Jesus' Replacements

Sermon at North Hill Adventist Fellowship, December 11, 2010


Today's sermon arises out of the intersection (or maybe I should say, the collision) of the dread, fear and anger I perceive among many conservative American Christians and the confidence, hope and amazing affection Jesus expressed in his farewell remarks in John 13-16.

John 13 begins with Jesus at the table with his closest followers. He gets up from the table, wraps a towel around his waist and washes his disciples' feet.

It was a shocking breech of etiquette. In first century Judaism, it was common for rabbis to have a company of disciples who acted as gofers. The whim of the rabbi was their command. But washing their rabbi's feet was a step too low. Not even the greatest rabbi would require this of the lowliest disciple. Footwashing was done only by slaves and women. So when Jesus got up from the table and began washing the disciples' feet, he had their attention! They were listening.

“You call me master and teacher,” Jesus said, “and rightly so. That's who I am. Now that I, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, I expect you to wash each others' feet.

Jesus had taught love throughout his ministry. He called people to seek reconciliation with their brothers, to practice forgiveness, to love even their enemies. So, while Jesus' behavior was shocking, the point he was making was congruent with what the disciples had been hearing for three years. But Jesus went on to say things that were as shocking as was his action of washing their feet.

For three years the disciples had served as Jesus' assistants. Jesus had been the point man, the preacher, the healer. When critics challenged the mission, Jesus was the one they attacked. Even when the Pharisees addressed their questions to the the disciples, “Why does your Master . . . .?” Jesus stepped in and answered.

For three years, the disciples enjoyed the luxury of hiding behind the wisdom, courage and power of their master. Now, all that was about to change. Jesus was not going to be available for throwing stones at, for challenging with unanswerable questions. Jesus was no longer going to be around to touch or preach to sinners. It was going to be up to the disciples. They were going to be the point men of the Kingdom of Heaven.

At the Last Supper, Jesus made it crystal clear that this switch from himself to the disciples as the earthly face of the Kingdom of Heaven was not some ad hoc arrangement for dealing an unforeseen or unavoidable catastrophe. No, this switch was Jesus' (and thus the Father's) preferred way forward.

When the Devil had done his damnedest and Judas had betrayed the Lord of Glory and Peter had denied his friend and the religious leaders had employed the power of the state to eliminate the clearest, purest voice of virtue and God-in-the-Flesh in the flesh was dead . . . at that point the Kingdom of Heaven would be ready to really get rolling. “It is for your good that I am going away” (John 16:7). “You will do even greater work than I have been doing!” (John 14:12).

There was work God needed done that could not be done until after Jesus left. Note the verb “leave” here is a euphemism for betrayal, denial and crucifixion. The ending was going to be excruciatingly painful. Let's be honest about that. The disciples were going to be devastated by the horrors of crucifixion weekend. Jesus himself was deeply troubled by Judas' betrayal (14:21). But from the point of view of heaven, the disaster of crucifixion weekend was just one more step in the forward movement of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was getting out of the way so the disciples could take on the work God had in mind for them.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:12-14.

You will do what I have been doing! And even greater things? Wow!

If Jesus had this kind of confidence in the face of the crucifixion, why should we be terrified in the face of prognostications about economic and political collapse? Why all the hand-wringing and gloominess among Christians over the predictions by dealers in gold and silver that our paper will become worthless? Why the terror at the prospect of socialism? Is financial loss or the alteration of the political system really sufficient to rob us of our confidence or our mission? I don't think so. If we can do something to strengthen national or global financial stability, let's get busy and do it. If we have strong opinions about optimal about government structure, we ought to work to see them implemented. But don't get caught up in the whirlwind of fear, gossip and anger characteristic of so much of the political right. Christians are to be known for their love not their anger.

Repeatedly in these chapters, Jesus speaks of obedience.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” “Those who have commands and obey them are the ones who love me. And they will be loved by my Father and I will love them and show myself to them.” “A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 14:15; 21; 13:34).

It's clear Jesus made these statements in full confidence that his disciples were actually going to do the loving he talked about.

I grew up hearing statements like these as descriptions of hopelessly remote standards. They were statements of the magnitude of the condemnation I deserved. However, this was a perversion of Jesus' intention. Jesus was describing not a standard (with its inevitable implication of condemnation) but an ideal with its implication of hope, growth, and progress.

Notice how Jesus himself interpreted his own words.

Just after he told the disciples, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus predicted Peter's egregious failure of denying his Master.

Then, immediately following this exchange, without even a transitional phrase, Jesus told Peter and company about his happy plans for spending eternity with them.

“Do not let your heart trouble you. [Hey, Peter, you're going to screw up. Big time. But don't fret. We are friends. Tonight's coming failure is an anomaly. I know you really are a lover. Our friendship is sturdy enough to survive tonight's failure.]

“Trust God. Trust me. [Really, we are big enough to handle your failure.] God has a place for you in his house, a place for you at his table. In fact, the very reason I'm leaving is to make sure the place is ready . . . so we can be together forever.”

How did Jesus deal with the failure of his friends, even egregious failure like Peter's blatant, public denial that he ever knew Jesus? Jesus busied himself preparing their places in heaven.

How does Jesus deal with your failure? Even your egregious, blatant, public failures? Hear his words: “Let not your heart be troubled.” “Turn again and strengthen your brothers and sisters” (Luke 22:32).

Jesus is going to heaven to prepare for this bright future. What is our work?
If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth . . . [whom] you know for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. . . . On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. . . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 14:15-23
We find the center of our work for God in love. Love for God. Love for people. Love is not always gentle and compliant. Love always seeks the good of others before my own good. Love respects others, even when they are wrong. Even when they are annoying.

When we obey Jesus' command to love like God does, to love our brothers and sisters and enemies, Jesus keeps us company. Jesus and the Father make themselves at home in our lives when we engage in the work of love.

Note Jesus' description of the “how-to” for the initiation of the work of the Holy Spirit: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor. . . . forever.” This is in stark contrast to the teaching of countless seminars that stress various conditions believers have to meet before the Holy Spirit can become fully active in their lives. Jesus does not tell the disciples to pray or repent or meditate or ask for the Holy Spirit. In this passage, the Holy Spirit works in the lives of the disciples because of Jesus' initiative.

Certainly there is a place for human action, but here in John 13-16, Jesus never suggests that the work of the Holy Spirit is contingent on prayer meetings or fasting or any of the other techniques people teach as the key to compelling the Spirit to be more active in our lives. Jesus announces the Spirit will act because he, Jesus, is going to request action.

In these chapters, Jesus repeatedly urges his disciples to pray. The point of their prayer is to ask for big assignments and significant power so their work might bring glory to God.

If you are working on your Ph. D. don't settle for research that will merely get you the degree, reach for the moon.

If you are a spouse, don't settle for surviving in your marriage, ask God for the power to cultivate enviable, wonderful intimacy.

If you preacher, ask for the capacity to speak of God's love so persuasively that people forget their condemnation, shame and fear and become suffused with hope, confidence and joy.

Do good. Show love. Practice mercy. Speak the truth. Shun fear, anger and disdain. Even for your enemies. Even for the faceless cabals you think are manipulating the world. Do the good Jesus would, if he were still the point man.

Jesus has turned over the earthly representation of the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples, to you. He has full confidence his disciples are going to be lovers and that the Holy Spirit is going to be active in their lives. Jesus was quite happy to switch roles with his disciples. For three years, he was the point man and they were the helpers. Now they were going to be the point men and women and Jesus was going to be the Helper. We are the point men and women. Jesus is our helper. Happily.

And this arrangement is going to accomplish God's work. It's going to succeed.

So you, whoever you are, are engaged in work of dazzling significance. Parents, lovers, employers, employees, students, teachers, preachers, IT professionals, medical professionals, concrete finishers—all of us who are Christians carry the face of God in our world. When we are lovers, Jesus becomes visible in us.

Let's conclude with the final words of Jesus' dinner sermon:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

Amen.



A couple of random comments:

Note 1.
In contrast to the Synoptics, John says nothing about the food. Instead he tells us about the foot washing and gives an extended report on Jesus' words. John explicitly separates this last supper chronologically from the Passover supper, highlighting the truth that the importance of this evening is not its connection with Passover and thus with Jewish history and identity, rather what matters are the actions and words of Jesus. Jesus' life and words and death and resurrection have created a new reality, utterly eclipsing Jewish and Roman and Greek “truths.”

Note 2.
I recently read a commentary that reasserted the traditional view that John the Apostle is the author of the gospel. Further this commentary argued for an early date for the writing—at least prior to 70 A.D. And for full independence of the gospel as a historical witness. To my surprise, I found the arguments quite persuasive. http://bible.org/series/commentary-gospel-john. I shouldn't have been so surprised because I have long been profoundly skeptical of "the assured results of scholarship" in several areas of biblical criticism which proceed in the absolute absence of documentary evidence.