What Two OF Our Scholars Say about the Passion

Samuele Bacchiocchi
Robert J. Weiland

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Comforting Words

Comments On Lesson #11: The Spirit "Replaces" Jesus

In 2 Kings 20:1 King Hezekiah is ordered by the prophet to “Set thine house in order…” King Hezekiah decides not to follow the order and pleads God for more life. God grants King Hezekiah his wish, and thus begins King Hezekiah downfall. Moses was different. He spends most of the book of Deuteronomy setting his house in order. Moses gave instructions, selected a new leader, assured to the people of Israel God’s love toward them and His faithfulness.
This what Jesus does in these Chapters 13:31 through 16:33. He set His house in order by giving His disciples comforting words. He gave the disciples instructions, announced who would take the position He was leaving, and assured the disciples of God’s love toward them and His faithfulness. Christ was thorough in His work. All pertinent details were covered.
First, Christ gave then instructions on how to live of agape Love. This way of living was foreign to the disciples, and so it is to us. This way of living is part of what Christ came to show us. Christ came to show us how to Love. Which means he came to show us how to be obedient to the law. Love for God and love for our fellow human being is the summary of the law, Christ said. And, by this love “they shall know you that you are my disciples.” Christ told and showed us how to love God is accomplished. This type of love is unconditional, willingly and by choice. This Godly Agape love is the type of love that loves the unlovable, annoying, and those who reject us and hate us. This type of love is the Love that Christ said about, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. However, this type of loving can only be when we abide in Him as He abides in the Father. He is the Vine we are the branches. If we the branches remain in Him, we will Love God above all else, and others like ourselves. We will bear fruits, Spiritual fruits. The Father will prune us, to make sure our fruit is pure and wholesome.
Christ also gave His disciples promises. They would not be forsaken. Christ would be with them until the end. He promised them that where He was going, they also would be, eventually. To make this possible Christ promised to send the disciples a helper or comforter. We know this helper or comforter as the Holy Spirit. It would be to their advantage because, The Holy Spirit can be closer to them and us more than Christ ever would. However, the Spirit’s closeness would be the same as Christ closeness. The Holy Spirit in us is Christ in us. Ellen G. White says:

The Holy Spirit is Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high. Desire Of Ages p. 669

The Holy Spirit would empower the disciples and believers to do works that according to Christ could be far greater than His. He would give us gifts to do the work. The Spirit would bring conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit will purify and sanctify us. He will enable us to conquer sin. In the words of Ellen G. White:

Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church. Desire of Ages p. 671

The Spirit will bear His fruit in us. The Spirit will give us new wine hearts or characters in our old wine skin body. The Spirit will prepare us for the final stage of salvation. This is when we will be given new wine skins, for our new wine characters. We will be given new perfect, immortal, incorruptible, glorified bodies.
Finally, Christ promised his disciples and believers eternal life to be spent with Him. In mansions and homes prepared for us by Him, where He went 2000 years ago. This will be our eternal place of live. This is the Bride of Christ. Not the church, but The New Jerusalem filled with those who loved God and not their lives unto the death. These are indeed comforting words. Do you believe them?

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Movie: The Passion

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The case for Purity and Faith

Comments on Lesson: True Greatness

There are four weeks left for this quarter, and we are barely at half of the book of John. What is more amazing is that half the book is about the last two days of Jesus life. They are important lessons in these two days. Perhaps these lessons are even more important for those whom death will visit before Christ's return. Christ was a great example even for them. In these last two days he shows us how to take care of one’s affairs when death is imminent.
The first call of order was the last supper. Before dinner Jesus washed the disciple's feet. This was a tradition in the Middle East. The servants would wash the dry and dirty feet of the houseguests. We are told that Jesus was teaching us how to be humble, hence the name Ordinance of Humility. I do not argue the point of teaching humility. I also think that Jesus was teaching us another lesson besides humility. I believe calling this ceremony the Ordinance of Humility gives it a wrong focus. It leaves out a very important aspect that Christ emphasized but we often ignore.
One Sabbath morning when I was in college I went to a local church. I arrived late. They had communion and I arrived just as the foot washing was finishing. The elder asked me if I wished to participate. I said, “Yes,” and added, “Is there anybody who needs their feet washed?” He did not answer my question. Instead he lead me to the back room. He asked me to sit down and take off my shoes and socks, and proceeded to wash my feet. When we finished he asked me to join them in the sanctuary. At that moment I asked myself, “What is more important, getting your feet washed or washing someone else’s feet?” Needless to say, I was truly humbled after that experience.
Like a good Bible student I went to the Bible. I notice that it John 13: 6-8 says:

Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

I realized at this point that it is as important to be clean or pure as it is to be humble. Actually, maybe Jesus was telling us that only those who are pure are truly humble. Washing someone else’s feet every three months will not make me humble. Allowing Christ to make my mind and heart pure will make me humble.
The lesson jumps to chapter 17. It is perhaps the most beautiful and most meaningful prayer in the Bible. Christ, knowing what was awaiting Him, and what was awaiting the disciples and the subsequent believers, prayed for all. This is a great example for all of us. It is especially a great example for those who are dying. Pray for yourself and those who will continue after you, while you have time and strength to pray. We learn form this prayer to pray for ourselves and for others. We learn from this prayer what to pray about. Not only unity among the brethren, but for their sanctification. We learn to pray that we become one with God, as Jesus and the Father are one. We learn to pray that we become one as we become one with Jesus. Unity alone does not guarantee oneness with God. Those who built the Tower Babel were united in their rebellion against God. Oneness with God will guarantee that the believers become one body, regardless of their church affiliation.
What Jesus is praying for here is Spiritual Strength. What Jesus is praying for is that the believers have faith. The type of faith that Jesus himself had. He prayed for a faith of total trust and surrender to God the Father. Jesus prayed that the believers would have a faith that when faced with a trial like He would face, they too could be victorious. This type of faith can only be acquired when we allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us in Word and in Truth. This faith we cannot purchase or earn with hard work. It is a gift from God. Only those who continually believe will receive it. These are the ones that only need their feet washed. They are clean because they have been bathed with the blood that Jesus shed on the cross.

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