John's Story (27 page)

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Authors: Tim Lahaye,Jerry B. Jenkins

BOOK: John's Story
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21
When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
22
Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.

23
Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
24
Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

25
Then, leaning back
a
on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

26
Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped
it.
” And having dipped the bread, He gave
it
to Judas Iscariot,
the son
of Simon.
27
Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
28
But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him.
29
For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy
those things
we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

30
Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

The New Commandment

31
So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.
32
If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.
33
Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.
34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

36
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

37
Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

38
Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

14
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
2
In My Father’s house are many mansions;
a
if
it were
not
so,
I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
b
3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am,
there
you may be also.
4
And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Father Revealed

7
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

8
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

9
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

10
Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own
authority;
but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11
Believe Me that I
am
in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer

12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater
works
than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14
If you ask
a
anything in My name, I will do
it.

Jesus Promises Another Helper

15
“If you love Me, keep
a
My commandments.
16
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Indwelling of the Father and the Son

19
“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20
At that day you will know that I
am
in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24
He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The Gift of His Peace

25
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28
You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming
back
to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said,
a
‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

29
“And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
30
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
31
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

The True Vine

15
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;
a
and every
branch
that bears fruit Heprunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5
“I am the vine, you
are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw
them
into the fire, and they are burned.
7
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will
a
ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

9
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and
that
your joy may be full.
12
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
14
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and
that
your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
17
These things I command you, that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred

18
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before
it hated
you.
19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20
Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21
But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23
He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.
25
But
this happened
that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law,
‘They hated Me without a cause.’
a

The Coming Rejection

26
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
27
And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

16
“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2
They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
3
And these things they will do to you
a
because they have not known the Father nor Me.
4
But these things I have told you, that when the
a
time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

5
“But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
6
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8
And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9
of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10
of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11
of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear
them
now.
13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own
authority,
but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14
He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare
it
to you.
15
All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare
it
to you.
a

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

16
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”

17
Then
some
of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”
18
They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

19
Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’?
20
Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
21
A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
22
Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

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