We all Must Learn to Love Life or be Condemned for Life Everlasting!
He who loves his life, loses it; and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.
But Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life, loses it; and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am there also my servant be. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour! No, this is why I came to this hour. Father glorify thy name!”
He who loves his life, loses it; and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.
But how do you learn to love life and experience life on a blissful spiritual level? To the nonbelievers, how do we convince ourselves to believe in the light and become sons of light?
Jesus therefore said to them: “Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
Now though he had worked so many signs in their presence, they did not believe him, that the word which the prophet Isaias spoke may be fulfilled. “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” This is why they could not believe, because Isaias said again, “he has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their mind, and be converted, and I heal them.”
And yet, even among the rulers, many believed in him; but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.
I believe it is a personal, meditative, and prayerful journey within for each one of us. There is no stamp of belief one can easily apply and become a believer and to love life no matter what so that the love itself becomes our everlasting life whether walking on this earth or in the heavens above. That journey within finds our soul and releases the light of our soul so that we walk in the light as Jesus alluded to. We have to love the glory of God—the light inside each of us—more than we love the glory of man. We become spiritual beings living a human life of peace, joy, unity, and freedom here—spiritual love—and an everlasting life of love beyond.
Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with ointment and Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to show that our time in the light with Jesus may be brief and that we must seize any opportunity we have to seek Him. That journey of seeking is saturated with humility, the humility Jesus demonstrated by washing the feet of His disciples, including his betrayer Judas Iscariot. As Peter learned and accepted, there is no other way, certainly not through position and power alone in this world.
Jesus: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed shall you be if you do them.”
A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: that as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Peter: “Lord, where art thou going?”
Jesus answered, “Where I am going thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow later.”
Peter: “Why can I not follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thee.”
Jesus answered him, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Amen, amen, I say to thee, the cock will not crow before thou dost deny me thrice.”
We are all on a journey through life but be sure to take that inward journey, too, to find you own light within—Jesus’ light within you!
We all must learn to love life or be condemned for life everlasting!
Day 98: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; We all Must Learn to Love Life or be Condemned for Life Everlasting!
Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint John Chapter 12-13.
Bible Notes:
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
Saint John, the disciple and Apostle whom Jesus loved, was the brother of James and the son of the fisherman Zebedee and Salome.
First a disciple of John the Baptist, he was called to follow Christ.
The purpose of his Gospel he states as follows: “these are written that you may believe the Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing you may have life in his name.”
John Chapter 12: The supper at Bethany; The anointing of Jesus’ feet; A great crowd gathers; Triumphal entry into Jerusalem; The Pharisees are worried; Certain Gentiles seek to meet Jesus; Christ’s hour has come; Unbelief of the Jews; Fear of those who believed; Christ, the light of the world.
Jesus therefore, six days before the Passover , came to Bethany…Mary therefore took a pound of ointment, genuine nard of great value, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and with her hair wiped his feet dry.
Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he who was about to betray him, said “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denari, and given to the poor?” Now he said this, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and holding the purse, used to take what was put in it.
Jesus therefore said “Let her be—that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also. For on his account many of the Jews began to leave them and to believe in Jesus.
The great crowd which had come to the feast… took the branches of palms and went forth to meet him. And they cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel!”… as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, my king comes, sitting upon the colt of an ass.”
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “Do you see that we avail nothing? Behold, the entire world has gone after him!”
Now there were certain Gentiles… these therefore approached Philip… “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
But Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He who loves his life, loses it; and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting. If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am there also my servant be. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him. Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour! No, this is why I came to this hour. Father glorify thy name!”
There therefore came a voice from heaven, “I have both glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Others said,”An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus: “Not for me did this voice come, but for you. Now is the judgment of the world; now will the prince of the world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from earth, will draw all things to myself.”
The crowd answered: “We have heard from the Law that the Christ abides forever. And how canst thou say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Jesus therefore said to them: “Yet a little while the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
These things Jesus spoke, and he went away and hid himself from them.
Now though he had worked so many signs in their presence, they did not believe him, that the word which the prophet Isaias spoke may be fulfilled. “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” This is why they could not believe, because Isaias said again, “he has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their mind, and be converted, and I heal them.”
And yet, even among the rulers, many believed in him; but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.
But Jesus cried out and, and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. And it anyone hears my words, and does not keep them, it is not I who judge him; for I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not accept my words, has one to condemn him. The word that I have spoken will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but he who sent me, the Father, has commanded me what I should say, and what I should declare. And I know that his commandment is everlasting life. The things, therefore, that I speak, I speak as the Father has bidden me.
John Chapter 13: Washing of the feet at the Last Supper; Peter objects; Need for humility; The betrayer leaves the Supper; The new commandment of love; Peter’s denials predicted.
Jesus, knowing the hour had come for him to pass out of this world to the Father… and during supper, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot… to betray him, Jesus…. Rose from supper and laid aside his garments, and taking a towel girded himself. Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to dry them with the towel with which he was girded.
Peter: “Lord, dost thou was my feet?”
Jesus: “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shall know hereafter.”
Peter: “Thou shalt never wash my feet!”
Jesus: “If I do not wash thee, thou shalt have no part with me.”
Peter: “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus “He who has bathed needs only to wash, and he is clean all over. And you are clean, but not all.”
For Jesus knew who it was that would betray him. This is why he said, “You are not all clean.”
Jesus: “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If, therefore, I the Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you also should do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed shall you be if you do them. I do not speak of you all/ I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’ I tell you now before it comes to pass, that when it has come to pass you may believe that I am he. Amen, amen, I say to you, he who receives anyone I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.
When Jesus had said these things he was troubled in spirit, and said solemnly, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples therefore looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking.
Peter: “Who is it of whom he speaks? Lord, who is it?”
Jesus answered, “It is he for whom I shall dip the bread, and give it to him.”
And when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot… and after the morsel, Satan entered into him.
And Jesus said to Judas Iscariot: “What thou dost, do quickly.”
But none of those at the table understood why he said this to him.
When, therefore, Judas Iscariot had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified with him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and, as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so to you also I say it now. A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: that as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Peter: “Lord, where art thou going?”
Jesus answered, “Where I am going thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow later.”
Peter: “Why can I not follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thee.”
Jesus answered him, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Amen, amen, I say to thee, the cock will not crow before thou dost deny me thrice.”
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