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By Van Sprague
Guest Columnist

There is a grave and intimate gathering recorded in Matthew 26. Jesus ate the Passover with His apostles (verse 20). He was about to be crucified and He knew that someone He loved would betray Him. There are two promises our Lord made during this supper that have caused some confusion. One still applies to all people and the other to the specific group who was present.

At this dinner Jesus promised, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:22). John repeated this idea long after Jesus’ death. He taught that obedience to God is a demonstration of loving God. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).  There is not a person capable of belief who is exempt from this teaching.

On the other hand, Jesus focused on His apostles in the very next section. “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:25-26). If we misunderstand this as a statement that pertains to us, we will wrongly wait for miraculous guidance about how to be obedient to God. Multitudes have understood this passage this way. But look at some simple reasons we can see that this is only for the apostles.

He was talking to those with whom he was present (John 14:25). That was the apostles (Matthew 26:20). When Jesus said the helper would teach them and help them remember all He said to them, He eliminated everyone from the promise who has not been with Him when He spoke.

Further, after His death and burial, the resurrected Christ reminded them of what He said, telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). When this happened in Acts 2, it served as a sign to those who were listening that what the apostles said about Jesus was true (Acts 2:33).

Today, no one is promised a miraculous sign or ability from God to tell them how to love Him. The apostles were given that promise. They, and other inspired writers who were empowered by the Holy Spirit, completed the Scriptures. Now, we can access the most readily available book ever, the Bible, and learn how to love God.

Understanding the context of a passage shows who the audience is and how the teaching is applied. Such a skill is not only an essential tool for studying the Bible, it is a necessary practice that helps us know and live for the promises given to us, by God, in the Scriptures.

Van Sprague is an evangelist at the Church of Christ at Houston Park. He has a wife and three children. Come Visit! Sunday morning Bible class is at 9, with worship after, at 10 and 5 pm. Wednesday night Bible class is at 6.