Thoughts and Musings on John 12-18

I have been reading in John this past month. I have just finished reading those final chapters before Jesus is arrested and crucified. It struck me as I was reading it that these were Jesus's last words before he was arrested. These were the thoughts and ideas he wanted to leave with his disciples. It was what he wanted them to remember when things seemed to turn for the worst. Chapter 12 starts six days before passover. This is the begining of Jesus's last teachings (pre-resurrection) to his disciples. He is arrested in Chapter 18.

I want to share a few verses that stood out, but I encourage you to go back and read these chapters. After reading them I encourage you to think and pray over them and what they mean to your life and the way you live.

1. In the begining of Chapter 13 Jesus washes his disciples feet and when he is finished he leaves this command "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life"(John 13:12-17). So, we must serve others as Christ served us.

2. Christ leaves us a command, which I believe goes largely ignored - "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recongize that you are my disciples - when they see the love you have for each other"(John 13:34). I believe this is a difficult command to follow because there are so many different types of people and personalities in the church, but if everyone of those people and every type of those personalities made the decision to love one another and to serve one another I think that it would be much easier to follow this command. Whether or not someone who call themselves a Christian acts with love towards us, we need to act with love towards them (this is a characteristic hard to master- thankfully we have a God of grace and a God who gives us the strength to do this when we ask for his help).

More importantly, if every Christian followed this command then the world would be able to recongize us. Too often silly arguments about seats, music, church remodeling and moving, and more causes division in a Church. People leave Churches over music, seats and personality issues. Where is this okay in the Bible???? (though I believe there are appropiate times to change churches) As a side note, we need to remember that as Christians was are here to serve the "Church" (a body of fellow believers), the church does not exist to serve us. Each one of us who is not a "pastor" by career title is a lay pastor. We need to practice love, forgiveness and grace and work towards learning what really matters to God. If there is any doubt to what is important to God, John 15:17 says, "But remember the root command: Love one another".

3. Finally, Jesus left the disciples with the hope and power of prayer. John 14:12-14 says "The person who trust me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do what I've been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it. That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I'll do." and then again in John 16:23-24 "This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certaintly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks". Then later on in the same passage Jesus tells his disciples that because they have loved and believed in him soon they will be able to talk directly to God. I think the verses say it all, but because of the cross we have to power to be able to communicate through prayer to God. We are able to continue the work of Christ in this day.

Some more pictures from Guatemala:

This is me introducing myself to a group from Teen Challenge - my first time introducing myself and explaining Convoy of Hope in front of adults in Spanish. I was nervous =).

We prayed for the men in the center and then they prayed for us - it was a really good time of prayer.

This is a picture from Antigua - the processiones were very interesting. A very cool cultural experience.

This is an platform (or an image) of Jesus that was carried in a procession

A man carrying a cross in a procession. The smoke is because they use alot of incense.

The volcano Fuego that overlooks Antigua

An alfombra (rug/carpet) made of sawdust. Only the big platform of Jesus and the following platform of Mary are allowed to walk over the alfombra.

Men working on an alfombra - there are many alfombras made during this week. On every street where there is a procession there are alfombras.