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Anticipating the Day of Resurrection

Text: John 14 : 12 - 31

ANTICIPATING THE DAY OF RESURRECTION

Even as Jesus taught His Disciples deep and profound lessons, He knew that they would have great difficulty comprehending all that He said. His statement, “Because I live, you will live also”, must have been particularly puzzling.

Jesus could not elaborate further because the doctrine of the resurrection was particularly difficult to comprehend. The Hebrew Scriptures did not devote a lot of attention on the teaching of this subject (Psalm 16:10-11).

There was however no question, no doubt at all in the mind of Jesus that they would see Him and soon. “You will see Me…” He assured the Disciples. For the moment, there may be doubts. If they did not have sufficient faith, they would have to learn how to live with their doubts. However, their doubts would evaporate when they see Him again – after His resurrection.

“At that day you will know that I am in My Father,
and you in Me, and I in you.”
John 14:20

Let us take time to ponder over this great truth that Jesus proclaimed. How profound were His thoughts!

“AT THAT DAY YOU WILL KNOW…”

Jesus appreciated the fact that there were different levels of knowledge. The Disciples certainly had a lot of facts given to them. Thus they may be said to possess factual knowledge. However, this level of knowledge was not necessarily mixed with faith that brings discernment and wisdom. For that they would need to go to another higher level of faith.

There was a level of knowledge that would come when all doubts were cleared away, and only certainty of faith was established. Jesus anticipated that this would come about when the Disciples saw Him in His resurrected body. Then all that He had said would be more than just fact. All that He had taught them would become truth in all its glory!

“YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM IN MY FATHER…”

Jesus had taught His Disciples much about God. The Jews had been taught much about the fact that there were no other gods! There was but One True God. That was an important fundamental truth that must be well learned.

However, when Jesus came into the world, He expanded the theology of the Disciples and taught them that within the Godhead, there were in fact three distinct Persons who were co-equal. Jesus was called the Son! The Holy Spirit was called the Spirit of Truth.

It was difficult for the Disciples to grasp this truth. It meant a great paradigm shift! Jesus was in His Father. His Father was in the Son. They were distinct and yet they were also co-equal!

The Resurrection of Jesus in the very near future would confirm that what He had said was the truth, even though the truth was hard to comprehend! The Resurrection of Jesus would prove that Jesus had overcome death! It would prove that all His teachings were faithful and true! Only a Divine Being could say all these things! Jesus was that Divine Being! Though He was garbed with human flesh, at no time did Jesus cease to be who He was for all eternity – The Son of God!

“AND YOU IN ME, AND I IN YOU”

What a wondrous addition this thought was! Jesus applied the concept of His being alive after His death to the Disciples in the most wonderful way! His death and resurrection had everything to do with His Disciples. He had come to die as the Lamb of God for the sin of the world. He had come to give life to all who believed in Him.

The Disciples need not fear that death would change the relationship that they had sustained with their Master! Nothing could change that wondrous relationship! Jesus would be resurrected from the dead. He would live again! There was a vital connection between His life and theirs!

These words were so profound that they must have puzzled the Disciples the first time they heard Jesus expounding this truth to them. It would take much teaching from none other than the Spirit of Truth in order for the Disciples to fathom all that Jesus had just said to them.

They would need all the assistance they could get to understand this wonderful truth – that there was a vital relationship between Jesus and them – a relationship that would stand the test of time forever! Could the Disciples comprehend this truth? Not at this stage, but soon – after the resurrection of their Saviour!

A VITAL THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY

Let us take a look at a text written by the astute Biblical theologian, the redoubtable Apostle Paul concerning this relationship between Christ and believers.

“…do you not know that as many of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection…”
Romans 6:3-5

There was a special sense of union between Christ Jesus and all who believe in Him! This is a difficult but vital teaching that we must struggle to fathom! How we must rejoice that there is this vital union between Christ and all believers!