Commentary on John 12 (4)

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Commentary on John 12 (4)

While Jesus was on this earth, the voice of God came to him three times, and each time it was an event that occurred before his death.

First, at his baptism (Matthew 3:17) and then at the mount of transfiguration where he revealed his death. (Matthew 17:5)

And at the end of John 12, when he died like a grain of wheat and rotted, and prayed to receive glory, a voice was heard saying, "I have  glorified it, and I will glorify it again". (John 12:28)

Through this incident, we can realize and know what process we will follow to reach glory.

Therefore, the servants of the Lord who follow the Lord must understand the meaning of Jesus’ words, “Follow me” (John 12:26).

And when Jesus said, “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to me” (John 12:32), the people answered him, “We have heard out of the law that Christ abides for ever: and how say you, The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” (John 12:34)

The people are correct in saying that Christ, the Messiah, is eternal.

But they don't know the reality.

Because they only think humanly, Jews do not hope for Christ to come in the spirit, but rather for a human Messiah like a superstar like Elijah.

The people still do not know the mystery of Jesus’ death and being raised.

They have only heard that Christ lives forever.

So they asked, Why do you have to die if you say you are Christ?

They do not know that after he died, was raised three days later, and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, came into us in his name and lived forever as Christ.

Even now, they say that the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal, yesterday and today, but they do not know what process and procedure he came to us or how they receive and serve him as Lord, and they say unclearly that they believe  on Jesus Christ.

“Jesus said to them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness come upon  you: for he who walks in the darkness know not whither he goes.” (John 12:35)

And he says, While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light. (John 12:36)

We are a group of people called by the Lord and gathered together in him.

We are a group of people bound together as members of Christ by the Holy Spirit within the body of Christ.

There must be deep fellowship with the Lord.

When referring to a church, the word fellowship seems quite friendly and good, but it is dangerous because it tends to flow into fellowship between only humans.

What is important is that fellowship means koinonia, oneness, and truth.

Through the fellowship of the Word of Christ, the Lord gives himself  to us.

In a state of unity, the Lord gives everything to us.

That is our portion and inheritance, and on that day, today, we are in the Lord, and the Lord is in us, so the Lord manifests to us as light, life, and love.

Believing in Jesus without this mystery can easily become idolatry.

Such faith takes great pains to relearn about Jesus Christ when one leaves this world.

Many people are groaning here and there right now.

Why should we drink the cup of sickness or suffering?

Most people get seriously ill because they need to know all the knowledge about Jesus Christ in a short period of time and make it their own.

They are doing their homework on their hospital bed.

During the period of our serious illness, he showed us heaven and told him the word, so he realized that Jesus Christ was this kind of , that he did this for him and that he prepared this blessing for him future, and he believe in this and finally enter the kingdom of God. He will pass by.

If the mission remains, he will recover again and rise up to do a ministry that shines the light.

A pastor friend of mine died a long time ago. He used my commentary on Romans, the Gospel of John, and Hebrews to bring about considerable revival during his 15 years of ministry. However, when he was not even 60 years old, he received a call from the Lord and died while fasting at a prayer center. 

At that time, he came to Korea, officiated the funeral, and as I was leaving, he told his widow with a sad heart that her husband, the pastor, had now been called by the Lord at the highest level, so take heart and follow the rest of the pastor's wishes.

A few months before that happened, he took a sabbatical year and came to my ministry, and while we were talking, I scolded him for not being able to cross the epistle of Hebrews.

I said that the book of Hebrews does not accept you because you are using the Word of God for the desire to revive the church, but when he returned to Korea and I saw him participating in a seminar on church growth at a famous church, his attitude toward the Word was already changed. I resigned him to the thought that he was headed down the path of a professional preacher steeped in pragmatism.

According to what the assistant pastor of that church told me, when he heard the news of my friend's pastor's cardiac arrest, he ran to the prayer center and found that my friend's pastor had only the bible, my tapes of commentary of John, and tapes of commentary on Romans and  tapes of commentary on Hebrews in his bag.

On the way back from the funeral, I stopped by his grave and said, 'I guess I sent you to the Lord.' It seems that forcing you to cross the book of Hebrews was too much for you. Rest easy now. I said I would do the rest, put a note containing my thoughts next to the epitaph, and left for the mission field.

In my view, he did not see any possibility of further development, so just as God took Elijah, he had him die in a prayer center to show the best image of him, thus preserving his reputation and saving the remaining church.

I would like to ask whether it remains as a single grain or whether it is several grains left on the cross.

As it is said that true repentance is a challenge to glory, since true repentance and baptism are exchanges for the Lord on the cross, we can see the glory of God by moving toward the throne of the Lord by the Holy Spirit of truth on that spot.

Such people can be carried by the Spirit of the Lord and spread themselves across the five oceans and six continents.

If you have been called as a servant of the Lord, rather than a vain desire to leave behind great achievements, your first priority should be to continue to ask, seek, and knock to find out what procedures, methods, and principles to become one with the Lord and approach to his glory as someone who died with Christ and is alive again with him. You should always have a heart that longs for them as a thirsty deer.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION

To God be the glory.