The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
You'll most likely hear me talk about my in-laws from time to time.
They have put up with a lot from me over the years.
When I moved down here to Baltimore back in 2000, they let me sleep on their sofa until an apartment opened up.
They fed me. They bathed me. (Well, I bathed myself, but in their shower.)
Did I mentioned they fed me? Nearly every night for about 2 months until my future father-in-law told me to go home. (My future mother-in-law thought she had adopted a puppy.)
I had left everything I knew and wandered into unknown territory, all because I was in love with some girl.
They let me store all my belongings in their garage for those first three weeks.
Then, when we moved back over here (after Melissa graduated college in 2002) all our stuff wound up back in their garage, again.
I can only imagine what they thought of me.
I see alot of Jesus in those folks.
When those disciples dropped everything and followed Jesus, what kind of men must they have been?
What did Jesus think of them?
He loved them. The scriptures tell us so.
He ate with them. Jewish law dictated that leaders didn't just eat with anybody.
The Pharisees kept themselves separate from certain classes of people.
They didn't eat or socialize with them.
But, Jesus did.
One such Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, whose reputation was forever sketched as the man who "came to Jesus at night" was given words of comfort; even though he himself was not accustomed to giving such comfort.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Comfort.
It was what Jesus came here to bring.
He came to bring a sword, also. He said it himself. (Matt. 10.34)
To those that knew Him, to those that drew close to Him, they found what they needed in Him.
I'm interested to see what Webster's has to share on the word 'comfort'.
Of all the talks Jesus gives to his followers, none is more comforting than right after the Upper Room.
You'll most likely hear me talk about my in-laws from time to time.
They have put up with a lot from me over the years.
When I moved down here to Baltimore back in 2000, they let me sleep on their sofa until an apartment opened up.
They fed me. They bathed me. (Well, I bathed myself, but in their shower.)
Did I mentioned they fed me? Nearly every night for about 2 months until my future father-in-law told me to go home. (My future mother-in-law thought she had adopted a puppy.)
I had left everything I knew and wandered into unknown territory, all because I was in love with some girl.
They let me store all my belongings in their garage for those first three weeks.
Then, when we moved back over here (after Melissa graduated college in 2002) all our stuff wound up back in their garage, again.
I can only imagine what they thought of me.
I see alot of Jesus in those folks.
When those disciples dropped everything and followed Jesus, what kind of men must they have been?
What did Jesus think of them?
He loved them. The scriptures tell us so.
He ate with them. Jewish law dictated that leaders didn't just eat with anybody.
The Pharisees kept themselves separate from certain classes of people.
They didn't eat or socialize with them.
But, Jesus did.
One such Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus, whose reputation was forever sketched as the man who "came to Jesus at night" was given words of comfort; even though he himself was not accustomed to giving such comfort.
John 3:16
New International Version (NIV)
Comfort.
It was what Jesus came here to bring.
He came to bring a sword, also. He said it himself. (Matt. 10.34)
To those that knew Him, to those that drew close to Him, they found what they needed in Him.
I'm interested to see what Webster's has to share on the word 'comfort'.
Definition of COMFORT
transitive verb
1: to give strength and hope to : cheer
2: to ease the grief or trouble of : console
Of all the talks Jesus gives to his followers, none is more comforting than right after the Upper Room.
It's John 14.
The disciples have just had a meal.
Now, most meals are served in 3 courses.
Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert.
Such it is with a meal at my in-laws.
There might be some items on the counter when you come in.
Cheese curds from Wisconsin. Maybe some vegetable pizza.
Then, eventually, we sit down and get into it.
Dude, these people know what comfort food is all about!
Maybe it's lasagna. Nobody does it better than my favorite mommy-in-law.
Then, DESSERT!
There is always a vast assortment of ice creams in the freezer.
A meal at my in-laws is something I wish every person could experience.
What did these men get at their meal?
Jesus washes their feet. A lesson in humility.
Jesus breaks bread and drinks wine. A lesson in remembering.
Jesus point out his betrayer. A lesson in decisions & consequences.
I don't know about you, but I'm gonna need some Alka-Seltzer after that meal.
That's a lot to take in.
And, Jesus must sense that.
Now, it seems as if Jesus went for a walk immediately following the meal.
Some of the language in chapters 14, 15, & 16 suggests he might have.
On his way to the garden of Gethsemane he tells his disciples lots of things.
Lets see if there is a three course meal in Chapter 14 of John.
How's this for an appetizer?
There's a three course meal right there all by itself.
And, Jesus offers it up as part of the appetizer.
You want to get through this meal? You better know Who set the table.
You better know who you are saying 'grace' to, and, from now on, you do.
Ah, but as we know, that is never good enough when you're dealing with this batch of disciples.
Maybe you don't care for appetizers.
Maybe you never order any of those cheese fries with bacon on them when you go out.
(I do. I do not pass up cheese fries.)
Maybe you just want to get on with the steak or pulled pork.
Bring on the baked potatoes. Get on with it already.
Life has a way of making us like that.
Enough of the pain and the suffering. I need answers already!
My child has been through enough doctors.
My wife has seen enough specialists.
My boss has given me enough grief.
ENOUGH! "Just show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
Alright. you want the main course. Here it is.
The Father is right there in front of them and they are completely oblivious to it.
You could smack em up side the head with that proverbial ball bat and they still don't get it.
"Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?"
The salvation Christ offers has been at the door of the heart for such a long time.
He has been knocking and waiting for an answer.
And, here we are standing on the other side of the door demanding an answer ourselves.
The Answer has been waiting for us to open the door and allow Him to come in.
You need forgiveness for your sins - He's offering just that.
You need answers to your questions - He's offering just that.
And, there's one more thing he's offering.
You ready for dessert?
How about the Spirit of Truth for dessert?
Man, I don't know. I'm pretty full from all that other stuff you shared. I'm not sure I have room for all of that.
Make room. You need this. Bad.
Don't get up from the table without this.
The same Spirit that led Jesus, the same Spirit that fell from the sky in the form of a dove and rested on His shoulder at the Jordan River, the same spirit that raised Lazarus from the dead, that gave the sight back to a blind man, that healed a centurion's daughter - it's yours.
IF, and here's the big "if", "If you love me, keep my commands".
What commands?
Open the door. Believe.
Realize that Jesus is the Way, the only way.
The Truth, the only truth.
The Life, the only life you'll ever need.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever"
And, that's the big meal.
A comfort food meal.
At my in-laws house I sometimes wash the dishes.
I have dried my share of dishes and put them away.
Sometimes I just sit down with the kids and others take care of the details.
How will you respond now that your belly is full of truth?
Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert.
Such it is with a meal at my in-laws.
There might be some items on the counter when you come in.
Cheese curds from Wisconsin. Maybe some vegetable pizza.
Then, eventually, we sit down and get into it.
Dude, these people know what comfort food is all about!
Maybe it's lasagna. Nobody does it better than my favorite mommy-in-law.
Then, DESSERT!
There is always a vast assortment of ice creams in the freezer.
A meal at my in-laws is something I wish every person could experience.
What did these men get at their meal?
Jesus washes their feet. A lesson in humility.
Jesus breaks bread and drinks wine. A lesson in remembering.
Jesus point out his betrayer. A lesson in decisions & consequences.
I don't know about you, but I'm gonna need some Alka-Seltzer after that meal.
That's a lot to take in.
And, Jesus must sense that.
Now, it seems as if Jesus went for a walk immediately following the meal.
Some of the language in chapters 14, 15, & 16 suggests he might have.
On his way to the garden of Gethsemane he tells his disciples lots of things.
Lets see if there is a three course meal in Chapter 14 of John.
How's this for an appetizer?
John 14
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
They've seen a lot. They've heard a lot.
In this last three years the limits of their faith has been stretched and pulled and they are probably wondering if they can take any more.
Have you been here before?
Wondering how you are going to make it through tomorrow, provide for your family, or simply get out of bed?
Life and the lessons we experience have a way of sapping the joy right out of us.
After everything they have experienced in this Upper Room this night, their hearts most likely are troubled.
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
We don't know what to make of any of this. Your body is the bread, your blood is the wine?
The Temple will get torn down and rise again in three days? What? You're not making any sense.
As if he knows they are having trouble digesting that appetizer, he offers the Pepcid AC before moving on to the main course.
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”The Way. The Truth. The Life.
There's a three course meal right there all by itself.
And, Jesus offers it up as part of the appetizer.
You want to get through this meal? You better know Who set the table.
You better know who you are saying 'grace' to, and, from now on, you do.
Ah, but as we know, that is never good enough when you're dealing with this batch of disciples.
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”Enough of this appetizer business. Just get down to the main course.
Maybe you don't care for appetizers.
Maybe you never order any of those cheese fries with bacon on them when you go out.
(I do. I do not pass up cheese fries.)
Maybe you just want to get on with the steak or pulled pork.
Bring on the baked potatoes. Get on with it already.
Life has a way of making us like that.
Enough of the pain and the suffering. I need answers already!
My child has been through enough doctors.
My wife has seen enough specialists.
My boss has given me enough grief.
ENOUGH! "Just show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
Alright. you want the main course. Here it is.
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.Many a "good" church going person is like Phillip.
The Father is right there in front of them and they are completely oblivious to it.
You could smack em up side the head with that proverbial ball bat and they still don't get it.
"Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?"
The salvation Christ offers has been at the door of the heart for such a long time.
He has been knocking and waiting for an answer.
And, here we are standing on the other side of the door demanding an answer ourselves.
The Answer has been waiting for us to open the door and allow Him to come in.
"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me"
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."Believe me when I say to you - Jesus needs to be at the center of your heart and life.
You need forgiveness for your sins - He's offering just that.
You need answers to your questions - He's offering just that.
And, there's one more thing he's offering.
You ready for dessert?
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.It's as if Jesus is saying, "You still having trouble believing me here? Do you still not have a grasp on what I am telling you? Ok, I'll give you some more help."
How about the Spirit of Truth for dessert?
Man, I don't know. I'm pretty full from all that other stuff you shared. I'm not sure I have room for all of that.
Make room. You need this. Bad.
Don't get up from the table without this.
The same Spirit that led Jesus, the same Spirit that fell from the sky in the form of a dove and rested on His shoulder at the Jordan River, the same spirit that raised Lazarus from the dead, that gave the sight back to a blind man, that healed a centurion's daughter - it's yours.
IF, and here's the big "if", "If you love me, keep my commands".
What commands?
Open the door. Believe.
Realize that Jesus is the Way, the only way.
The Truth, the only truth.
The Life, the only life you'll ever need.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever"
And, that's the big meal.
A comfort food meal.
At my in-laws house I sometimes wash the dishes.
I have dried my share of dishes and put them away.
Sometimes I just sit down with the kids and others take care of the details.
How will you respond now that your belly is full of truth?
