Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 13:3-4 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Love humbled Himself to take the lowly role of a servant. The robe which would later belong to a Roman soldier was now exchanged for a towel. No pride. No vanity. No sho...

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, From the previous verses we learned that Jesus knew His time to depart was at hand, He loved His own, and that intense suffering, grief, rejection, and shame was imminent. In this verse we learn that He also knew that all things necessary for Him to do the Fa...

John 13:2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, In verse one, we learned that Jesus knew His time was short and was motivated by His enduring love for His own. In this verse we learn the setting: it was during supper and the betrayer, Judas, inspired by Satan, was primed and ready to act. Judas did not belong to Jesus. Can Ju...

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. In this verse and the next 2 verses John tells us what Jesus knew that motivated Him to wash His disciples feet. In this verse we learn that Jesus knew His time had come to depart from this w...

John 12:50 “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." The words God commanded Jesus to speak, namely, that He is Life and the Light of the world sent by God to save us from the darkness of thinking that merely breathing in our bodies and pursuing satisfaction in this world is life, are the words of eternal life. They reveal...

John 12:49 “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.” The reasons these words that Jesus spoke will judge all men is that they were given Him by the Father. God commanded Jesus to say and speak these things. Therefore, to reject these words amounts to rejecting Jesus, which is the same thing as reje...

John 12:48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” We continue to be amazed at the sayings of Jesus which He cried out in the temple just before His last Passover and His greatest demonstration that He is Life. To reject these sayings—namely that Jesus is the Life and Light of God sent into this world to...

John 12:47 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” As we read this, let’s still hear Jesus’ voice raised to emphasize the importance of what He said. It is as if we hear Him almost yelling at us. What I am saying to you, namely, that I am the Life of God sent to be the light of the world so you can be sa...

John 12:46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” We’ve been considering the powerful words that Jesus cried out in the temple to the crowd just before Passover. He has told them about true saving faith, which focuses on the truth that Jesus is sent by God so we could see and believe that Jesus is the life and glory of God dwelling a...

John 12:45. “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.” "Jesus is the author and finisher of faith," wrote the author of Hebrews. Saving faith fixes on Jesus and sees that He is the exact representation of God, Himself (Heb. 1:3). One who believes in Jesus believes He is sent by God so that he can see the life of God, and in seeing the Life, is enabled to see that his own life in this world is not...

John 12:44. And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me.” Jesus cried out. I take this to mean that Jesus’ statements before were made as commentary to the crowd in a normal voice. Then He raised His voice so all could hear and for emphasis. The next few days, we’ll consider what Jesus said. It is powerful and absolutely foundational to livin...

John 12:42-43 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. This commentary by John about the rulers seems to have a contradiction in it. They “believed in Him, but.” John has said this before. There is a natura...

John 12:41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Jesus said God revealed to Isaiah that all of these events took place for the glory of God revealed din Jesus’ sacrificial death. Maybe He saw the glory of God revealed in us. We live to love with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! We would not know what love is: the sustained direction of the w...

John 12:39-40. For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them." We believe there is one God from whom are all things, and He is love. Isaiah also recorded this stunning declaration of God to Cyrus 400 years before He was...

John 12:38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" John placed Jesus in the long line of prophets who testified to Israel, yet were not believed. The raising of Lazarus, as well as the healing of the blind and lame men, were displays of the strength (arm) of the Lord, yet there was no...

John 12:37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. Seeing is not believing. The lame walked. The blind saw. The dead were raised. God’s work was displayed repeatedly. They saw, but did not believe. The darkness overtook them that quickly. The same is still true. Our churches can be crowded with unbelieving seers. They come and see God at work in t...

John 12:36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. With these powerful words Jesus ended this encounter with the crowd. All of a sudden, the Light disappeared. Lest we miss it, let’s remember that the crowd thinks of themselves as sons of the Law and that the Law is the light. They...

John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes." Jesus was to be among them for only a little while longer. He wants them to see where they are going and knows that once the light is gone from them, the darkness will overtake them and...

John 12:34 The crowd then answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up?' Who is this Son of Man?" The crowd must have understood that Jesus was identifying as the Christ. The disciples certainly knew it but had been told to tell no one. Matthew 16:20 “Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no on...

John 12:32-33. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. It’s like Jesus had been sitting in the secret council chambers of the Pharisees. He knew their plans, but unbeknownst to them, He would accomplish the very thing they were trying to prevent, namely, the whole world going after Him (12:1...

John 12:31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Now that God has testified in this world and confirmed that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, God’s judgment upon this world has come. The judgment is that this world hates God because its ruler is a murderer and an imposter. He and this world were judged, exposed, and condemned by Jesus’ presence and G...

John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes." Was it thunder or the voice of an angel that was heard? Jesus clearly stated what was heard: the voice of God. And He declared that God spoke for the sake of everyone who heard and not for His sake. He didn’t need encouragement. He was resolute. He came to suffer for the glory of God and was confident Go...

John 12:29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." Some said they heard thunder, and others said they heard an angel speaking to Him. Probably those who were planning His death tried to explain it away by saying it was thunder—a natural occurrence. In contrast, those who were inclined to believe said they...

John 12:28 Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." What was the purpose for which Jesus came to His hour of suffering? He was consumed with glorifying His Father and making His name great. He cried out, “Father, glorify Your name.” Implied is, “Glorify Your name in My hour of suffering. Look how quickly the Father testifie...

John 12:27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour. Jesus’ death was in view, the divine grain of wheat must die. He knew the time was upon Him. Even in that moment, He contemplated the impact on those He loved— they too will serve Him by laying down their lives. To follow Him, they will have to despise the...