August 13
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JESUS CONFIDES TO THE DISCIPLE WHOM HE LOVED
21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. 23 There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” 25 He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So, when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore, Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. 29 For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. 30 So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.
– John 13:21-30
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In this account, Jesus was having his last supper with his disciples. Since He was also God, He knew exactly the hour when He was going to be betrayed and who was going to betray Him. The disciples on the other hand didn’t know among them was the traitor. John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. In verse 23, we have a picture of that special love that Jesus had for John. He was reclining on Jesus’ bosom. It was at this point when Simon Peter, used John’s closeness to Jesus to find out who the traitor was and true enough, on verse 26, Jesus gave John an answer to his question. He said that the one who will dip the morsel is the one who will betray him. Not long after Jesus said it to John, Judas Iscariot was possessed by Satan. It is interesting that Jesus told Judas to do quickly what he was about to do. Meanwhile, all the other disciples were still wondering who among them would do such a terrible disloyalty to their Master. They had no clue that Jesus already confided to John who the traitor was.
What a picture of love between Jesus and John! Because of His love for John, Jesus confided in his beloved disciple who the traitor would be. Wouldn’t we also have such honor if we get very close to Jesus? Wouldn’t it be a privilege to be Jesus’ confidant?
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REFLECTION
• What are the benefits of being a disciple whom Jesus loves?
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DO AS I DID TO YOU ILMA’S VLOG
August 12
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DO AS I DID TO YOU
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’ 19 From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”– John 13:12-20
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Just before Jesus was to die on the cross, He had His last supper with them. He explained to them the reason the behind the washing of their feet. He was their Lord and Teacher and yet He did the most menial task of washing their feet. He was showing them that leadership in God’s economy is not like the world system. He evidently gave them an example to emulate. In verse 16 he clearly identified that the slave cannot be greater than their Master nor He is greater than His Father who sent Him. What the world consider as great is to be served, but in God’s economy, it is the opposite. If you want to be first, you would have to serve others. He also stresses to them that He knows exactly who belongs to Him and if they are of Him, they would follow as he does. They have to serve others as He serves them.
How many believers really understand servant leadership that Jesus role modeled for all of his disciples? The world keeps messing up the humble act of serving. It generates the concept of being served rather than the opposite. It is a world that propagates pleasing oneself rather than serving God. Humans deal with a lot of distractions in their lives that they forget the real purposes of their lives. They only want to satisfy their wants and desires and ensure that they are in control. It becomes harder and harder to trust God and others.
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REFLECTION
• How can a believer fight the urge to follow the world system instead of pleasing God by serving others?
WASHING HIS DISCIPLES’ FEET ILMA’S VLOG
August 11
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WASHING HIS DISCIPLES’ FEET
13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” – John 13:1-11
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This gospel account of John on Jesus’ washing the feet of His disciples is an amazing picture of humility at its best. At the beginning of this chapter, once again, Jesus manifests His deity and his great capacity to love. He knows everything and sees all things. He knows that the hour has come for Him to leave this world and be reunited with His Father. He is aware that Judas Iscariot was already manipulated by the devil to do this plot to sell Jesus so he can have more money. So, at the last supper with His disciples, He wanted to role model to them what a true disciple is. So, He poured water into a basin and began to wash each of their feet. In those times, people clean themselves up especially their feet because they didn’t have any form of transportation but they use their feet to walk all day to all places. Naturally, they would usually be dirty. Among the twelve disciples, no one took the initiative to do the washing of the feet of each other. It was the most menial task that someone can do, a lowly act. So, Jesus took the initiative to do it. He wanted to teach them that being a follower of Him meant being a servant to one another. It is interesting that Peter didn’t want Jesus to do it because he couldn’t fathom why the Master would serve the servants. What a humble way to lead others.
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REFLECTION
• How is the idea of leadership very different in God’s economy from the world’s?
BELIEVE AND YOU WON’T STAY IN DARKNESS ILMA’S VLOG
August 10
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BELIEVE AND YOU WON’T STAY IN DARKNESS
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. 46 I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore, the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”– John 12:44-50
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In this account, we hear Jesus declares the formula for salvation: to believe in Him. He explains that He is the Light and if one believes in Him, they will not remain in darkness. Believing Jesus is faith in action. It is not only saying that you believe Him. He says in verse 47 that the gauge of a true believer is to do what Scripture says, not just hear it. James 1:22 says “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” Some Christians think that faith is a passive act. They think that declaring Jesus as Lord and Savior is enough. Clearly, Jesus explains here that there is an active role that the believer needs to take part in so that the Holy Spirit can move into his heart and bring salvation into fruition in his life. Sanctification is the ability to live pure and holy life. It is the Holy Spirit who equips us in obedience and dependence on God. Following truth that comes only from God’s word is key in living a holy life, that chooses righteousness as a lifestyle. It negates lies and exposes the enemy’s tactics to keep us away from knowing God and bringing Him glory. In verse 48, Jesus states the consequence of rejecting Him: they will be judged not only by Him, but by His Father in heaven. We still hear how Jesus operates in unity with His Father when He said that He is following what His Father told Him to say. In verse 50, He declares that He never operates alone but only does what the Father tells Him. Can we say the same thing of our lives? Do we do only what our Lord and Master does? The whole theme of this gospel account is to live in the Light, which refers to Jesus. A life without the Light is total darkness. Believing is the first step, “doing His will” completes the process of salvation.
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REFLECTION
• How dark was your life before you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
BLINDED EYES AND HARDENED HEARTS ILMA’S VLOG
August 9
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BLINDED EYES AND HARDENED HEARTS
37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” 41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. 42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
– John 12:37-43
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In this account, the Jewish leaders still continued in their unbelief despite Jesus’ many signs and wonders. The writer, John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy in the book of Isaiah chapter 6. He was referring to the reason why these Jewish leaders reject Jesus’ deity. They have been blinded to see the revelations that the Lord had been doing because their hearts are hardened.
Isaiah vision is a revelation from the Lord. God spoke to the prophet and explained to him that these people kept on listening but do not perceive. They kept on looking but do not understand. The people are insensitive: their ears are dull and their eyes are dim. The Lord is warning the people through Isaiah that their inability to see and understand was because of their unbelief. This was exactly what was being fulfilled in this story about the Pharisees who kept on rejecting truth and not believing that Jesus is the Son of God. This was what exactly Isaiah was prophesying a long time ago before Jesus was even born.
It is so sad to watch unbelievers who reject the truth that Jesus is God. So many unbelievers are going to miss out on the promises that God gave to all those who believe that Christ is the Son of God, sent to us so we can all be free from sin. Unbelief leads to many other sins such as pride, rebellion, arrogance, wavering, doubt and many other. Blindness and hardened heart surely close the door to one’s salvation. The Pharisees continued to have unbelief because they were hanging on to human approval and losing their place in the synagogues. They weren’t concerned about God’s approval.
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REFLECTION
• Why do unbelievers become blind to truth?
SONS OF LIGHT ILMA’S VLOG
August 8
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SONS OF LIGHT
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”– John 12:27-36
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In this account, Jesus thinks aloud to the crowd. He exhibits his humanity when He claims that he is troubled because He exactly knows what is about to happen to Him. Yet, part of His deity knows that it is the reason why He came here on earth in the first place. When He uttered “Father, glorify your name”, he was directly speaking to God the Father and a voice from heaven spoke back saying “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” It was only Jesus who clearly heard what God said. The crowd only heard thunder. Once again, Jesus tells them that it was for them that God spoke. Jesus foreshadows what was going to happen to Him, how He will die soon. In verse 31, he declares victory over the ruler of the world. His purpose for coming down on earth was to defeat Satan and to bring back all men to His Father. The people were unable to understand all things Jesus was saying. Jesus calls Himself the Light in this conversation with them. He warns them that the Light is still among them. He advises them to enjoy His presence while He is still alive and believe in Him so that they may become sons of Light. In other words, if you believe in Jesus, you get a part of His light and become light for Him.
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REFLECTION
• How can we continue to shine for Jesus? How is faith important for one to be called sons of Light?
FOLLOW ME & THE FATHER WILL HONOR YOU ILMA’S VLOG
August 7
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FOLLOW ME & THE FATHER WILL HONOR YOU
20 Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; 21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. – John 12:20-26
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After the raising of Lazarus, many people seek to see Jesus. The Greeks were some of these people. So, Philip and Andrew consulted Jesus if He was going to see these people. Jesus gave them an answer that reveals to them things about God’s plan. When Jesus says “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” in verse 23. He is declaring His deity again. He knows exactly God’s plan and timing because He is God Himself. When He says it is time for Him to be praised, then He is acknowledging that He never operates on His own but with His Father’s approval and timing. The next verse He says to Philip and Andrew is a revelation that has to do with what it cost to be a disciple. These Greeks were seeking to be part of Jesus’ Ministry.
Whenever Jesus says “truly, truly”, He is revealing a secret to whomever He is talking to. He is handing them truth. He speaks in parables and figures of speech to those who wants to follow Him and usually explains only to his 12 apostles the meaning because He has trained them three years already and can comprehend what He is revealing to them. Jesus talks about the cost of following Him in verses 24-26. He likens their lives to a wheat that needs to fall on earth and die so it can bear fruit. Whoever wants to follow Him must die to their own wants, desires or let go of all things that will not make Jesus their priority. In other words, nothing should be more important than Jesus. He explains that a disciple is present only where Jesus is. They must be slaves of Jesus. He becomes their master. They only do as the Master or Lord says. They lose their lives for Him.
Many Christians fail to understand the cost of being a follower of Jesus. They think it is just a religion they follow. It is becoming slaves of righteousness and truth.
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REFLECTION
• Why do one need to count the cost before following Jesus?
HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL ILMA’S VLOG
August 6
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HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”– John 12:12-19
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In this story, we witness the crowd praising Jesus for raising Lazarus back to life and welcomed Him as he was coming in to Jerusalem. Jesus was sitting on a young donkey, which fulfills what was written in Scriptures. The disciples didn’t realize that it was a fulfilled prophecy until later. When they were shouting Hosanna, they eventually remembered. Those who witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the tomb, continued to witness to Jesus. They have never seen anything like it.
Meanwhile, when all were busy to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem and they were all honoring His coming in, the Pharisees were at the height of their envy. They fear losing their power and control over the popularity and following that resulted from Jesus bringing to life the dead. They needed to put a stop to it or they will be in trouble.
What interesting reactions we get from varied people here. Many believed only because they witnessed the miracles that Jesus did. They focused on the works but not really on the person of Jesus, who is God as well. We often do this when we get attracted to the works of people who serve God or get into the details of other things. We fail to focus on God and His truth and get distracted by other stuff. We fail to recognize that evil can lurk behind miracles. There will be people who will feel insecure and threatened when they are exposed with the evil things they do.
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REFLECTION
• How can people flip-flop from belief and unbelief despite signs and wonders?
MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME ILMA’S VLOG
August 5
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MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME
Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” 9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. – John 12:1-11
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Lazarus was resurrected from death in this account. It was six days after Passover and Jesus passed by his friends’ house in Bethany. We see on some occasions in the bible that Jesus frequented the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. It establishes how close He was with these people. While having supper with Jesus and the disciples, Mary got her most expensive perfume and began to anoint Jesus’ feet with it and used her hair to wipe His feet with. It must have been very costly to use pure nard because it made Judas Iscariot cringed at the thought that he could have profited from the value of that perfume. It really shows his character. He wasn’t there for Jesus but to use Jesus so he can benefit personally from the funds. In verse 6, we see the true color of Judas, he was a thief who embezzled money from the funds of the group. Mary’s act of using the best perfume to anoint Jesus feet is exactly the opposite of Judas’ greed. She had to honor the Lord with all she has because He was her master.
How easily can we forget that everything we have comes from the Lord? Some people forget that Jesus must come first in all that we have and all that we do.
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REFLECTION
• Why did Mary anoint Jesus’ feet?
• What was the significance of such anointing?
JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
August 3
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JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
– John 11:38-46
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This part of John’s gospel tells us the miracle of all miracles that Jesus did for the glory of His Father. He brought life to the dead. It took four days before Jesus came to Bethany when He heard of the death of his beloved friend, Lazarus. Why did it take Him that long? Because the longer his friend is dead, the greater the opportunity to witness the power of God in him who have been long dead. In verse 42, Jesus proclaims in His prayer to God that He already knows God hears Him all the time, but for the sake of those who are witnessing this work He was doing, it will be better in order for their unbelief to turn to belief. In those days, they wrap their dead in wrappings and anoint them with oil. They didn’t have a way to preserve them long enough to remove the stench from the decay. Can you imagine how it must have smelled with four days of decaying dead body?
When Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise up, everyone was probably expecting the smell that they will be confronted with. I don’t think he stunk as much as they think He would. I am sure, as soon as Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out, He also dealt with the stench of the smell coming from his dead body. Death was overpowered and even the smell that goes with death was removed. This miracle clearly illustrates the power of Jesus when He gives life to the dead: whether it is in the spirit or in the physical realm.
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REFLECTION
• What were you resurrected from when you made Jesus your Lord and Master?