In the School of Christ BIC = HRCG1 BISAC = REL006070
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JUST BEFORE HIS EXECUTION Jesus Christ invited his disciples to join him at a borrowed house in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. As he faced betrayal, arrest and crucifixion, he taught them about the very heart of the Christian faith, namely, holiness. When the time came to leave the house, he continued his teaching. As they made their way through darkened streets that were filled with hostility to him, he spoke of how he would empower them to be his witnesses in a world that would often hate them too. Jesus was the teacher; the disciples were his pupils. It was the school of Christ. David Gooding’s exposition reveals the significance of the lessons Jesus taught inside the upper room (chs. 13-14), their connection to the lessons taught outside in the streets (chs. 15-16) and how both parts of this course on holiness relate to the Teacher’s prayer to his Father (ch. 17). With a scholar’s care for the text of Scripture, he expounds both the devotional richness and the practical nature of the lessons. He shows that to under- stand Christ’s teaching on holiness is to know his power to change lives. DAV ID W. GOODING is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Greek at Queen’s University, Belfast and a member of the Royal Irish Academy. His international teaching ministry is marked by fresh and careful expositions of both testaments. He has published scholarly studies on the Septuagint and Old Testament narratives, as well as expositions of Luke, Acts, Hebrews and the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament. ISBN 978-1-87458-441-4 In the School of Christ BIC = HRCG1 BISAC = REL006070 9781874 584414 MyrtlefieldHouse.com school_offset.indd 1 25/11/2013 08:20 In the School of Christ Myrtlefield Expositions Myrtlefield Expositions provide insights into the thought-flow and meaning of the biblical writings, motivated by devotion to the Lord who reveals himself in the Scriptures. Scholarly, engaging, and accessible, each book addresses the reader’s mind and heart to increase faith in God and to encourage obedience to his Word. Teachers, preachers and all students of the Bible will find the approach to Scripture adopted in these volumes both instructive and enriching. The Riches of Divine Wisdom (NT use of OT) According to Luke (The Third Gospel) In the School of Christ (John 13–17) True to the Faith (Acts of the Apostles) An Unshakeable Kingdom (Letter to the Hebrews) Other books by David Gooding: The Bible and Ethics (with John Lennox) Christianity: Opium or Truth? (with John Lennox) Definition of Christianity (with John Lennox) How to Teach the Tabernacle Key Bible Concepts (with John Lennox) Windows on Paradise (Gospel of Luke) In the School of Christ Lessons on Holiness in John 13–17 David Gooding Myrtlefield House David Gooding has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. © Myrtlefield Trust, 1995, 2001, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechani- cal, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the pub- lisher or a license permitting restricted copying. In the UK such licenses are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Italics within Scripture quotations indicate emphasis added. Cover design: Ben Bredeweg. Cover images: Codex Alexandrinus (02) Uncial MS showing John 15:1–5. The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts <http://www.csntm.org> has granted permission for this image to be used. Sketch: De voetwassing (The Footwashing) by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, 1640–49, in the public domain. The original is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. First published in English 1995 by Gospel Folio Press. Published by The Myrtlefield Trust, 180 Mountsandel Road, Coleraine, N Ireland, BT52 1TB. w: www.myrtlefieldhouse.com e: [email protected] ISBN: 978-1-874584-40-7 (hbk.) ISBN: 978-1-874584-41-4 (pbk.) ISBN: 978-1-874584-42-1 (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-874584-43-8 (Kindle) ISBN: 978-1-874584-44-5 (EPUB without DRM) 17 16 15 10 9 8 7 6 For John and Sally Lennox Contents Author’s Preface xi Introduction: At the School Door 1 Part One: Lessons Inside the Upper Room Session 1. The Cleansing of the Disciples 11 1. The Setting and Timing of the Course (13:1–3) 13 2. The Washing of Regeneration (13:1–11) 20 3. The Constantly Repeated Rinsings (2 Cor 7:1) 33 4. Practical Foot-washing (13:12–17) 38 5. A Foot that Kicked (13:18–20) 43 Session 2. The Exposure of Judas’s Treachery 47 6. The Essence of Holiness (13:21) 49 7. The Exposure of Man’s Treachery (13:22–30) 56 8. The Display of God’s Glory (13:31–32) 61 Session 3. The Maintenance, Development and Perfecting of Holiness 65 9. Christ’s Going Sets the New Standards (13:33–35) 67 10. Inadequate Followers (13:36–38) 71 11. The Goal Secured (14:1–3) 76 12. Christ—The Way to the Father (14:4–14) 83 13. Christ—The Truth about the Father (14:6, 15–17) 92 14. Christ—The Life which we Share with the Father (14:15–24) 98 15. Christ’s Farewell Bequest (14:25–31) 104 16. School Break 113 Contents Part Two: Lessons Outside in the Streets Session 1. Holiness to Delight the Heart of God and Man 121 17. A Metaphor with a History (15:1) 123 18. The Vinedresser and the Unfruitful Branch (15:1–4) 132 19. The Vinedresser and the Fruitful Branch (15:2–4) 139 20. The Branches’ Relation to the Vine and the Vinedresser (15:5–8) 144 21. The Functioning of the Vine: A Pattern for the Branches in the Manner of Christ’s Love for his Disciples (15:9–12) 151 22. The Functioning of the Vine: A Pattern for the Branches in the Extent of Christ’s Love for his Friends (15:13–17) 157 Session 2. The Exposure of the World’s Hatred 165 23. Understanding the World’s Hatred (15:18–21) 167 24. God’s Magnificent Response to the World’s Hostility (15:22–27) 175 Session 3. The Secret of Holiness’s Effective Witness, Irremovable Joy, Indomitable Courage, and Ultimate Victory 181 25. The Holy Spirit’s Witness: Convicting the World (16:1–11) 183 26. The Holy Spirit’s Witness: Glorifying Christ (16:12–15) 191 27. Christ’s Post-Resurrection Appearances: A Source of Irremovable Joy (16:16–24) 199 28. Christ’s Farewell Exhortation and Assurance of Victory (16:25–33) 205 Part Three: The Teacher Prays 29. The Son Reports to the Father (17:1–8) 219 30. The Son Prays for the Preservation of his Disciples’ Faith (17:9–13) 227 31. The Son Prays for his Disciples’ Sanctification and Mission in the World (17:14–23) 234 viii Contents 32. The Son Prays for the Effects of his isciples’D Mission in the World (17:20–23) 245 33. The Son Prays for All his People All the Way Home to Glory (17:24–26) 253 Publications by David Gooding 257 Scripture Index 263 General Index 269 ix Author’s Preface I record here my sincere thanks to all those who have laboured to make this book available: its original publication for Russia, its initial English publication by Gospel Folio Press, and now this new edition by Myrtlefield House. Nearly twenty centuries ago, Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem during Pontius Pilate’s tenure there as Procurator of the Roman occupying power. It was the time of the Jewish festival of Passover, and just before his betrayal by a traitor and his arrest by the authorities, which led to his death, Jesus invited his disciples to join him at a borrowed house in Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover. He used the occasion to teach them many memorable lessons concerning the very heart of the Christian faith, the nature of their ongoing relationship with him, and the transformation of their characters and personalities so that they would progressively reflect his glory. When the time came to leave the house, he still had not finished his teaching and so, as they made their way through the darkened streets of Jerusalem which were filled with hostility to him, he con- tinued the lessons, telling them how he would empower them to bear clear witness to him in a world that would often hate them too. Jesus was the teacher; the disciples were his pupils. It was the school of Christ. Our purpose in this book is to join Jesus’ disciples in his school and learn the lessons with them. David Gooding Belfast, 2013 Jesus . laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it round his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped round him. —John 13:3–5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ —John 15:4–5 Introduction At the School Door Undeniably our world is full of beauty, from sunlight on virgin snow to the flowers of spring and summer, from the bloom on the face of a newly-wed bride to the noble lines of character which life has sculpted on the face of her grandmother.