Saturday after Holy Trinity - Devotion in Exile

Lection for Saturday after Holy Trinity 
Proverbs 13:1-25      John 14:18-31

Yesterday we focused on Jesus’ words, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Today, I want to focus on Jesus words in reading from John’s Gospel, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

You are probably thinking, but yesterday’s quote and today’s quote are much the same. Yes, there are some distinct similarities. There is, in today’s quote, what appears to be a conditional “if…then…” clause; “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”  It almost seems that Jesus is saying, “If you do this, then My Father will do this for you.”

What is problematic is that this is not the original language, and any English translation misses some of the Greek contextualization of the statement. It is actually more a reverse of how it sounds, “If you would do this, then this is how it will be accomplished.” It works out in this manner, “In order for anyone to love Me, and keep My word, it must be that we have come and made our abode with Him – in this manner those who keep My Word will be made to do so.”

Jesus invites you to love Him, to keep (by the way, KEEP here means, ‘to hold fast’) His word. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit who has been teaching you, the Spirit working faith in your heart to believe. And for what reason does He send you His Spirit to keep His Word? He promises that the Holy Spirit will remind you of everything He has taught.  “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”

You have been taught the faith which was given by the Holy Spirit in baptism.  You confirm the faith of your baptism when you confess the faith. I cannot speak for anybody else, but I am one who remembers my baptism, that God called me by name from the mass of humanity and made me His own dear child. That is the word Christ wants me to keep – to hold fast to.  To remember that He and His Father love ***ME***.

Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, He will keep My Word.”  Then, a couple sentences later He says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world give.  Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Keep My Word, hold fast to what I say, keep it dearly.
Keep my Word – you are a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Keep my Word – the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Keep my Word – take eat, this is my body, given for you.
Keep my Word – take drink, this is my blood of the new covenant, shed for you for the remission of sins.
Keep my Word – the true body and true blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, strengthen and preserve you in the true faith to live everlasting.
Keep my Word – The Lord bless thee and keep thee.
Keep my Word – The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee.
Keep my Word – The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Seems to me that Jesus is suggesting that there is someplace where we should be, where His Word is that grants peace and strength.

Keep His Word!

Let us pray:     Remember, Lord, Your promise to make Your abode with us, to keep us as Your baptized children. Be gracious to us. Create in us humble and contrite hearts, that we might always cry out to You for mercy. Fill us with Your love. Grant us renewal by Your Holy Spirit, that we may always abide in Jesus Christ, our Savior, beholding His glory in His Holy Word and Sacraments and being made well by the same. Amen.

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