Breaking the Word

Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the scripture might be fulfilled, 'The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.' From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." (Jn 13:16-20)

Jesus talks about the position and status of slave in front of the master and the messenger in front of the one who sent him. Jesus picks up the practices in the society and from there he leads them to understand the kingdom. In the society there will be distinctions; there will be different strata; there will be inequality; there will be differences in the rewards; such is the society.

In the kingdom where Jesus is the sole master, he chooses the followers. There is not fixed status. Jesus chooses whomsoever he wants. There is equality among all. There is relationship between the chosen and the one who chooses them (I know them). There should not be betrayal from the chosen ones. There should only be loyalty and fidelity. Human negative behaviour in the society which may be tolerated in the society should not be found in the kingdom.

The position of the one who is sent is equal to the one who sends. (Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.) In the kingdom the one who is sent (the apostles and the disciples) are received the same way as the one who sends them (Jesus) and Jesus is received and the same way the Father is also received.    

Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me." (Jn 12:44-50)

Regarding the followers, Jesus speaks of those who believe in him and those who see him and those who hear him. Jesus wants his disciples to believe in him and the belief is that Jesus is sent by the father. In this, belief in Jesus is equal to belief in the Father. The disciples do see Jesus and hear him but all do not see the Father in Jesus. Seeing and hearing the Father in Jesus is what the belief is.

Rejecting Jesus and not accepting Jesus are those who are condemned. They are not condemned by Jesus but by his words. Because, his words are from the Father. Jesus has not spoken anything on his own. All what he speaks  are from the Father. Jesus has spoken only what he has heard from the Father or commanded to speak by the Father.

All these arguments are given by the author to show that Jesus is from the Father and all what Jesus speaks are from the Father and in fact Jesus and the Father are one. Eternal life is in Jesus because Jesus speaks what he has heard from the Father.