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Introduction
John 13:3 records an astounding
statement concerning the Lord. It
is a statement with two main clauses
and a logical significance in them.
It states, “Jesus knowing that the
Father had given all things into his
hands and that he came from God, and
went to God”. The two main clauses
are, “He was come from God” and “He
went (was going) to God”. The
logical significance is, He was on a
journey. It is the first clause to
be considered.
He came from God
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This opens a series of
questions: |
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a) |
What did He come from God
“being”? |
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b) |
What did He come from God
as? |
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c) |
What did He come from God to
be? |
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d) |
By what authority did He
come? |
What did He come from God “being”?
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1) |
He came from God being an
“unchangeable deity”. |
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a) |
The Lord came from God, not
by divesting or modifying
His deity, but came being
that which He ever was, an
unalterable immutable
deity. When I write of His
being it can indicate
several things. It can
refer to His perpetual
existence. He is the
“father of eternity” (Isa.
9:6) ( lit. Hebrew). It can
also refer to that which He
is, His essential being. |
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i) |
The Lord came
not to be made the Son of
God as He always was the Son
of God. His is an
eternal relationship,
ever manifesting God
as the Word (Jn. 1:1-3).
When God created the animals
etc. there is a repeated
statement, “After his kind”
(Gen. 1:11, 12, 21, 24,
25). It means that a cow
and a bull will always
produce a cow or a bull; a
wasp will always produce
wasps; giraffes will always
produce giraffes; angels
will always be angels. They
can never become anything
other than that. |
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ii) |
Such is the marvel of the
condescension and
incarnation of the Lord. He
did not become something
else but added another
dimension to himself. He
became a human being while
never for the slightest iota
of time or tininess of
decree ever being deprived
of His rights of authority
or change of personality.
The Holy Spirit enabled Paul
to grasp a little of the
wonder that the man Christ
Jesus is God in every way.
It stands written: |
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1. |
“For in him dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead
bodily.” (Col. 2:9) |
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2. |
“Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God: But
made himself of no
reputation, and took upon
him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death
of the cross.” (Phil.
2:2-8) |
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2) |
He came from God being the
Son. |
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a) |
When the Lord was speaking
to the Jewish leaders He
said, “My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work” (Jn.
5:17). They immediately
understood what He was
saying. It was a
declaration of His full
equality with God in every
way, and as they said,
“making himself equal with
God” (Jn. 5:18). The Lord
did not correct their
understanding for that which
they said was true, was, is
and ever will be God’s
co-equal in every way, being
fully and perfectly the
likeness of God. |
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i) |
The moral glory of God was
seen in all its perfections
throughout His life. |
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ii) |
The compassion, graciousness
and wisdom of God was
constantly manifested
through Him. |
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iii) |
The justice of God was
exhibited in His corrective
statements whether on the
unsaved or His own for He is
no “respecter of persons”
(Acts 10:34). |
What did He come from God as?
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Two of the most well-known
titles of the Lord are
Servant and
Shepherd
and this is assuredly given
by the scriptures (Isa.
42:1; Matt. 12:18). Christ
is the shepherd of the sheep
(Jn. 10:2; Heb. 13:20). No
other shepherd ever paid
such a price (Jn. 10:11) for
his sheep. David put his
life in danger protecting
the sheep when he faced the
bear and the lion (1 Sam.
17:34) but he did not die
for the sheep. Even had he
died, could he have
maintained the life of the
sheep or assured them from
ever being attacked by the
ravenous beasts again? |
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a) |
The Lord is a Shepherd
beyond all others who in
love “giveth” (Jn. 10:11)
and “layeth down” (Jn.
10:15, 17, 18) His life for
the sheep. It is blessed to
appreciate the richness of
His devotion when He said,
“I lay it down of myself”,
with no coercing, no peer
pressure, totally of His own
volition and motivated by
pure untainted love. With
the blessing of providing
that which nothing could buy
and no one could attain to
being worthy of it, He laid
down His life for the sheep
that they may have His
life. No other shepherd
could lay down his life and
be determined to take it
again, Christ did. |
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b) |
Being God’s perfect servant
His pursuit was to glorify
God and the Father. He said
and did nothing except God
revealed it to Him and He
did nothing beyond that
which was seen from the
Father (Jn. 5:17, 19). He
moved according to the
timeline of God, never by
that of humanity. In
watching and observing Him
the characteristics of God
and the Father were seen.
He lived on earth but in the
rarified air of Heaven. Of
His own volition He always
yielded to the will of God. |
What did He come from God to be?
Twice there is recorded a profound
and stupendous truth concerning that
which Christ was sent from God to
be. Once by the Gentile woman at the
well in Samaria who told the
men of
the city and they came to Jesus.
Having heard the Lord they said,
“Now we believe, not because of thy
saying: for we have heard him
ourselves, and know that this is
indeed the Christ, the Saviour of
the world” (Jn. 4:42). Later John
wrote in his first epistle, “And we
have seen and do testify that the
Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world” (1 Jn. 4:14).
Observe that in both cases the
word
“we” is used, but it is by two
different groups of people. In John
4 it is Gentiles of the mixed
religion, the group that John speaks
of are believers in Jesus.
By what authority did He come?
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There are vassal kings in
the scriptures, but only God
is the King in
absoluteness. It is
recorded the great authority
of Nebuchadnezzar, but he
acknowledged his kingship
came from God (Dan. 4:32).
Great as Nebuchadnezzar was,
he had to learn that neither
he nor his kingdom would
last forever. His word was
absolute, he did not need to
sign a decree for a matter
to be absolute. He decided
if a
person
should be killed or let
live, and in this, he was by
position
superior to Darius who had
to sign decrees (Ezra 6:1,
3; Dan. 6:8, 12). When one
comes from a great king’s
authority, his word is not
to be questioned but
obeyed. So with the Lord,
as the Servant sent from the
Great King God (Psa. 47:2;
Mal. 1:14). The authority
He wielded was
intimidating. God being
King must be obeyed. Unlike
earthly kings, He will never
have a
successor
or a superior. His throne
is unshakable, His purposes
are unfrustratable, and He
will never be backed into a
corner to compromise. He is
God, therefore when the Lord
came from God He spoke and
acted with all the authority
of God. How fearful it is
for anyone to stand and live
in defiance of that which
Jesus said. When He said,
“Ye must be born again” (Jn.
3:7) it was not a
suggestion, it was an
absolute, given with all the
authority of God. When the
storm and seas were
stilled
and calm, the creation had
no option for the voice was
the authority of God
speaking. Disease,
deformity and death even had
to obey for He had all the
authority of the living God. |
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a) |
Wise are those today who
listen to the command of God
who now commandeth “all men
everywhere to repent” (Acts
17:30). The Great God and
King through Jesus made it
clear it is an either-or
situation. |
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i) |
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting
life.” (Jn. 3:16) |
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ii) |
“He that believeth on him is
not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.”
(Jn. 3:18) |
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iii) |
“He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth
on him.” (Jn. 3:36) |
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