“The
sentence of this court is that you will be taken from here to the place from
whence you came and there be kept in close confinement until your date of
execution, and upon that day that you be taken to the place of execution and
there hanged by the neck until you are dead.
And may God have mercy upon your soul.”
Those are
the bone chilling words with which a sentence of death was handed down in the
British Empire in the mid-20th century. It very concisely, deliberately, and with
ultimate finality conveys the idea to the criminal that no further recourse is
open to him. All avenues leading to
mercy from the government have been exhausted.
His guilt has been confirmed.
Tolerance for his crime is non-existent.
And now the only recourse left to him is to seek mercy from God
Almighty, into whose hands the executioner will soon commit the condemned man’s
spirit.
Popular
culture has taken this phrase, “may God have mercy on your soul”, and used it
in a callous or humorous manner. General
George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. 3rd army during World War
II, famously once said “May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I
won’t.” In this context the phrase is
not intended to communicate any real desire for God to actually have mercy upon
one’s foe. Rather, the idea seems to be
that the person uttering the phrase really doesn’t care whether God has mercy
or not. But He is the only one left who
might possibly have any mercy, so you had better look to Him if you expect to
find any. There is certainly no sense of
good will from God being either expected or hoped for. It is a statement of judgment rather than
tolerance, antagonism rather than charity, taking rather than giving.
For many
people this is the fullest extent they will ever go to in seeking to wish
anything from God upon another person.
They do not see the Lord as the giver of all good things or the source
of true life. Therefore, the statement
“may God have mercy on your soul” transforms into an epithet instead of a
benediction. But as we continue our look
at the Apostle John’s second epistle, we will find a radically different
perspective. We will find, in its
opening verses, a steadfast yearning for blessing to flow directly from God to
the recipients of the letter. And it is
nothing short of a monumental and comprehensive package of good will that
dwarfs our typical modern attempts at kindness and well wishing.
Previously
we considered the first phrase of John’s opening salutation: The elder to the chosen lady and her
children. We highlighted John’s
humility in the way he refers to himself.
And we saw that there is strong evidence pointing to the fact that the
chosen lady and her children refers to another church that John was corresponding
with. Now we will finish verse 1 and
continue on into verse 2: whom I love in
truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the
truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.
Now at first
glance, I think John’s meaning seems clear to us. He is simply stating that he truly and
honestly loves his fellow Christians in the sister church they attend. Not only does John love them, but anyone who
knows what truth is will also love them.
He further contends that we must do this because of the truth that has
been entrusted to us. Finally, this
truth, presumably in the form of the written Scriptures, having once been
delivered and implanted in our minds, will never depart from us. This is all quite apparent. Or is it?
I don’t mean
to imply that any of the preceding statements are untrue. On the contrary, the New Testament clearly
teaches everything I have just written.
John himself, in the letter we have already examined, emphatically
teaches the requirement to love each other.
1st John 4:7 states it this way: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God.
Likewise, he clearly links the church with truth in 2:27, as follows: As for you, the anointing which you
received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you;
but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a
lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Not only are those in the church to love one
another, and not only have they been entrusted with an anointing of truth, but
these are also inviolable and unceasing.
John summarizes all of this in 5:20: And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is
true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and eternal life.
So I think
it is obvious that John himself believed in these things. And it is entirely possible that this was on
his mind when he wrote verses 1 and 2 of his second letter. But I believe there is an additional layer of
meaning beneath the surface of his writing.
It is tied up in the word ‘truth’.
John uses this word three times in these verses. He affirms that he loves his fellow
Christians ‘in truth’. He adds that
everyone who ‘knows the truth’ also loves them.
And then he writes that ‘the truth’ will ‘abide in us and be with us
forever’. It is that last phrase that
has captivated me. But more on that in a
moment.
The Greek word
for truth is ‘aletheia’. It refers to an
accurate description of that which is real.
The dividing line between truthfulness and falsehood is in whether
reality is being correctly described or defined. As such, truth is a bit of an ephemeral
philosophical concept that is at once nebulous and concrete, or simultaneously
hazy and tangible. It is a quality that
is difficult to pinpoint exactly yet it defines and informs those elements of
reality which are quantitatively palpable and perceptible.
All of this
we know from an early age. We may not
always be able to provide a comprehensive definition of truth, but even as
children we quickly ascertain the difference between truth and lie. However, from a biblical perspective there is
another aspect of truth. It is one that
powerfully bridges the gap between truth as a philosophical concept and a
concrete description of reality. Namely,
it is the person of Christ. Many of us
know well the seminal passage, John 14:6, where Jesus said of Himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life.”
A moment ago
I said that truth as a concept is difficult to pinpoint. It exists as a hazy philosophical construct
that defies our attempts to define it.
That is only true when one’s understanding of truth is divorced or
separated from the biblical record. When
the revealed word of God in the Scriptures is taken into account, truth
suddenly manifests itself in a resounding and comprehensive way through the
personhood of Jesus. Jesus, being God in
the flesh, is the literal and physical embodiment of truth. Therefore, truth can be strictly defined as
being exactly analogous to God; to His character, His personality, His
preferences, and His thoughts. In other
words, and to put it rather bluntly, truth is what God says it is. The scope and the shape of reality is however
He desires it to be.
Now then,
getting back to the phrase in verse 2 that has caught my attention. We know that God is truth. We also know that truth defines reality and
can sometimes be used in an impersonal way.
While we may understand that God is implicitly truth, we don’t always
have that squarely in the forefront of our minds when we speak of truth. But I am of the opinion that John did in fact
mean exactly that he loved his fellow Christians ‘in Christ’ and that everyone
who ‘knows Christ’ also loves them.
The reason I
think this is because of the word he chose to use in verse 2; ‘meno’. It means to remain in, or to abide in. This is a word we have seen numerous times
throughout 1st John. In 3:9
he links ‘meno’ with being born of God as His children: No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in
him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. There is no more intimate and conclusive
and unalterable way for something to abide in something else that for a genetic
blueprint of DNA from a parent to be written into the cells of a child. It is completely immaterial whether you like
or dislike your parents. It makes no
difference whether they were horrible or wonderful people. You have their “seed” inside you regardless
of your preference in the matter.
This was
John’s point in his first letter. And
the import of that is capitalized upon and driven home in 2nd John
verse 2. John has already linked
knowledge with truth. He could have let
it remain at that level. But he doesn’t
do that. He ups the ante into the
stratosphere by saying that ‘the truth’ abides in us or remains with us in the
same fashion that he already said God’s seed abides in His children. There is a unity or harmony existent in the
relationship between God the Father and God the Son that is mirrored in their
relationship with their spiritually adopted offspring. That is what John has in view here.
So I don’t
think he is merely using truth as an abstract concept. I think he is literally talking about Jesus
in these verses. And in that conclusion
I find an incredible level of benevolence toward his audience; both directly to
whatever church he was writing to at the time and indirectly to us as modern
day Christians.
Think about
it. The apostle is saying that he loves
this church in and through and for the sake of Christ. Every facet of his good will toward them is
bound up in the unity of his relationship with his master and creator. John’s affection for them is not some passing
flight of fancy. It is not a light and
transient emotional response. Nor is it
a selfish and warped caricature of genuine love wherein John professes love for
his fellow Christians directly and solely because of the pleasure and delight
he experiences from them.
Rather, this
is a sacrificial love. It is a conscious
and deliberate decision to give up one’s own prerogatives for the sake of
another that is founded upon and continuously fueled by a deep and abiding
feeling of good will and benevolence toward them. How do I know John’s love is of this level of
quality? Because of the source of his
love; Christ Jesus Himself.
And in that,
consider that what John is really expressing in these verses is a priceless
gift of inestimable worth. Is there any
better gift to deliver to someone else than a gift of genuine, biblical,
Christ-centered, God-fearing, ‘agape’ love?
Implicit in the very bones of the concept of love is the idea of
selfless giving. One human being cannot
give any greater gift to another human being than to give them Godly love in an
attempt to emulate and pass on what one has already received from the Lord.
In fact, we
can clearly see the depth of John’s love for this church that I am talking
about by reading the very next verse of his letter: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. This is quite frankly a staggering close to
John’s salutation. The magnitude of the
gift giving here is incalculable. Let’s
consider the three components of what he is offering to his loved ones: grace,
mercy, and peace.
First of
all, we need to clarify that all three of these are wrapped in a package of
God-sourced love, as has already been identified. And it is also important to notice who is
doing the giving here. John doesn’t
write that he is going to give these gifts to the church. Rather, the gift giver is God Himself. John is merely wishing or conferring good things
upon his audience on behalf of the Lord.
At first
glance, we might suppose that this is a mark of laziness or insincerity on
John’s part. He is not even willing to
give these things to the church himself.
Rather, he turns to God to do the work for him. Isn’t that a bit like a parent handing a
present to their child on Christmas morning that has been purchased and wrapped
by their next door neighbor? Well, no,
it is not, for two reasons.
First, we
need to recognize that this well-wishing of John’s is really an indicator of
supreme love and care on His part. The
reason is that he is directing his audience toward a gift-giver of surpassing
splendor and majesty. This giver of
gifts is of a far greater capacity for giving than John is. The apostle recognizes his inferiority. Therefore, it is actually a greater gift of
well-wishing on John’s part to desire that the good things for his audience
come from God rather than himself.
Second,
notice John’s use of “us” in the first part of verse 3. He wants to be included in what his fellow
Christians receive from the Father. Now
wait a minute. Isn’t that just a bit
self-serving of John? Not only does he
want someone else to provide the gifts for his loved ones, but he wants to
partake of those same gifts along with them.
Well, it might technically be a little self-serving, but only in the
context of a desire for maximum enjoyment and gratification for all the parties
involved in this process.
Remember
from 1st John 1:4, the apostle’s conviction is that by sharing what
he has experienced in Christ he will facilitate the experience of his audience
in partaking of the fellowship he already enjoys with the God-head. And furthermore, by entering into this
process together everyone’s joy will be maximized: These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. John understands something that we sometimes
fail to realize. A gift exchange is best
done when both the giver and the receiver enter into fellowship around the
gift.
Let me give
a simple example. Suppose there are two
friends. One of them has a fondness for
art, specifically paintings. The other
friend decides to give a painting as a birthday gift. This friend has the option of purchasing a
painting that someone else has done or painting a picture on their own for
their friend. Now, for the sake of
example ignoring the multitude of other factors that may be involved, and
assuming the gift-giving friend does have some skill with a paintbrush, which
would typically be the more valued and treasured long-term possession for their
friend? Would it be the “store bought”
painting that required very little effort other than an infusion of cash? Or would it be the personalized labor of love
that required hours if not days of work?
Obviously, the latter is the superior gift because the gift-giver gave
of themselves in a more intimate and committed manner than if they had simply
rested on the efforts of someone else.
I think that
is what makes John’s form of giving in this letter superior to many of our
typical attempts to bestow good things on our friends and loved ones. He wants to ensure that they receive from the
best source possible. And he wants to be
involved personally in the procurement and enjoyment of what has been given. He wants to be a part of his friends’ lives.
Now then,
let us take a look at the three gifts themselves. First up is grace, or ‘charis’ in Greek. This is good will or favor. More than that, it is unmerited or undeserved
favor. John doesn’t use this word often
in his writings. But one of his uses
serves as an excellent example to illustrate what ‘charis’ is. In John chapter 1 the apostle is describing
Christ. Verses 16 and 17 read thusly: For of His fullness we have all received,
and grace upon grace. For the Law was
given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
It is the
contrast and comparison with the Mosaic Law that helps us to understand the
kind of grace John is talking about. The
Law, as it was given to Israel, was an agent of bondage, slavery, and
death. This is not to say that the Law,
in and of itself, was bad. Rather, the
inherent sin of the people, when confronted with the restrictions and commands
of the Law, awoke and caused them to disobey it, resulting in their death. In contrast to that, when Christ appeared we
were released from the bondage of the Law.
When a prisoner is released, it is not they who have caused their
freedom, but the one who is releasing them.
This is the idea inherent in grace.
It is an undeserved release from sin and death for a prisoner who
deserves every bit of his punishment.
Paul summarizes
this contrast beautifully in Romans 7:5-6: For
while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law,
were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law,
having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the
Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
The second
gift from God that John wishes upon his brothers and sisters is mercy; or
‘eleos’ in Greek. Turning to Romans once
again, in chapter 9 verses 22-23 Paul gives us a compelling image of the
biblical concept of mercy. He is
contrasting wrath with mercy and equating those concepts with destruction on
the one hand and glory on the other: What
if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His
glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.
In this
comparison of wrath and mercy we can ascertain a full and accurate
understanding of the latter. Wrath, when
applied to a person by God, results in their destruction. On the other hand, mercy, rather than causing
shame and annihilation, leads to glory and honor. Therefore, mercy, being the opposite of
wrath, can be stated as building up instead of tearing down. It is kindness and care shown to another in
demonstrable and quantifiable acts.
Finally, we
come to the third gift that John hopes God will bestow on his audience; peace
or ‘eirene’. No one has characterized
this word better than Jesus Himself. In
John 14:27 He is giving His disciples some final instructions, just prior to
His arrest. He knows perfectly well how
their world is going to come crashing down in a few hours. Their hopes and dreams for the future will
not be what they had imagined. Their rabbi,
their teacher, their master will in a short time draw His last breath. Completely contrary to their presumed notion
of the Messiah conquering in power and glory, He will instead apparently be
defeated in weakness and humiliation. So
in verse 27 Jesus gives them the following soothing balm for the pain He knows
they will be feeling soon: “Peace I leave
with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it
be fearful.”
This is the
heart of the peace that comes from God.
The ways of the world lead to fear, stress, conflict, and pain. But the ways of the world are not the ways of
God. We must pitch our tents upon His
promises and His faithfulness. We must
construct our camps next to the streams of grace and mercy that flow out from
Him. And in so doing we will find a true
cessation of hostilities with our Maker.
Even though this may not lead to peace with the world, the fact that we
will be at peace with Him will cause us to have an internal peace even in the
face of external conflict.
Now then,
having covered all of this ground, contemplate with me just what is on the
table here that John has presented as gifts to his loved ones in the
church. He has offered them treasures of
incalculable worth. He has presented to
them the unfiltered and unblemished blessings of the Father. This is comprised of truth, or the person of
the living Christ. Everything that John
hopes and dreams for his fellow Christians is built upon the foundation of the
loving truth of Jesus that fills the heart of this elder and pours outward
toward his spiritual children.
What is
carried along in the flood of love from God and through John are the tri-part
blessings of grace, mercy, and peace.
God desires to show us favor that we have not earned, kindness for our
most painful of hurts, and a supernatural serenity that defies human
understanding.
Although
John himself is not responsible for the transmission of these gifts, he directs
our attention to the true source of them; the Lord. And John is eager to be any part he can be of
the conduit that facilitates the flow of these gifts from God to His children.
What a salutation
this is! Unlike the cold and impersonal
sentence of death handed down by British courts. In contrast to the callous and heartless
nonchalance toward one’s enemies witnessed in Patton’s attitude. Completely opposed to a false and insincere
wish for mercy to be bestowed by God. In
opposition to all of that stands John’s towering testimonial to an authentic
and dedicated desire to have others receive divine gifts of priceless value.
To be frank,
John’s opening to this letter blows most of our feeble attempts at gift-giving
out of the water. As I consider the
gifts of service I attempt to provide to those in my circle of influence, I must
admit that I come up far short of John’s example. The Scriptures teach us to seek out and work
toward relationships framed and characterized by a loving adoration of both God
and each other. Ephesians 5:19 instructs
us to speak to one another: in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the
Lord. And Colossians 3:16 exhorts us
to: let the word of Christ richly dwell
within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
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