Daily Bible Reading: John 12:20-50 - Jesus Begins His Discourse

Much of this section of John 12, that want to see Jesus,  is Jesus speaking to his disciples.  I am posting highlights of what he said to them, but we start with a group of men who wanted to see Jesus:

V21-22 "and there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying Sir, we would see Jesus.  Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus."

In John chapter 10, Jesus speaking of himself as the Good Shepherd, tells of "other sheep" which would be brought into the fold.  In the verses above, we have Greeks (Gentiles) seeking Jesus.  These are an example of the "other sheep".  Those in authority wanted to kill Jesus, but here we have Gentiles seeking him.

The Way to Heaven

John 14:1-6 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither you goest; and how can we know the way?  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

In this passage the Lord Jesus teaches us about heaven.  How do we get there? What is the way to heaven?  We have to ask that question because there is a way to heaven.  In our modern western world people just assume heaven.  It is assumed that we will go to heaven when we die.  People assume that they will arrive in heaven after death, this is an almost universal idea.  People who have no interest in God, no interest in Jesus Christ, no interest in His church, no time for the bible, somehow still think it's fitting and  natural that they will end up in heaven after they die.  If their destiny is questioned, they are hurt and offended. "They are looking down upon us now from heaven", that is what they say about people who had no interest in God their whole life.  "They are in a better place now."  Wake up.  Heaven is assumed because the people in the world don't seem to understand one of the facts of life: if you are going to end up somewhere, you need to be on the way to that place.  If you are not on the way to that place you are not going to end up there.  That is a fact of life.  Everybody knows that.  

Does there need to be a way to heaven?  Of course there needs to be a way.  There is a connection, a logical connection, a factual connection, an unquestionable connection, no one can deny it, between the way you are on and the destination at which you will arrive.  If you want to go to somewhere, you need to be on the road to get there.  If you are not on the way to a certain destination, you will not end up there.  There is an undeniable factual connection between the way you are on, and the destination at which you will arrive.  You don't get to a place by doing nothing.  Modern people assume they will get to heaven by sitting in their living room and doing nothing.  They assume that there is no connection between the way and the destination.  They assume heaven because modern people are illogical and irrational in this area.  The bible says they are foolish.  Jeremiah 5:4 "Therefore I said, Surely these are poor, they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God." 

Who Lives in Heaven?

Hebrews 12:18-29 

It is necessary and pleasant to study heaven.  If we are saved, we are already a citizen of heaven. Yes, we are citizens of heaven who are exiled in this world, this world for believers is not their home.  The believer is on a pilgrimage to heaven, and every Christian is presently an ambassador of heaven in this world.  Heb 13:14 "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."   Believers look forward to heaven.  Even though heaven is in eternity, it is very near, very close.

Who lives in heaven?  who is presently in heaven?  There are three categories: 

 God lives in heaven, the triune God lives in heaven.   That makes the God of Christianity different from any other God, the triune God that is one God but three persons, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  Three persons, one God.  This is a foundation of Christian doctrine.  Same in substance, equal in power and in glory.  Same in essence.  The essence of God is holiness, God the Father is holy, God the Son is the holy child, and the Holy Spirit.  Some people might say they don't understand so they can't believe it  but the answer is, of course you can't understand it, nobody can understand it.  How can a finite limited human mind understand the infinite God?  We cannot comprehend infinity because to understand it you would have to be equal with God.  But we believe it just the same because God has revealed himself in the bible. That is faith.  The bible says 1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." In John 1:1 the apostle John refers to the Lord Jesus as the Word.  Jesus says I and my Father are one.  The bible says that God's dwelling place is in heaven.  We have faith and trust in God's word that what it says is true even though some of it is beyond our full grasp.  It is the greatest fallacy that we need to understand something before we can believe it.  You don't understand exactly how airplanes work but you trust that they can fly.