John 8:48-58
What kind of men were calling Jesus a Samaritan and demon possessed? Religious leaders and men presumed to know God's Word. Thier words carried weight with the crowd. Certainly no one in the community would tell them that their father was the devil, as Jesus just had.
Jesus knew thier hearts. Though these men knew the law, they did not keep the law in the spirit God had given it. They knew not to murder, but still hated thier brothers. They knew not to commit adultery, but lusted after another's wife. They were liars and hypocrites. Since Satan was the father of lies - they were his children.
Jesus could have given up on them. Instead He tells them over and again that something was missing in their religion. By refusing to believe that Christ was the Son of God they were condemning themselves to eternal death. To know life they would have to believe.
Stubborness can condemn us also - and cause us to do things with severe consequences. The religious leaders began by ridiculing Jesus, became annoyed and angry, and at the end were murderous. As leaders, thier sin of stubborness had consequences for the people who listened to them rather than Christ, leading them to the same condemnation.
"So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." Hebrews 3:7-8
Hardening our hearts against Christ and refusing to believe has eternal consequences!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Who's Your Father?
John 8:37- 47
Okay, so who is your father?
"Abraham is our father"
We can read about the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless, and beyond the time of life to expect the birth of a child between them. Yet God shared this with Abraham, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be." Abraham believed these words from God. Abraham and Sarah did have a child, as God had promised. As time went on Abraham's descendants grew to become a nation, the men speaking with Jesus were truly descendants of Abraham. Jesus confirms thier claim, "I know you are Abraham's descendants."
Physically from the same line as Abraham, spiritually, though they couldn't make this claim. Why? Because Abraham believed God when He spoke to him, and many of his physical descendants did not. In fact they wanted to kill Jesus, "You are ready to kill me because you have no room for my word." Abraham gladly received God's word, so Abraham is not thier spiritual father, but they are from the the family of thier father Satan. "You do what you have heard from your father", Jesus tells them, and, "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning..."
"You are doing the things your own father does."
Satan is the adversary against God and Jesus. Many of the religious leaders were adversaries against Christ when they set themselves in opposition against Him. Rather than believe God's Word as Abraham did, they resisted Christ's teaching to the point of wanting Him dead. In this respect they became spiritual children of Satan, doing the things he did.
"The only Father we have is God Himself".
Jesus has pointed out that they are not true sons of Abraham, because they will not listen to His what He is telling them. The people then point out that they are not illegitimate, they are the people that God chose to be His own. God is thier Father. What they don't see is that it's more than a label, it's what's in thier hearts.
Now the same holds true for us. Perhaps your parents believe in Jesus Christ. Thier belief doesn't make you a Christian. Becoming a believer is a relationship between you and Christ and involves a change in your own heart. Or maybe you joined a church at some point in your life and identify with that denomination. Joining a church doesn't take the place of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a fine thing to attend church, but a commitment to Christ is what's necessary.
Do you oppose Christ, like Satan, or do you believe what He says, like Abraham?
Who is your Father?
Okay, so who is your father?
"Abraham is our father"
We can read about the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis 15. Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless, and beyond the time of life to expect the birth of a child between them. Yet God shared this with Abraham, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be." Abraham believed these words from God. Abraham and Sarah did have a child, as God had promised. As time went on Abraham's descendants grew to become a nation, the men speaking with Jesus were truly descendants of Abraham. Jesus confirms thier claim, "I know you are Abraham's descendants."
Physically from the same line as Abraham, spiritually, though they couldn't make this claim. Why? Because Abraham believed God when He spoke to him, and many of his physical descendants did not. In fact they wanted to kill Jesus, "You are ready to kill me because you have no room for my word." Abraham gladly received God's word, so Abraham is not thier spiritual father, but they are from the the family of thier father Satan. "You do what you have heard from your father", Jesus tells them, and, "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning..."
"You are doing the things your own father does."
Satan is the adversary against God and Jesus. Many of the religious leaders were adversaries against Christ when they set themselves in opposition against Him. Rather than believe God's Word as Abraham did, they resisted Christ's teaching to the point of wanting Him dead. In this respect they became spiritual children of Satan, doing the things he did.
"The only Father we have is God Himself".
Jesus has pointed out that they are not true sons of Abraham, because they will not listen to His what He is telling them. The people then point out that they are not illegitimate, they are the people that God chose to be His own. God is thier Father. What they don't see is that it's more than a label, it's what's in thier hearts.
Now the same holds true for us. Perhaps your parents believe in Jesus Christ. Thier belief doesn't make you a Christian. Becoming a believer is a relationship between you and Christ and involves a change in your own heart. Or maybe you joined a church at some point in your life and identify with that denomination. Joining a church doesn't take the place of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a fine thing to attend church, but a commitment to Christ is what's necessary.
Do you oppose Christ, like Satan, or do you believe what He says, like Abraham?
Who is your Father?
Monday, January 23, 2012
A Slave to Something
John 8:30-36
When Jesus spoke, many put thier faith in Him. Sometimes I try to imagine what it must've been like to believe in Jesus, then to sit at His feet like Mary did, and learn what it meant to be His disciple - first hand, from the mouth of the Savior.
On this day He was teaching about freedom. Christ was telling them that if they held on to His teachings, they would know the truth, and that truth would set them free.
Free from what? Not the rule of Rome, Jesus wasn't referring to earthly oppression - though the believers take Him literally when they reply that they have never been slaves of anyone. Perhaps they had forgotten Egypt and the time thier ancestors spent oppressed by slave drivers into forced labor... (See Exodus 3:7-9).
Jesus wanted them to know about another type of slavery. "...Everyone who sins is a slave to sin." We sin when we are disobedient to God. For example, Jesus gives instructions found in Matthew 6:25-26, 34 against worrying. To worry, then, would be sin. Who of us hasn't allowed the futility of worrying take root in our life? Our mind labors over the "what ifs" of tomorrow, the "if only I could go back and do it differently" of the past, until the weight of it all oppresses us. We become a slave to worry.
Following Jesus instruction, "...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.", would give us freedom.
Paul wrote about the same slavery and freedom in Romans 6. He reminds his readers that they used to offer the parts of thier body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness (v.19), and that when they offered themselves to obey someone, they became slaves of the one they obeyed (v.16). If they offered themselves to sin, they became slaves to sin and that would result in death. There is another choice, though. We can offer ourselves as slaves to obedience - which leads to righteousness (v.16) - and gives us freedom!
However, this isn't something I can do on my own - neither can you. Determining that you don't want to sin, and that you do want to obey God is pleasing to Him. Unfortunately, we can't free ourselves from the slave driver that sin is. Only One has the power to release us from bondage - that One is Jesus Christ.
"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
When Jesus spoke, many put thier faith in Him. Sometimes I try to imagine what it must've been like to believe in Jesus, then to sit at His feet like Mary did, and learn what it meant to be His disciple - first hand, from the mouth of the Savior.
On this day He was teaching about freedom. Christ was telling them that if they held on to His teachings, they would know the truth, and that truth would set them free.
Free from what? Not the rule of Rome, Jesus wasn't referring to earthly oppression - though the believers take Him literally when they reply that they have never been slaves of anyone. Perhaps they had forgotten Egypt and the time thier ancestors spent oppressed by slave drivers into forced labor... (See Exodus 3:7-9).
Jesus wanted them to know about another type of slavery. "...Everyone who sins is a slave to sin." We sin when we are disobedient to God. For example, Jesus gives instructions found in Matthew 6:25-26, 34 against worrying. To worry, then, would be sin. Who of us hasn't allowed the futility of worrying take root in our life? Our mind labors over the "what ifs" of tomorrow, the "if only I could go back and do it differently" of the past, until the weight of it all oppresses us. We become a slave to worry.
Following Jesus instruction, "...Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.", would give us freedom.
Paul wrote about the same slavery and freedom in Romans 6. He reminds his readers that they used to offer the parts of thier body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness (v.19), and that when they offered themselves to obey someone, they became slaves of the one they obeyed (v.16). If they offered themselves to sin, they became slaves to sin and that would result in death. There is another choice, though. We can offer ourselves as slaves to obedience - which leads to righteousness (v.16) - and gives us freedom!
However, this isn't something I can do on my own - neither can you. Determining that you don't want to sin, and that you do want to obey God is pleasing to Him. Unfortunately, we can't free ourselves from the slave driver that sin is. Only One has the power to release us from bondage - that One is Jesus Christ.
"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Monday, January 16, 2012
Stumble in Darkness or Walk in the Light
John 8:12
Jesus' teaching in this scripture reveals that He is the "light of the world", and that whoever follows Him, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Jesus didn't want people to stay in the dark. Following Him would bring them into the light. He wanted the people to know the full life He came to bring them. (see John 10:10) A life lived in the light.
Have you ever tried to walk in the dark in an unfamiliar setting? It's fine as long as you're in a big, open space. Add some obstacles though, and soon you are stumbling and falling.
Life is that unfamiliar setting. None of us know what obstacles lie waiting in the future. We may have long periods of good health, prosperity and strife-free relationships - the dark doesn't seem so bad then. But when obstacles come out of nowhere - bad news at the doctor's office, the boss tells you the company is downsizing and doesn't need you, your spouse leaves - you find yourself stumbling, or worse falling into fear and depression as the dark closes in.
Following Christ doesn't keep the obstacles I've mentioned out of our lives. What does happen, though, is that His light puts them into perspective. Darkness can paralyze us with fear, the obstacles assume overwhelming proportions. Christ's light reveals them for what they are, situations we can get through by walking with Him in His light. Trying to get through life's obstacles on our own will only keep us stumbling in the dark!
Think about these verses:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
We don't have to stay in the dark.
We can choose to follow Christ - the light of the world, the light of our life!
Jesus' teaching in this scripture reveals that He is the "light of the world", and that whoever follows Him, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Jesus didn't want people to stay in the dark. Following Him would bring them into the light. He wanted the people to know the full life He came to bring them. (see John 10:10) A life lived in the light.
Have you ever tried to walk in the dark in an unfamiliar setting? It's fine as long as you're in a big, open space. Add some obstacles though, and soon you are stumbling and falling.
Life is that unfamiliar setting. None of us know what obstacles lie waiting in the future. We may have long periods of good health, prosperity and strife-free relationships - the dark doesn't seem so bad then. But when obstacles come out of nowhere - bad news at the doctor's office, the boss tells you the company is downsizing and doesn't need you, your spouse leaves - you find yourself stumbling, or worse falling into fear and depression as the dark closes in.
Following Christ doesn't keep the obstacles I've mentioned out of our lives. What does happen, though, is that His light puts them into perspective. Darkness can paralyze us with fear, the obstacles assume overwhelming proportions. Christ's light reveals them for what they are, situations we can get through by walking with Him in His light. Trying to get through life's obstacles on our own will only keep us stumbling in the dark!
Think about these verses:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
We don't have to stay in the dark.
We can choose to follow Christ - the light of the world, the light of our life!
Friday, January 13, 2012
The First to Throw a Stone
John 8:1-11
Jesus is back at the temple, and a group surrounds Him as He sits down to teach.
A woman, led by the teachers of the law and Pharisees, is brought to stand in front of Jesus and those He's been teaching. "Teacher," they say, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women, now what do You say?" Rather than answer, Jesus bends over and writes on the ground with His finger.
The Pharisees are correct, according to the law, adultery is a sin. In Exodus 20:14 one of the ten commandments given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai states, "You shall not commit adultery." Leviticus 20:10 expounds on this further, "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - with the wife of his neighbor - both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death."
Perhaps some of these leaders were there when Jesus taught on a hillside one day and stated, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
The religious leaders kept questioning Jesus until He finally replied, "If any one of you is without sin,let him be the first to throw a stone at her." From the oldest to the youngest the men melt away. If nothing else, they had sinned in not keeping the letter of the law, which stated that the man committing adultery was to be brought with the woman, and both were to die.
Jesus looked at the woman and told her He didn't condemn her, and that she was to leave her life of sin. It reminds me of the words recorded in John 3:17, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
Jesus came to save sinners.
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinnners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Jesus is back at the temple, and a group surrounds Him as He sits down to teach.
A woman, led by the teachers of the law and Pharisees, is brought to stand in front of Jesus and those He's been teaching. "Teacher," they say, "this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women, now what do You say?" Rather than answer, Jesus bends over and writes on the ground with His finger.
The Pharisees are correct, according to the law, adultery is a sin. In Exodus 20:14 one of the ten commandments given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai states, "You shall not commit adultery." Leviticus 20:10 expounds on this further, "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - with the wife of his neighbor - both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death."
Perhaps some of these leaders were there when Jesus taught on a hillside one day and stated, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
The religious leaders kept questioning Jesus until He finally replied, "If any one of you is without sin,let him be the first to throw a stone at her." From the oldest to the youngest the men melt away. If nothing else, they had sinned in not keeping the letter of the law, which stated that the man committing adultery was to be brought with the woman, and both were to die.
Jesus looked at the woman and told her He didn't condemn her, and that she was to leave her life of sin. It reminds me of the words recorded in John 3:17, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."
Jesus came to save sinners.
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinnners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A Lack of Faith
John 7:45-53
My mother was born in San Diego, California at the beginning of U.S. involvement inWorld War II. Her mother passed away shortly after her birth. Her father, an officer in the Navy, received orders for the South Pacific. She was only a few months old when she left California to live in Iowa with a friend of the family.
If you didn't know my mother at that time, and met her as an adult, there would be no reason to believe her place of birth was on the West coast. Her home was in Iowa.
The Pharisees rejected Jesus with the argument that, "...a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
Yes, Jesus grew up in Galilee with His mother and father. Jesus wasn't born in Galilee, though, He was born in Bethlehem. In Luke 2:1-7 we find that Mary and Joseph left Nazareth in Galilee to go to Bethlehem to register in a census. Bethlehem was the town of David, Joseph was from David's line and so they were required to make the trip. While they were in Bethlehem Mary gave birth to Jesus.
The Pharisees were familiar with the passage of Scripture found in Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small amoung the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Or in the King James Version "...whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." They were looking for the Messiah to come from Bethlehem.
In Matthew 2:1-18 we find the account of the Magi searching for Jesus. They came to King Herod in Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?". Herod called the chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ was to be born. The reply, "In Bethlehem, in Judea..."
The Pharisees refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah because He was from Galilee. What if they would've asked Jesus where He was born? Surely they could have inquired further into Jesus' background if they'd chosen to do so. Instead, they considered anyone who listened to Jesus as deceived; the people were supposed to determine who Jesus was based on the religious leader's beliefs. After all, they knew the law!
I'm not sure why Jesus didn't just call the Pharisees aside and tell them to search the records to see that He had been born in Bethlehem. It may be because believing in Jesus Christ requires faith, not just facts.Or perhaps He knew they still wouldn't believe - they'd witnessed amazing miracles with no change of heart.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3
It takes faith to believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. It wasn't Jesus who was deceiving the people - it was thier leaders - who lacked faith.
My mother was born in San Diego, California at the beginning of U.S. involvement inWorld War II. Her mother passed away shortly after her birth. Her father, an officer in the Navy, received orders for the South Pacific. She was only a few months old when she left California to live in Iowa with a friend of the family.
If you didn't know my mother at that time, and met her as an adult, there would be no reason to believe her place of birth was on the West coast. Her home was in Iowa.
The Pharisees rejected Jesus with the argument that, "...a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
Yes, Jesus grew up in Galilee with His mother and father. Jesus wasn't born in Galilee, though, He was born in Bethlehem. In Luke 2:1-7 we find that Mary and Joseph left Nazareth in Galilee to go to Bethlehem to register in a census. Bethlehem was the town of David, Joseph was from David's line and so they were required to make the trip. While they were in Bethlehem Mary gave birth to Jesus.
The Pharisees were familiar with the passage of Scripture found in Micah 5:2, "But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small amoung the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Or in the King James Version "...whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." They were looking for the Messiah to come from Bethlehem.
In Matthew 2:1-18 we find the account of the Magi searching for Jesus. They came to King Herod in Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?". Herod called the chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ was to be born. The reply, "In Bethlehem, in Judea..."
The Pharisees refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah because He was from Galilee. What if they would've asked Jesus where He was born? Surely they could have inquired further into Jesus' background if they'd chosen to do so. Instead, they considered anyone who listened to Jesus as deceived; the people were supposed to determine who Jesus was based on the religious leader's beliefs. After all, they knew the law!
I'm not sure why Jesus didn't just call the Pharisees aside and tell them to search the records to see that He had been born in Bethlehem. It may be because believing in Jesus Christ requires faith, not just facts.Or perhaps He knew they still wouldn't believe - they'd witnessed amazing miracles with no change of heart.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3
It takes faith to believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. It wasn't Jesus who was deceiving the people - it was thier leaders - who lacked faith.
Monday, January 9, 2012
A Crowd's Response
John 7:25-41
Jesus proclaims the truth about Himself to all. Each of us then has to decide whether or not we believe this truth.
Jesus is teaching during the Feast of the Tabernacles. The reaction of that crowd isn't unique - these reactions could've been recorded today:
What do the religious leaders think of Jesus?
Let's get rid of Him!
Many put thier faith in Him.
Arrest Him! (Today that would translate to: Arrest those that believe in Him!)
What He said confused many.
Some give Him a title other than Messiah. (He was a prophet, a good man.)
Others know "He is the Christ."
Some misunderstood what the Scriptures said about Him.
"...the people were divided because of Jesus."
Over and again in the book of John, Jesus proclaims who He is. There were some, trusting that His words were true, who believed and followed. There were some that were confused and looked to the religious leaders to tell them what to believe. Others were willing to concede that He was a good teacher or prophet, but refused to believe He was the Son of God. Some had a partial knowledge of what the Scriptures said, but didn't seek further to vanquish the doubts they held about Him. And then, a group who hated Him, wanted Him arrested, wanted to be rid of Him.
Truly, the people are still divided because of Jesus!
As you look at these responses to who Christ is, please search your heart for what you believe. Jeremiah 29:11 states, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."
God wants us to know who Jesus is - without a doubt!
Jesus proclaims the truth about Himself to all. Each of us then has to decide whether or not we believe this truth.
Jesus is teaching during the Feast of the Tabernacles. The reaction of that crowd isn't unique - these reactions could've been recorded today:
What do the religious leaders think of Jesus?
Let's get rid of Him!
Many put thier faith in Him.
Arrest Him! (Today that would translate to: Arrest those that believe in Him!)
What He said confused many.
Some give Him a title other than Messiah. (He was a prophet, a good man.)
Others know "He is the Christ."
Some misunderstood what the Scriptures said about Him.
"...the people were divided because of Jesus."
Over and again in the book of John, Jesus proclaims who He is. There were some, trusting that His words were true, who believed and followed. There were some that were confused and looked to the religious leaders to tell them what to believe. Others were willing to concede that He was a good teacher or prophet, but refused to believe He was the Son of God. Some had a partial knowledge of what the Scriptures said, but didn't seek further to vanquish the doubts they held about Him. And then, a group who hated Him, wanted Him arrested, wanted to be rid of Him.
Truly, the people are still divided because of Jesus!
As you look at these responses to who Christ is, please search your heart for what you believe. Jeremiah 29:11 states, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."
God wants us to know who Jesus is - without a doubt!
Friday, January 6, 2012
The Source of Insight and Understanding
John 7:14-24
In the verses prior to this section we find Jesus' brothers headed to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles. Jesus didn't leave with his brothers, but stayed behind in Galilee, secretly making His way there after they left. (John 7:10)
The Feast of the Tabernacles took place at harvest time, starting on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (this falls somewhere between September and October on our calendar). God instructed His people to celebrate the feast for seven days in the way He outlined for them in Leviticus 23:33-43. They were to go to Jerusalem and build booths to stay in during the celebration. The booths were a reminder that God had them live in similar dwellings when He brought them out of Egypt (Leviticus 23:43)
Side note: This feast is still celebrated, and the booths are still erected today. Here's an artist's rendering:
In the verses prior to this section we find Jesus' brothers headed to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles. Jesus didn't leave with his brothers, but stayed behind in Galilee, secretly making His way there after they left. (John 7:10)
The Feast of the Tabernacles took place at harvest time, starting on the 15th day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (this falls somewhere between September and October on our calendar). God instructed His people to celebrate the feast for seven days in the way He outlined for them in Leviticus 23:33-43. They were to go to Jerusalem and build booths to stay in during the celebration. The booths were a reminder that God had them live in similar dwellings when He brought them out of Egypt (Leviticus 23:43)
Side note: This feast is still celebrated, and the booths are still erected today. Here's an artist's rendering:
These are called "sukkahs", and a web search will show you all sorts of creative sukkahs or booths that are used in celebrating the feast.
I wondered why Jesus would leave Galilee to go to Jerusalem. It would've been safer at home, so why leave? It was God's will. How do we know it was God's will? By reading Deuteronomy 16:16, "Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles..." Jesus left Galilee to obey God.
The feast is halfway over when Jesus begins to teach in the temple courts. The people are amazed; Jesus knows what He is talking about - how is this possible when He hasn't studied? Jesus surprised everyone in a similar way when, at the age of twelve was found sitting among the teachers in the temple, and, "Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers..." (Luke 2:47)
These words from Psalm 119:97-104 certainly describe Him:
"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path."
What was the source of Jesus' insight and understanding? According to Him, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from He who sent Me."
Which gives me reason to wonder; what's the source of my insight and understanding?
If it's anything less than the truth found in God's Word, then it falls short.
In the last verse of this section, John 7:24, Jesus says to "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." How can we ever hope to do that if we haven't studied His Word?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Right Time to Go, the Right Time to Stay
John 7:1-13
So far we've read how Jesus turned water into wine, healed an official's son and a paralyzed man, fed over 5,000 people with food to spare, and walked on the sea. Following Him and watching these miracles must have been awesome!
The religious leaders didn't find Jesus quite so awesome; to them He was a threat. The words He spoke, the miracles, threatened thier authority. Rather than embracing the teaching of their Messiah and learning His ways, they plotted and planned to murder Him. With Jesus out of the way, their words would once again be the final authority on what God expected from His people. Their status would be restored.
Is Jesus aware of thier hatred? John 7:1 tells us, "After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take His life."
"You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles You do." , His brothers tell Him, "Since You are doing these things show Yourself to the world." Imagine having a big brother that can walk on the waves of the sea. Every where you went people would ask you about your brother, and you in your own way would become famous also. But if the big brother decides to hang out around home, and no one sees him walk on water anymore, well, there goes your ticket to fame! Maybe Jesus' brothers weren't quite as self-serving as I imagine, but I also know they didn't believe in Him yet - it tells us this in John 7:5.
Jesus tells His brothers, "The right time for Me has not yet come...". It wasn't time for His life to be taken, He knows the religious leaders are waiting. Jesus was on His Father's schedule, not His brother's or His own.
This hits me hard, because I am a list person! If it's written down to do, it must be done - and much of it has nothing to do with the Father's schedule! In fact it's kind of upsetting when He imposes His plans into that carefully written list. This, however, is the God that states in Psalm 46:10 that we are to "Be still, and know that I am God..."
Jesus knew when to be still.
The right time for Jesus to go to the feast was in secret, after the brothers had left.
Which makes me think that perhaps the lists should be thrown away. That this year I should look to my Father for the right time to be still, and the right time to go...
So far we've read how Jesus turned water into wine, healed an official's son and a paralyzed man, fed over 5,000 people with food to spare, and walked on the sea. Following Him and watching these miracles must have been awesome!
The religious leaders didn't find Jesus quite so awesome; to them He was a threat. The words He spoke, the miracles, threatened thier authority. Rather than embracing the teaching of their Messiah and learning His ways, they plotted and planned to murder Him. With Jesus out of the way, their words would once again be the final authority on what God expected from His people. Their status would be restored.
Is Jesus aware of thier hatred? John 7:1 tells us, "After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take His life."
"You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles You do." , His brothers tell Him, "Since You are doing these things show Yourself to the world." Imagine having a big brother that can walk on the waves of the sea. Every where you went people would ask you about your brother, and you in your own way would become famous also. But if the big brother decides to hang out around home, and no one sees him walk on water anymore, well, there goes your ticket to fame! Maybe Jesus' brothers weren't quite as self-serving as I imagine, but I also know they didn't believe in Him yet - it tells us this in John 7:5.
Jesus tells His brothers, "The right time for Me has not yet come...". It wasn't time for His life to be taken, He knows the religious leaders are waiting. Jesus was on His Father's schedule, not His brother's or His own.
This hits me hard, because I am a list person! If it's written down to do, it must be done - and much of it has nothing to do with the Father's schedule! In fact it's kind of upsetting when He imposes His plans into that carefully written list. This, however, is the God that states in Psalm 46:10 that we are to "Be still, and know that I am God..."
Jesus knew when to be still.
The right time for Jesus to go to the feast was in secret, after the brothers had left.
Which makes me think that perhaps the lists should be thrown away. That this year I should look to my Father for the right time to be still, and the right time to go...
Monday, January 2, 2012
Celebration
A departure today from journeying through the book of John to reflect on celebrating the birth of Christ.
It's been a few weeks since I've written, and frankly I'm convicted of my disobedience. Even more so when I consider that I stopped obeying God's will so I could celebrate the birth of His Son. Does that sound ironic to you? It does to me! And it reminds me of a story found in 1 Samuel 15. It starts in verse 2, with Samuel giving King Saul instructions to attack the Amalekites. The Lord has said that the Amalekites are to be completely destroyed, along with everything that belongs to them - nothing was to be spared. Saul takes his army and attacks the Amalekites, just as he's been told.
He starts off in the right direction. Something happens though, between verses 4 and 8. Saul decides he knows what's best, takes matters in his own hands, saves the king of the Amelekites and the best of thier livestock. When he sees Samuel, Saul is quick to tell him that the Lord's instructions have been carried out. When Samuel hears the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle and confronts Saul, the king justifies his disobedience by saying that these were kept to sacrifice to God. He disobeyed, so that he would have something good to give God.
It's here that Samuel replies:
"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
So it gives me pause to think that while Saul was hustling around taking care of cattle, sheep and a king, he should've been obeying God instead. God's instruction was to destroy the things that now came between Him and Saul. God didn't want the stuff - the livestock, He wanted Saul's obedience.
Why?
Well, I guess we will visit the book of John after all! It's there we find what Jesus had to say about obedience.
"Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him." John 14:21
Why did God want Saul's obedience? Why does God want our obedience? It shows Him that we love Him, and that's what He wants from us!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5
Happy New Year!
It's been a few weeks since I've written, and frankly I'm convicted of my disobedience. Even more so when I consider that I stopped obeying God's will so I could celebrate the birth of His Son. Does that sound ironic to you? It does to me! And it reminds me of a story found in 1 Samuel 15. It starts in verse 2, with Samuel giving King Saul instructions to attack the Amalekites. The Lord has said that the Amalekites are to be completely destroyed, along with everything that belongs to them - nothing was to be spared. Saul takes his army and attacks the Amalekites, just as he's been told.
He starts off in the right direction. Something happens though, between verses 4 and 8. Saul decides he knows what's best, takes matters in his own hands, saves the king of the Amelekites and the best of thier livestock. When he sees Samuel, Saul is quick to tell him that the Lord's instructions have been carried out. When Samuel hears the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle and confronts Saul, the king justifies his disobedience by saying that these were kept to sacrifice to God. He disobeyed, so that he would have something good to give God.
It's here that Samuel replies:
"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
So it gives me pause to think that while Saul was hustling around taking care of cattle, sheep and a king, he should've been obeying God instead. God's instruction was to destroy the things that now came between Him and Saul. God didn't want the stuff - the livestock, He wanted Saul's obedience.
Why?
Well, I guess we will visit the book of John after all! It's there we find what Jesus had to say about obedience.
"Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him." John 14:21
Why did God want Saul's obedience? Why does God want our obedience? It shows Him that we love Him, and that's what He wants from us!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5
Happy New Year!
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