Scripture: John
12:44-50
Focus Scripture: “For
I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what
to say and how to say it.” John 12:49 (NIV)
John
says this is Jesus’ last public teaching.1 He spends His remaining
time on earth teaching the disciples.
We hear from
a young age that our last words tell others about our true selves. In this
passage, Jesus tells his listeners, when one believes in Him, he or she also
believes in God who sent Him.
The Teacher
tells them, and us, that He does not judge us, but God does. He also states that
the words He speaks come from God the Father. Where do the words we speak have
their source? Do they come from God or from our own angry hearts? We are the
ones who have to decide. Only God can show us the source of our words and our
emotions.
We,
who live in the 21st Century, need to pay closer attention to Jesus’
words as we face and work through our problems and those of our world. We
should pray and, then, listen.
- Daily Study Bible, William
Barclay, Book of John-Vol 2. Page 135;Westminster Press, Philadelphia