John's Gospel V: The Source of Life
Sermon Review
12 August 2001
John 6:32-35Life, where did it come from? This is the enigma that the theory of evolution attempts to unravel by providing explanations for the jump from inanimate to the animate; primordial stew spewing forth life from chemicals and matter, all without a Divine hand or Divine involvement. The great effort behind the recent success in mapping the human genome, the cloning of sheep, cattle, corn etc., and a most recent revelation at a meeting of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, that a syndicate headed by an Italian scientist intend to clone humans embryos, all highlight that playing creator is a quest at the heart of humankind. Not just so we know where we come from, or how we came to be, but how can we create life, manipulate it, and ultimately find the key to health, happiness, and longevity. However, long life does not mean a life worth longing for! Besides, there is one major component missing; one major flaw in the premise behind such effort – physical life prolonged indefinitely, even if health and soundness of limb accompany it, is a far cry from having the life John & Jesus are talking 14:6, 10:10.
The life that Jesus offers is unique. It is ‘life’ that will never be parallelled or copied by the most far-reaching, groundbreaking, medical and scientific work. Unlike the best that humanity can create, the eternal life that is ours through Jesus Christ is called abundant because it is divine and not human. Jesus came to give ‘eternal life’ of a divine kind, a life that surpasses what we could ever produce as the sun surpasses the strongest candle.
Life in the Gospel of John:
John uses the term life 33 times, and on 15 occasions it is eternal life that is spoken of. To bring people this life is the purpose of this gospel 20:31. Consider…
- The Word (Jesus) has in himself ‘life’ that is the light of men. Notice that John differentiates between Jesus being the light of man at this point, and Jesus having life in himself that was the light of man! I believe that this was intentional. If Jesus had been presented at this point as ‘the light of man’, it would have been so easy read as Jesus being a revealer, an example that illuminates by his exemplary life, novel teaching, and unique resurrection. John’s distinction ensures that the reader/hearer is confronted with the fact that it is some kind of life within him that illuminates and reveals – that acts as light.
- John adds to this idea of ‘life’ through Jesus’ instructions to – that is, the necessity for life ‘coming from above’ 3:3 – that is, divine in origin. Further, if there was any doubt about it, the reader is informed that it is eternal 3:16, and not a natural possession 3:36.
- John further adds to the theme of life by presenting Jesus using the metaphor of ‘living water’ that wells up into eternal life - a dynamic image expressing both the vitality and fundamental capacity of this life to satisfy a deep human thirst for meaningful spiritual experience 4:10, 14.
- Jesus is then clearly presented as the one who has life ‘in himself’ just as the Father has ie. self-existant, divine life, which is eternal 5:24,26, and which is given by the son to others 5:39,40.
- This life then that is in Jesus, that is enlightening and revealing; is divine, eternal, and dynamic like ‘swirling, vibrant living water’, and which, as an unnatural possession, is given by the Son, is finally presented as able to sustain and nourish like bread, for it is ‘living bread’ 6:51, complementing the ‘living water’ quenches deep human thirst - ‘I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’ 6:35.
However, what is especially significant is the great development in our understanding of this life. Instead of it being ‘in Jesus’, Jesus is now presented as that life. It has now changed from being something that could be thought of as to some degree separate from him (eg.1:4), to him being that life eg. 6:48, 11:25, 14:6. Jesus’ teaching that people must eat him and drink him to have eternal life 6:50-59 is not about the crudity of cannibalism, but a meticulous measure of metaphor expressing that because he is eternal life he must come into the very life and existence of people for them to have this enlightening, revealing, divine, eternal, dynamic, nourishing life themselves 1:12,13.
Key Point
John makes clear to all in his gospel that Jesus taught that eternal life is not just an extension of physical life, nor a simple infusion of spiritual life, nor is it a divine determination to grant an eternity of living after resurrection and judgment. This life is none other than the ongoing presence of himself, and with him, the Father, and Holy Spirit within as well 14:17,21,23.
Here we have a mystery. How can God the Father & Son, as well as the Holy Spirit be within the believer and yet be elsewhere at the same time? This is the same problem we have with Jesus teaching that he & the Father were 1 eg.10:30,38,17:20-23, that he was not doing the works people saw, but it was the work of his father in him 14:10,11, yet at the same time he prayed to the Father, and the Father spoke to him externally eg. Baptism. Even Solomon realised that God was too immense to live in the old Temple, which was far bigger than us! 1King.8:27-30 etc. All of these things are mysteries.
Going some way to providing a satisfying answer for me is this. What John presents, and was taught by Jesus about living within is that the life of God has so enveloped us, so integrated, so pervaded our inner lives, and so humanly speaking, inextricably meshed a believer with God, that the best way of understanding it that Jesus could come up with was to say that He lived within them, and that where he was, so too are the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is his way of clearly stating that we have such a personal and intimate connection with God and He with us that, from a human point of view it is best thought of as God living within!
Now you know why Jesus could say that he came to give life abundant, because He intended to live in the individual so that the individual’s life could be impacted by His own, which is fully divine. This life is once and for all as far beyond what scientists and medical researchers are capable of copying or creating, as inanimate material is currently beyond our capacity to grant it thought, life, and feeling. Because it is the life of God himself, it is far more than quantity that is highlighted. It is about quality, and the hearers would have understood this. The classical use of ‘eternal’ (aionios) makes this point. Plato believed that body and soul were indestructable, but not eternal ie. they can last forever, but not be eternal. What did he mean? He saw that this world was created by the 'Word’, the divine source of all things, but that the created order was a poor imitation of the heavenly or true reality.
That is to say, he saw that this universe was created as close as possible to the eternal universe, but that it was only possible to make it indestructible, not eternal, for the eternal was perfect in every way – perfect in happiness, in goodness, in enlightenment, in everything. Indescribable fulfilment and abundant living could only be possible in the eternal universe – and that it is that perfect, enlightening, revealing, vital, divine, dynamic, and eternal life which lives within the believer when one comes to believe in Christ for themselves, because it is the Word Himself who comes to reside in them.
When we refer to salvation as being primarily a matter of forgiveness, or even new life, or living with God for eternity, we are sorely reducing it. Salvation is about coming into a personal relationship with the Living God which lasts for eternity! Forgiveness, eternal life etc. are simply means to an end. That end is, was, and always will be ‘relationship with the Living God’. That is what God has always been seeking. For Jesus, this coming into the life of the individual was the opportunity to once and for all eternity, get to know himself and the Father on a personal level John.17:3. This means the most important thing we can do is to treasure and develop that personal relationship; to do less is to sidestep the key reason the life we have is God Himself within.
Homework or Small Group Work:
Read Ps.139 viewing it through the knowledge that God lives within! E.g. Appropriate and wise help and support; God being fully aware of us at all times; Security and protection etc.
Blessings