The Apostle John is one of my favorite New Testament figures. As you read, his gospel and the three epistles, you would have to say “What a man!” But, if we consider the earlier years of his walk with the LORD, we would discover that he was a man who struggled with self-centeredness.
In Mark 9: 38-39, we find John displaying this spirit. He and the other disciples saw a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name. John reported this to the LORD — “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”
I think John was shocked by Jesus’ response. “Don’t stop him because there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name who can soon afterward speak evil of Me.” Have you ever lashed down at someone and felt superior to them, because they were not “your kind.” Folks, God loves all of mankind unconditionally. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for the down and out, up and out, and everyone in between.
Another time, we see John’s self-centeredness is also found in Mark 9:33-37. James and John had been arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent because they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. Jesus used a child to teach them a lesson we all need to learn. “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and a servant of all. (vs. 35) “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes Me. And whoever does welcome Me, welcomes Him who sent me.” (vs.37)
Consider the arrogant request of these two brothers. In Mark 10:35-37, they asked Jesus for the privilege of sitting at His left and right, when He became Israel’s king. Jesus’ response to them in verses 38-45 was powerful. (Please read these verses.) Then, in verse 40 we hear Him say “But to sit at My right or left hand is not mine to give; instead, it is for those whom it has been prepared.” Surely, the brothers could not have missed the point Jesus was making. All of us who have received Christ will experience temptation, trials, suffering, etc. Just like Jesus did. What should be our attitude? In 1 Peter 4:12-13, we read “Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when His glory is revealed.”
Next, consider God’s unconditional love. Jesus did not give up on John. He loved him in spite of his self-centeredness. As you read what John wrote in his Gospel and epistles, you can’t miss the fact that it was all about Jesus. He had learned to put Jesus at the center of his life. In fact, several times John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” If you read this carefully, you will see that it was not a mark of arrogance or pride. Rather, it was his way of being humble and honest. All of us have “baggage” that can get in the way of our being what God wants. Jesus loves us, period, and as we walk with Him, He will take care of the baggage.
Next, we see the incredible trust that Jesus had in John. In John 19:25-27, John stood near our Savior’s mother. Jesus said, “Here is your mother.” And we read that from that day on, John took Mary into his home to care for her like she was his own mother. I can only imagine that John must have been overwhelmed with such trust by the LORD.
In closing this meditation, let me suggest several principles in God’s Word we should purpose to live by.
1. Never forget that Jesus loves us intentionally and unconditionally in spite of our baggage. (John 3:16; 36; 5:24) In 1 John 3:1, he wrote “See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children — and we are!” God has no favorites. We are all precious to Him. Don’t allow yourself to look down on or despise others just because they are not “your kind.”
2. Jesus has made it possible for all of us to be a part of a dynamic community of love that not only meets our own needs but demonstrates to the world that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God. In John 13 we read of Jesus getting up, taking a towel, and washing the disciples’ feet. Talk about a lesson in humility! Someone in that house should have washed His feet. Then in John 12:34-35, He said, “I have given you a new command: Love one another, just as I have, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” In John 17:1-26 we have Jesus praying for unity among all of His followers. He wanted to use that unity to prove to unbelievers that He is God come in the flesh.
In verse 21 He prayed, “… that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
Folks –
· Satan hates God and those that God loves. He is our adversary.
· Satan loves to sow discord among believers and thus divide the body of Christ. Why do you think there are so many denominations?
John understood and experienced loving fellowship, both with God and with other believers. That is why he wrote in 1 John 1:3-4 “What we have seen and heard, we declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
· Have you personally experienced the unconditional love of Jesus Christ?
· Are you consistently sharing that love with everybody else in God’s family?
· What a witness this will be to the world!
In His love,
Pastor Leonard
