John 6:16-21

I am not feeling very focused right now. But I want to understand what God is saying here. Father, help me. Forgive me for allowing little things to disturb me.

 

Ok, so John 6. Jesus has just fed five thousand people. So far there has not really been much comment on this amazing fact, besides that Jesus didn't want to let the people make Him king by force and drive out the Romans. He's withdrawn from the crowd.

 

Evening comes, the disciples go to the lake and take a boat to Capernaum. Jesus wasn't with them. The waters grew rough, and the disciples were rowing the boat quite a ways.

 

John's comments are brief. They saw Jesus walking on the water toward them and were terrified. Jesus assured them that He was the one approaching them. And they let Him into the boat, and the boat "immediately" reached the opposite shore.

 

Is there more to it? Possibly. In another section of John, Jesus claims to be God by saying, "Before Abraham was born, I am." The "I am" in that statement is His claim to be God, for it is the translation of the Exodus account where God tells Moses to tell the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you" (Ex. 3:14). Jesus is claiming God's title, God's name. Well, in this section of John, translators normally make John 6:20 out to be something like "It is I". And yes, Jesus is identifying Himself. But He uses the same words that He uses in His claim related to Abraham. That passage could be translated, "Before Abraham was born, it is I." Or this passage in John 6 could be translated, "I AM; don't be afraid" (which reminds me of many OT passages where God gives the same command to His people).

 

Jesus walks out to His disciples on the lake. On the stormy lake. They've been rowing hard for miles. They see Jesus. And they are terrified. Did Jesus merely identify Himself to them? "Hi guys, it's me, Jesus! Can I hop in?" Or is John trying to tell us that Jesus is God? That seems to be John's message all along, starting from chapter one. Jesus claims to be God again here from the way John writes things. "I AM. Don't be afraid." And when the great I AM enters the disciples' boat in the midst of their work and in the midst of a storm, immediately they arrive at the other side of the lake. Coincidence? Not according to John. John is telling us that Jesus is God. Jesus is the great I AM who revealed Himself to Moses and the Israelites. Who led the Israelites through the sea. Here again, the great I AM is with His people, and the fears they face are nothing compared to His divine power. The same power that fed five thousand people earlier that day from five barley loaves and some fish. Who created the world? God. It is entirely believable that the God who made all things from nothing could create enough food for five thousand people from something.

 

Jesus is God. Father, help me to see Jesus' glory always. Help me to know You through Him. Help me to trust. Remind me to obey. You are worthy.

 

John 6:1-15

After Jesus got the Jews angry enough to kill Him for claiming to be God (the text only says "these things" – I think it is worth remembering what these things are), He went to the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee. No sense tempting these men to kill Him any longer, I suppose. But a large crowd followed Him because of the miracles He was doing among the sick.

 

I'm not sure why the text mentions that the Passover was approaching at this point. Because I'm not sure, I'm probably missing out on one of the biggest points in the text. Many commentators only note that it serves to tell us the time of the event. A couple of others mention that the Jews would have already been preparing for the Passover. Would this have made it hard for the disciples to get bread? Probably not. I don't think the main point of this statement has been uncovered in the commentaries I've seen so far.

 

Jesus initiated the conflict here. I don't think anyone expected Jesus to provide food for all these people, but He turned to Philip and asked, "Where are we to buy bread so that the people may eat?" John writes that Jesus was testing Philip's faith and understanding.

 

I think Philip failed the test. He responded that they didn't have the resources to buy enough bread for this crowd.

 

But Andrew did a bit better. He noted that one kid in the crowd had some food with Him. But he then expressed His doubt that this food could do much good in such a large crowd.

 

The text says that Jesus already knew what He was going to do. So He must have known about this child and the food before Andrew said anything. He must have known that one of His disciples – maybe even that it would be Andrew specifically – was going to point out the meager resources the child had.

 

Of course, I have heard the story many times. Jesus had the disciples get the men to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the bread and fish, gave thanks for them, and distributed them to the people until they were satisfied. When the disciples gathered the leftovers, there were 12 baskets of food!

 

The response of the people? "This is the Prophet we've been expecting!" Their decision? To make Jesus king by force. What's that mean? It probably does not mean that they intended to force Jesus to be king. They probably assumed that He intended to be king. Rather, they intended to forcefully and violently overthrow the Romans and set Jesus up as king over Israel!

 

But Jesus withdrew by Himself on the mountain.

 

This must have confused the people. Did they understand the truth correctly? Was Jesus the expected Prophet? Yes! But was He seeking to violently overthrow the Romans to become king? No!

 

Jesus intends to be king of much more than Israel, and He still has important work to do so that this can happen.

 

John 5:41-47

This will conclude Jesus' response to those who want to kill Him for making Himself equal with God.

 

At the beginning of this book John wrote that he had "seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father full of grace and truth". Here Jesus spends quite a bit of time focusing on glory.

 

Jesus says that He does not receive glory from men. His glory is not an earthly glory. This is a major point, for it helps to explain why earthly men are not willing to receive Him.

 

Jesus says, "I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him." Earthly men receive those who have earthly glory. They reject the One who comes with heavenly glory. They do not love God. Honestly, they are not seeking any glory greater than their own. "How can you believe when you receive glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" How can we believe?

 

Even though Jesus has told them throughout the last verses that He is God, and that He comes with God's glory, and that they have rejected the glory of God by rejecting Him, He has something else to say. Jesus is not their accuser. Judge, maybe. But not their accuser.

 

We would expect to hear something about Satan at this point. Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). But Jesus is not talking about Satan. He points to Moses. The very person upon whom the Jews have set their hopes is the one who will accuse them before God the Father! When we think of the Old Testament history involving Moses, there were many times when he complained to God that the people's hearts were quick to go astray. He was constantly working to remind them to serve and love the LORD their God. This hasn't changed. As faithfully as he could, Moses told the people to seek the glory of God. The people continue to reject God's glory, indicating that they don't believe Moses. Since they don't believe Moses, a fellow man, how are they going to believe the One who comes from heaven with the glory of God?

 

Jesus is God. The Jews wanted to kill Him for claiming to be God. But He continued to tell them the truth. He mourned their refusal to accept God's glory in Him. But He had not come to be against them; Jesus was there trying to open the way to the Father. Accusations against them would come from elsewhere.

 

Father, even today people refuse to accept Your glory in Jesus Christ. People will follow the most foolish of men's ideas, believing that the ideas are wise. But the wisest wisdom in the world, the most brilliant glory in the universe – people reject this! They pursue their own fixes, their own cures, their own ways of making things work. Help people to see that Jesus is here for them. He hasn't come to destroy them, to make their lives miserable. He is infinitely valuable! He brings Your glory to men! Help them to understand that the pain that comes from following Jesus is directly related to sin – either the sins of others who oppose them as they follow Jesus, or their own sins as they try to hold on to earthly glories rather than treasuring the glory of God in Jesus Christ above everything else! Yes, men have to give things up to follow You. I hurt when I have to make a choice between an earthly value and the glory of heaven. I like the tangible things and people that make me feel good and bring comfort to my life. I have a hard time seeing the ultimate good, the amazing comfort that comes from heaven. Open all our eyes, Father, to see Your glory. Open our hearts to receive Your glory – to receive and treasure Jesus Christ!

 

John 5:31-40

Jesus understands that the Jews want to hear more than just His own claims. To them, His testimony is not sufficient. So Jesus offers other witnesses.

 

Witness #1 – John the Baptist. Everything John said about Jesus was true. They ought to believe in Jesus because of what John said.

 

Witness #2 – the works Jesus did. These works were greater testimony than John's testimony. They were the works the Father had given to Jesus to complete. We've seen several of them so far. Good news is preached to the outcasts, and miracles restore the dying.

 

Witness #3 – the Father. Jesus says that it is clear that the Jews do not have the Father's words living in them, because they do not accept Jesus. This is ironic, for they study God's words diligently as they seek eternal life, but they refuse to come to Jesus to have life – the refuse to accept the very One to whom the Father has been testifying all along!

 

Father, how can we believe the Scriptures to be Your words and yet choose to reject them? Certainly, we can't! If we reject Your words and refuse to obey them and believe them, then we have deceived ourselves into believing we see the Bible as Your words! Pull the deception off of our eyes and teach us to hear YOU. Teach us to see more than symbols written on pages. Teach us to realize that the Creator of the world is talking to us. Teach us to listen. Teach us to respond. Help us in our weakness. May we not reject the testimony that You have sent to reveal Jesus as our way to eternal life.

 

Ephesians

Today I simply read Ephesians. It was refreshing to remember that we Gentiles have been brought into the covenant promises of Israel – promises of which we had no part – by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the One who teaches us to know God, and the fact that we know God through Jesus Christ is therefore proof that we have the Holy Spirit, who guarantees our inheritance.

 

One section stood out to me today: Eph. 4:22-24 – "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

 

What especially stood out to me was that there is a verse 23. It would have been simple for Paul to write that we were taught to put off our old selves and put on our new selves without mentioning anything in the middle. But instead Paul wrote, in between taking off our old selves and putting on our new selves, that we are to be made new in the attitude of our minds.

 

Putting off and putting on, in this passage, seem to be our work. We struggle to set aside our twisted desires and to live righteously, even as Christians. What Christian hasn't wondered how he can continue to be so sinful even with the Holy Spirit having changed his life? Well, that's what verse 23 is talking about. Christians do still live in their earthly bodies, which is exactly why we still struggle with sinful desires. But our change so far has come about in the way described in verse 23: we have been made new in the attitude of our minds. Righteousness is our consistent aim. We actually love God! When we seek righteousness, we do so knowing that we deserve nothing at all because we are sinners through and through. But we do so also with a hope that we will one day live completely righteous lives, a hope that comes from the new attitude Christ has made in our minds by His Holy Spirit teaching us to trust Jesus Christ and the Father. That new attitude is the basis for our righteous actions. We don't do good simply to feel better about our lives. We don't do good simply to avoid pain in our lives. We don't do good just to try to maintain a good image in other men's eyes. We do good because we have a good God who has called us to a righteous life in Christ Jesus, a good God who loves us and has commanded us to love others! We do good because we are His servants.

 

John 5:19-30

The previous section said that the Jews were not only persecuting Jesus, but that the Jews sought to kill Him because He was claiming to be equal with God. Apparently Jesus knew this, even then, and answered them. He certainly did not back down in His statements.

 

1. "The Son is able to do nothing on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does these same things." Who can do what God does? Jesus claims that He can. He continues the Father-Son discussion, in effect continuing to make Himself equal with God.
2. "The Father loves the Son and shows Him all things which the Father does." Who is acquainted with the works of God? Jesus claims that He is. He sees all that the Father does.
3. "Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever He wishes." Who can give life and raise the dead? Only God. But Jesus claims that He can do this, too.
4. "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son in order that all might honor the Son just as they honor the Father." How should someone honor God? Is anyone else worthy of God's honor? Jesus claims that He is, and that this is the Father's will, because He wants all to honor His Son. Who would dare to make such an arrogant claim – that He judges all things (and that God doesn't), and that men are supposed to honor Him as God? Especially within the Jewish setting, where they were radically monotheistic and already wanted to kill Him because He had implied that He was equal with God? Jesus. Jesus made this claim. Was it arrogant? Or was it true? Jesus even went on to say that those who did not honor the Son were dishonoring the Father who sent the Son.
5. "Truly, truly, I say to you that the one who hears my word and believes the One who sent me has eternal life and will not face judgment." John's gospel begins by claiming, "In Him was life." Did John come up with this idea on His own? Apparently not. Jesus Himself claimed that eternal life was for those who heard and believed His word, taking His word to be the word of the Father. Life, according to Jesus, is found in Him.
6. "The dead who hear the voice of the Son of God will live!" Same claim again!
7. "Just as the Father has life in Himself, so also the Father has given to the Son [the right/ability/nature] to have life in Himself." If they are Father and Son, both God, and if being God means having life in Oneself, without depending on another for that life, then Jesus is absolutely correct to claim that His particular relationship with the Father (same essence) means that He has life in Himself and can give it to others!
8. "And the Father gave the Son authority to make judgment, because He is the Son of Man." I'm sure that Jesus is here referring not so much to being human (though that is involved) as to being the Son of Man described in Daniel 7:13-14. That Son of Man came from heaven and was given authority, a kingdom! Jesus has received authority to judge because He is that particular Son of Man!
9. What will this judgment look like? "A time is coming when [the dead] who have done good things will rise from the grave to a resurrection of life, but those who have done evil things will rise... to a resurrection of judgment." The final judgment has been entrusted into Jesus' hands, if He is telling the Jews the truth.
10. "I am not able to do anything on my own. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I am not seeking my own will but the will of the One who sent me." Jesus again claims that His actions are intricately tied to the Father's, and that what He does is exactly the good that God wants. Who can live that way except God? Jesus.

 

Jesus is God. The Jews wanted to kill Him for making Himself equal with God. What does He do in response? Does He backpedal? Does He try to explain? "Oh! No, no, no! You misunderstood me! I wasn't saying that I was equal with God! We're all sons of God! That's what I meant! (Please don't kill me!)" Never! Jesus instead responded something like this: "You thought that I was claiming to be equal with God? I'm glad you heard that. Actually, you haven't even begun to understand how intricately my work is tied with the Father's! Here's how it works..."

 

Jesus did claim to be equal with God. He did claim that God was His own Father. Not only so, but He claimed that His words were God's words. He claimed that His actions were God's actions. The Father sent Him; only Jesus could adequately represent the Father among men.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming at the Father's command. Thank You for speaking God's words to us. Thank You for doing God's will among us. Thank You for introducing us to Yourself so that we could know the Father through You. I love You.

 

John 5:1-18

I find Jesus going to another feast in Jerusalem. The setting? A pool called Bethsaida where many sick, blind, lame and paralyzed people lay. The story zeroes in on one, a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Long time.

 

There's a verse in this text that was almost certainly a later addition. But there seems to be reason for it to be added, so I'll address it. Apparently the Jews believed that the angel of the Lord would come now and then and stir the waters of this pool. The result was that whatever sick person got into the pool first would be made well. I know; it sounds weird. But it helps to explain why the sick people would gather there.

 

Jesus comes to this paralyzed man and asks him whether he wants to be well. And the man tells his story: He has no one to help him get into the pool after the water is stirred; others always get there ahead of him. Whether this has to do with the Jews' belief mentioned above, or whether the man is just complaining that his whole life has been one without many comforts, either way he is saying, "Yes, I want to be well."

 

So Jesus heals him saying, "Rise, take up your mat and walk." The man was immediately healed and did just what Jesus said. This is amazing! Many of us would probably have ended the story here.

 

But John continues and gives more "setting" information. Apparently, the day this happened was a Sabbath. One of the ten commandments is to remember the Sabbath by to keeping it holy; people were to do all their work on other days. So the Jews confronted the healed man, because he was carrying his mat around. His response? "The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk!" Kind of a "what else could I do?" statement.

 

Of course, the Jews then wanted to know who it was that gave such a blasphemous command, but the healed man didn't know; Jesus had slipped away. Later Jesus found the man in the temple and encouraged him to avoid sin now that he was healthy. The man now knew that Jesus had healed him and promptly told the Jews, who persecuted Jesus. It doesn't sound as though they got violent with him yet, but I'm sure there was quite a confrontation involving yelling and "in your face," passionate scolding. Jesus answered them, though, by saying, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." In other words, Jesus did not plan to change His practices. He would continue working on the Sabbath.

 

1.      Jesus heals. 2. Jesus works on the Sabbath, just as God does. But 3 is the clincher; it's what really made the Jews angry. I thought they were angry when they were persecuting Jesus for working on the Sabbath. But no.

 

Because the Jews heard a claim in Jesus' response. When Jesus justified His work by appealing to His Father's ongoing work, the Jews understood that Jesus was referring to God. The Jews understood that Jesus was saying He does what God does. And the Jews understood that fathers and sons are essentially on the same level. Human fathers bear human sons. So logically, a divine father would bear a divine son. Jesus claimed here to be God – without apology! This made the Jews so angry they wanted to kill Him!

 

What about me? Am I shocked at Jesus' audacity? I'm certainly impressed by His miracle. And it seems that someone with the ability to perform that kind of miracle ought to be allowed to do so on the Sabbath or any day. But that's not all that Jesus claims. He claims to be God. And just yesterday I learned from John 4:43-54 that it is more important to hear Jesus' words than to see His miracles; I must trust Jesus Himself, not just His power. Is Jesus God? Yes! Jesus is God! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!" "Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing was made that has been made!" If this describes Jesus, then these miracles are just a tiny taste of all that He has done, because He is the Creator of the universe! So it is important that we trust in Jesus Himself, that He is God! He made my life. He gave me breath. He feeds me every day. He clothes me. He provides shelter, and family, and health, and strength, and wisdom, and discipline, and everything else that I need! He does this every day! He is equal with God! There is no talking back to Him. There is only listening, believing, submitting, obeying. He is worthy of all honor and glory! I trust Him! He is God!

 

"Just Like Daddy!"

This morning when I went it to get Emma up, she had some dolls around her in bed. As I walked in, I thought I heard her say, "I broke it." So I asked her what was broken. She said, "I FOLD it."

 

"Oh!" I said, "you folded it?" I've been folding her blankie (at her request) just before she goes to sleep.

 

She responded,"Yes. I fold it, just like daddy!" Needless to say, it felt good that she wants to be like me. Scary, but good.

 

John 4:43-54

This passage begins with a statement that raises a question. The statement, after the introductory comments that Jesus went from Samaria back to Galilee, is this: "For Jesus testified that in his own country a prophet has no honor." The reason this is strange is that the story following the statement seems to be a story of faith.

 

1. The Galileans receive Jesus gladly, having seen all that He did in Jerusalem at the Feast.
2. At Cana (again), a royal official comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his dying son. This seems to demonstrate faith.
3. When Jesus tells the royal official that his son will live, the royal official believes Him. Isn't this faith? Isn't this honoring a prophet?
4. The story concludes with the official's entire household believing in Jesus.

 

So how can Jesus testify that a prophet has no honor in his own country?

 

I find it interesting that this story follows immediately after the story of the Samaritan woman and her town. In that story I found myself listening in on an amazing conversation in which Jesus reveals that He knows the woman's life story, though He has just met her. He speaks to her of her sin, and He speaks to her about the true worship of God.

 

But what did I not see happening in the Samaritan woman's story, or in the events surrounding it when the rest of the town comes to Jesus? I did not see any miracles. I did not see people healed. I did not see water turned to wine. I did not see resurrections. I saw no physical proofs of Jesus' power and authority.

 

I saw only Jesus' words and the believing response of a woman and her community.

 

In Galilee, it's another story. Jesus testifies that a prophet has no honor in his own country. When the ruler comes to Jesus, Jesus tells him that he and all the rest of the Galileans will not believe without signs and wonders. And then Jesus performs a miracle; He heals a dying boy. I find the conclusion noteworthy (verse 53): after the father figures out for sure that the time of the boy's healing coincides with the time that Jesus said the boy would live, THEN he believes, and so does his household.

 

But wait a minute. Didn't I already see in verse 50 that this man believed? Sort of. He believed Jesus' words. Galilee had seen all the miracles that Jesus did in Jerusalem (John 2:23; 4:45). The Galileans wanted some of the action. They wanted some of the power. They wanted to benefit from this man, this Jesus.

 

But they did not believe in Jesus. I'm pretty sure that's the point here. Even the royal official did not believe in Jesus until after the miracle. He believed Jesus' words when Jesus told him his son would live. But only after he went home, saw his healed son, and figured out that Jesus had pronounced his son well at the same time as his son had returned to health did he or his household believe in Jesus. Not just His miracles. Not just His power. Not just His earthly benefits. They finally believed in Jesus. No mention is made of the rest of Galilee. Apparently this man and his family were the only ones in the area who put their faith in Jesus because of this miracle. But in Samaria, a woman and her whole town had believed in Jesus, recognizing that He was the Christ, because of a conversation! Jesus spoke truly when He said of Galilee, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will certainly not believe"!

 

This is a theme in the book of John. Earlier Jesus had testified that He would die and rise again, but even His disciples had not picked up on His spiritual use of language (John 2:22). Near the end of this book, Jesus says to Thomas, "You have believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who believe without seeing."

 

That's today's Christians! We have only the words of the apostles and prophets. They testify to us that Jesus did miracles, and they also tell us what He said. But ultimately, all we have are their words. We must trust that their testimony is true if we are to believe in Jesus! We must trust that they wrote out faithfully what Jesus taught and claimed! And then we still must decide – even if we believe that the apostles and prophets recorded Jesus' life faithfully – we must still decide whether to trust Jesus Himself! But we have His words. And we have the testimony of the apostles and prophets, who were themselves guided by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it feels as though we have so little, but if these words are truly the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the record of Jesus' own testimony, we have great reason to believe in Jesus! The Christ! The Anointed One, sent from God to deliver mankind from sin and darkness! To give us eternal life!

 

Lord God, thank You so much for giving me the words of life! Thank You that, without miraculous proofs, You enable me to believe as Your Spirit teaches me through Your Word! Thank You that You actually honor those who believe merely on the basis of hearing the truth above those who believe based on physical proofs! Thank You for helping me to see the spiritual truths You have spoken to us. May I and all Your people stop clamoring so often for more miracles and realize that, even though it is not a "miracle" in the strict sense of the term, spreading Your word is powerful and effective in bringing people to believe in Jesus Christ! Help us to remember that Your words are nothing to be ashamed of! To remember that believing the testimony of the Spirit is honoring to Jesus Christ and to the Father Himself! To thank You for including us among those who had the opportunity to hear, and to stop worrying about it when we haven't had the opportunity to see! Thank You that faith comes by hearing, and that because we have faith in Jesus Christ, we have the hope of full and true sight when He comes again! Bless Your name for giving us the words of Jesus Christ through Your servants!

 

John 4:31-42

What a beautiful picture! The disciples offer Jesus some food to eat, and He is so focused on what has been going on with this Samaritan woman – and what is about to happen – that food doesn't interest Him. He tells the disciples that He has a source of nourishment already. Of course, I wouldn't have understood what He was saying, either. So when the disciples start questioning who might have fed Him, Jesus explains that He is nourished by doing the will of the One who sent Him and completing the Sender's work.

 

This is directly linked to one of the C&MA's most-used Scripture passages and applies to the Samaritans. Jesus tells His disciples that they should be aware that the harvest time is now. Here, in this Samaritan village. People have sown the seed of God's Word, and now is the time for the harvest! The disciples get to participate in this harvest. They were not the ones who invested in the Samaritans, but they are about to participate in the redemption of this village! Harvesting people for eternal life is the Sender's will that nourishes Jesus; it is the Sender's work Jesus came to complete.

 

John tells us how the harvest took place. Initially, many of the Samaritans believed in Jesus because the woman testified about Him that He knew her entire life. Because they trusted Him, they invited Him to stay with them for a couple of days (which He and His disciples did! Jews among Samaritans for a couple of days!). After Jesus had spent some time with them, the other Samaritans were able to say to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your testimony, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this man is indeed the Savior of the world!"

 

How beautiful! Through the testimony of the prophets in the ancient Scriptures, and through the (distorted) testimony of their fathers, the Samaritans received the seed of truth sown among them. Then Jesus comes and talks to a lowly member of their society, reaping a harvest of fruit by her belief. This woman testifies to the rest of her community, and the disciples join Jesus for two days in reaping a harvest of belief among the Samaritans. Also, the Samaritans initially believe in Jesus because of the woman's testimony, but ultimately believe in Jesus because they have come to know Him! Rejected Samaritans become a part of God's harvest people!

 

Father, I want people to know You through Jesus Christ. I want them to believe in Him. As one of His disciples, I am excited to know that there is a harvest waiting to be harvested. Help me to serve in Your fields, sowing gospel seed where it still needs sown and reaping the harvest where it is ready for reaping. May my testimony lead people to trust in Jesus, and may they ultimately trust in Jesus by their own knowledge of Him!

 

Half-Birthday

Yesterday was my half-birthday. I never used to think about half-birthdays, but Christy's family celebrates them with a small gift. I teased Christy yesterday about forgetting my half-birthday this year, which she had. But she went to work out in the evening. And when she got home (barely in time for her favorite TV show Heroes – note that she risked missing the beginning of her favorite show) she had gone to the pie kitchen to buy me a slice of chocolate-pecan pie. I have a very wonderful wife and friend!

 

John 4:27-30

Just as Jesus tells the woman that He is the Christ, His disciples return from their shopping trip. They find a surprise awaiting them; Jesus is talking with a woman! The text does not mention the fact that she is Samaritan here, so we can't say for sure that their surprise has anything to do with her culture. Obviously, we know that Jesus interacted with women. He had a mother, and sisters, too (Mt. 13:56). And there are other stories where Jesus interacts with women; some supported Him in His ministry, and He healed others.

 

But apparently Jesus did not normally interact with women – at least not when His disciples and a public gathering were not around. Perhaps this was to be above reproach and avoid any hint of immorality. The text doesn't say. But it does tell us that none of the (surprised) disciples said anything to Jesus or questioned Him. They trusted that their Master knew what He was doing.

 

The woman herself went back into the town to tell the people about Jesus. Her testimony was that Jesus spoke about all the things she had done, and she asked them whether her interpretation might be legitimate: "Could this be the Christ?" So the people of this town came out to Jesus.

 

Jesus can use anyone. He turned a multi-marriage Samaritan woman currently living with a man outside a marriage relationship into His primary witness in her town. Notice how little she had to say to draw people out to Jesus! Her testimony was basic. It wasn't, "See how spiritual I am now," or, "Look how smart I am now," or anything like that. It was simply, "Jesus knows me inside and out; He's amazing! You should meet Him! I think He's the Christ!" They could have ignored her. But they chose the other option – to visit with Jesus and find out whether He was as special as this woman claimed.

 

Father, forgive me. This woman knew so little. Her life seemed so worthless. Yet she spoke what she knew faithfully right from the start. And I have been given such a rich spiritual heritage, but I allow my fears and areas of doubt to keep me from sharing what I do know of Jesus with people. Forgive me. Use me, and teach me to obey You. And help all of us who feel inadequate or corrupted to see that Jesus uses inadequate, corrupted people. May our trust be in Jesus – the Jesus who worked among the Samaritans through this woman. Work among our families, friends, co-workers and neighbors through us – through me!

 

John 4:19-26

After Jesus reveals to the Samaritan woman the truths about her sinful lifestyle, she has a newfound respect for Him and recognizes Him as a prophet. Perhaps she brought up the difference between Jewish and Samaritan worship to impress Jesus with her knowledge of ways to approach God; perhaps she did it to divert attention from her sinful lifestyle; who knows why, ultimately. Either way, her focus was on earthly ways of worshipping. What form of worship is best? Worship on the Samaritans' mountain? Or worship in Jerusalem?

 

It must have astonished this lady for Jesus to respond that neither form of worship would have God's ongoing approval forever. He did take a moment to point out that the Samaritans were worshiping without knowledge and that the Jews knew what they were doing; salvation would ultimately come through the Jews.

 

However, Jesus told her that a time had now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.

 

What does this mean? I'm not sure I have the complete answer, but this seems to be at least part of what it means: Jesus explains that God is spirit. Why? Because the woman had mentioned two earthly ways of worshiping – one in Jerusalem and one on the Samaritans' mountain. Just like Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus, there are spiritual realities beyond what we can see and measure. Since God is spirit, ultimately the physical location of worship is not what matters most. Our worship of a spiritual God must be spiritual; it must be true. It is not enough for our worship to be about "going through the motions." Worship is not going to some mountain, going to Jerusalem, or sacrificing sheep and goats. All these things might help our worship, but they are just forms – physical forms. The spiritual reality is what matters.

 

God is seeking worshipers who (in today's terms) don't just come to church, clock in, and clock out. His primary concern is not how strong or beautiful our voices are as we sing. When we are baptized, it is meaningless if it is only a ritual or a way of showing other people how righteous we are. When we take the Lord's supper, it is pointless if all we do is eat bread and drink wine/juice. The kind of worshipers God wants are people who are genuinely, spiritual repentant when they recognize their sins. God wants godly sorrow from people, sorrow that leads to repentance. He wants people to confess their sins because they are deeply aware of how imperfect they are, how filthy they are – not because they're in church and "it's time to confess our sins" ("Let's see. Have I sinned recently? I can't think of anything. Come on God, I must have done something wrong. You can't hold it against me for not confessing anything if I haven't done anything sinful." – this kind of "confession" is pointless). He wants people to receive forgiveness with deeply grateful, thankful hearts. Christ's forgiveness is not just a doctrine, a teaching to recite (Pastor: "How can we get to heaven?"//People (in monotony): "Christ died so that our sins can be forgiven."); no, Christ's death on the cross leading to our forgiveness is our only hope of any good at all! God wants worshipers who know His glory! His grace! His justice! His love! His faithfulness! His power! – people who see with spiritual eyes and are not focused on physical forms!

 

At this the woman, probably confused, says that when the Christ comes He will explain everything to everyone. And Jesus says, "I am (the Christ); I who am speaking to you."

 

So what I'm reading here is the explanation of the Messiah! God wants worshipers who worship in spirit and truth; not in physical form without understanding. Father, help me! I so easily get caught up in what I see with my physical eyes. Too often I forget the spiritual reality I am meant to remember. Baptism is supposed to remind me that we Christians have died, been buried, and been raised up again in Christ Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have life! The Lord's Supper is intended to remind me that Christ's body and blood were shed for me, and that His broken body and shed blood are my sustaining food. Without them, I would pass away. Father, I depend completely on You through Christ. You are everything! Help me to remember this always. Always!

 

Zach, Holly Anne, and Ethan

Last night we had some new friends over. Jon Knuckolls used to attend Southern Seminary with me, and one of his friends came up to visit the school. Jon sent him and his family to visit us, which was really great! Zach and Holly Anne have been missionaries in Russia (short-term; 3 years). They would like to continue as career missionaries, and they need some seminary education to do this. Their son Ethan was a real cutie. He's in between Emma's and Michael's ages, and they really enjoyed playing with him.

 

Our time together was encouraging. We know that Zach and Holly Anne have other options, but it would be great to see them come here.

 

Emma's praise

Emma and I often walk outside. While out there, we run. We jump. We test all sorts of possibilities.

 

Emma gets really excited. She especially likes me to jump. And it was really cute the other day when she asked me to jump down a couple of stairs (a big deal to her). Actually, she commanded me: "Jump, daddy!" I jumped. And Emma said, "Good job, daddy! Yay!" She clapped for me.

 

I love her excitement about things that to me are no big deal!

 

John 4:16-18

Now that the Samaritan woman has recognized her need for Jesus, or at least for the living water He offers, Jesus begins to lead her toward His living water. He leads her toward living water by telling her to go and return with her husband. And the Samaritan woman responds that she has no husband.

 

Everything seems normal. Why shouldn't a woman be free to tell someone that she has no husband?

 

Jesus takes advantage of the occasion to lead her to confession. He firmly agrees with her. But having no husband is not the same thing as being pure. Jesus recounts to the woman her life: "For you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband."

 

Jesus is the Word, the light of the world. He knows all things, and they will be revealed. We have already seen that men prefer to remain hidden rather than to come into the light (John 3:19-20). This Samaritan woman did not want Jesus to know all that she had sinfully done in her life. But He knew anyways. Her deeds were exposed anyways. Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). She tried to give Jesus partial truth, but He is full of truth and exposed the shameful sins behind her factual words.

 

I must remember that Jesus knows me. He knows my thoughts. He knows my past actions. I cannot deceive Him, for He is full of truth. I cannot hide from Him. Even if I fear the exposure of my sins, I can have hope when I confess them to Him. He is the one who brings living water. And the living water He brings is so valuable that confessing my sins and sinfulness in exchange for His living water is a deal! Father, may I walk in the truth. May I not hide my sins from You. Reveal to me repeatedly that You know me intimately, and encourage me repeatedly with the reminder that You chose to associate with me anyways. Thank You. Thank You for reaching out to me. Thank You for exposing my sins, and for sending Jesus Christ to give me life and free me from sin and death. May I remember that I live always and only by Your grace.

 

Forgot to Vote!!!

So yesterday I forgot to vote for Kentucky’s governor. Well, not just for him. I forgot to vote completely, so I had no say in any of the election results. Not that I have much of a clue about the main issues in the voting. Which is sad.

 

I wonder how many people forgot to vote yesterday. I wonder whether it would have made a difference... and in what ways.

John 4:10-15

Yesterday I found that Jesus was humble, willing to associate with a Samaritan woman in normal matters of everyday life. This astonished the woman, who wanted to understand why a Jew would associate with a Samaritan woman.

 

Jesus' response both does and does not answer her question. He does not come out and say, "This Jew is willing to associate with you because He is the Son of God who has come to offer all men eternal life." But He does say that the problem is her understanding of Him. If she knew the gift of God (Jesus) and who it was that wanted a drink (Jesus), she would have approached Him – even though she was a Samaritan woman and He was a Jew – to ask for living water. The value of Jesus is so great that all nations should pursue Him. Remember, in Jesus is life, the light of men. He is glorious, full of grace and truth, which He is displaying just by approaching this Samaritan woman.

 

None of us would have known what Jesus meant by "living water," and neither did the Samaritan woman. She shows her ignorance, but also her openness to learning, by her response. Essentially, Jesus has no tools with Him for drawing water from wells, so how can He provide her with water at all, living or otherwise? She goes on to ask more about Jesus Himself: "Are you greater than Jacob?"

 

Again, Jesus answers her questions in an indirect manner. Yes, He is greater than Jacob. Jacob provided a well of water that leaves one thirsty again, but Jesus provides a water that completely satisfies those who drink it and produces eternal life.

 

The woman recognizes that she needs this kind of water. She obviously still does not understand completely, based on her response, but who would have a total grasp of what Jesus was saying? She says to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

 

Ironically, the Samaritan woman is still wanting to meet the wrong need. If Jesus had a kind of water that left people without physical thirst, why would He have told her to give Him water in the first place? If He had that kind of water, He wouldn't be physically thristy Himself. Still, Jesus has made it clear to the woman that what He is offering is of great value. She wants it. She needs it.

 

Isn't that the point? Even though so many of us don't initially understand all that Jesus says to us, don't we have to recognize that we need whatever it is that He has for us? John has made it so clear that we need Jesus. In the first chapter, we found that Jesus brings life, glory, grace and truth. And since then, we continue to see His value. He is the Son of God. The ruler of Creation. The One who brings testimony from above so that we can receive blessings from above. The One who knows that He will die and rise again for us. The One intended to receive glory, the One to whom Heaven is giving a bride. And now again, we find that He offers living, completely satisfying water – eternal life! Even if I didn't believe all this, I would want to! I would want to believe that there actually was such a person who had everything under control, who offered such hope, who offered such goodness and life! We can believe! Jesus has come, and He is the person we wish for! It is not just wishful thinking that leads us to look forward to righteousness, peace, and perfection. It is Jesus, the Son of God, who came to earth as a man. He is the foundation for our hope. It is right to need Him. We would be crazy to deny our need for Him.

           

Everything matters

I am making a deliberate effort to remember that everything matters. Everything is significant. Perhaps not to whoever reads this. But to God. And therefore, things that I sometimes don't want to post for fear that they would be trivial ought to be things I consider and reflect on. Since considering and reflecting on life is the reason I started this blog, I intend to make a renewed effort at posting things besides my devotions. Devotions are easiest because I am already at the computer, already journaling. And also because they seem more significant sometimes than the rest of life. But God views our lives as a whole. When I get to heaven, my devotional times will not be all that mattered. So I shouldn't act now like they're all that matters. I intend to keep posting devotions. But I hope to post more.

 

We'll see.

 

John 4:1-9

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – 1

 

By God's grace, I get to spend time in His Word. You would think that I would get plenty of time in His Word, being a seminary student. But seminary really only provides for plenty of time flipping through God's Word finding texts to prove your arguments. Time actually in God's Word, where I listen to Him, is precious. And by the way that I have to break up the story of the Samaritan woman, it is clear that this time is also limited.

 

Jesus was heading back to Galilee. The Pharisees had heard that He was baptizing more disciples than John the Baptist, and for some reason this motivated Jesus to return to Galilee. On His way there, He went through Samaria and stopped by a well in Sychar. He was alone there when a Samaritan woman came out to draw water. Jesus told her that He would like a drink. And thus a fascinating conversation was begun.

 

The first topic in this conversation was simply that the woman was surprised by Jesus' willingness to receive a drink from her. She said, "How are you (a Jew) asking for a drink from me (a Samaritan woman)?" It was the custom for Jews not to associate with Samaritans.

 

But apparently this was a custom Jesus was willing to circumvent. We can argue that He did so knowing that His conversation would change this woman's life forever, and also the lives of many in her town. But the conversation started simply. Jesus asked her for a drink. He had been traveling. He was tired. He must have been thirsty, and He was sitting right next to a well. She was there to draw water. So He asked for a drink. At face value, Jesus broke a Jewish custom of hatred just for a drink of water. He was not above receiving help from a Samaritan.

 

How often do I refuse to receive help from others simply because I would rather not associate with them? Probably not that often. But still, I know my heart's inclination to avoid certain types of people. And my reasons are not as theologically grounded as the Jews reasons were for avoiding the Samaritans. In this case, simply being willing to associate with a Samaritan woman led to a meaningful ministry in her community.

 

Father, continue to break down my resistance to certain kinds of people. I would list them here, but you know who they are and I don't really want to offend anyone. The point is, even if I avoid them because I think of them as sinners, Jesus came to save sinners. And I am a sinner. Jesus has saved me, and I still struggle with my heart's desires to go against His leading. You have had mercy on me, even though You are perfect. Help me to have mercy on others, since I can identify with their imperfections. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for showing me what love looks like through Jesus Christ. Help me to love like You do.