In His Hands

“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things.  The one who comes from heaven is above all.  He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.  Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true.  He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands” (John 3:31-35).

This week at the Lord’s Table, our Gospel reading comes from John 3, verses 31-35 where Jesus is teaching his disciples about the beautiful relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus begins as if to say, make no mistake about it, I am from above and the heavenly teaching that I declare to you is not merely from me but God the Father.  He says that to accept that God is true, one must accept God’s own testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.  Conversely, to accept that Jesus is the Christ is to accept that God is true.  The logic is simple yet how often do we argue with what God has decreed?

God says as the Father loves the Son so does God the Father love us and yet we are consumed with feelings of worthlessness.  God says we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who not only loved us but gave himself for us and yet we are constantly defeated.  God says I will never leave you nor forsake you and yet we are overwhelmed with a debilitating sense of loneliness.  We feel as if we are reaching out in desperation but there is no hand to put our hand, no hand to place our trust.

So many of the relationships we see are broken, and we are often at odds with those whom we love the most, but there is an example of love, respect, and trust from which we may learn from and strive for.  The triune bond that has existed from eternity past between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit challenges us, inspires us, and provokes us to good works.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can trust God the Father because Christ the Son trusts God the Father.  With God the Father, we too can trust Christ the Son.  God the Father trusts Christ the Son so much that Jesus said this in John 3, verse 35, “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.”  As you begin your small group discussion today, remember God the Father has placed all things in Jesus’ hands and that includes you!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.