Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

John 5:39–47

39 “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 I do not accept glory from humans. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” (NRSVUE)

Observation:

Jesus was confronting the religious leaders who had come to complain about His ministry. These were men who had spent much of their lives searching the Scriptures. While they knew the Scriptures, they were not allowing them to testify on behalf of Jesus. They were so absorbed by the technicalities of the words that they failed to see that they were pointing toward the man standing in front of them.

Jesus was the One who could offer them eternal life, and yet they were missing it. Jesus refused to seek praise, admiration, or even positions from humans. He wasn’t interested in gaining their earthly accolades.

Then comes the rather devastating diagnosis: “I know that you do not have the love of God in you.” This is really at the heart of the matter. Jesus has come so that God’s love can flow out of the lives of those who know Him.

These religious leaders loved to praise one another. There were popular teachers in the day, and they would give praise and glory to one another. But not to Jesus. They continued to seek earthly glory rather than the glory that comes from God.

Then He brings it around to Moses. Moses had instructed the people to meditate on God’s law and had taught them a song to testify to the work of God in their lives. If they had truly taken to heart all that Moses had taught and acted upon it, they would have recognized who Jesus was. But Jesus tells them that they don’t really believe Moses either. They have the law and the Scriptures, but they have missed the Messiah to whom they point, for the love of God is not in them.

Application:

At the core of this entire passage is the comment by Jesus, “I know that you do not have the love of God in you.”

When I was a teenager, I had a teacher at school who despised me. I don’t know why. I’ve often wondered if she was going through a difficult time in her life and maybe I reminded her of someone, but it was strange. She was my English teacher and told me that I would never get a good grade in her class because I looked like a C student. I was quite devastated because I was a good student and usually got good grades. I’d actually never had a C in my whole life, and I didn’t know what I had done to deserve this.

I tried to be nice to her, and I tried to write well for class. She would never give me anything above a B. I distinctly remember one paper where she wrote in large letters across the top, “You were trying to be creative, weren’t you?” It was actually quite sarcastic. There was nothing I could do to get an A from her. My friends even told me that she would talk about me to her other students in other class periods. It was downright weird, and finally, I dropped English because this teacher was making life miserable for me. When I was trying to drop her class, she chased me down into the lunchroom and yelled at me in front of all my friends.

How does this relate? Well, this lady knew everything technical about teaching English. She had read the books and gotten her degrees. But there was something missing in her heart. What came out of her heart was not a love for her students or a desire for them to excel, but almost a petty anger. And somehow, that’s what I see in these religious leaders. They didn’t just dislike Jesus; they despised Him. It was a heart problem.

What’s beautiful is that Christ comes to help solve the heart problem. Back in Ezekiel, we read that God will take our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. Jesus is creating a pathway through His life, death, and resurrection, and through the sending of the Holy Spirit, for God to dwell in the hearts of His people. This is what He wants for you and for me.

We can have a lot of head knowledge, but we need heart knowledge.

Is the love of God in your heart today? If not, it’s time to jump into the deep end of the water and allow His holy love to fill you to overflowing. It’s possible, for He has promised us the Spirit.

Prayer:

Lord, I want Your love to overflow in my heart and life. Help me to give You anything that might stand in the way. Amen.