I am back with another four Jewels from John.

John 10:10  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.

This comes at the end of Jesus’ analogy of the sheepfold. The watchman (John the Baptist) guards the sheep during the night and when the shepherd comes in the morning he opens the gate and the shepherd (Jesus) leads the animals out to pasture. He makes the point that ‘the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.’  He likens the religious leaders of Israel to thieves, killers, destroyers and cowardly hired hands who fail to protect the sheep. I want to focus on the last half of verse ten.

Jesus came into this world to give life in the fullest sense. In his thirty-three and a half years on this planet, he did nothing to hurt, break, or diminish. He healed the sick, freed the demonised, and even raised the dead. He taught all who would listen that he was the way into eternal life and the gate out of eternal death.

When I talk to unbelievers about the ways of God, they sometimes accuse him of harshness, favouritism, and dominance. Some cite Old Testament accounts of blood, gore, and slaughtered babies. My response, which I believe is the only meaningful response, is to point them to Jesus. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the fullness and the image of the invisible God. He, God the Son, became a man and stood before humanity crying out “Here I am, your God! See me, hear me, and know that I love you!” So I say to those who seek truth, “What do you think of Jesus? Do you think he spoke the truth? Do you think that he was utterly good?”

At the risk of oversimplifying, let me say this: If you have read all four Gospels then you must surely have discerned that they are true witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ.

They show no collusion with other authors and there are enough minor differences in perspective and detail to have the ring of authenticity. So, given that the Gospels are reliable accounts of his life, then who is this man they write of? Isn’t he one that you would trust and follow? Does he not evidence that he was prepared to suffer huge personal loss to save those who trusted in him?

John 11:33, 35 & 38 ‘When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled … Jesus wept … Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb’.

Too often Jesus is portrayed as stern and austere or suffering stoically. He is projected as an ‘Iron Man’ of pre-action hero times. It is hard to relate to someone like that because we are not at all like this. However, it is a false picture that owes more to grim religiosity than it does to scriptural truth. Jesus felt emotions just like you and I experience emotions. When he saw Mary and Martha grieving over the death of their brother Lazarus, he was moved to tears. When he sat praying before he was arrested, sentenced, and crucified Jesus experienced such emotional pain that he sweated blood! (Luke 22:44)

When we go through dark and troubled times, our response to Jesus should never be “But why me Lord?” No, a truer, and more helpful response is, “Thank you Lord for being with me through this and experiencing my pain and turmoil with me.” When we do this, it is as though we can feel an invisible hand on our shoulder.

John 12:47  “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it”.

 Why, I wonder, are we so quick to judge ourselves and each other when Jesus does not judge us?

John 12:47 is not the only place in John’s Gospel that records this truth. For instance, “You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one” (John 8:15).  We have no mandate for judging others. In fact, Matthew says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”.

Then there is also that incredible statement recorded in John 12:48 “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day”. This passage may well have slipped past you because most of us understand that, whilst the Lord does not judge us now, he surely will on the ‘last day’. But, no! It is we ourselves who, by our responses, stand condemned in the court of heaven. Anyone who hears the truth and does not believe is judged by default. The Court of Heaven, the place of Final Judgement’ is not a place of condemnation to those who know Jesus as Saviour and Lord. For them, it is a place of great joy and worship. The words we will hear from the Master’s lips will not be “You bad, bad person!” but “Welcome home my good and faithful servant.”

Many years ago I read an account of a man’s experience of death and his return from the life beyond. It was the first of many books with similar and sometimes conflicting accounts. Not everything in this book rang true to me and I suspected that the author had added material at some time after his experience. However, I was moved to tears, and I am not saying this euphemistically, when I read the account of his encounter with the Lord of Life, Jesus. Here are a few snippets:

John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them”.

I want to end this group of four Jewels from John with a short and simple thought. We need to know what Jesus said, and we find that in the bible.

However, we are blessed not as much by knowing as we are by doing.

Jesus’ words are to be acted on if true blessing is to flow through us to others. D.L.Moody is credited with penning the words, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” Bible study is good and necessary, but in application is the true blessing.