The Life Guaranteed to Succeed (John 19:31-37)
John was thrilled as he watched every moment that happened to Jesus on the cross. This is because he personally witnessed that every prophecy in the Old Testament was fulfilled through Jesus’ death without losing any detail and confirmed that Jesus is the Christ who came to the earth according to God’s will.
1.The Opportunity for New Life
It can be symbolically understood as the water and the blood flowing out from Jesus’ body. Jesus, who was sinless, came into the world in the form of a sinner and was baptized by immersion, and He redeemed our sin by bleeding on the cross. We hereby received forgiveness by relying on His blood, and now we are going toward eternity by drinking the water of life Jesus gives us. In other words, Jesus purified us with His own blood and opened the new door to participate in God’s work.
2.The Determination for Change
Jesus wholly achieved lots of prophecy in the Old Testament, and it demonstrates that God’s picture from the past to the future has already been perfectly drawn. This means that we should prepare for the Second Coming and the time of the end that the Lord has prepared. Being cleansed by His blood is not our final destination, and it is a just start of a new life towards righteousness. Therefore we, who have started righteous lives newly, need determination for change.
3.The Life Dedicated to God
The new life we have received through the suffering and death of Jesus, the Son of God, is still at risk. That risk originates from “myself. If “I”, who is small, unstable, and incompetent, is a master in our lives, the only new life we have received will end in failure. Thus, we should trust and rely on God most of all to succeed in a righteous life and not end in failure. We should not be proud, but humble. We should not be jealous, but modest. God will use us for His will and guide us into the path of success which He has prepared for us.
January 29, 2023
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
