Wednesday 26th November
Read John 13:33
“‘My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: where I am going, you cannot come.” (NIVUK)
Whilst we could spend time explaining the context and referring back to where Jesus told the Jews He would be difficult to find and they would not be able to follow Him…it is the diminutive address that is most arresting about Jesus’ next words.
Only here in John’s gospel does Jesus address His disciples with such tenderness. ‘My children’ communicates to them the extent of His love for them and the nature of the wisdom He will provide them on that last night, when the die is cast and His departure is so close. He is no longer just their ‘Teacher and Lord’ (v13-14), He is their loving parent trying to prepare them for His death.
That the diminutive address struck the heart of John deeply is clearest if you turn to his first letter. Throughout the letter he addresses the recipients as ‘dear friends’ and ‘dear children’. The model of love and concern shown by Jesus that night is reflected in John’s heart for those he tends also.
Is that how we think about those with whom we worship each week?
