EUREKA by Keith Glasgow Copyright c 1993 - Living Hope Publications ISBN 0-9583345-2-8 Living Hope Publications 22 Chamberlain Drive, Kilsyth VIC 3137, Australia EUREKA There is a special joy in discovering truth. In a day when many people are confused about what to believe, the Bible presents Jesus as the Truth. He is the exclusive revelation of God to all people everywhere. This claim should not be waived aside without honest investigation. This book takes us on a guided tour through some of the most well- read pages of this world’s literature. The Gospel of John is an eye-witness account of the life of Jesus Christ. But it is more! It helps explain the unique person of Jesus Christ and can lead a person into a life-changing relationship with God. The Greek word “Eureka” means “I found it”. It is the response of many people, then and now, who find Jesus to be the answer to their deepest quest: the desire to find meaning and truth. Eureka is designed to be read on a daily basis alongside the text of John’s gospel in the New International Version. Each week a review provides an opportunity for the reader to meet with another person, or in a discussion group, to tease out some of the topics raised, and work through any issues and questions that arise. OINTRODUCTION Welcome to a fascinating journey through some of the most well-read pages of this world’s literature. “John’s Gospel” is the name Christians give to a book in the Bible which was written by an apostle of Jesus Christ. Apostles were those who had been personally taught by Jesus and, after His death and resurrection, were sent by Him into the world with the message of God’s love and forgiveness. Imagine we have been whisked back to the time when Jesus lived in Israel. We are met by the Apostle John who will be our tour guide. He has only a brief time to show us much about the wonderful person Jesus Christ. He has to be very selective in what scenes to bring before us, so he chooses those events which will convince us that Jesus is the Son of God. His purpose is not merely to inform our minds, but to move us to put our faith in Christ, and so receive God’s gift of eternal life through Him. In chapter 20, verse 30 to 31 John explains: “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples which are not re- corded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Although his book was written many years after the events occurred, we can trust his accuracy and integrity because:- 1. John’s gospel is one of four historical records of the life and teaching of Jesus found in the Bible. There is absolutely no evidence of collabo- ration in order to fabricate a story. Each gospel stands alone as an independent witness to the events, while at the same time verifying the others. If one of your neighbours gave a convincing account of a flying saucer which landed in your street at 3 am one morning, you might not believe it. However, if four people gave independent accounts of what happened, you would be wise to take it seriously. In the same way, the four gospels call for an honest and open investigation to be made by everyone. 2. The events which are recorded in the gospels were not done in secret. Many of the people who opposed Jesus Christ, who later became enemies of the church could not deny the historical facts of His life and miracles, even though they desperately wanted to! This is especially true of the account of the resurrection. The tomb was empty. The soldiers guarding the entrance had fled, the story that Jesus was risen could not be proven wrong. The enemies of the church could not disprove the resurrection of Jesus as the body was no longer in the tomb. History can never be removed. What has happened cannot unhappen! God has given us a reliable basis for our belief.3. The apostles would have no problem writing an account of the events, because they were recording facts concerning amazing occurrences which could not easily be forgotten. Actually, the time-lag lends weight to the validity of the gospels, as time is the great test of all things. Lies become distorted and change in the face of unforeseen questioning; but the truth of an eye-witness report never changes. 4. There are some who find it hard to believe that the apostles could remember the exact words of Jesus over the period of 30 to 60 years before writing them down. However: l. There is no reason why these sayings could not have first been written down in a temporary form for the apostles’ own personal reference. ll. The writers did not have to rely on their own memories alone (read Luke 1:2-4). lll. The apostles did not live the intervening years in a vacuum. They were constantly preaching, teaching and conversing about the things Jesus said and did. lV. The common way for rabbis (teachers) to instruct their disciples at that time was by memory. Even today Eastern people show a great aptitude for verbatim memorisation. V. The Holy Spirit of God brought to their remembrance the things they heard and saw (John 14:26). Vl. The final evidence is subjective, but nevertheless valid. The gospels have the “ring of truth” about them as they are read by anyone with an open and honest mind (John 7:17). As you read this gospel and think through the comments in this guide, try to imagine yourself beside John as he witnessed each event he describes. Millions of people down through the centuries have found God in a personal way as they have considered this powerful book. The Lord has a wonderful promise for you if you seek Him earnestly: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Be open to God’s Spirit as He helps you to understand and believe its life- changing message. Every time you are about to read, pray this simple prayer: “Dear God, please give me understanding and faith as I read today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” NOTE: you will gain greater value through this guide by meeting with a Christian you know once a week, to discuss the "Thinking it Through" pages together.6 THE WORD Read John 1:1-2 The first scene in John’s account of the life of Jesus is not His birth! John calls us to stand with him on the stage of history and look through the backdrop of time into the eternity which existed before anything was created. Only God stands outside the theatre of time and space. The eternal God has no beginning. Jesus Christ, as “The Word”, already existed “in the beginning”. Before the very first act of creation, “the Word already was” (verse 1). He existed “with God”, showing He is a distinct person; and He also existed as God (“The Word was God”). John uses the title “Word” when referring to the Lord Jesus because He is presenting Him as the one who fully reveals God. Just as our spoken words reveal the hidden thoughts of our minds, so the Divine Word reveals the hidden character and truth of God. When He became a human, the God who would otherwise be unknowable to us, "became flesh” (verse 14). Although the Bible teaches there is only one God, it also teaches that He is a plural being. There are three persons who exist together in the one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these three are distinct persons, and are no less God than the others. Together they exist eternally as one complete being. The word we use to describe this is 'trinity'. This concept of God is impossible to fully grasp with our minds, but we must believe it, because God has revealed these truths about Himself in the Bible. The trinity could be likened to light, which, when it passes through a glass prism, splits into a variety of colours. Each colour in the spectrum is different from the others, but each is still that same light. God, who is one being, is revealed as three, but remains one God in essence. The key to understanding the remainder of this gospel is accepting the great truth that Jesus Christ is the Word, the One who reveals God. As the life of Jesus unfolds through it's pages, remember that you are seeing God as He really is. If you are a little sceptical about Jesus’ claim to be God, ask yourself: “If God really does exist, and He did become a man, what proof would I look for in the things He said and did?” 17 THE WORD REVEALED Read John 1:3-5 Whenever God reveals Himself, “The Word” is the One who does the revealing. Although God did not fully reveal Himself until Jesus came (“the Word became flesh” - verse 14), He did show Himself in other ways. For example, the Bible is the “Word of God”, which is a written revelation of God’s truth. In verses 3-5 we see two other ways that God has revealed Himself to mankind. Both of these involved Jesus Christ, “The Word”: 1. Creation The music of Beethoven, the paintings of Michelangelo, and the writings of Shakespeare all reveal the otherwise hidden qualities of these men. Likewise, God’s qualities of power, beauty, order and glory are seen in His great masterpiece - creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). John tells us that it was Christ, the Word, who created everything. Not one thing of all that God made, came into being without the creative power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even life itself came from Him (“In Him was life”). 2. Light Not only has God revealed Himself in what He has made, but He has also placed a 'revelation' within every person (verse 4). Inner light in humans is similar to instinct that is genetically programmed into animals, only with humans it is an awareness of God’s existence. The life humans received from God was personally breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and then passed on to every descendant. In John 1 we find that the Life-Giver was none other than Christ the Word. In verse 5, John alludes to a battle between our inner light and the influence of darkness. This refers to a conflict between truth and error, where many end up shutting their minds to the truth God has emplanted, replacing it with human wisdom, or a man-made religion. This battle has continued through history, and today more than ever there are many voices that would seek to replace our inner light with false notions of reality. “But”, says John, “the light has never been extinguished, nor shall it ever be.” Truth must prevail. Despite all the lies and deception, people’s instinctive knowledge of God has never been put out. When faced with Jesus Christ, their inner light is able to discern the truth of who Jesus is. Our human life has it's source in Him, so recognises Him. 28 THE WORD REJECTED Read John 1:6-11 Imagine a good king being deposed by a usurper, and sent into exile. The new ruler then deceitfully turns the minds of the people against him. Should the rightful king find a way to return and claim his throne, he would have to convince his subjects of his own goodness, and the evil nature of the usurper. Then he would need to choose a strategic time to present himself as their true king. A wise move would be to send ahead of him a special envoy of loyal subjects to call the people to turn from their rebellion and receive the good king when he comes. An envoy of this kind would be important if the plan were to be successful, but would not guarantee its success. With humanity having rejected God and having been deceived into false beliefs, it was necessary for God to send an envoy to prepare people’s hearts for the coming of His Son into the world. John the Baptist was the last in a whole line of special messengers whom God sent to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. The forces of darkness had deceived the world into rebellion against God, making necessary his unique mission. John the Baptist not only called people to repentance, as did the other prophets before him, but he identified the King of Kings who had come into the world. He pointed to Jesus Christ and said: “Follow Him.” Not all listened to John’s message. The people of the world, even though they were made by Jesus Christ, did not recognize Him (verse 10). Surely the source of all Light would be recognized by those He had created, who were given that same light to be within them! But most did not come to Him. In verse 11 mention is made of the Jewish nation. They had been specially prepared by God to receive His Son. He had given them the Scriptures with many predictions of the coming King. John the Baptist brought the nation to a crisis of faith. They were told by Him that Jesus was this one they were waiting for. But as a nation they did not receive Him. The word “receive” used in verse 11 denotes an official “red carpet” reception of a dignitary. Israel failed to receive their King. Instead they put him to death on a cross. Some, however, did receive Him, and many more have done so since. The Creator-King wants to be restored to His rightful place in your life. Will you receive Him? He is the good king. Where He reigns there is always peace and joy. 39 THE WORD RECEIVED Read John 1:12-13 The people of the world were created by Christ and enlightened by Him, but when He came, they did not recognize Him! God especially prepared the Israelites for His coming, but they did not receive Him! Did His mission fail? Not at all! God used their rejection to impliment a plan He had from the start. He began seeking individuals of any race who would personally receive Christ: “...His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (verses 11-12). Any person who is willing to receive Christ is given two great gifts from God: First, He gives “the right to become children of God.” We do not deserve this position of honour, for we have sinned. All of us are rebels and deserve judgement. God freely forgives us and accepts us without hesitation because Christ died in our place and bore the punishment we deserve. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross opens the way for us to become children of God. Secondly, those who receive Him become members of God’s family. To be adopted gives someone the status of family, but adoption is unable to impart the life of one born into a family. However, in relation to God, those who receive Christ are not only adopted and called children of God, they actually “become children of God.” They receive God’s life in a miracle which Jesus calls being “born again.” This new-birth is contrasted in verse 13 with physical birth. When a child is born into a human family, the life comes from the blood-stock of the parents. The baby is a product of human desire and decision. In contrast, new-birth is something which God alone does. We cannot do a thing to make ourselves children of God. How then can we be born again? John gives the answer: “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name” (John 1:12). The Jewish people of that time did not receive Him because they did not believe Him to be the Son of God. His Name represents all that He is and has done. To believe in His Name is to receive Jesus Christ for who He is - the eternal Word who is God, who created everything, and who is the only Son of the Father. Today we are faced with the same choice as the people of Jesus’ day. If we are willing to receive Him we can do so in a prayer of faith and commitment. If we do nothing we remain in the kingdom of darkness forever. There is no neutral ground. Jesus said: “He who is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23). 410 THE WORD EXPERIENCED Read John 1:14-18 God the Word was “in the world” (verse 10). How then did He reveal Himself? Did he appear as a spirit, a phantom, or an image of dazzling light? John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (verse 14). He left the invisible spirit-state of His eternal exist- ence and, without surrendering His divine nature, assumed the body, soul and spirit of true humanity. He did not borrow a body for a brief period. He permanently became a man. How did John and the others of his day recognize the normal looking man, Jesus, for who He was? How was He different? “We beheld His glory”, says John. Not the outward glory of divine majesty, but the moral glory of “grace and truth.” Grace speaks of God’s love, and truth speaks of His holy character. Even a superficial reading of the gospels will show the unique blend of these two divine qualities in the life of Jesus Christ. John had seen the miracles which Jesus had performed, and yet these wonders alone had not convinced him about Jesus. What brought him to faith in Christ was the perfect example of His life. Jesus was full of grace and truth. Even Moses, the greatest of God’s prophets, was no more than an agent, sent merely to pass on God’s law to mankind. Jesus was different; He embodied grace and truth as only the Son of God could do. No one has seen God at any time. When Moses asked to see God in all His glory, God said “No one may see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20). However, God has now fully shown Himself to mankind in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In this passage there are three witnesses to Jesus Christ: 1. John and the other apostles (verse 14), who were eye-witnesses of His glory. They saw His unique life, His undeserved death, and His unexpected resurrection. The New Testament contains the written record of the things they saw and heard. 2. John the Baptist (verse 15) who was the official witness, sent to prepare the nation of Israel to receive their Messiah. 3. Christians down through history who have not seen the Lord Jesus physically are also witnesses, having experienced His power and grace in their lives. “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another” (verse 16). 5Next >