Show Notes
John 12:50 is Jesus’ last statement before his passion begins; it is the end of John’s exposition of 6 “signs” that comprise the first half of the Gospel of John and the beginning of the 7th sign that is the substance: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
John 12:50a, translated literally reads as follows: “I know that the commandment of the Father is eternal life.” The definite article means that there is only one commandment, and every commandment is included in this one.
Jesus does NOT say, “The commandment of the Father leads to eternal life.” Nor does he say “The commandment of the Father is eternal life IF you happen to obey the commandment and IF NOT, he’ll issue another commandment.” JUST, “The commandment of the Father is eternal life.”
Which raises two obvious questions: #1 Who can fulfill this commandment? #2 What should be the Father’s punishment for those who don’t?
One day long ago, I judged that my son had reached an appropriate age, and so I issued a command and made a commandment. I said, “Jon, you will mow the lawn; you will work the garden. You will mow the lawn once a week on Saturday.”
Jon had begged me to let him do just that when he was 6 years old, but at 15, it was another matter. So early one Saturday, I just stormed into his bedroom; I woke him from sleep, and I began to yell.
I said: “Jonathan, you have broken the commandment! Because you have not mowed the lawn, you will never mow the lawn. Even if you want to mow the lawn and cry out to me begging me to let you mow the lawn, it is too late: My patience has run out, my mercy has come to an end. JONATHAN HIETT, YOU WILL NEVER EVER MOW THE LAWN AGAIN!”
Jonathan looked at me, smiled, and said, “Thanks, Dad!” Then rolled over and went back to sleep. And, of course, that didn’t actually happen . . . because it’s absurd.
But if it did happen, who would then be punished? I would be punished with endless resentment, and so mow the lawn in anger, and never enjoy the garden. …And yet, this is exactly how the Church has explained the punishment of God.
Who would actually want to punish God our Father? It sounds satanic. And who is even capable of disobeying the Commandment of God? What God commands is called “Creation.”
On day one, God says, “Let there be light,” and there is light. Etc. etc. On day seven, everything is good, and “It (all) is finished.”
And yet, on day six, there is a hiccup... God commanded a thing to do some things and not do other things. But that thing doesn’t do those things, and that thing is us; we are adam. God said, “Let us make adam in our own image and likeness.” And each one of us said, “Nope. I’m not going to let you; it’s not going to happen; I’m not mowing the lawn.”
The Father’s Commandment is Eternal Life. And we think that we have the power to change that commandment into endless conscious death? How can that be? Who do we think we are?
In John 12:31-32, just before He mentions “The Commandment of the Father,” Jesus says, “Now is the Judgment of this world. Now is the ruler of this world cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Last time, I shared that surrendering to the Judgment of God — the one judgment of God, NOW — must look less like one of those end times movies and more like that little video of my very first conversation with my grandson, James.
When I first met James, I said, “He’s perfect,” and yet, I knew that something was wrong. He wasn’t aware of myself, himself, or any self. He was alone. He was unaware of the arms that held him. He was unaware of the love that was all around him.
Many years ago, God literally pinned me to the floor and told me to stop doubting His love for me. It was as if He pulled back a veil, and I saw that He was everywhere and every when loving me. It was as if in a moment, His psyche became my psyche, and I saw that what I had intended for evil, He intended for good. It changed the meaning of my pa
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