? What question would you ask Jesus if He was standing beside you right now? And by the way, He really is.

UNDERSTAND two kinds of life.

Facing death head-on, Jesus moved toward Jerusalem “with an iron will” (Luke 9:51, tlb). Being careful not to talk over the heads of His disciples, Jesus used a simple botanical illustration to show how letting go of His life would bring life to many others.

“Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over” (John 12:24, msg). A seed that dies precedes a plant that lives and reproduces. In view of that fact, Jesus challenged His followers to follow His example: “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

Jesus used two different Greek words for life here. “The man who loves his life [psyche] will lose it, while the man who hates his life [psyche] in this world will keep it for eternal life [zoe]” (John 12:25).

Hates his psyche? What in the world does that mean? For starters, in that culture “hates” sometimes meant “loves less.” The Master warns that if we don’t value zoe life above psyche life, we lose in the long run.

As we have noted earlier in this book, Jesus talked about two kinds of life: Psyche, a life destined to die, and zoe, a deeper, longer life, eternal and immovable.

In his book, Selling Water by the River, the author uses a clever illustration to explain the importance of putting zoe first. If I have four 0s and one 1, I can arrange them to come up with a value ranging from 0001 to 1000. The key to greater value is to get the 1 (zoe) before the 0s (psyche). The key to experiencing deep, unending life is putting zoe first.

That helps me appreciate even more the motive behind Jesus’ decision to set His face toward Jerusalem and death. “The good shepherd lays down his life (psyche) for the sheep” (John 10:11). He let go of His life (psyche) so that whoever believed in Him should “have eternal life (zoe)” (John 3:16b).

I wonder if I would experience more of the reality of zoe life now if I gave 75 dollars to someone in need today instead of buying that fishing rod I want?

Life Challenge: Think of one way you can put the 1 before the 0 today.

BELIEVE to live.

A friend of a friend of mine was hunting birds on the rugged rim-rocks of eastern Oregon when he came up over a rise and saw his hunting dog hanging limp from the mouth of a cougar. He raised his gun, but it was too late. His prized dog was dead. The cat dropped its prey and ran off. Carrying his dog back to his truck was a tearful trek.

Like that mountain lion, death goes for life’s jugular. When death clamped its jaws on Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, Jesus wasn’t there on the scene to fight back. He did finally arrive, but he was four days late.

Jesus reminded Martha that her brother’s death wasn’t the end of his existence. “Your brother will be raised up.” Martha answered, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time” (John 11:23-24, msg). In response Jesus said, “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life” (John 11:25a, msg).

We tend to think of life as a biological or spiritual condition, but Jesus boldly claimed that life is a person. He is life. The Bible says that all things were created through Him. In other words, He is the source of all life, now and forever.

“I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.” The “I ams” of Christ are woven through the gospel of John—and this might be the most mind-bending, death-defying “I am” of all. Talk about going for the kill! Here in Bethany, He grabbed death by the neck and bit down. “God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son” (Romans 8:3a, msg).

Jesus went on to tell Martha, “The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all” (John 11:25b-26a, msg). Note the next four words of Jesus; they are incredibly crucial. “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b, msg). Your eternal address will be determined by your answer.

Life Question: Everyone wants more and better life. Have you ever thought of better life as being a person and not just a condition or a possession?

John 11:17-27

BELIEVE to live.

A friend of a friend was hunting birds on the rugged rim-rocks of eastern Oregon when he came up over a rise and saw his hunting dog hanging limp from the mouth of a cougar. He raised his gun, but it was too late. His prized dog was dead. The cat dropped its prey and ran off. Carrying his dog back to his truck was a tearful trek.

Like that mountain lion, death goes for life’s jugular. When death clamped its jaws on Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, Jesus wasn’t there on the scene to fight back. He did finally arrive, but he was four days late.

Jesus reminded Martha that her brother’s death wasn’t the end of his existence. “Your brother will be raised up.” Martha answered, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time” (John 11:23-24, msg). In response Jesus said, “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life” (John 11:25a, msg).

We tend to think of life as a biological or spiritual condition, but Jesus boldly claimed that life is a person. He is life. The Bible says that all things were created through Him. In other words, He is the source of all life, now and forever.

“I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.” The “I ams” of Christ are woven through the gospel of John—and this might be the most mind-bending, death-defying “I am” of all. Talk about going for the kill! Here in Bethany, He grabbed death by the neck and bit down. “God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son” (Romans 8:3a, msg).

Jesus went on to tell Martha, “The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all” (John 11:25b-26a, msg). Note the next four words of Jesus; they are incredibly crucial. “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b, msg). Your eternal address will be determined by your answer.

Life Question: Everyone wants more and better life. Have you ever thought of better life as being a person and not just a condition or a possession?

EVERYONE has some grounds for belief.

Lazarus, one of Jesus’ closest friends, was deathly ill. The sick man’s two sisters, Martha and Mary, sent an urgent “come quick” message to Jesus. When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death” (John 11:4a). What would look like an end would be transformed into a new beginning.

Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days (John 11:6). In place of “Yet,” other translations say “In spite of that,” “Surprisingly,” and “But oddly.” How often does God’s timing seem odd to you? Do you think God actually enjoys surprising people, or is He just being God while we are not being God?

Two days later Jesus and His men made the trip to Mary and Martha’s home on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Before leaving, however, the disciples had questioned the wisdom of going back to where Jesus had so recently experienced a close brush with death.

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light” (John 11:9-10). Jesus here equates daylight with sticking close to Him and perceiving what God is doing. He equates stumbling with drifting from Him and becoming confused about God’s acts.

            Then Jesus told the guys that Lazarus had fallen asleep and that He was going to wake His friend up. “Great,” the disciples said, “if he’s sleeping, he’s getting better.”

“Actually,” the Lord finally told them, “he is DEAD.” Dead. Dead. Dead. Not only “mostly dead” like the guy in the movie Princess Bride, but totally dead.

And then He went on to say, “ … I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him” (John 11:14-15, msg). God loves to give us “new grounds for believing.” In fact, that’s what the book of John is all about (check out John 20:31).

Do some people have more grounds for believing than others? Yes, but everyone has some grounds. Whatever ground for faith God has given you, build something on it! Be honest about your doubts and exercise your faith. Keep believing even when it seems impossible. Don’t put a period where God puts a comma.

Life Challenge: Can you think of one time you’ve been in the dark and stumbled recently? Get closer to Jesus. You’ll see better.

BELIEVE INTO His aliveness.

By saying that anyone spiritually connected to Him was connected to eternal aliveness, Jesus claimed to be one with the Father. In response, the angry religionists filled their clips and got ready to gun Him down.

Jesus asked them which of His life-giving miracles had earned Him a death sentence. They replied that it wasn’t the miracles that got Him in trouble, but rather His claim to be one with the Father. Jesus responded by saying that both His teachings and His miracles weren’t actually His, but His Father’s. “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does…” (John 10:37). In other words, “You need to talk to God if you’ve got an issue with Me. I’m giving a new level of life—better, longer life—to those who believe I can. I’m doing exactly what the Father is doing. Can’t you see the divinity? I’m helping, healing, forgiving, encouraging and caring. I’m giving life. Doesn’t that remind you of Someone?”

What’s that old expression? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck…it must be a duck!  

“Then perhaps things will come together for you, and you’ll see that not only are we doing the same thing, we are the same—Father and Son. He is in me; I am in him” (John 10:38, msg).

My son Jeremy was, in a sense, in my loins before he was born. And some of my DNA and features are in him (poor boy). We are in each other.

This talk of oneness and being “in each other” screamed “blasphemy!” to the religious rule-keepers. They tried to seize Jesus, but it wasn’t His time to punch out yet. He slipped away from the scene of strife and went to a rural area on the Jordan River. Those curious about life and hungry for the kind of life He spoke of followed Him there and listened to His words of life. And in that place many believed in Jesus (John 10:42).

Fourteen different verses in John contain the words believe and life. We believe our way into God-life. It only takes a tiny seed of true faith to believe into life (John 3:16).

Life Question: What do you think about the people who followed Jesus to the Jordan River and believed in Him in that place? Did they believe enough to possess eternal life? Do you?