Jesus' Inner Life and His Inner Circle
The Gospel of John Reveals Christ’s Inner life and His Surprising Purpose
Have you ever wondered what life was like for Jesus on the inside? What was going on inside His heart, soul and mind while externally he was preaching, healing, exorcising and discipling?
Fortunately, in the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals more of his inner life than in any of the other Gospels. And it also records that Jesus’ intention was to share that life with us. These references are scattered throughout the Gospel and are listed below.
Examples of Jesus’ Inner Life:
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 8: 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
When you list all of these references, connections with the purpose of Jesus’ small group (his inner circle) emerge.
(I covered the With, Like, and For purposes of Jesus’ small group in the previous post)
Jesus Inner Life was With, Like and For his Father
Here is a list of verses from the Gospel of John that reveal Jesus’ inner life grouped under these three headings
Jesus Lived His Life WITH His Father
John 8: 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.”
John 14:10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 14:20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
John 16:32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
Jesus was LIKE His Father
John 8:19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.”
John 12: 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?
Jesus lived FOR His Father
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
John 5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 5:43 I have come in my Father’s name,
John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
John 12:49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.
John 14:10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
John 17:8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
These verses paint an incredible picture of what Jesus’ life was like on the inside.
Jesus Didn’t Want to Keep this Life for Himself
The Gospel of John doesn’t just reveal Jesus’ inner life, it records Jesus intention for this life to be passed on to his followers:
John 5:39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent
Jesus intended that his life was multiplied into us!!
As the time for the crucifixion drew near John records:
John 12: 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
This story demonstrates how there were physical limitations to how many people could see Jesus. The amazing thing is that God's plan was for Jesus' life to be multiplied into us - if we are willing to leave our 'without God' life behind. The same passage continues:
John 12:25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
This is reinforced near the end of the Gospel of John where John states the reason for writing the Gospel
John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Jesus wants our inner lives to be With, Like and For Him
The Gospel of John includes many references that describe the With, Like and For Life Jesus wants to share with us:
With
14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
14: 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
17:20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Like
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
17:19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
For
John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
17:18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
A Jesus-Shaped Small Group will discuss the With, Like and For Jesus Life
The 12 references listed immediately above ALL come from discussions Jesus had with his disciples in meetings of their small group (his inner circle). To lead Jesus-Shaped Small Groups, we should aim to have similar discussions!
If you are already leading a small group you might like to ask these questions:
Which of the With/Like/For aspects of Jesus’ life have we focused on? Which ones have we not focused on? What do we need to do to rebalance?
How are we going at helping people actually live more of the with/like/for Jesus Life? Are we helping people move from Information to Transformation, from ‘head’ knowledge to experience?
One Final Note:
I only began to recognise that the Gospel of John contained so many references to the inner life of Jesus when I practiced reading and/or listening to the Gospel of John in big blocks sometimes going through the whole gospel in a single session. In this post I have listed lots of verses. But these verses belong in their contexts so I am going back to read and listen to the whole Gospel and I encourage you to do the same.