Revealing Us

This is the third in a three part series on the significance of the cross. Be sure to check out part one, Revealing God, and part two, Revealing the Enemy.

In the last two posts we’ve noticed two progressive revelations in John’s account of the gospel: the revealing of the love of God and the unmasking of the selfish deception of the Enemy. Both came to a climax at the cross.

Does John’s gospel account have anything to reveal about us?

I believe it does.

Perhaps already we find ourselves identifying with the tension of the great controversy we’ve discovered between the God of self-giving love and the Enemy of selfish destruction.

I call it a tension since we regularly make choices on both sides. Although we might find ourselves drawn to the concept of perfect alignment with God’s love, experience suggests we’re stuck with selfishness, pride, and all other sorts of anti-love characteristics which places us in opposition to God.

Are we fated to live a double-life? Is complete allegiance to God impossible?

Honestly, these are questions I deeply wrestle with, perhaps even more than the question of why is there suffering. But I believe there’s a noteworthy progression in John’s gospel account that begins to suggest an answer.

It’s a progression of how Jesus related with his disciples. Notice how he addressed them:

First, he calls them “servants” (Jn. 13:16).

Then, he calls them “disciples” (Jn. 13:35).

Later, he calls them “friends” (Jn. 15:15).

Finally, he calls them “brothers” (Jn. 20:17).

A servant’s loyalty extends only as far as it benefits himself, a friend’s loyalty is a bit better, but a brother’s loyalty has no limit. Moreover, while a servant may look nothing like his master, brothers resemble one another.

This tells me something: If I stick with Jesus, I’ll grow to resemble him more. In time, all my choices will come to reflect the love of God. I find this incredibly encouraging.

How is this possible?

Again, we look to the cross. Notice it was not until after the death and resurrection of Jesus that he called his disciples “brothers”:

“Jesus said… Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (Jn. 20:16-17).

Something of incredible significance happened at the cross.

God’s love was revealed. The enemy’s selfishness was revealed. But also we were revealed.

Looking at the cross, we see what our selfish choices cost. We see what we deserve.

But also, we see what God in love gave. We see all our sin, guilt, and brokenness dealt with.

Then, free from the burden of guilt, now having a clear picture of God’s love, we’re able to live as Jesus’ brothers and sisters. As children of the God of love, we learn to live out His love.

Revealing the Enemy

This is the second in a three part series on the significance of the cross. Be sure to check out part one: Revealing God.

Last post, we saw in John’s gospel account the progressive unveiling of the love of God: Jesus’ miracles and teachings reveal the Father’s love with increasing clarity leading up the fullest revelation in the cross event.

But a question remains. If the picture of God we saw in Jesus is accurate–that He is a Person of absolute love–then why is the world so broken and suffering so pervasive?

This question has led some to conclude that there is another side to God; perhaps God isn’t always driven by love. But this isn’t Jesus’ answer. In the theology of Jesus all of God’s actions flow from the abundance of His love.

Rather, Jesus attributes the pain and mess of the world to another player altogether, the Enemy. And just as Jesus’ earthly life revealed God’s love, it also unmasked the Enemy’s selfishness. Note a few teachings about this Enemy:

Jesus calls him “the devil” (Jn. 8:44), which literally translates as “the accuser” or “the slanderer.” This helps explain why there is so much confusion about God.

Jesus describes the Enemy as a personal being, not just an evil force. Yet this being is fully given over to advancing destruction and deception: “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (Jn. 8:44)

Jesus teaches that people, even respected religious leaders (Jn. 8) or professed followers of Jesus (Jn. 13:2), can align themselves with the Enemy’s plans.

Jesus calls him “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12:31), explaining why our world is so broken.

We’re beginning to see how this being operates: He leads the cause for destruction and suffering, drafting others to join him, but through deception makes it appear God is really the guilty party.

Thus Jesus came to call out his lies.

But Jesus didn’t just use words. He performed miracles–healing the sick and raising the dead, showing that death and disease aren’t from the heart of God. Yet all this was just buildup to the greatest unmasking that happened at the cross.

Here’s how Jesus explained what took place on the cross: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (Jn. 12:31).

In revealing the total self-giving love of God, Jesus also uncovered the devil’s selfishness. Jesus had called him a murderer, above any doubt, the cross verified this. Yes, there were human agents involved–corrupt religious and political leaders–but they were merely acting out the devil’s schemes.

Above we saw the devil works by destruction and deception. The cross signaled the end of his reign of deception. Now when one understands the cross event, she discovers the beauty of God’s love and the ugliness of the Enemy’s rebellion. Deception loses its power over her. And soon, when the message of the cross has been fully proclaimed, the Enemy’s reign of destruction will also be brought to an end. 

Revealing God

What do you think about God?

As I’ve studied at various universities with peers of various worldviews and backgrounds, I’ve been interested in learning their responses to this question.

You might expect to find quite a bit of skepticism on a university campus. And certainly that is true, but I’ve discovered that doubt in the existence of God isn’t the most common response. Rather, doubt in the goodness of God is.

God is distant. God must not really care about us. God is self-interested. God is unknowable. Afterall, no one has ever seen God.

Which is precisely where John begins his gospel account: “No one has ever seen God…” (Jn. 1:18). It appears the first century, under the influence of Greco-Roman thought, was just as stumped on the God question as my generation is today.

Yet John continues: “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known” (Jn. 1:18). The gospel acknowledges that from our perspective God may sometimes appear distant/cruel/unknowable, but then goes on to claim that One has come who knows Him best to reveal what God is really like. The rest of John can be seen as an unfolding of this revelation.

Thus, Jesus, the Son, goes around saying things like, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).

Perhaps this is why the first half of John is devoted to recording the miraculous signs of Jesus. These signs aren’t just revealing who Jesus is–the divine Son of God–but they’re also revealing who the Father is–compassionate, loving, and intensely interested in the wellness of others.

Also in the teachings of Jesus we see this as the central theme. At the end of his ministry, he tells his disciples, “I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father” (Jn. 16:25). Then he goes on to explain, “The Father himself loves you” (Jn. 16:26).

But the life and teachings of Jesus only whisper God’s love in comparison to the shout of His death. As Jesus put it, “Greater love knows no man than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). If Jesus’ lifework was to reveal a clear picture of God to us, than the cross sends a powerful message: God would rather die for us, than live without us.

All of our questions about God’s chief interest vanish when we encounter the cross. We recognize that God isn’t distant and self-interested, but has entered human history in the person of Jesus to communicate His supreme love for us.