Another aspect of this story is the way Jesus, when talking with the Father, described his interaction with the disciples. He said, “I Gave them the words you gave me…”.
The phrase intrigues me. Why did Jesus say it this way? Why didn’t he say ‘I told them what you told me to say’…? Or, ‘I taught them as you instructed’…? Even if he had said, ‘I passed on what you told me to say’, it would have sounded …. well, it would have sounded like the way we talk today. As it is, Jesus’ way of describing it, sounds very literal; very transactional. Father, you gave me the words to say and I gave them to the guys.
We know from other places in Scripture that Jesus only spoke what he heard from the Father (Jn 5.19). He repeatedly told people that what he taught was not his teaching, but was that of the Father (Jn 7.16). So, I’m not surprised that in this story Jesus would confirm the words he spoke were words he heard from the Father. I’m just a little surprised at the way he phrased how this speaking took place.
“I gave them the words you gave me and they received them…”.
The Greek for ‘words’ used here is rhema, which means that which is spoken, by a living voice; a declaration of one’s mind put into words. * In the context, then, God manifested his mind through his words spoken to Jesus who, in turn, gave them to the disciples. But, I am extremely curious about the way Jesus speaks about the words. To say it the way he did implies that the words from God are substance, material or tangible.
As we have seen in previous sessions, the words spoken by God contain, in their very essence, Life and Spirit (see post). So, when the disciples heard the words spoken by Jesus, which were originally given by the Father, the disciples received not only the content of the words, but a portion of God himself – a portion of his Life and Spirit.
But the disciples did not merely hear the words spoken by Jesus. The Bible says they received; they accepted; they took possession of the words given to them. The words weren’t merely spoken concepts that passed into their consciousness through their physical ears; the words were a substance which the disciples actively grasped. In doing so they received the life and spirit the words contained. To put it in the way we’ve been discussing: they recognised something tangible within their spirit and responded by receiving the message and combining faith to what they heard.
Consider carefully what you hear…. Consider carefully how you listen…
Additionally, this passage says that they received the words and knew with certainty. On this point, I would ask you to consider your own process of hearing and knowing. Think back to a time when you heard/felt/sensed God speak. In these moments we usually experience a deep confidence, an inner peace, an assurance that we just encountered the Living God. Even if this experience is momentary, if we allow ourselves to embrace what we heard from Him, it enhances our understanding of WHO he is. If we were to analyse that moment, we would likely speak with confidence of who God is and how this newly realised truth is crucial to life.
This is, I think, what happened with the disciples that evening. They heard an eternal truth from Jesus, recognised the Life and Spirit within that truth and responded, in faith, by receiving this truth. Through taking possession of the truth, it was as though a seed was implanted into their spirit and Jesus knew this was all that was needed at this point. The soil of their heart was ready and the seed carried a life of its own.
- The Father gave the words to Jesus.
- Jesus gave the words to the disciples.
- The disciples received the words (belief)
- Receiving the words led them to know with certainty.
Later would come the lessons of learning how integrate this truth into their circumstances and allowing it to alter their way of perceiving themselves and the world around them.
* TDNT Vol 4: 69,505