Davar Kingdom of God - God's Miniature

This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (15:8). The ultimate purpose of our life as God's miniatures is to show the glory of our Father in heaven. Speaking of God's glory, however, we Christians often mistake it with worldly honor that comes from men. The above scripture says that it is by the fact that we are Jesus' disciples that our Father is gloried. And how do we become his disciples? Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." The glory we seek in this world is merely praise or honor that comes from men, and has nothing to do with God's glory. This is because his glory is hidden from the world, and can be seen only through our spiritual eyes. Peter, in his first epistle, encourages Christians who are going through persecutions and various hardships, which he calls "unjust suffering," in the following way: But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:13). Happy are those who give themselves to suffer as Christ suffered, for he will share his glory with them. When he shares his glory with you, you reflect his glory, and shine as the light of the world. This happens because you make yourself nothing and give yourself to God as a living sacrifice. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (1 Pet 4:14). God's glory is in his Spirit, and it is by his Spirit that glory is revealed and manifested. Therefore, in order for the glory to be revealed through you, you will need to be led by his Spirit. … because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children (Rom 8:14-16). God's glory does not come from you, and hence it cannot be shown by yourself. It is the Spirit of God that manifests himself through you by working with your human spirit. Glory is in the "revealing (apokalupsis, disclosure) of the sons of God," whom the Father bore through the word of truth. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed (lit. longing for the revealing of the sons of God, vv. 18-19). Those who have this hope put all the desires of the flesh away, and set their mind on bearing fruit by walking in the spirit. Guard yourself against the words of judgment and criticism people may hurl at you according to their standard of the honor and praise of this world, which has nothing to do with God's glory. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (v. 17). We are not only co-heirs with Christ in terms of the blessings we receive, but also in terms of the sufferings and glory we share with him. This status of a co-heir with Christ is the special spiritual position where God wants us to be. Jesus prayed for us to the Father on the night before he was crucified: Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world (John 17:24).

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings (lit. God) and crowned him with glory and honor (Ps 8:3-5). When it comes to keeping the commandments, we Christians think that it only means to not do anything wrong: as long as we do not do those of "You shall not …," we are not sinning and we are okay. But according to the above scripture, as for "anyone … who knows the good he ought to do," if he "doesn't do it," he sins. In our minds, doing what is wrong is not the same as not doing what is right. Yet, the Bible says, they are the same. "The good he ought to do" is to love, and not to love is a sin. Not to love does not merely means to hate, but also to have passive attitudes about the command to love one another. Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor (lit. glory and beauty, Exod 28:2). God gave Moses some detailed instructions as to how to make priestly garments—what material in what color is to be used, etc. The priestly garments show the kind of glory and beauty a priest has in the spiritual world. Glory and beauty in their world are as real as those in our physical world, and whoever has them is admired by all. In the Bible, we have a story of the demon possessed man who ran and fell on his knees in front of Jesus shouting, "Jesus, Son of the Most High God!" To the eyes of the evil spirits, the glory that surrounded Jesus was more than they could bear. Glory is spiritual and comes from God who is spirit. Therefore, the glory that comes from God and the splendor of this world that we see with our eyes are not only different from each other, but also incompatible to each other. You cannot seek both glory from God and glory from men (or praise from men as in NIV) at the same time as you cannot serve two masters, God and money, or love both the Father and the world. Jesus said: I do not accept praise (lit. glory) from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise (lit. glory) from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise (lit. glory) that comes from the only God (John 5:41-44)? If you seek glory from men, that is the only kind of glory you will receive, and you are alien to Jesus' discipleship. In fact, such an attitude is evil and Satanic that it contagiously makes others unclean in the church. Jesus said to his disciples on the night he was betrayed: This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (15:8). To our minds, to seek God's glory is to seek to sit on Moses' seat in a synagogue, or to sit on the right or the left of Jesus as the two sons of Zebedee once sought. To Jesus' mind, however, it was to die on the cross that was for the glory of the Father. Jesus said: Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? "Father, save me from this hour"? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name (12:27-28)! And as his disciples, we follow in his footsteps. It is to our father's glory that we bear fruit and become his disciples. Jesus had earlier said: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (Mat 16:24-25). This is the only way to bear fruit and glorify the Father, and when he is gloried through us, he will share his glory with us.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins (James 4:17). When it comes to keeping the commandments, we Christians think that it only means to not do anything wrong: as long as we do not do those of "You shall not …," we are not sinning and we are okay. But according to the above scripture, as for "anyone … who knows the good he ought to do," if he "doesn't do it," he sins. In our minds, doing what is wrong is not the same as not doing what is right. Yet, the Bible says, they are the same. "The good he ought to do" is to love, and not to love is a sin. Not to love does not merely means to hate, but also to have passive attitudes about the command to love one another. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him (1 John 3:17)? Note the clause, "but has no pity on him," which can be translated literally, "but shuts his compassion on him": he has compassion in his heart, but shuts it with his head so that he ends up not doing anything for the person in need. He does not hate, nor hurt anybody, so he thinks he is okay. But is he? At the gate of a certain rich man, there was a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and always longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table, but the rich man, seeing him everyday, did nothing for him. Both died. Lazarus was brought to Abraham's bosom, but the rich man went to hell. When Christ comes and sits on his throne in glory, he separates all the people as a shepherd separates his flock, and puts the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. And he will say to those on his left: Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me (Mat 25:41-43). When an expert in the law, who wanted to say he was righteous, asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" he answered by telling the parable of a good Samaritan. For this expert in the law thought in his mind that the "neighbor" meant only the Jews, not the Samaritans. On the deserted road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a priest saw a Jew half dead lying on the ground, but passed by on the other side. A Levite came, and did the same. Both, not wanting to be bothered by unnecessary work which would take extra time and efforts, shut their hearts of compassion, and did nothing. After all, nobody saw it. They knew the good they had to do, and that is why they "passed by on the other side," but did not do it. And a Samaritan came, "took pity on him," and did everything he could following the heart of compassion he had. Jesus asked the expert in the law, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" He replied, "The one who had mercy on him," which indicates that he too knew the good. Then, Jesus said: Go and do likewise (Luke 10:37) Note that he said, "Go and …" Love requires active actions. Did Christ go to Jerusalem and die passively? No, he laid down his life willingly and actively. Remember that as far as his own interests were concerned, he was without sin, and did not have to die, nor had any reason to suffer as he did. This is love. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16). And he said: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12).

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood (1 John 4:6). Two kinds of spirit are working in this world: one is "the Spirit of truth," which comes from God, and the other is "the spirit of falsehood," which comes from Satan. The former is the spirit of life, light and love, and the latter is the spirit of death, darkness and hatred. All humans belong either to the Spirit of truth or to that of falsehood. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth (1:6). To "have fellowship with him (God)" means to know him and to love him, and anyone who has such fellowship walks in the light and loves his brother. In contrast, anyone who walks in the darkness hates his brother, and even if he claims to have fellowship with God, he belongs to the spirit of falsehood, and the truth is not in him. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble (2:9-10). It is important to keep in mind that the whole letter is about the command to love one another. With different words and expressions, the author is not only repeatedly encouraging the readers to love as a command, but also explaining how reasonable, logical and realistic it is for those who were born of God to do so. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen (4:20). Note the expression, "if anyone says (claims)…, yet (but) …" (also in 2:4 and 9), by which he is speaking of the hypocritical attitude of antichrists: they are led by the spirit of falsehood, and do not have fellowship neither with the believers nor with God himself. For Christians today, to love one another is usually considered something that is optional, extra, or additional to not sinning: "if you want to love, you can do so, but if you do not want to, you do not need to." In other words, to hate is a sin, but it is quite permissible to not love actively and deeply, or to be indifferent to the needs of others. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; and (such is) the one who does not love his brother (3:10). "Anyone who does not do what is right" is "the one who does not love his brother," and such a man is "not a child of God." It does not refer to hatred only, but not to love actively with the attitude of indifference is included. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (v. 16). Did Christ go on to the cross and die for us with the passive kind of love? John also says: If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him (v. 17)?

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart (1 Pet 1:22). This verse is composed of the following parts: 1) by obeying the truth 2) you have purified yourselves 3) you have sincere love for your brothers, 4) love one another deeply, from the heart By 1), 2) has happened, and as a result of 2), 3) came to be the fact, which becomes the basis for the command 4). To love one another even in persecutions is the main theme of this letter. Pay attention to the expression "obeying (hupakoe) the truth," which is not "knowing" or "understanding" the truth as we would normally say with the word "truth." Similarly, at the beginning of the letter (1:2), Peter says that Christians were chosen for "obedience (hupakoe) to Jesus Christ." Since Christ is the truth, to obey him is to obey the truth, which is more suitable to us today because Jesus is not here physically (cf. 1:8, 2:8). And it is by this obedience that sanctification comes. Holiness and obedience are inseparable: they are two sides of the same coin. Obedience to the word of God makes you holy, and disobedience to it indicates that you are not holy. Obedience involves two aspects: submission to the authority of God, and willingness to do his will and instructions. And it is through obedience and holiness that we come to have "sincere love" which is the most important spiritual fruit. With disobedience and un-holiness, there is only insincere love. Obedience to the truth means to get rid of ideas and desires that do not comply with the truth, and to let the truth dominate in actions and words. It is to give yourself up and follow Jesus in his footsteps as he also made himself nothing for the fulfillment of the Father's will. Jesus said to the disciples: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mat 16:24). It should be remembered that Jesus had just said to Peter, "Get behind me Satan!" Peter was only puzzled by Jesus' reaction that time. His ignorance and attitude of disobedience continued and resulted in his denial of Jesus. Note that he said, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will," while Jesus said, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written..." And even at the time Jesus turned to Peter and said, "I tell you the truth. This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times," Peter opposed him and said, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." His pledge of obedience to Jesus was proven to be fake and failure. Realizing he was in the attitude of pride and disobedient, he cried bitterly. Later, he re-baptized and purified himself in the Sea of Galilee when he received another lesson on obedience. The attitude of obeying the truth is best seen in the life of Jesus. He prayed to the Father, "... if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." He made himself nothing in obedience to the Father. Even for Jesus, it was by obedience that he sanctified himself: for he had prayed to the Father prior to the above prayer. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified (John 17:19). And because of his holiness, he was exalted to the highest place. ... he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (Phil 2:8-9),

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first (John 15:18). These were the words that Jesus spoke to the disciples right after he said, "This is my command: Love each other (v. 17)." Suddenly, he changed the subject from loving each other to the hating of this world that his disciples were about to experience. That "the world hates you" is not a possibility or a choice that we can make. It is a step that every Christian must take in order to bear fruit. In fact, it is often through persecutions that God prunes us cutting off the smaller branches that hinder us from bearing fruit. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (v. 19). Those who were chosen by God were taken out of the world, and brought into the kingdom of God—the family of the Trinity. If you live in this spiritual status, the world hates you. It is the friction between the two spiritual flows—one from God and another from Satan. As long as you live in this world where Satan is still at work, such friction is unavoidable unless you give up your spiritual status in Christ. You do not belong to the world, though you are in it, so it hates you. However, if you do not like the way the world hates you and want to be loved by it, you will need to go back to the world by giving up your spiritual status together with your inheritance in Christ. No, the Bible teaches us to delight in persecutions. Because of the love you have for Jesus, the people in this world will insult you, laugh at you, and criticize you. When the world does all of that, be glad and happy because you will come to bear much fruit, which is for the glory of the Father. For this very purpose, Christ came to this world. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (12:24). If this is the way the Son of God, our Lord, walked, then, we are to follow him living the same way as God's miniatures. Remember the words I spoke to you: "No servant is greater than his master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also (15:20). It is important to know that John's gospel, as well as the other gospels and letters in the New Testament, was written at the time when the Christians were going through severe persecutions. Jesus, knowing that the world was going to persecute his disciples, prepared the disciples' hearts for it so that they could remain in him. All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God (16:1-2). To "go astray" means to stumble or fall, which is the opposite of to "remain" in the meaning of to keep standing. In the midst of persecutions and hardships, the love of people would grow cold, but Jesus encouraged his disciples to remain in him and his love so that they would continue loving one another. The same encouragement exactly applies to us today, though the persecutions are not as hard as the time of the New Testament. The world does not know God's love because it knows neither the Father nor Jesus, but we love one another as Jesus loved us by remaining in his love. Loving one another is the important fruit we bear for the Father's glory. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (15:8).

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). " These were the words that the angel spoke to Mary. Jesus came to exist in a very abnormal way. All of his genes were inherited from his mother Mary except his Y chromosome, which determined his maleness: his Y chromosome must have come directly from the Father. This was, in fact, the fulfillment of the following scripture in Jeremiah. How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter? The LORD will create a new thing on earth— a woman will surround a man (lit. femaleness will envelop (a) male, Jer 31:22). Mary and Joseph, about 40 days after the birth of their son, went to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him to the Lord. Simeon who saw Jesus and was moved by the Holy Spirit blessed them and said to Mary: This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too (Luke 2:34-35). These words obviously indicated how Jesus was going to die, and how Mary was going to suffer because of his death. The name Mary in Greek is Mariam, and it is equivalent to Miriam in Hebrew. The name Miriam comes from the verb, mararu (to be bitter), and Miriam, the sister of Moses, was probably named that way because she was born at the time when the Hebrews were being persecuted in Egypt (their newborn boys were killed). She was a well-known prophetess and sang a victory song after the Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea. Another name that is associated with this word is Mara, the name by which Naomi called herself when she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth after she had lost her husband and both of her sons. She said: Don't call me Naomi (meaning pleasant). Call me Mara (bitterness), because the Almighty has made my life very bitter (hemar, Ruth 1:20). This Naomi as Mara corresponds to "Jesus' mother" in John's gospel. As Naomi took the son who was born of Boaz, and became his foster-mother (omenet), Mary took John as her son after the death of her own son Jesus. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home (John 19:26-27). "Jesus' mother" in John's gospel is the type of the Holy Spirit. She was separated from Jesus right before his death so that he could be given to his disciples. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty (v. 28)." This was also the fulfillment of the scripture, "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk (Exod 34:26)": the mother's milk was the Holy Spirit who nourished Jesus, and he was not sacrificed together with the "goat." The Holy Spirit who had fostered Jesus spiritually and worked with him in his ministry has now become the foster of those who were born through his redemption.

If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15). It should be remembered that Peter had earlier said, "I will lay down my life for you," which Jesus knew would not come to be fulfilled at this stage. The rest of the disciples were in the same condition, and seeing their inability to love and to understand what was said, Jesus said: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever (v. 16)-- Without the help of this "another Counselor," the above words of Jesus in v. 15 would not be fulfilled. The word, "Counselor," is "parakleitos (one who appears in another’s behalf)" in Greek, and "menahem (comforter)" in Hebrew. Since Jesus most likely spoke in Aramaic, the nuance of the word he used was closer to that of Hebrew "menahem" associated with its usage in the Old Testament. This word is used as a verb, when Ruth expressed her appreciation to Boaz for what he did for her: "you have given me comfort (Ruth 2:13)." It is also used when God spoke to the remnant of the Jews after the days of his judgments with the devastating experience of destruction and captivity were over: "Comfort, comfort my people (Isa 40:1)". It was not simply the healing of their emotion of sadness, but more importantly the restoration of what was lost, the creation of what was destroyed, and the revival of what became dead—the redemption. Jesus was the first of such a "comforter," and the Holy Spirit is "another comforter." … the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (v. 17). Jesus also called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth." The word "truth" is "aleitheia" in Greek, and "emet" in Hebrew. This word cannot be explained with only a few words as you can see from the way Jesus did not answer the question that the Roman governor Pilate asked, "What is truth?" Truth is not a thing, or an abstract thought, but a being, as Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." "Emet" is a noun from the verb "aman (to make firm, to support, to foster, to believe, and to trust,)." When it is used together with the word, "spirit (ruah)," it refers to the living spirit who does the action of "aman" describing his nature and work. In other words, the phrase would be the same as "—er" in English, which is equivalent to a Hebrew participle: in this case, "omenet" in feminine, and "omen" in masculine. Interestingly, the word, "omenet," is used for Naomi, when Ruth bore a son with Boaz. Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap (lit. put him in her bosom) and cared for him (lit. became a foster-mother to him) (Ruth 4:16). As she "took the child," she adopted the child as her own, and "put him in her bosom" to nurse him, and "became a foster-mother ("omenet") to him." So, it was Naomi who took care of, nursed, taught and guided Obed. Out of this line came David, a faithful king full of faith, and also Jesus Christ, our Savior. Note the way Naomi adopted this child: in the same way, the Holy Spirit adopts those who believe, and begins to live with them, but the world does not see him as Jesus said. Then, pay attention to the following words: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18). "I will come to you" refers to the combination of his resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after his ascension. He is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. This makes sense because the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth" for us—our spiritual foster-mother. Without the Holy Spirit, we would be orphans: we were born again, and became God's children, but abandoned in this world. It would be impossible to live as God's miniatures doing the will of the Father without the Holy Spirit. We need him just as we need Jesus Christ.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:1-2). Here, note the phrase, "as dearly loved children." In order to love with God's love, you need to know first how much you are loved by God. Once you know how God loves you, you also love others by imitating him. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). Here, if the clause, "As I have loved you," is removed, this command would simply be the command, "Love your neighbor as yourself," as in the Old Testament. Thus, what makes this "new command" different from the old one lies in the phrase, "As I have loved you"—as he laid down his life for them so that they would have eternal life. It is crucial to know that while the old one served as a condition to determine life or death, blessings or curses, the new one no longer carries such conditional nature since whoever believes in him has eternal life and is redeemed from the curse of the law unconditionally—by faith, not by deeds. However, the disciples that time, hearing the word, "command," all understood it still in the conditional sense of the old covenant. So Peter came up to insist strongly on his ability to love and follow Jesus as follows: Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you (v. 37). Yet, after this, everything went in a completely unexpected direction for Peter. As the story unfolds in John's gospel, a keen contrast is observed between how Jesus' loved and how Peter failed to love in spite of what he said he would: while Jesus' love was fulfilled and made complete at his death on the cross, Peter's love was not, and ended with a bitter cry. As a matter of fact, in Peter's case, instead of his words, the following words of Jesus came to be fulfilled: Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times (v. 38)!" If Peter, having been in this condition, could realize the incompleteness of his love, and the powerless nature of his flesh, it would be by God's miracle. In fact, it is by this miracle that all believers come to walk according to the spirit and love others as the fulfillment of what Jesus said. Surely, the event in John 21 put an end to old Peter and brought him a new birth. It had been some weeks since Jesus was raised from the dead, and according to John, Jesus had already appeared to the disciples twice. By this time, they had been taught the meaning and purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection through the scriptures, and directly given the words concerning their commission to go and preach the good news to the world. At such a stage, Peter's decision of "going out to fish" was not fitting at all. For him, it was another mistake like his denial of Jesus. They worked all night, but caught nothing. At dawn, Jesus stood on the shore. Whenever we make a mistake, Jesus is right there to work it for something good. So his turn came to say: "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some (21:6)." They did so, and caught a large number of fish. As they came up to the shore, there they found breakfast ready for them to eat. Nobody said anything because they were all feeling the emptiness of their flesh inside. As they finished eating, Jesus said to Peter: Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these (v. 15)?

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God (1 John 4:7). The foundation for the lifestyle of God's miniature is God's love. Note here the statement, "love comes from God"—not from man. God is the source of love, and apart from him, man cannot love. John confesses that he did not know the existence of this love till he saw Christ crucified. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (3:16). It was a shocking experience for him, and has completely changed not only his concept of God, but also his values, world-view, way of life, and everything. The same must be the experience that we all came to have in Christ, and it is the very basis upon which we love one another. When the world sees us loving one another this way, it comes to know that we know God and have fellowship with him. But If we do not love one another, it proves that we neither know God nor have fellowship with him. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (4:8). If man does not love, it is because he has not been born of God and has not experienced his love yet. Such a person does not know how to love and cannot love. However, John says, "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." And to those who have been born of God, Jesus said: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). It is very crucial for those who have been born of God to know that his love is different from human love. Here, Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so you must love … " specifying the manner in which his disciples should love. The way Jesus loved was different from the way the disciples loved. Peter, by insisting that he loved Jesus, said to him, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." He did love Jesus, but it was by human love that he loved. God's love, meaning his kind of love, never fails, but human love fails. You can compare the way Peter loved with how Jesus, knowing that Peter would fail, forgave him, prayed for him so that his faith would not fail, and went on to die on the cross alone. God's love covers over a multitude of sins. It is interesting to see how Jesus asked Peter, and how Peter answered, after Jesus' resurrection: Jesus asked, "Simon son of Joh do you truly love (agapao) me more than these?" and Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love (phileo) you," admitting that he did not love in the same way as Jesus loved. He could say that because he saw that Jesus' unfailing love was made complete through his death and resurrection while his human love had miserably failed. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:12). Note the expression, "… is made complete." Love is not something you do, but it is something that is made complete, or fulfilled. As God's word, which comes from the mouth of God, is carried out by human vessels who believe in it, and thus becomes fulfilled, God's love, which comes from him, is made fulfilled and perfect through his vessels who understand and believe in his love. Just as God's word does not come from you, and God himself fulfills his own word through you, his love does not come from you, but God himself makes it complete through you. When you try to love by bringing out your own love, then you fail, but when you let God love by being led by his Spirit, you will succeed. In fact, Satan uses human love as in the case of Peter whose love was set for "the things of men": Jesus said to him, "Get behind me, Satan!"

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven (Mat 5:43-45). We all think that it is normal and reasonable to love those who love us, and hate those who harm and hurt us. However, while the command, "love your neighbor," is found in Lev 19:18, the second one, "hate your enemy," is not found anywhere in the Law. Instead, the following is our Father's will: He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (v. 45). But the following is what is normally seen in this world: If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (vv. 46-47). So, the conclusion is: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (v. 48). Hatred is from Satan, and those who hate are his slaves. If you are a Christian and have hatred inside, you are a self-conflicted person having two desires that disagree with each other. Since hatred is deeply rooted in people's heart, it cannot be seen unless it is agitated to manifest itself as seen in the case of the Pharisees in John 8. This is exactly the problem that the story of Jonah deals with as its theme. Prophet Jonah was told by the Lord to go and speak against the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which later would come to destroy the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria in 722 B.C. Knowing what was going to happen, Jonah refused to go to Nineveh. But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, … he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD (Jonah 1:3). The expressions, "Jonah ran away from the Lord," and also "to flee from the Lord," indicate that he intentionally disobeyed the Lord's command knowing that he was wrong. Then, the Lord brought a big storm, and Jonah was thrown into the sea. Yet, the Lord forgave him and saved him by providing a big fish who vomited him onto the shore. Interestingly, Jesus said, speaking of his death and resurrection: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Mat 12:40). Considering the reason why Jonah was thrown into the sea, we can say that Jesus, too, was put to death and thrown into hell for the same reason: yet, of course, in his case, not for his own rebellion, but for our rebellions. Seeing how God forgave the people of Nineveh, Jonah became so angry because he could not give up his own desire. He came out of the city and went east of it and sat down waiting to see it destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. An interesting analogy is found between what Jonah did there and what Jesus experienced in Gethsemane. What Jesus suffered there was to redeem us from the same problem we have as Jonah had and the disciples also had that time. The following words indicate that it was God's own, or Jesus' own decision that forgiveness was given to them or to us: But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city (Jonah 4:10-11)? Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled (Mat 26:36-37). Up to this point, Jesus had been totally fearless about the coming sufferings and death that he was going to experience. Every time he prophesied to the disciples concerning what was going to happen in Jerusalem, no hint of sorrow, agony, or worry was found in his speech. He always set his face forward to Jerusalem knowing exactly what was ahead. Here, however, the Bible says, "he began to be sorrowful and troubled." He said to the three disciples: My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me (v. 38). His sorrow was so strong that he felt like dying. To hear such words from the mouth of Jesus who claimed to be "the resurrection and the life" is so unlike Jesus. And his request to the disciples, "Stay here and keep watch with me," even sounds as if he is begging them to pray for him. Is this the same Jesus who said, "Get behind me, Satan!" at Peter's sympathetic denial of the prophecy concerning his death and sufferings? Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will (v. 39)." Note that the expression, "if it is possible," indicates that his request was different from what the Father desired. Jesus' own desire was for this cup to be taken from him, and the Father's desire was for Jesus to drink from it. The "cup" in this sense is often used symbolically to mean the wrath of God manifested in his judgements in the Old Testament. Jesus, at this point, came to desire what the Father did not desire. This was completely different from Jesus who said, "I and the Father are one," or "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." All these indicate that Jesus was purposely made to be in this condition by the Father, and it was for our redemption. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body (flesh) is weak (vv. 40-41)." "The spirit is willing" means that the spirit who is living in in them is willing to do what God desires, and "but the flesh is weak" means that another desire that is in their flesh works against it causing them to sleep spiritually so that they end up not doing what God desires. When one walks according to the flesh, he/she cannot do what God desires. This is the most fundamental problem that our world of humanity has been facing. For this very reason, Jesus suffered in the garden of Gethsemane. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). Here, being "free" means to be able to do what the Father desires as what he/she desires. This is the way that you live as his miniature. However, if there is division in you between your spirit and soul, you will try to do a good thing that God tells you to do only as something that you must do while you in the flesh desire a different thing, and will eventually end up doing what your flesh desires, not what God or your spirit desires. Thank God who saved us from this slavery through Christ! It is crucial that you know that the Son has set you free, and it was a redemption. It is not by trying or working hard that you overcome the problem mentioned above, but by faith in this redemption, or by accepting this spirituality that you begin to live as God's miniature.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life (1 John 1:1). "That which was from the beginning" is the preexistent "Logos" by which all things were created (John 1:1-3), and the personified "Wisdom (hokmah)" that the Lord brought forth at the beginning of his course (Prov 8:22). This Logos/Wisdom had appeared and lived as a man among us, and John, together with the other apostles, claims to "have heard," "seen" and "touched" him, and thus, testify to him. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us (v. 2). For John, this hearing, seeing and touching began in the past, but its effect is still continuing as an ongoing experience even in the present time. This experience has produced personal fellowship with Christ and the Father as well as mutual fellowship with one another in the believing community. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (v. 3). "Fellowship (koinonia)" comes from the verb koinoneo "to become a sharer," or "to take part willingly in bearing burdens and needs." Here, the fellowship that John speaks of is the fellowship with God who is invisible, and Christ who has physically ascended to heaven. So how can we have such fellowship, and even if you do have it, how can you say you do? If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth (v. 6). Even if we think and say that we have fellowship with God, there is a great possibility that we do not in reality. This is because the one we claim to have fellowship with is a spiritual being. And without having fellowship with him, it is impossible for us to know him, and his word is not in us. And without knowing him or having his word and truth in us, it is impossible to live as his miniature doing what he desires. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. … If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (vv. 8-10). To "claim without sin", or to "claim we have not sinned" is to deny the necessity of the redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ. Such a claim robs us of the opportunity to learn the love of God by being forgiven. If we are, in reality, without sin as Jesus was, then we would have known the Father from the beginning having fellowship with him. But the fact is that the world has lost its fellowship with him when sin came into it. Thus, as seen in the case of the Pharisees, those who claim to be without sin are liars refusing to be circumcised in their hearts, and God's word is not in them. Paul once was a Pharisee and belonged to this category. Although he did not hear, see nor touched Jesus in a physical sense as the other apostles did, he came to know Jesus personally through the conversion experience on the way to Damascus. Hence he came to have the same fellowship with the Father as John did. Even among those who claim to be Christians, there are those to whom Jesus is only a concept, a sacred idol, or even a man who seemingly existed in the past and died for people's sins as the Bible claims—not a real living person who loves, sees, hears and talks to each person today. If you do not know Jesus in the way John explains, you have not been circumcised in your heart and God's word is not in you yet, and you have no fellowship with him. This fellowship begins in this way: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (v. 9).

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire (John 8:44). Humans are divided into two families: one whose father is the Father in heaven, and another whose father is Satan, the ruler of this world. The members of each family live to carry out the desires of their own father. Jesus represents those who belong to the family of the Father in heaven, and his life one earth is the example of how we, who are in Christ, should live while we still remain on earth. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6). However, we, too, once belonged to the family of Satan carrying out his desires. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (Eph 2:2). Thus, God chose us so that we could live carrying out his will again as doers of his word. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (v. 10). The "good works" that "God prepared in advance" were planned at the time of the laying of the foundations of this world, and are seen fully in the life of Christ, the pre-existent Word, through whom a new covenant was made. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people (Jer 31:33)." The entrance of the word into our hearts is different from keeping the memory of the Bible verses in our brains, or having mental agreement on ideological concepts of the Bible. When the word enters into our hearts, and is written on them, it becomes the nature and personality of our beings. In fact, when Satan's word enters our hearts, it works in the same way. Jeremiah speaks of such a case: Judah's sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills (17:1-2). Idol worship is always associated by certain stories and beliefs, festivals, assemblies, feasts with special food, dancing and singing songs. When these things are accepted in the society, they are cherished, even considered sacred, and become an integral part of their lifestyle. Children learn to like them with their senses trained for that, and "remember" their altars (the same verb is used for making the Sabbath holy). Conversely, when the word of God is engraved on the tablets of our hearts, our senses of knowing God's will are trained and developed, and we can freely do the will of God as our own will. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves (lit, have their senses trained) to distinguish good from evil (Heb 5:14). This became only possible under the "new covenant" through Christ, and the Holy Spirit is right here with us to help us. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26).

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching (lit. word). My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)." If you really love someone, and he/she tells you to do something, you will do it wholeheartedly, and what he/she asks or even commands you to do is not burdensome, but rather joy. This is exactly the relationship we Christians have with Christ, and with the Father. We have learned so far that the we were born through the word of truth—the death and resurrection of Christ—to be doers of the word fulfilling the will of the Father on earth. Importantly, however, this task cannot be done with the attitude of "I-have-to-do." The common mistake we make as Christians is to try to keep God's commands and do his will in the same way as the Jews in the Old Testament tried but failed. They did so without really loving God: their actions were not motivated by their love for God. This attitude always goes with legalism and hypocrisy, and everything is done for men to see. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47)." In order to base your actions upon the love of God, you will first need to know how much you are loved by God. Your "knowing" him must come from your own personal relationship with him. It is not enough to know that God loves people in a general sense. The above words were spoken by Jesus when "a sinful woman" came and stood behind him at his feet weeping: she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Her actions indicated that she loved Jesus and God. And according to Jesus, it was because she was forgiven much. This is how a person comes to know God, and it is called "the circumcision of the heart." The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live (Deut 30:6). The problem that the world has today as a result of the Fall of Man is the inability to know God who is love. Without knowing who God is, we cannot love him, and without loving him, we cannot obey his commands. Surprisingly, the above scripture, in the middle of the book of the law, prophecies that God will makes us love him by circumcising our hearts. Jeremiah also prophesied about this calling it "a new covenant." "No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jer 30:34)." Under the old covenant, people had to teach each other saying, "Know the Lord." But the ones who taught did not know him either: nobody really came to love God personally as the sinful woman whose sins were forgiven did. Yet, they tried to keep the law, but the judgments came because they failed to do so. It was because the word of God was not in their hearts. Their hearts were closed and covered with hard shells so that they could not understand what God meant and accept his words. Or, according to the oracle given through Jeremiah, their sin was engraved and inscribed on the tablets of their hearts with an iron tool and with a flint point (Jer 17:1). So, a completely new covenant has come to be made through Christ: the word of God is now written on the hearts of those who believe in him so that they can understand, know and love God, and obey what he says. In order for this to happen, his word first needs to penetrate into their hearts breaking the hard shells: this is called, "the circumcision of the heart." So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me (John 8:28)."

He chose to give us birth (lit. willed to bear us) through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created (James 1:18). Humans were all created as vessels containing words to carry out what the words say. There are two kinds of words—the word of truth, and the word of falsehood: the former comes from the Father in heaven, and the latter comes from Satan, the father of lies. The word that you contain as a vessel determines who you are. The above scripture tells us that we have become the children of God by accepting his word. Having been born of the Father, we have begun to live as vessels of his word by carrying out his will just as Jesus lived on earth. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you (v. 21). If the purpose of our life is to do the will of God as his vessels, it is essential that we humbly accept his word into our hearts. Note the adverb "humbly" modifying the verb "accept." It is because of "all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent" in this world, which hinders our willingness to accept the word of truth. But once the word goes into our heart, we will become doers of the word. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (v. 22, translation ESV). It is crucial for us to "be" doers of the word, instead of simply to try to "do what it says." There is a vast difference between simply doing it and becoming a person who does it. When you try to do it without really putting the word into your heart, you are acting falsely as a person who is not really you, and all kinds of hypocritical attitudes will follow. The key is to "be" a person who understands and knows the heart and will of God. Then, you will freely do his will as your own will. This is the kind of freedom that the Bible speaks about. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing (v. 25, translation ESV). This man who "looks intently (stoops down and looks) into" the perfect law, the law of freedom, is described in contrast to the man who only looks at "the face of his existence (the external appearance of himself)," and try to remember, but forgets immediately after he goes away. The reason for it is that he does not look into the heart of God that is hidden behind the external words written in the Bible. When the word of God is understood, and is absorbed into your heart, it becomes your own heart and desire, and there is no distinction between his will and your will. In fact, for this very purpose Christ came. He suffered and died in order to make God's word penetrate into our hearts. The Old Testament tells us that the covenant was renewed many times and people tried to keep what God said, but they failed every time. The reason for it was, as already discussed, that they only tried to do what God said eternally without really understanding his heart or putting his word into their hearts. This condition of impenetrable hearts is well illustrated in John's gospel. Jesus said to the Pharisees who, according to the writer, had believed in him: I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word (John 8:37). The only solution to this problem is in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people (Jer 31:33)."

Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are gods"? If he called them "gods," to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I am God's Son (John 10:22-23)"? These were the words Jesus spoke to the Jews who became furious at Jesus' statement, "I and the Father are one." Jesus argued back by quoting from Ps 82, which says: I said, "You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler (Ps 82:6-7)." This psalm was sung, in its direct setting, against the kings of Israel who were appointed to be the members of the Heavenly Council where God presides. The principle, however, is extended to humans in general who were originally created as God's images. In spite of the fact that they were created as kings who would judge according to the Father's word, they began to live fulfilling their own desires. As a result, the psalm says, "All the foundations of the earth are shaken," and humans are now dying as "mere men": they are no longer "gods" or like God. Thus, God sent his Son to turn the whole situation around. The last part of the psalm alludes to this already-not-yet event. Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance (v. 8). According to Jesus' interpretation of this psalm, "you" of "you are gods" are those "to whom the word of God came": that is to say, they are the ones who receive God's word and carry out his will on earth. Jesus was the first example of that, and his believers are following his example. Jesus and the Father were one because he carried out the Father's will. So, if you carry out the Father's will by receiving his word into your heart, you and the Father are one also. In fact, for this very purpose you were taken from the world, and given to Jesus. He said, "what my Father has given me is greater than all." Humans are linguistic creatures and vessels: they move and act according to the word they contain in them. If you contain Satan's word, you will carry out his will and become his vessel, but if you contain God's word, you will carry out his will and become his vessel. You are the word that you contain in you. Christ, being the pre-existent Logos, came and lived among us as the perfect vessel of the Father so that his followers could live in the same way. … But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world. … When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him (John 8:26-29). This is how God's miniatures should live. We are to live as Jesus lived by carrying out what the Father desires. Remember that Jesus did not draw any line between him and you when he said, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'?" If God's word has come to you, and you have accepted it in your heart, you have been given to him, and you are "greater than all." No one can snatch you out of the Father's hand. On the other hand, note what Jesus said to the Jews who were determined to kill him: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (v. 44).

Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade (John 10:22-23). It was about 200 years before this that the aged priest Mattathias (died soon after the beginning of the revolt) and his sons joined by the orthodox Jews revolted against Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.E) king of Syrian who forced the Jews to be Hellenized not only culturally, but also religiously—forbidding them to keep the commandments of the Torah like circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, and observing various festivals. After the death of Mattathias, his third son, Judas (called "the Maccabee" meaning "the hammer") took the leadership, and his followers came to called "the Maccabees." They continued combatting the Syrian forces and finally liberated Jerusalem, and went up to Mount Zion to see the Temple, which had been abandoned for three years: they found the altar profaned, the gates burned, and bushes growing in the courts. They tore their clothes, spread ashes upon them, brew trumpets, and cried to God. Tearing down the profaned altar, they built a new one, and consecrated the interior of the temple: they brought in the lampstand, the incense altar, and the table, and lit the lamps. Then, beginning with the 25th day of Kislev (Dec. 14, 164 B.C.), they celebrated the Feast of Dedication (also called "Hanukkah," and "the Festival of Lights.") for eight days. The story of John 10:22ff. took place on Dec. 16, 32 A.D. (Tuesday), and the Feast of Dedication had begun probably the evening before that day. It could be that the morning prayer (shacharit) was just given, and the smoke of the newly offered sacrifice was going up into the sky from the altar, and people were leaving the temple that time. According to their custom, they gave prayers along with a particular psalm (shir shel yom) which was assigned to each day of the week, and on that Tuesday, they recited Psalm 82. Jesus was there among the crowd, and some patriotic Jews found him walking in Solomon's Colonnade, which was probably located on the eastern side of the Temple Court looking down the Kidron Valley. They asked: How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly (v. 24).. Just north of the temple rose the large walls and the high towers of the Fortress of Antonia, from which some Roman guards were always watching over the Temple Courts. To the question the Jews asked, Jesus answered by repeating what he taught two days before with the parables of the shepherd and his sheep (10:1-18). He began answering by saying, "I did tell you, but you do not believe." The teaching was given with Ps 24 in the background: Jesus is "the King of glory" who comes in through the gates. He will bring his flock out from the sheep pen, and those who know his voice will follow him. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one (vv. 29-31). In these words, Jesus made two incredible statements that stunned either the Jews or the Christians in the past: while his last statement upset the Jews of his time, the statement about the sheep puzzled the Christians. The NIV's translation, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all," comes from the emended text, not the original one. It was apparently emended because they considered it far excessive to say that the sheep is "greater than all." But Jesus did say, "What my Father has given me is greater than all." He even went on to explain that those to whom God's word came are "gods" on the basis of Ps 82. These gods attend the heavenly council, and they are those who carry out the will of God according to the words and order given to them. We humans were created, in fact, as such beings from the beginning. But when sin came in, we stopped being gods, and began dying as mere men. So, the Father sent his Son to us to bring us out of the bondage of death, and made us gods again in Christ.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day (Gen 1:31). Thus, everything in heaven and earth was created in the first six days, and "it was very good!" Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array (army). By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work (2:1-2). Here, it is interesting that the Bible calls all the created things as "all their vast array (lit. army)," which is led by the commander-in-chief—God himself. And humans are positioned below him as commanders of the earth. Thus, we are his miniatures. Since God rested on the seventh day and made it holy, we too work in the first six days, and rest on the seventh day, and make it holy. Although this came to be given as the Sabbath law to the people of Israel, it is the most fundamental principle upon which all the created things exist, and is equivalent to the principle concerning the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the stories of chapters 2 and 3. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (v. 3). There are two crucial verbs that are associated with the Sabbath law: barak and giddash. Barak means to bless both as God blesses people, and as people bless God. Qiddash means to set apart for God's purpose; hence, to sanctify, to make holy. God separated the seventh day by resting on it, and it was for God's own purpose; thus the day became holy. And we are also to make it holy by setting apart from the rest of the week for him so that he can make us holy. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy (Ezek 20:12). As God makes us holy, we live and exist as his treasured possession, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and a people belonging to him. And its purpose is both for God to bless us, and for us to bless him. If someone does a very good job, people want to thank him and commend him for the work he has done. In the same way, God created the heavens and the earth so wonderfully, and rested on that day. Now, it is our turn to thank him and praise him for the work he has done. God requires and demands it. We humans, representing all the created things on earth, are to lead all the earth to praise him in worship (Ps 66:1, 96:1, etc.). This is the essence of the Sabbath law, and the principle came to be written as a law and given to the people of Israel through Moses. Therefore, breaking the Sabbath law means denying God as the Creator of heaven and earth, and it is the same thing as idolatry—idol making and worship. Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the desert. I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them (vv. 10-11). It is important to keep in mind that these two laws—keeping the Sabbaths and worshipping God as the Creator—are not only given to the people of Israel, but also to all peoples. They are the most fundamental principles upon which we the creatures exist. This is the reason why only these two laws are mentioned in Ezekiel chapter 20 where God accuses the people of Israel of not keeping the Law. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I had given them--a land flowing with milk and honey, most beautiful of all lands—because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols (vv. 15-16).

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:1-2). Those who know how much they are loved by God will also come to love others because children always learn from their parents and imitate what they do without knowing. As children learn their language by hearing and imitating what their parents speak, we learn God's language by hearing and confessing what he says. We are to live by imitating what he does. However, in order to do so, we need to see always what he does and hear what he says. Jesus lived such a life while he was on earth. When a paralytic was healed at the pool of Bethesda, the Jews came to Jesus and accused him because it was a Sabbath. He said to them: My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (John 5:17). The reason he healed the man even on a Sabbath day was that he was always seeing his Father work: so he worked in the same way. Jesus was typical of the Father's miniature. Jesus said: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (v. 19). Jesus showed us, by living on earth, an example of how we should live as God's miniatures. The truth about this way of living actually goes back to the time of the creation of human beings. The Bible says: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground (Gen 1:26)." As we have already learned, the phrases, "in our image," and "in our likeness" themselves reveal that humans are God's miniatures. In addition, the task given to them to rule over the earth also reveals that they are to serve God as his miniatures. The Bible often describes God as the king over the heaven and the earth and over everything he created. He is even described as a commander-in-chief to whom belong all creatures as his army. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the LORD, you his angels … Praise the LORD, all his (heavenly) hosts, you his servants who do his will (Ps 103-19-21). Here, the word, "his hosts (tseva'av)" in the context refers to God's armies of angels in heaven. And the same word is used in the following verse in the creation story in Genesis. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their (vast) array (Gen 2:1). Here, the word "their array (tseva'am)" refers to the entire creation of both heaven and earth, which is an army, and it depicts God the Creator as the supreme ruler, or as a commander-in-chief while man being a sub-ruler over the earth. In this way, man functions as a miniature of God.