John 7:10-24

Jesus ended up going up to the Feast. One might ask whether He lied to His brothers, since He told them that He was not going up to the Feast because His time had not come.

 

I'm going to assume for now that He did not lie. I'm not going to make any arguments to prove it yet. Instead, I want to see what Jesus did.

 

He went up to the Feast, but He went up in secret (His brothers had urged Him to make a big show of things). Apparently those at the Feast were debating about Jesus, trying to judge whether He was good or bad. Jesus did not present Himself publicly until midway through the Feast.

 

Who knows what kind of opposition Jesus would have faced if His opponents had known He was coming? But they didn't know. And by midway through the Feast, they probably had let down their guards, not expecting to see Him there. Then He began to teach publicly at the Temple. The crowds were amazed at His knowledge – a knowledge that came without the kind of education that other teachers had.

 

Jesus' answer was that He was teaching the thoughts of someone else. In particular, He was teaching the thoughts of the One who sent Him, of God the Father. Jesus challenged His hearers to do as He taught in order to find out whether Jesus' teachings were from God or not. Jesus was seeking the Father's glory, so there was no reason for Him to teach anything but the Father's words. (So often we shy away – I shy away – from speaking the truth. Why? Apparently it is because I am concerned too often for my own glory.)

 

And then Jesus concluded with a challenge: "You don't really follow Moses. You don't keep the Law. If you kept the Law, you wouldn't be trying to kill Me." When the crowds ask who is trying to kill Him, Jesus points back to the miracle of making the paralyzed man walk on the Sabbath. And He justifies having done the miracle on the Sabbath. Yet it was well-known that this miracle was a major reason there was debate about whether Jesus was good or not. His awareness of the Jews' motivations for hating Him was a part of His teaching strategy. He revealed to people the secrets of their own hearts so that they would be confronted with their own sinfulness.

 

Contrast our sinfulness with His perfection. He always spoke the words of the One who sent Him. He always sought the Father's glory.

 

Father, forgive me for not doing the same!

 

Christmas Party

Our Community Group had a Christmas Party last night! We began with a huge meal, and pretty much everyone contributed. We had chicken, stuffing, cranberry something or other, broccoli-cheese casserole, rolls, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, punch, mashed potatoes (in abundance), probably something else I’m forgetting, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie! I think everyone was satisfied after that meal!

 

Following the meal, we had a gift exchange for our kids. They were really cute. Some were showing off the presents they received. One or two thought that this was actually Christmas, and were disappointed that there weren’t more gifts! We had to reassure them that this was just a Christmas Party and that Christmas was still coming with lots of gifts. Then we sent the kids into another room to do crafts and decorate cookies – with supervision of course.

 

We had our own gift exchange. Actually, we had two. First was a Secret Santa gift exchange. But the Santas ended up not being secret, because we let people guess who had given them the gifts. Then we had a white elephant gift exchange. There were some great gifts – like a plastic flower, a shoe-shaped planter, and some blazing-pink pants.

 

We ended the evening with games, and people eventually drifted off. But that’s our Community Group – a great group to party with!

John 7:1-9

The Jews in Judea were trying to kill Jesus, so He was staying away from there. But when the time came for the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus' brothers urged Him to go to Judea. They basically said, "Aren't you trying to become famous? Then why are you hiding?"

 

It makes you wonder how Jesus was perceived. He is the Holy Son of God, and everything He does is perfectly righteous. Yet His brothers seemed to think He was uppity, holier-than-thou, self-seeking.

 

I know that my heart is not as pure as Jesus' heart. I must constantly examine my motives and choices. But at the same time, walking in Jesus' steps is going to lead to misunderstanding sometimes. Jesus had to put up with the misunderstanding patiently and lovingly. Father, when I feel misunderstood, help me to respond the same way. But help me also to evaluate my heart honestly before You and to find out whether I need to repent of anything.

 

Memory Loss (short-term)

My memory is terrible! Last night we were eating supper, and Emma was pretty pitiful. But even in her subdued condition, she had Christy and me laughing hysterically. And I can’t remember what it was! Sorry about that, for those who read this.

John 6:22-71

Michael woke us up just before six today. So I've had the opportunity to study a longer passage of Scripture than I usually would. Which is good, because this whole section centers on one thought. Jesus is the bread from heaven.

 

The crowds who had eaten the bread – who had been witnesses of Jesus' miracle of feeding the five thousand – they looked for Jesus and eventually found Him. Jesus accused them of looking for Him not because they were interested in God's signs to them, but because they wanted more bread to fill their stomachs. He told them to work for food that produces eternal life.

 

In response, they asked what this spiritual work was. And Jesus told them that the work God had for them was to believe in the One God had sent. But they wanted a sign to prove that they should believe in Jesus (as though Jesus had not already given them a sign), like the manna which had come down from heaven in Moses' day. Jesus pointed out that Moses had not given them this bread, but that the Father gave them bread from heaven. He also taught them that the true bread from heaven would produce eternal life in them. When they asked for this bread, Jesus said, "I AM the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (probably a reference to the living water John has already mentioned)." Jesus satisfies our every need.

 

The Jews were grumbling, and Jesus pointed out their disbelief. The Father had not given them to Jesus, and they would not be among those raised up at the last day. They had to be taught by God – and they were not listening. None of them had seen the Father, and the One who had seen the Father was trying to teach them, but they would not hear.

 

Jesus identified His flesh as the bread from heaven, as true food, and His blood as true drink. His flesh and blood give eternal life to those who eat them.

 

When Jesus' disciples grumbled at these hard words, He chided them for not listening to them as spiritual words. He said that the flesh counts for nothing. In other words, it is not by actually eating Jesus' body and drinking His blood that a person receives eternal life; there is a spiritual reality behind these statements.

 

When Jesus asked the twelve if they wanted to turn away with the others, Simon Peter answered. His response is a model for us all: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

 

All that Jesus had been teaching is summed up here. Jesus taught that He came from God, bearing God's words, and that hearing and believing God would give eternal life. Peter recognized that Jesus came from God and taught God's words, and having heard, Peter believed in Jesus for eternal life. Peter knew that he could not find eternal life anywhere else.

 

Sadly, there was one among the twelve who had not believed. Jesus knew this and pointed it out. But it is essential for me to believe and to teach that Jesus came from God, and that His teachings are God's teachings, and that there is no eternal life outside of His teachings. The Jews asked Jesus for a sign so that they would believe in Him, a sign as great as the manna from heaven. They had a greater sign standing right there in front of them: Jesus, the bread of life, God in the flesh!

 

Two Blows to the Ego

I can't believe that the last time I blogged about Emma was November 16th. I was talking about how she wanted to be "just like daddy". That was nice.

But I've been set aside. Emma loves Cinderella. Now she wants to be "just like Cinderella." In everything. I've been replaced. Ego blow 1.

Also, I was working at the Old Spaghetti Factory last night. Christy brought Emma and Michael to eat there. All was well. As they were heading out of the restaurant, Emma noticed my apron. She asked me several times, "Is Daddy wearing a dress?" I think she even said, "Just like Cinderella." Oh, wait, that was Christy who threw that in, and Emma liked it. Ego blow 2.

Oh well.

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.