Last week I read Chapter 30 in the Life Study of John that covered Chapter 14 which has been one of those chapters that have often left me going huh? Especially verse 3 which says And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming [the tense here means that His going was His coming, that He was coming by going (Life Study of John, page 364)] again and will receive you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be. I like the clarity with which Witness Lee presents the truth in this chapter by using a story on page 364 about his children eating watermelon:
Let me use as an illustration a story of something that happened in Taiwan many years ago. One day I bought a huge watermelon. When I brought it home and put it on the dining table, all my children were excited.
Then we took this watermelon into the kitchen. One of the children cried out, "Don't take the watermelon away!" I told them to be quiet, for the taking away of the watermelon was that they might eat it, that the big melon might get into them. The melon had to be processed, to be cut and slashed.
After a few minutes the big melon came back to the children in slices. Every child was happy. In less than an hour the entire watermelon was gone.
Where did it go? It went into the children. Eventually, all the children became watermelon children. The taking away of the watermelon was not its going away. Its taking away was a further coming of the watermelon into the children. Jesus was like that watermelon. How could the disciples swallow Him? It was impossible. He had to be processed, to be cut in pieces. He went to the cross and there He was cut and processed, not only into slices but into watermelon juice good for drinking. Now Jesus is no longer the watermelon but also the juice. Whoever drinks Jesus gets Jesus into him. Jesus went through death that He might come back as Christ in His resurrection" (Lee, Witness. Life Study of John. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1975. Print).This story of watermelon presents the gospel in such a clear and simple way. Don't you think the Old Testament proved that man in his own self couldn't keep God's law? God knew that the only way fallen man could ever fulfill His purpose was for His divine life to get INSIDE of man.
- The Lord's incarnation was the first step of this process--the entire Godhead (John 1:1, 14) became a man (the watermelon). Then the Lord lived a human life by and with the divine life for 33 1/2 years.
- In John 1:29 we see that the Lord is actually the Lamb of God who will take away the sin of the world and accomplish redemption for all men. Then in John 14 the Lord unveils that He needed to go to the cross so He could come into them (the cutting of the watermelon).
- Through death and resurrection Christ became a life giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45b) so that He could breathe His divine life into them John 20:22 (the watermelon slices so easy to eat).
Other blogs on the Life Studies of John:
What is the Focus of the Gospel of John?
What are the Feast of Passover & the Feast of Tabernacles Really About in John 6 & 7?
The Watermelon Gospel - What the Gospel of John Shows Us
If you click on theSeeking God & Life Study tab at the top of the blog window, you will find a list of other Life Study posts that I have done so far!
Thank you so much for sharing this illustration so clearly with the awesome pictures. I really appreciate that God has become edible!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it. The Life Studies published by LIving Stream Ministry are full of clear illustrations and stories that help God's people understand biblical truths. I also appreciate that everything the Lord went through was to make Himself food for man. You can see this very clearly in John 6 and 7.
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