God is our refuge and our strength!
As we continue to work through the long conversation Jesus had with his disciples in the upper room, along the path to the garden of Gethsemane and in the garden, we certainly realize that Jesus’ words provided comfort, understanding, and hope for them, both in the current moment and beyond. But that doesn’t mean Jesus thought his words would remain a secret between himself and his disciples. Jesus would have anticipated that his disciples would and should share what they learned from him with those they would disciple. Our discipleship is a part of this process, and it is the way everyone comes to faith in Jesus. We hear the gospel from another, and we learn more and more about Jesus and his word from others as well.
I have sometimes considered that the way Jesus trained his disciples was consistent with the wise king of Proverbs who said, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The disciples were not biologically young, but they were going through stages of spiritual development not that different from how we teach our children and teens about faith. The best training, parenting, and discipling is a mixture of teaching information and modeling how to live out that teaching in the real world.
The first 17 verses of John 15 give the disciples and us a clear understanding of the depth of relationship God planned in the discipleship process. The Father oversees the garden, Jesus is our source of life, and as we stay connected to him, we discover that his life flows through us and produces good works all over his creation. In the process, the seeds of his renewal and restoration are underway, waiting for his final return to finish the job.
In the last section of Chapter 15, Jesus tells his disciples that our discipleship will involve a similar relationship and reaction from those who have no interest in God and do not practice his ways of bringing peace, justice, and righteousness to the world. In fact, in this section he uses the word “world” to represent those who rebel against God. God does not hate the earth he created nor the people in it. Jesus is explaining that if you experience resistance and hatred from those opposed to God, we are to remember that the very same thing happened to him when he was on earth teaching about the kingdom of God and how it works.
Earlier in this discourse John quotes Jesus as saying that we did not choose him but rather he chose us. It is an amazing experience to be chosen, isn’t it? To be chosen to lead, to participate, to serve, to play on the team, to be adopted, and on and on is a privilege and an honor. As we consider that the Son of God chose us to love us and give himself for us, it is almost impossible to comprehend.
When he chose us, he chose to allow us to experience his life, and that includes realizing the rejection of those who rebelled against him. If he chose to allow us to experience this hatred of the world, then he also made a way for us to endure and even flourish, in spite of external rejection and interference. This, too, is an honor.
As a way of comfort and to give the disciples and us confidence in our ability to experience this rejection from the world, Jesus turns again to the “helper” that he will provide for every child of God. The Holy Spirit of God living in us guarantees that we will be resourced and protected even as we experience the rejection of the world.
Living lives for Jesus that include opposition will bear witness that the life of God has been made manifest in and through our discipleship. Psalm 61 is an appropriate psalm for us to include in today’s thoughts. It is here that the psalmist reminds us that God will hear our cries for help and that he will be our refuge and our strength, even as the systems of the world work against the ever-cascading kingdom of God in us and around us.
Father, thank you not only for choosing us but also for trusting us and honoring us by allowing us to do your kingdom work here and now. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who guides us, corrects us, and bears witness about you even in our lives and our actions. We love you and surrender to your leading us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
John 15:18-27; Psalm 61:1-8 ESV
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
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