Manifested Love, Pt 6: Prologue
John 13:31-33 31When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
Daniel 7:13-14 13“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Mark 14:61b-62 Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Philippians 2:5-11 5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When we consider the enormity of the mission that brought Jesus to take on human form—the radical restructuring of the world and the offer of eternal life for all who will believe—we shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus has used the tender words little children to speak to his disciples. The disciples had been with Jesus for 3 years and yet had learned so very little and it seems Jesus was being tender because of the extremely steep learning curve ahead of them. Judas had just been unceremoniously ‘scooted out’ and told to hurry up and do what he intended to do, and Jesus is about to enter into an extended teaching intended to comfort them and prepare them for his betrayal and death. This ‘prologue’ sets the stage for what is to come.
The Son of Man
‘Son of Man’ was Jesus’ favorite title he used to describe himself. Every literate Jew of his day knew the reference to Daniel 7 and by the 1st Century Daniel 7 had begun to take on the connotation of Messianic promise. Daniel 7 speaks of a human being walking on the clouds into Heaven and presented to God Himself. He is vindicated because of a period of suffering and given kingly authority. Whenever Jesus used Son of Man he was bringing attention to his God-given authority and indicating his coming suffering and resurrection.
Glorification
At the exit of Judas from the Last Supper the die was cast. There was now no stopping the approaching events, and at that point Jesus’ character and his glory are seen in full measure. The grammar in English is rather awkward but Jesus is expressing an intimate connection between Himself and his Father. They are two of the three expressions of the one Godhead, so close as to be inseparable, and in sending Judas on to do what must be done, Jesus, rather than avoiding the coming storm, is walking straight into it. He is determined to be obedient and loving to and of his Father. This is the expression of his Glory. But maybe a better expression of his glory is stated in the Philippians verse. Remember Jesus is one with the Father for eternity past and eternity future. Yet he gave up that high place to become humble even to death by torture.
Where I Am Going
Jesus was about to go the Cross; to make the supreme sacrifice. It might be tempting to assume Jesus meant the disciples shouldn’t themselves be crucified. But crucifixion is not the point; the reason for the crucifixion is the point. The disciples didn’t fully understand this until after the resurrection—that death and resurrection are required to free believers of the consequence of their sin. The disciples couldn’t do that, no human could. They were neither righteous nor holy and so could never approach God on his throne. They were not the Son of Man. But in their limited way they did believe Jesus was God in human form, and so one day they would follow Jesus into eternity. It’s sad, though, to realize that unbelievers don’t have that option; they will die in their sins.
What About Me
It can seem that these verses have no present day relevance for us believers stuck in the sin and deception of the world. It would be wrong to think that. Remember Jesus’ death and resurrection applies to all people past, present, and future. That applies to me, to you, and to any other person who accepts Jesus as Savior. He loves you to the same extent as anyone else. He loves you so much that He was willing to die in your place so that you wouldn’t die in your sins. This means a huge price has been paid for you. Considering that, I can’t help myself; I love Jesus back.
Loving Jesus back means living in such a way that our lives please him. Often when hearing that kind of statement people think in terms of big things: I don’t murder, I don’t commit adultery, that sort of thing. But loving back means the small things also. It means not swearing; it means not making hand gestures; it means looking after someone else’s needs before our own. When I wake in the morning I often (but not every time) ask God to lead me to some person during the course of the day that needs help in some way. It doesn’t happen every day, but occasionally someone would like a cup of coffee or just a friendly smile. They always feel better and so do I. It’s a win-win.
You might ask, “I think I love God, but I don’t feel particularly close. What do I do?” Here are 5 things to help you grow close to the Son of Man.
1. Pray. Number 1 and 5 are very similar, but have a different focus. In this case, be grateful for what God has done for you. Recognize the gifts and skills He has given you and thank Him for your blessings.
2. Read your Bible. You can read a physical Bible or download an app to your phone. Find a time and place to read frequently; everything you ever wanted to know about God is there!
3. Join a community. This is important! It is easy for Satan to attack and pick off the so-called Lone Ranger. That’s the guy who thinks he can to it himself. We need believing friends to help us through our struggles; they are the ones who pray for us and pick us up when we fall.
4. Study and ask questions. Nobody knows everything; understanding lays in group discussions and the sharing of insights. The Bible has been around for thousands of years and speaks to every generation so don’t be embarrassed if you don’t understand a passage. The Bible is a gift from God to help us understand Him.
5. Talk to Jesus about your day. This is difficult for many people because it seems like you are talking to empty space. But Jesus is there and listening. Tell Him what you did, your failures and your successes. Repent of your sin that day and ask Him to forgive. He will.