18 “I’m not talking to all of you — I know which ones I have chosen. But the words of the Tanakh must be fulfilled that say, ‘The one eating my bread has turned against me.’[a] 19 I’m telling you now, before it happens; so that when it does happen, you may believe that I AM [who I say I am]. 20 Yes, indeed! I tell you that a person who receives someone I send receives me, and that anyone who receives me receives the One who sent me.”[Footnotes:
John 13:18 Psalm 41:10(9)]
Saint Pius V, PopeI am. (John 13:19)
Jesus probably startled his disciples when he identified himself as “I am” and then delivered what seems to be a word problem: “Whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me” (John 13:20).
Jesus wanted the disciples to be clear. They were to give the One he would send—that is, the Holy Spirit—the same fidelity and loyalty they were giving to him and his words. He also wanted them to know that having received him meant they had received the Father, too.
In this context, “to receive” is a very active thing. It means to lay hold of, to seize, to accept, to try out. It’s not passive at all. “Go ahead and take it” rather than “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”
This is important! Jesus wants all of us to lay hold of the Holy Spirit, to pursue him and try him out. This is the only way we will be able to do his work on earth—and it’s the only way we’ll develop a personal relationship with God. Developing both an interior spiritual life and a more outward, practical experience of the Spirit are both essential to living the life Jesus offers us. Actively receiving is the key to experiencing a life that is creative, nurturing, exciting, and full of love.
You can live like that! You can, because you have received the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Is someone you know far from the Lord? Ask the Father to give you the words and love that will draw that person to him. Is a friend or family member sick or anxious? Pray with that person, and ask for Jesus’ healing. Do problems loom at work? Ask the Spirit to inspire you with creative solutions. Your life with God is meant to overflow, touching everyone around you!
So go ahead and actively receive the Holy Spirit. Receive the Father, the One who sent Jesus. Seek to know his heart and thoughts. Spend time in his presence. Ask him questions. Ask him to make you look like him. You will be surprised and delighted by what he will do for you!
“Jesus, I want to go for it today! Holy Spirit, work in me and through me. Father, foster in me more of your character.” Amen!
Acts 13:13 Having set sail from Paphos, Sha’ul and his companions arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. There Yochanan left them and returned to Yerushalayim, 14 but the others went on from Perga to Pisidian Antioch, and on Shabbat they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Torah and from the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent them a message, “Brothers, if any of you has a word of exhortation for the people, speak!” 16 So Sha’ul stood, motioned with his hand, and said:
“Men of Isra’el and God-fearers, listen! 17 The God of this people Isra’el chose our fathers. He made the people great during the time when they were living as aliens in Egypt and with a stretched-out arm he led them out of that land.[a] 18 For some forty years[b] he took care of them in the desert, 19 and after he had destroyed seven nations[c] in the land of Kena‘an he gave their land to his people as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. After that, he gave them judges,[d] down to the prophet Sh’mu’el. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Sha’ul Ben-Kish, a man from the tribe of Binyamin. After forty years, 22 God removed him and raised up David as king for them, making his approval known with these words, ‘I found David Ben-Yishai to be a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want.’[e]
23 “In keeping with his promise, God has brought to Isra’el from this man’s descendants a deliverer, Yeshua. 24 Now before the coming of Yeshua, Yochanan proclaimed to all the people of Isra’el an immersion in connection with turning to God from sin. 25 But as Yochanan was ending his work, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? Well — I’m not! But after me is coming someone, the sandals of whose feet I am unworthy to untie.’[Footnotes:
Acts 13:17 Exodus 6:6; 12:51
Acts 13:18 Exodus 16:35; Numbers 14:34
Acts 13:19 Deuteronomy 7:1
Acts 13:20 Judges 2:16
Acts 13:22 Psalm 89:21(20); 1 Samuel 13:14]
Psalm 89:2 (1) I will sing about Adonai’s acts of grace forever,
with my mouth proclaim your faithfulness to all generations;
3 (2) because I said, “Grace is built to last forever;
in the heavens themselves you established your faithfulness.”
21 (20) I have found David my servant
and anointed him with my holy oil.
22 (21) My hand will always be with him,
and my arm will give him strength.
25 (24) My faithfulness and grace will be with him;
through my name his power will grow.
27 (26) He will call to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
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