Love God Greatly - Our Security for Eternity: The Gospel of John نموونە

Read: John 12:12–50

SOAP: John 12:44–46

But Jesus shouted out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness.”

In our reading today we see the final events of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus left Bethany five days before Passover, the morning after Mary poured oil on His feet. Jesus knew the Pharisees and chief priests wanted to kill Him, but He also knew what He needed to do. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, many who believed in Him praised and blessed Him as He entered the city.

More people came to Jesus in Jerusalem, wanting to know Him. Jesus knew His time had come, and He was not going to perform any more miracles. Instead, He explained, again, the way to eternal life: believing in Him. His purpose was to glorify the Father by dying for the sin of the world in order that we might have access to God and eternal life. The crowd did not understand, still not recognizing that Jesus had come to die, not to rule. In the final hours of Jesus’ public ministry, many still refused to believe in Him despite all the miraculous signs He performed.

In His final words to the crowd, Jesus once again explained His identity and purpose, along with establishing His authority. Jesus is God incarnate; God made flesh. His purpose is to glorify God. When we believe in Jesus, believing that He is the Son of God and the only way to eternal life, we believe in the Father. He is the Light that removes darkness and gives life.

This is meant to remind us of the opening of John’s Gospel, where Jesus is presented as the Light of the World, as well as Jesus’ claim that He is the Light of the World. When we remain in Him, we are free from the darkness of sin. While the world may want to remain in darkness, believers in Christ belong to the light. The Light brings life, and without the Light, we do not know God.

Jesus is the Light of the World. When we believe in Him, we believe not only in His message and His testimony, but we believe in the One who sent Him. Without Him, we remain in darkness. He came to save us from this darkness, to bring us into the light.