The cross was intentional. This means: Your salvation was God’s plan all along. The first part of the verse tells us that the Savior arrived precisely when he meant to. The second speaks of his motivation. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
Most of the day before had been spent doing miracles. But here we learn that these signs and wonders are secondary to the message he had given that morning. Jesus didn’t want the people to see him as a healer first. The miracles supported the mission, but it wasn’t the mission. How many people want to come to Jesus for the blessing but not the message?
There are things in your life that are trying to take control of you. The closer you get to Jesus, the more these things will scream to try and keep control of you and to get your attention back. But this evil had met its match.
So, what does Jesus want? Following! When does he want it? Now! “Immediately,” they dropped their nets. What did those nets mean for them? It was a job. It was security. It was the family business, so it was more than money. James and John literally leave their dad in the boat.
It meant letting go of the sure thing—the reliable thing—for what could be with God. This is the first flicker of faith we see in the life of the disciples.
Why did Jesus get baptized? Because you and me need to be baptized. After this, baptism became a central part of the Christian initiation. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28 to go out and baptize others even as we make disciples. It is the outward demonstration of what has happened in our hearts. It is an action to help us remember that we decided to follow Jesus…
In the dusty wilderness, John called people to repent and be baptized to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah. Repentance still prepares our hearts for forgiveness, salvation, and for the the arrival and work of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian message is not the story of a distant God. He is here to reveal truth to us personally. The final verse reminds us that this truth will only come through faith in the true God. A substitute will not do at all…There is nothing stopping us from overcoming the world together.
This passage teaches us many things, but the biggest reminder is that salvation is found when we believe. It is more than knowing or hearing the word. But it is not just believing in the idea of Jesus, but it is believing in a particular series of things about Jesus. Christians have a distinctive faith.
Maybe we are asking the wrong questions. Is my goal to make God happy or to be like God? Is my goal to obey the rule or to be like the rule-Giver? Is my goal to escape wrath or to gain life? Am I trying to get God to leave me alone or to lead me home? Obedience should not be a burden. It is a gift and a guide.
No one has seen God, but they see us. When God loves us and we love others, we are showing God to the world. If this works, people can look at us and say: “I bet you look just like your dad.”
How’s the family resemblance in your life?