Back at the supper table in the upper room an interesting question was asked by a disciple who doesn’t have much recorded about him—Judas, not Iscariot, or Jude Thaddeus. He was the son of Alphaeus and the brother of James the Less. His name means compassionate and tenderhearted. He asked a simple question. In effect he said “Master, you say you’re revealing yourself to us. Why are you not doing it to the whole world?” There is such a blessing in the answer.
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. 25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.”
We can get as close to the Lord as we want. There is really no such thing as being as close to the Lord as we can be. Jesus spoke of revealing himself to the fullest. If you hardly ever come to church or only read your Bible a little or just pray every now and then, you won’t get there no matter how many times you say you love the Lord. The faith has to come with the claims we make. Many people say they know the Lord, but in reality they don’t. The basis of their claim is wrong. Jesus gave conditions for his manifestation. It’s more than an acceptance of a situation. It’s a living faith in a living person.
I’ve heard it asked. If Jesus is so powerful and the Bible is so true, why do people turn a deaf ear to the Lord and live the way they do? Why doesn’t the Lord reveal himself to the world like he does us? We get from the Lord what we want. People in general don’t want Jesus like it has to be. It has to be done the Lord’s way. The answer to Jude’s question is simple. Jesus was revealed to them because they sought him.
John said Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil. Hebrews says he was manifested to take away the sins of the world. He’s the Captain of our Salvation. From the announcement of his birth, Jesus left his footprints everywhere he went. Some people believed. Others didn’t. They refused to abandon their own ways. That’s why Jesus wasn’t revealed to them. Even today, Jesus is revealed in a general way. Most everyone knows the name of Jesus, but not everyone knows him. He’s manifested by our closeness to him. What we’ve done with Jesus has always been our choice and affects how he’s manifested to us.
In verse 21, Jesus said the person who holds his commandments and keeps them by faith finds the door opened. Jesus is defined by this word. When we receive it, keep it, and let it become our life, the Lord will come to us. The more we turn over to the Lord, the more we’ll love him. The closer we walk, the more he bubbles over in us. What Jesus said in verse 21 prompted Jude to ask the question. The response was that if we love the Lord to the keeping of his words, he will reveal himself to us. He’ll make his abode with us. Isn’t that wonderful!
The end of verse 25 says that Jesus told them this while he was still with them. When he was gone the Comforter would come. Jesus only seems gone. His promise holds true today. The more of myself I let the Lord have, the more you let him have of yourself, the more real he becomes as he manifests himself more and more fully.
Love the Lord. Keep his words. He will manifest himself unto you. He will make his home with you. Praise the Lord for his person-to-person manifestation.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 