Following Jesus, what is there to know
What is there to know about following Jesus? Now, before you get all overwhelmed by such an enormous topic, let me assure you that I am not talking about where to follow, whether you tithe before or after taxes, which Bible translation you choose, or if your denomination insists on you dressing like you’re in a 1950s movie. None of that. Today, we are looking specifically at the actual word “know” that Jesus used in the verses below regarding following Him. It may surprise you.
In todays Bible text we read "And you know (oida) the way where I am going." :5 Thomas *said to Him, "Lord, we do not know (oida) where You are going, how do we know (oida) the way?” 14:7 ”If you had known (ginosko) Me, you would have known (oida) My Father also; from now on you know (ginosko) Him, and have seen Him." John 14:4, 5, 7 NASB (Greek word in parenthesis)
To start with, in the past Jesus had already told His followers that He was going away (John 7:34, 8:21, 12:33), and that He would be killed, and be raised up on the third day (Matt 16:21). Also, back in verses one through 3 of chapter 14 Jesus told them that He was going (leaving) to prepare a place and dwelling for His followers. With this insight Jesus seems to have expected His disciples to have perceived these prophecies and put two and two together. What Jesus received was Thomas explaining to Jesus that they did not, in fact, know where Jesus was going. Let’s pause and be grateful for the bold and curious mind of Thomas. While the others were probably as in the dark as he was, he throws the question out there. Where are You going? We don’t know the way. He was as honest as we should be today because there just are some things we do not get.
In the passage above please take note that I have included the Greek word beside each usage of the word-know. The words oida and ginosko are both translated as “know,” however, there are rich subtleties that are worth noting. Oido - is translated various ways, such as, understand, perceive, and know. Ginosko - is translated as know and carries with it the significance of knowing the love of God and that He had sent His Son to be Messiah. And, that that love would include obedience to Jesus’s teachings and will (John 14:15). This difference is significant when approaching the concept of “knowing” God. An illustration demonstrating the difference is in order.
The difference is like this; imagine you have two bottles of coca-cola on a table. One has no label and is already opened, and the other has a label and is unopened. You could perceive that there is coke in the opened bottle by the shape of the bottle, the color of the fluid, and the comparison to the labeled bottle. You could say to yourself, “I know there is coke in that opened bottle,” because it looks like the other bottle. That “knowing” is the perceiving (oida) being used above. However, when you consider the unopened bottle of coke sitting beside the other bottle you could have a greater confidence that there is coke in the bottle. Yet, this is still speculation until you have completed the empirical taste test. When you open the new bottle of coke and sample the fluid, only then will you be able to know (ginosko) for sure that it is coca-cola and not something else. Perception is gone when you have partaken of the item in question.
Regarding the way of Jesus, we can perceive things about Him, but until we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8), we lack the confidence and faith of knowing Him. Without fully knowing Him we will miss His leading and the intimacy He intended if we have irregular exposure to Him and only perceive Him from afar. Furthermore, with trials and testings, if we have only a superficial knowledge of Jesus we are likely to blame Him when bad things happen. This negative potential would be entirely from a lack of knowing Him. Jesus pointed this out in a very subtle way by using the Oido instead of Ginosko. He was gently saying, “you perceive me, but you do not know me.” That is made clear in verse seven. You see, there is a progression. First believers perceive Jesus and see that there is something about Him and then they are drawn to know Him more. Once they ask for a deeper relationship the go from Oido to Ginosko Him. First we oido (perceive) Him, then we ginosko (know) Him.
Today, we know Him through His word and His Holy Spirit. Let me encourage you to read John chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17. Read them over and over and observe how Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit in the personal pronoun. The Holy Spirit is the One who reveals truth to us. In Luke 11:13 Jesus said, “….how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” NASB. If we want to ginosko (know) Jesus and His will and way we will need to ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us and guide us. If you want to know Jesus and know the way, then you will need the assistance of the Holy Spirit. If we read through the New Testament of the Bible we will see that the disciples were basically clueless until they received the Holy Spirit. We can do the same daily when we ask the Father for more of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s pray: Dear Father in heaven, please lead me to a full knowledge and relationship with You. Please forgive me my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit to lead and teach me. In Jesus Name, amen.