Authority given to him To give eternal life

Jesus got some disciples which he made into apostles, people to sent out and to bring his messages to other places. Those apostles have listened to, which they could see with their own eyes. Their own hands have handled concerning the Word of Life and brought us also the message of the Good News.

The Life of the Ages which was with the Father was manifested to them in order that more people could also have fellowship in it and could find fellowship and union with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

The evangelists wrote those things down in order that their joy may be made complete in bringing the very important message of the one they considered to be the Messiah. If, while they were living in darkness, they professed to have fellowship with him, they spoke falsely and were not adhering to the truth. (1 John 1:6) For them it was also clear that he who professes to know him, and yet does not obey his commands, is a liar, and the truth has no place in his heart. (1 John 2:4) Therefore it is for Christians very important to seriously consider how they want to look at Jesus and how they follow up his orders.

As brothers and sisters in Christ we should have unity like Jesus was one with his heavenly Father. Together we should have fellowship with one another, in the knowledge that the blood of Jesus Christ, God His son, we are cleansed from every sin, but may not think we are without sin. As sinful human beings we still are weak and prone to sin. (Are not mistaken.) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

When Judas, having taken a group of soldiers and temple-police from the chief priests and Pharisees, came in the Garden of Gethsemane with lanterns, torches, and weapons, Jesus asked them whom they were looking for. When they answered him and said,

“Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus said to them,

“I am he.”

like any of us would answer “I am” when asked if we were so or so, such a reply with “I am” does not make us to be God, like many trinitarians do think Jesus is God because he gave such an answer.

Joh 18:3-8 The Scriptures 1998+ (3) Yehuḏah, then, having received the company of soldiers, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, and torches, and weapons. (4) יהושע {Jeshua}, then, knowing all that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” (5) They answered Him, “יהושע {Jeshua} of Natsareth.” יהושע {Jeshua} said to them, “I am.” And Yehuḏah, who delivered Him up, was also standing with them. (6) When, therefore, He said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (7) Once more He asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “יהושע {Jeshua} of Natsareth.” (8) יהושע {Jeshua} answered, “I said to you that I am. If, then, you seek Me, allow these to go,”

Before all this Jesus had asked them

“Do you know what I have done to you?

Joh 13:13-20 The Scriptures 1998+ (13) “You call me Teacher and Master, and you say well, for I am. (14) “Then if I, Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) “For I gave you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. (16) “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is an emissary greater than he who sent him. (17) “If you know these teachings, blessed are you if you do them. (18) “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but that the Scripture might be filled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ (19) “Now I say to you, before it takes place, that when it does take place, you shall believe that I am. (20) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send, receives Me. And he who receives Me, receives Him who sent Me.”

It was only a short time that Jesus had a public life going around teaching and trying to get people to understand the Works of his Father, the Only One True God. After three years the time came for Jesus to lift up his eyes to heaven recognising that the time had come. Then Jesus asked God that He would glorify His Son, that he may glorify Him, the God of Abraham, just as He has given Jeshua (Jesus Christ) authority over all mankind to give eternal life to all whom God has given to him.

It is God Who calls and it is God Who gives. Jesus is the sent one from God, who brought light into the world. For Jesus it was clear that eternal life means knowing Jehovah God as the only true God, but as being the sent one from God he also knew that for mankind it was important to get to know him as well. The world had to come to recognise Jeshua, Jesus Christ as God His messenger and as Kristos or Christ.

Jesus all his life long did not want to do his will but tried always to do God’s Will. He also never claimed doing the miracles himself and never wanted the glory for himself. He always glorified Jehovah God down here upon the earth by completing the work which God had given him to do. But now came the time that Jesus asked his heavenly Father also to glorify him. Before Jesus was born, God already promised the world to send a saviour. This happened already before the world with all the inhabitants existed. Only the 1° Adam and Eve where there to hear about him who would be called later, the son of man, the son of God and would be the 2° Adam, the first-born of the re-newed world.

In the short time Jesus publicly went from one place to an other, he made Jehovah, the God of Abraham known to the men whom God had given him out of the world. God made Jesus to chose men from the world who would continue Jesus his work. At first they were Gods, but now God had given them to Jesus, and they have obeyed God’s message. In this way those disciples of Jesus have come to know that everything God has given Jeshua (Jesus) really comes from God; for Jesus has given them the teachings that did not come form Jesus himself but came from God. It were the Words from God given to Christ Jesus which the disciples of Jesus accepted and they have come to know in reality that Jesus did come from God, and so they were convinced that God did send him. In Jesus they found the light of life and found their sending.

Joh 17:1-8 The Scriptures 1998+ (1) יהושע {Jeshua} said these words, and lifted up His eyes to the heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Esteem Your Son, so that Your Son also might esteem You, (2) as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give everlasting life to all whom You have given Him. (3) “And this is everlasting life, that they should know You, the only true Elohim, and יהושע {Jeshua} Messiah whom You have sent. (4) “I have esteemed You on the earth, having accomplished the work You have given Me that I should do. (5) “And now, esteem Me with Yourself, Father, with the esteem which I had with You before the world was. (6) “I have revealed Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have guarded Your Word.1 Footnote: 1See Ps. 138:2. (7) “Now they have come to know that all You gave to Me, is from You. (8) “Because the Words which You gave to Me, I have given to them. And they have received them, and have truly known that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

“To give eternal life to …”

(April 22)

Today we read the conclusion to – what we see as a sort of ‘Bible School’ Jesus gave his disciples in the hours before his arrest. John, his most intimate disciple, records it in wonderful, thought provoking detail. It began with the washing of the disciples’ feet (chapter 13), to the end of chapter 17 – for chapter 18 starts with

“When Jesus has spoken these words he went out with his disciples … where there was a garden”.

Chapter 17 contains the climax to his teachings; it is actually his prayer to the Father which John obviously heard. Christ’s teaching had included the wonderful promise that “the Holy Spirit” described as a “Helper … even the Spirit of Truth” (14:16,17) would be given to them and this

“Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (verse 26).

By this means John was able to write down in great detail the teaching at this ‘Bible School’ that took place that evening, probably till after midnight. Jesus is praying for the unity of his disciples for at times there had been dispute among them as to who would be the greatest (Luke 9:36). Jesus says in his prayer,

“… Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (verses 11,22).

This shows us that there is a perfect unity (not a Trinity, it’s not a Bible word). Between Jesus and God, which true followers must also strive to have.

Our Saviour’s prayer to God also acknowledges the “authority” he has been given

“to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (verse 2).

He then says,

“this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (verse 3).

This is to “know” in the sense of developing a real living relationship with Jesus and his Father, developed from a heart-felt ‘knowing’ of his word.

Finally, the prayer of Jesus is also –

“I do not ask for these (the disciples) only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one … so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (verses 21,22).

And so the disciples became Apostles (which developed the meaning ‘sent forth’ – see Acts 1:25) and they were a team, there was no further dissension from jealousies between.

May we fully follow their example as we share the original gospel with others. Sadly the increasing spiritual darkness in our world is obscuring the light – so look at the challenging, but inspiring words of 1 John 1:5-7.

1Jn 1:5-7 The Scriptures 1998+ (5) And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that Elohim is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and are not doing the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of יהושע {Jeshua} Messiah His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Preceding articles:

Doing the works of God

Not my will, but thine be done

Maintaining unity of Spirit in the bond of peace becoming one with God