John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
Every college or university course has a syllabus, an outline of the course of study with specific goals and objectives that should be accomplished during the course of study. These include not only what will be taught, but how it will be evaluated. It tells the books to be read and the tests to be taken. The syllabus is given on the first day of class.
Wouldn’t it be nice if life had a syllabus given the first day of life! It would tell you your goals in life, the direction you will be taking and the tests along the way. It would tell you about the important moments that you need to pay attention to and the correct choices to make when you get there. It would serve as a blueprint for a life well lived.
Jesus reveals the syllabus that He followed in His life in our text today. The first thing he had was learning objectives. They are laid out in our verse. Let’s take a look at them.
Jesus’ first learning objective involved the source of His power. Jesus had learned that the Father had put all things under his power. There was a transfer or power sharing arrangement with God the Father. Jesus did not have power on His own any more than the Father had power on His own. The Father put the power in Jesus hands.
This is a struggle for us sometimes. We think we have power in ourselves to accomplish God’s tasks here on Earth. But all our power over anything is derivative power. It is the the Father’s power that we exercise. Apart from Him we are powerless. Life and breath both flow from the Father.
Jesus also had to learn His origin: He had come from God. Now that was a large lesson. Humans who have these thoughts today are locked up and medicated. People who think they are on a divine mission often get very misunderstood. Jesus had come to understand where He was before He was the baby born in the manger. Remember, He grew in wisdom and understanding. That must have been a very counter-cultural lesson for Him.
As we mature as humans we hopefully come to realize that our job description here on Earth is larger and longer than our lives in this terrestrial tent. We have a greater purpose, just like Adam and Eve. We are to rule and reign as God’s regents here. We are to be making this Earth just as the LORD made the heavens. Our job is to shape it into a place where His glory is clearly seen.
The third lesson was that Jesus had a destiny. He had come from God, but He was also returning to God. Death was not the final act of His life. It did not signal the end. Jesus had a place after this earthly life. And He had a confidence about that place. He faced the Cross and all its horrors with confidence knowing what would come next.
We can have this same confidence when we face death. That is the purpose of the Gospel of John. It was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that by believing we may have life in His name. We too can know our destiny: LIFE! And this life starts now.
As we read the rest of this chapter in John, we find out (VV16-17) that His followers also have a syllabus. They must learn to serve Jesus by serving others, and that they have a message to carry in that service. And just as Jesus demonstrated what a servant looks like when He washed the disciples’ feet, so we too must learn to serve each other in very practical ways. This helps us learn our place in this world. We are to serve.
But we are also to carry a message, the message of the Cross. It isn’t our message, it is His message. And if we serve others and carry the message, we represent Him well.
The Arnold Journey 