Last night, March 8, was the Purim 2012 celebration. Adar 14, 5772 was yesterday's date on the Jewish calendar.
HAMAN...Booooooooo! Mordecai...Yeah! Costumes and levity. Humor and spoof! The story related in the book of Esther was read (from a special Purim celebration script) in 9 'chapters'; first in Hebrew, then in English. Interjected between the chapter segments there were jokes, pies-in-the-face, a parade of those who dressed up that serpentined around the room, music. Attending a Purim celebration has been on my bucket list for a while - and now I have been to my first. I expected cheering at the mention of Esther's name. That was my only unmet expectation. In fact, I only went with two expectations: that Haman would be booed and Esther would be cheered.
The other joy of last night was that I got clarification for the transitional part of segueing to other people being responsible for other areas of what has to happen to complete the musical. What I heard was: "I don't have time." "I need you to be willing to release me." Those were stated, but within that the intention was that the release would be for the larger picture - that future segments of the project have to be done by someone else - not that there is no help for getting some of the detail things done to make that transition smooth. So - that was a huge relief. I heard the words that I heard; but I over-reacted to what was meant. So - my concern about timing was not as relevant as I projected. Deep sigh of relief. I will be looking for the people to do the other pieces, and the transition will honor the Lord's timing. Yeah!!!!! Hooray!!!!! I am confident He has a plan!
In reality the only absolutes in this world are Jesus and change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Nothing else is. Everything else changes. I often cling to the known just because it is known. It is safe and comfortable and I like that. I do embrace some changes happily - but not all of them. Today will bring change.... I need to remember that! Change is a constant I have to expect....
Change was happening for Jesus as well. I think of my Senior Pastor, who has known for some time the precise date he would retire, who very intentionally announced that to the congregation a year in advance, and who has had events and times away all scheduled with intention. Even so, his planning was not from 'before the foundation of the world'! But God's was.
So - - I see the change happening for Jesus, but it is all in sync with what Jesus knows is to be. It's easy for me to project what my feelings might be in those circumstances on Him, and that would be counterfactual reasoning. I don't know precisely what He felt. I just know some basic facts. His time on earth was definitely winding down, and for the human side of His nature, that was fraught with emotion.
In a prior Lenten journey, I did some research to try to find out when Easter might actually have occurred. The best information I found leaned strongly toward April 3, 33 A D. The calendar converter I looked at today indicates that October 6 - 13, A D 32 was the celebration of Sukkot that preceded Jesus' death and resurrection the following Spring. I have no inside knowledge as to whether the specific dates are accurate, but they help bring the timeline into perspective. No matter what year it actually was, the celebration times would have been this distance apart (unless it was a year that had 13 months in the Jewish calendar,which occurred 7 out of every 19 years).
The point is, Jesus knew why He came - and knew that the next Passover, he would become the perfect Passover lamb, the sacrifice to pay the debt for sin for all people from the beginning of time until the end of time. The provision in the Old Testament involved sacrificing animals, with their shed blood providing a promise of forgiveness - - but that was just 'legal tender'. The gold standard to back up the deposit was Jesus' blood sacrifice for mans' sins.
On the last day of the 8-day Sukkot feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' "
He's the only way! He says it in a myriad of ways, but repeats it over and over...and here He even foretells the effect of the Holy Spirit who will be poured out on all who accept Jesus: rivers of living water flowing out of our hearts...and the water is Jesus! He is the only one who can satisfy the thirst of mans' souls.
In chapter 7 following that plea, we see people's fallacy of reasoning. They assume Jesus is 'from Nazareth' because that is where he had lived for about 28 years of his life (after spending +- 2 years away as a refugee in Egypt when His earthly parents hid Him from Herod.) But - they didn't have all the facts. They knew the Messiah was prophesied to come from Bethlehem, from the City of David. He was! He did! They just didn't know it. Yet - they wondered if 'when Messiah comes, will he do any more miracles than this man?'
And we see Nicodemus' name again.... He believed in Jesus, but he kept his belief private. When other leaders of the Pharisees question why the 'officers' didn't bring Jesus in, part of the retort recorded for us is, "Have any of the authorities or Pharisees believed in him?" And almost 6 months before an unfair trial would take place, Nicodemus asks in response, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They jumped on that as support and immediately scathingly replied, placing his intelligence and learning into question. But the direct answer to the question would have been, "If it threatens our security, you bet your boots!"
The final interesting tidbit for this section is that John 7:53 - 8:11 is omitted from all the early texts of John and was apparently added later on. Since Verse 53 ends John 7, I'll address that story tomorrow.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 13
I was blindsided last night by information that has left me unnerved. I don't understand God's timing, yet I know He does all things well. He told me last Fall, related to the children's musical I am trying to do the finishing touches on, that the process is part of His purpose. So, the inherent message in this turn of events is: God is sovereign. He has a plan. He has it all in His very capable hands. My job is to persevere. His is to direct. On the bright side, even though I am still in the final stages of editing, a friend in Centralia is having the children of their church present it May 6 - - and they are busy working on music and learning their speaking lines, so there is joy in knowing that its message is touching children's lives, which is my most heartfelt prayer.
God has a plan. I am human, so it is O K that I have to take a deep breath and absorb the new information - but I do place it wholly in Jesus' hands - even in the midst of human discouragement. He has a plan. His ways are higher than my ways.... I remind myself over and over: He has a plan!
Interestingly my chapter for today is John 7. With my state of mind as I approach it, one of my first thoughts is how disappointing it must have been for Jesus that his own biological brothers didn't believe He was who He said He was!
In the sequence of time for Jesus, it was his final Autumn. It was time for the Feast of Tabernacles, aka Festival of Sukkot, aka Feast of Booths. This festival was one commanded by God in Deuteronomy 16:13-15. It was celebrated in memory of the Hebrew children's forty years of wilderness wanderings when they lived in temporary dwellings. In fact, it is still celebrated annually, with people moving into temporary dwellings for the duration of the Festival.
Jesus' brothers goaded Him to go up to Jerusalem to show off His miraculous powers. He declined, telling them that His time had not yet come. Then He went anyway.
I'm using the ESV this year to go through my Journey to Resurrection - and it says, "The Jews were looking for him...." I just want to point out the obvious. They were in Israel. The inhabitants were Jewish. Jesus was Jewish. This is not an indictment of any sort that they alone rejected Him. That was who lived there. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him, that's true; but down through the ages people of every tribe and tongue have had the opportunity to choose for or against Jesus - and the battle rages on. Some accept! Praise the Lord! But lots of people still reject Him.
In this context when it refers to 'the Jews' it definitely is inferring Jewish leaders - who had a political vested interest in keeping things under wraps within their community so the Romans didn't come down on all of them. Their concern was political, but it was cloaked in religious right. They were religious - and they thought they were right. One of their memories from Jesus' last visit to Jerusalem was that Jesus had dared to heal a man on the Sabbath, and they had laws about that! Still, they were intrigued.
They wondered how He could be so learned - and never have studied with the great teachers of their day. Jesus gave credit to God - and they accused Him of being demon possessed. They called the One who is good, evil!
Sounds like our world today!
More of John 7 tomorrow....
On the positive side - I am going to the Purim celebration tonight at the local Jewish Synagogue. I've always wanted to do that - and tonight I am!
God has a plan. I am human, so it is O K that I have to take a deep breath and absorb the new information - but I do place it wholly in Jesus' hands - even in the midst of human discouragement. He has a plan. His ways are higher than my ways.... I remind myself over and over: He has a plan!
Interestingly my chapter for today is John 7. With my state of mind as I approach it, one of my first thoughts is how disappointing it must have been for Jesus that his own biological brothers didn't believe He was who He said He was!
In the sequence of time for Jesus, it was his final Autumn. It was time for the Feast of Tabernacles, aka Festival of Sukkot, aka Feast of Booths. This festival was one commanded by God in Deuteronomy 16:13-15. It was celebrated in memory of the Hebrew children's forty years of wilderness wanderings when they lived in temporary dwellings. In fact, it is still celebrated annually, with people moving into temporary dwellings for the duration of the Festival.
Jesus' brothers goaded Him to go up to Jerusalem to show off His miraculous powers. He declined, telling them that His time had not yet come. Then He went anyway.
I'm using the ESV this year to go through my Journey to Resurrection - and it says, "The Jews were looking for him...." I just want to point out the obvious. They were in Israel. The inhabitants were Jewish. Jesus was Jewish. This is not an indictment of any sort that they alone rejected Him. That was who lived there. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him, that's true; but down through the ages people of every tribe and tongue have had the opportunity to choose for or against Jesus - and the battle rages on. Some accept! Praise the Lord! But lots of people still reject Him.
In this context when it refers to 'the Jews' it definitely is inferring Jewish leaders - who had a political vested interest in keeping things under wraps within their community so the Romans didn't come down on all of them. Their concern was political, but it was cloaked in religious right. They were religious - and they thought they were right. One of their memories from Jesus' last visit to Jerusalem was that Jesus had dared to heal a man on the Sabbath, and they had laws about that! Still, they were intrigued.
They wondered how He could be so learned - and never have studied with the great teachers of their day. Jesus gave credit to God - and they accused Him of being demon possessed. They called the One who is good, evil!
Sounds like our world today!
More of John 7 tomorrow....
On the positive side - I am going to the Purim celebration tonight at the local Jewish Synagogue. I've always wanted to do that - and tonight I am!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 12
Yesterday I wrote 'to be continued....' for addressing the remainder of John 6. There are some amazing core teachings in this portion of John, and I didn't want to shortchange time spent on the lessons to be gleaned.
A significant component to this section of John 6 is Jesus' repeated reaffirmation that He is the Way to God. Verse 40 - everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. Verse 47 - whoever believes has eternal life.
Of course, the conspicuous focus is on Jesus' repeated declaration and affirmation that He is the Bread of Life. Repetition makes us pay attention! Like the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, the people are stuck on the temporal. They were just fed bread and fish the day before - and they reminisce about the manna in the desert, but Jesus directs them to the spiritual truth of who He is. He is the bread of life. Eternal life. If they take him into themselves - as if ingesting food - He will give them (and by extension, us) eternal life.
In the original Passover in Egypt, the people took a perfect lamb, killed it, then ate it. Jesus is establishing the parallel here. If they eat His body and drink His blood.... Truly, if they accept Him as the Passover lamb who will die in their place, that just as the blood of the lamb of old when drawn over the doorposts of the Hebrew people's homes saved them from the angel of death that awful night before Pharaoh finally relented and agreed to let the people go, they will be saved to eternal life. The Old Testament is a foreshadowing of what was to come. It is no accident that Jesus' shedding of blood as payment for sin would be at Passover the following year. He was the Passover Lamb. Verse 51 - "...the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." If we eat his body and drink his blood.... It is a remembrance He will tell His disciples to observe about Him. But - - I'm getting ahead of the story....
But - it was that issue of eating His body and blood that turned a lot of people away. They didn't get the spiritual significance of the annual Passover bread and wine - what we would come to call Communion.
And out of that declaration, many followers turned away. It was just too hard a teaching. And in that moment, Jesus turned to his closest followers - the Twelve - and asked them, "Will you leave me also?" And Simon Peter answered with the answer that echoes from my own heart in times of deepest difficulty, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life...." Even though what Jesus said was hard to understand, Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One of God. But - even that 'knowing' would be tested....yet Jesus only forecasts that one of the twelve will be unfaithful....in fact, he refers to him as a devil....
John is writing after the fact, so lets us know it is Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve, who was going to betray Jesus.
A significant component to this section of John 6 is Jesus' repeated reaffirmation that He is the Way to God. Verse 40 - everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life. Verse 47 - whoever believes has eternal life.
Of course, the conspicuous focus is on Jesus' repeated declaration and affirmation that He is the Bread of Life. Repetition makes us pay attention! Like the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, the people are stuck on the temporal. They were just fed bread and fish the day before - and they reminisce about the manna in the desert, but Jesus directs them to the spiritual truth of who He is. He is the bread of life. Eternal life. If they take him into themselves - as if ingesting food - He will give them (and by extension, us) eternal life.
In the original Passover in Egypt, the people took a perfect lamb, killed it, then ate it. Jesus is establishing the parallel here. If they eat His body and drink His blood.... Truly, if they accept Him as the Passover lamb who will die in their place, that just as the blood of the lamb of old when drawn over the doorposts of the Hebrew people's homes saved them from the angel of death that awful night before Pharaoh finally relented and agreed to let the people go, they will be saved to eternal life. The Old Testament is a foreshadowing of what was to come. It is no accident that Jesus' shedding of blood as payment for sin would be at Passover the following year. He was the Passover Lamb. Verse 51 - "...the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." If we eat his body and drink his blood.... It is a remembrance He will tell His disciples to observe about Him. But - - I'm getting ahead of the story....
But - it was that issue of eating His body and blood that turned a lot of people away. They didn't get the spiritual significance of the annual Passover bread and wine - what we would come to call Communion.
And out of that declaration, many followers turned away. It was just too hard a teaching. And in that moment, Jesus turned to his closest followers - the Twelve - and asked them, "Will you leave me also?" And Simon Peter answered with the answer that echoes from my own heart in times of deepest difficulty, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life...." Even though what Jesus said was hard to understand, Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One of God. But - even that 'knowing' would be tested....yet Jesus only forecasts that one of the twelve will be unfaithful....in fact, he refers to him as a devil....
John is writing after the fact, so lets us know it is Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve, who was going to betray Jesus.
Monday, March 5, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 11
The book of John is not a diary offering us the full scope of Jesus' ministry! There is an obvious substantial chunk of time between the narratives of chapters 5 and 6, very possibly a year. Chapter 6 clues us in that the timeline of John's story is 'near another Passover'. John 2:13ff tells us about Jesus' first Passover after He began His public ministry. That was when He cleared the temple!
Chapter 5 doesn't tell us if the feast mentioned is the Passover - but it was certainly one He honored and went to Jerusalem for. If that marks Jesus' second Passover, then in chapter 6 we are Passover #3, a full 2 years after Jesus' ministry began. That makes sense. He is really ramping up His ministry for the final thrust.
Details grab my attention. My trips to Israel in 2005 and 2011 make me far more aware, and provide an immediate visual of the area. The Sea of Galilee was called by many names over the years - the Sea of Tiberias, The Sea of Kinnaret, The Sea of Genessaret. Old cities that were there at the time of Christ still exist, some as functioning economies, some as walk-through monuments of history. Tiberias covers the mountainside leading down to the Sea on its west side. It is a thriving city blending both the present and the historical. Capernaum is situated on the north shore, and has been preserved as a historical site. And Ein Gev, where we ate St Peter's fish at a Kibbutz-run restaurant in 2011 - with the eyes peering at us (which we later learned was Tilapia) - is on the eastern shore, almost directly across from Tiberias.
The Sea of Galilee is part of the deepest depression of below-sea-level land on earth. The Dead Sea is the absolute lowest point - but the Jordan River flows through this deepest area, beginning north of the Sea of Galilee, and out through the south of the Sea of Galilee, reaching its final destination at the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth, at +-702 feet below sea level - making it the second lowest place on earth, with the Dead Sea being the absolute lowest place on earth at 1388 feet below sea level. Of course those levels are at the water's edge, so the levels vary from time to time....
Memories fill my mind.... It occurs to me that John wrote from memories as well, and what he was reminiscing about this particular time he sat down to write was the story that we so fondly know as 'The miracle of the loaves and fishes' or 'The feeding of the 5000'. A huge crowd of people had gathered to experience Jesus' miraculous healing power. Seeing the large crowd, Jesus asked his disciples, "Where are we to buy bread....?" They only heard the temporal question, even though any one of them might just as easily have answered with affirmation that Jesus was the 'Bread of Life'. Philip saw it as hopeless, citing how much it would cost for everyone to just have a taste of food, let alone be filled. Andrew offered a little boy's lunch.
I am indeed thankful for that little boy! I know I mentioned it in a prior year's journey - but it touches me....God's kid in God's place at God's time. And - willing to trust Jesus with his lunch!
Another thing that grabs my attention is the order Jesus models. He instructed the disciples to have everyone sit down, no small feat with 5000 men plus the women and children who were present. Then in full view of the crowd, He took the 5 barley loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. Then He did the same with the 2 fish. All of the people ate until they were full! Can you imagine the sight? As He broke the loaves they multiplied, and I'm thinking that as the loaves were passed down the rows they multiplied until at last everyone had been completely satisfied. And, at the end, the remaining fragments were gathered - and the leftovers filled twelve baskets. All from 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish.
When the people saw the sign, with bellies filled and the emotion of the moment propelling them to declare Jesus as the promised Messiah, they would have taken Him by force to make Him king - but the timing for that procession was not to be for another year.... Jesus withdrew by Himself and left the crowds.
That night, his disciples finally took the boat and started across the Sea of Galilee, headed to Capernaum, which was Peter's hometown, and Jesus' home base during the 3 years of His' ministry. A wind came up and they rowed frantically against the storm for 3 or 4 miles. They were terrified when they saw a figure walking across the water, coming near the boat. Even after the miracles they had witnessed, this one was frightening. Jesus said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
How often I need to hear those words. I know Jesus has everything in His very capable hands - but I still get upset by the storms. Thanks, disciples, for being so real. They were glad to let Him step into the boat - and John's narrative tells us that immediately the boat was at its destination....
The story continues the next day, for many of the people stayed where Jesus had fed them. They knew there was only one boat - and that the disciples had shoved off without Jesus being one of the passengers. Boats from Tiberias came over to the place where Jesus had fed the 5000+, so they got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. They were understandably curious about how He got there, but He knew the underlying motivation of their hearts, and He uses this as a teachable moment...a moment that could cover several sermons! And undoubtedly has!
They ask Jesus about what works they should do, and Jesus replies that the work of God is to believe on the One He has sent.... That is our work. Everything else comes through the nudging and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is a result of living out our love for the Lord....but nothing we do saves us, and nothing we do makes Him love us more than He loved us the first day we came to Him and believed. Our salvation is not based on works. It is based on His grace. The celebration we are progressing toward this Passover season is an annual remembrance of His amazing act of grace.
God gave their ancestors manna from heaven to sustain them in the wilderness. Jesus gave them food on the hillside to sustain them the day before. And now He teaches them that He - and He alone - is the Bread of Life.
to be continued....
Chapter 5 doesn't tell us if the feast mentioned is the Passover - but it was certainly one He honored and went to Jerusalem for. If that marks Jesus' second Passover, then in chapter 6 we are Passover #3, a full 2 years after Jesus' ministry began. That makes sense. He is really ramping up His ministry for the final thrust.
Details grab my attention. My trips to Israel in 2005 and 2011 make me far more aware, and provide an immediate visual of the area. The Sea of Galilee was called by many names over the years - the Sea of Tiberias, The Sea of Kinnaret, The Sea of Genessaret. Old cities that were there at the time of Christ still exist, some as functioning economies, some as walk-through monuments of history. Tiberias covers the mountainside leading down to the Sea on its west side. It is a thriving city blending both the present and the historical. Capernaum is situated on the north shore, and has been preserved as a historical site. And Ein Gev, where we ate St Peter's fish at a Kibbutz-run restaurant in 2011 - with the eyes peering at us (which we later learned was Tilapia) - is on the eastern shore, almost directly across from Tiberias.
The Sea of Galilee is part of the deepest depression of below-sea-level land on earth. The Dead Sea is the absolute lowest point - but the Jordan River flows through this deepest area, beginning north of the Sea of Galilee, and out through the south of the Sea of Galilee, reaching its final destination at the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is the lowest freshwater lake on earth, at +-702 feet below sea level - making it the second lowest place on earth, with the Dead Sea being the absolute lowest place on earth at 1388 feet below sea level. Of course those levels are at the water's edge, so the levels vary from time to time....
Memories fill my mind.... It occurs to me that John wrote from memories as well, and what he was reminiscing about this particular time he sat down to write was the story that we so fondly know as 'The miracle of the loaves and fishes' or 'The feeding of the 5000'. A huge crowd of people had gathered to experience Jesus' miraculous healing power. Seeing the large crowd, Jesus asked his disciples, "Where are we to buy bread....?" They only heard the temporal question, even though any one of them might just as easily have answered with affirmation that Jesus was the 'Bread of Life'. Philip saw it as hopeless, citing how much it would cost for everyone to just have a taste of food, let alone be filled. Andrew offered a little boy's lunch.
I am indeed thankful for that little boy! I know I mentioned it in a prior year's journey - but it touches me....God's kid in God's place at God's time. And - willing to trust Jesus with his lunch!
Another thing that grabs my attention is the order Jesus models. He instructed the disciples to have everyone sit down, no small feat with 5000 men plus the women and children who were present. Then in full view of the crowd, He took the 5 barley loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. Then He did the same with the 2 fish. All of the people ate until they were full! Can you imagine the sight? As He broke the loaves they multiplied, and I'm thinking that as the loaves were passed down the rows they multiplied until at last everyone had been completely satisfied. And, at the end, the remaining fragments were gathered - and the leftovers filled twelve baskets. All from 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish.
When the people saw the sign, with bellies filled and the emotion of the moment propelling them to declare Jesus as the promised Messiah, they would have taken Him by force to make Him king - but the timing for that procession was not to be for another year.... Jesus withdrew by Himself and left the crowds.
That night, his disciples finally took the boat and started across the Sea of Galilee, headed to Capernaum, which was Peter's hometown, and Jesus' home base during the 3 years of His' ministry. A wind came up and they rowed frantically against the storm for 3 or 4 miles. They were terrified when they saw a figure walking across the water, coming near the boat. Even after the miracles they had witnessed, this one was frightening. Jesus said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
How often I need to hear those words. I know Jesus has everything in His very capable hands - but I still get upset by the storms. Thanks, disciples, for being so real. They were glad to let Him step into the boat - and John's narrative tells us that immediately the boat was at its destination....
The story continues the next day, for many of the people stayed where Jesus had fed them. They knew there was only one boat - and that the disciples had shoved off without Jesus being one of the passengers. Boats from Tiberias came over to the place where Jesus had fed the 5000+, so they got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. They were understandably curious about how He got there, but He knew the underlying motivation of their hearts, and He uses this as a teachable moment...a moment that could cover several sermons! And undoubtedly has!
They ask Jesus about what works they should do, and Jesus replies that the work of God is to believe on the One He has sent.... That is our work. Everything else comes through the nudging and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and is a result of living out our love for the Lord....but nothing we do saves us, and nothing we do makes Him love us more than He loved us the first day we came to Him and believed. Our salvation is not based on works. It is based on His grace. The celebration we are progressing toward this Passover season is an annual remembrance of His amazing act of grace.
God gave their ancestors manna from heaven to sustain them in the wilderness. Jesus gave them food on the hillside to sustain them the day before. And now He teaches them that He - and He alone - is the Bread of Life.
to be continued....
Saturday, March 3, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 10
Today my focus is the rest of John 5: verses 19 - 47.
These words in verse 23 leap off the page to me: "Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." It is one of many clear statements declaring Jesus as the only way to God. It is a message we will hear again and again in John. If someone does not accept Jesus as being the only way to God, they are definitely not honoring Him! (I will also add that honor is a way of life, not merely of words.)
John's message is so clear! He presents Jesus as the only Son of God; and faithfully reports Jesus' declarations of being the One to whom judgment is given. That is not the role of a mere man; it is the role of God. God the Father bears witness that Jesus is God. John the Baptist bore witness that Jesus is God. Jesus bears witness that He, indeed, is God. He, alone, is the giver of life.
Powerful, powerful words. There is no other Name under heaven by which men must be or can be saved. When we come to God's Word and take it as our plumb line, everything else that is false becomes apparent - and sloughs off.
Dead or alive - it's our choice. Verse 25 declares, "...an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."
Before we come to Jesus, we are dead! If we hear His words offering us life, believe Him, and accept Him, we pass from death to life - life everlasting! And through Him is the only way! Anything that doesn't line up to His Truth is a lie - no matter how many tidbits of truth it has in it.... God can only save one way - and that's through Jesus! And that's the Truth!
Lord, help me, in all I do, to honor You.
These words in verse 23 leap off the page to me: "Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." It is one of many clear statements declaring Jesus as the only way to God. It is a message we will hear again and again in John. If someone does not accept Jesus as being the only way to God, they are definitely not honoring Him! (I will also add that honor is a way of life, not merely of words.)
John's message is so clear! He presents Jesus as the only Son of God; and faithfully reports Jesus' declarations of being the One to whom judgment is given. That is not the role of a mere man; it is the role of God. God the Father bears witness that Jesus is God. John the Baptist bore witness that Jesus is God. Jesus bears witness that He, indeed, is God. He, alone, is the giver of life.
Powerful, powerful words. There is no other Name under heaven by which men must be or can be saved. When we come to God's Word and take it as our plumb line, everything else that is false becomes apparent - and sloughs off.
Dead or alive - it's our choice. Verse 25 declares, "...an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."
Before we come to Jesus, we are dead! If we hear His words offering us life, believe Him, and accept Him, we pass from death to life - life everlasting! And through Him is the only way! Anything that doesn't line up to His Truth is a lie - no matter how many tidbits of truth it has in it.... God can only save one way - and that's through Jesus! And that's the Truth!
Lord, help me, in all I do, to honor You.
Friday, March 2, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 9
The first few words of John 5 remind me of a fact I learned on my first visit to Israel in February 2005. It states Jesus went up to Jerusalem. No matter where you are in Israel - North, South, East or West, one always goes 'up' to Jerusalem.
The story this chapter begins with is that of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Before seeing the site in person I hadn't grasped the enormity of the pools. There is definitely room for multitudes of blind, lame and paralyzed to be brought to the area in hope of being that fortunate one who gets into the pool first when the miracle of the waters being stirred occurs. The Pool of Bethesda is an amazing place - and is really several pools. It is an impressive site to visit, and visiting the site makes the story come alive.
This particular man in our story had been an invalid for 38 years, and, as he explained to Jesus, he had no one to help him get into the pool in time....someone always beat him to it. It is a story with many layers - but the one I want to explore is Jesus' question, "Do you want to be healed?" The man never actually gives a direct answer to what that question addresses. At first glance it would be easy for us to say, "Duh! Do you think? Everyone wants to be healed!" Do they?
"Do you want to be healed - or do you want to continue lying here? Is your identity so wrapped up in your frailty that you cannot function outside of who you see yourself to be? Are you willing to be chastised for being healed on the Sabbath? Do you WANT to be healed with all that entails...perhaps even having to get a job?"
All this man saw was the immediate. The question Jesus asked appears to me to be far deeper than what he had considered.
Another thing that strikes me in this story is that the man pretty much throws Jesus under the bus. He is chastised for carrying his mat on the Sabbath - - which was absolutely forbidden, of course, under the plethora of laws added to God's basic laws, by men who defined exactly what work was. And, upon being chastised, he deflects blame to the One who told him to - then after his next encounter with Jesus, he makes a point of telling the Jews that it was Jesus who healed him. For Jesus' loving good deed, he was persecuted instead of adored.
Note to self: don't expect to be appreciated or honored for doing the right thing. Jesus wasn't.
I had the great joy of attending my second Governor's Prayer Breakfast this morning. I was blessed to be able to sit at a table with three of our State's Representatives: Rep Terry Nealey, Rep Norma Smith and Rep Hans Zeigler; two Legislative Aids: Meagen and Sarah; Rep Smith's daughter, Natalie; Natalie Closner, the young woman who provided special music; and another young woman connected to Young Life. Many facets of the morning touched my heart. Among the highlights were: a very touching, heartfelt prayer of invocation by Senator Paull Shin; student remarks by Josh Allison of UW (who provided hope as he represents the caliber of young people who could step in to lead us into the future); and the testimony of the Keynote Speaker, Tamrat Layne, who was a former Prime Minister of Ethiopia. What a story!
As a young person he was both an atheist and a communist. He led a revolt against his country's leadership, after being the leader of a guerrilla group that built an army of 150,000 people over 15 years time. He then became Prime Minister, with his best friend placed in the role of President. But then the ideology fell apart. In trying to institute the values of Socialism and Communism that he had so thoroughly believed he learned they didn't work - and when he told his friends he was wrong, rather than trying to find a better way to solve their country's problems, his best friends turned against him and had him thrown in jail. His wife and two small children had to flee the country and live in a refugee camp. He was totally disillusioned and devastated. Destroyed. Hopeless.
After five years in prison, he was given one small tract that told about Jesus - and for the first time in his life, Tamrat prayed.... It was a 'God, if you are really there' prayer. He repeated the prayer a few times over the next few days....hungering to know if it could be true.
In response, one night in the middle of the night he awoke to a light of myriads of colors, and out of the center of that light came another light - - and out of that light, a man who was all light. The man spoke to him and said, "I am Jesus." For three consecutive nights they conversed. Jesus told him he would get him out of the prison, and that Tamrat would speak to others about Jesus.
After his conversion, Tamrat asked the lady who gave him the tract for something else to read - and she gave him a small pocket Bible, and suggested he begin with the Gospel of John, but the Bible first fell open to Psalm 119, so that is where he started.
It was 7 more years before Tamrat was released. He spent a total of 12 years in solitary confinement. Because of the extreme change in his life, born out by his demeanor, several of the guards accepted Jesus as well. During the 7 years following his conversion, Jesus was definitely with him! During that time, God spoke clearly to him about forgiveness. It was hard to commit to, but finally, he surrendered his anger and bitterness over how he had been abandoned and abused by his former friends, and he committed to go ask for their forgiveness - as well as to tell them he forgave them - as soon as he was released from jail. By then, he was a completely changed man, and when he asked the Lord if it was really necessary for him to go through all he had been through, Jesus told him, "Yes."
His is a wonderful story of God's amazing intervention and a totally changed life.
Following a long, heartfelt standing ovation for Tamrat, Natalie Closner sang a beautiful, stylized rendition of "It is Well With my Soul," inviting us to join her on the choruses; and with a closing prayer, we departed, knowing it was good to be present, to pray together, and to be reminded that Jesus supersedes every barrier! May it be so!
The story this chapter begins with is that of the man at the Pool of Bethesda. Before seeing the site in person I hadn't grasped the enormity of the pools. There is definitely room for multitudes of blind, lame and paralyzed to be brought to the area in hope of being that fortunate one who gets into the pool first when the miracle of the waters being stirred occurs. The Pool of Bethesda is an amazing place - and is really several pools. It is an impressive site to visit, and visiting the site makes the story come alive.
This particular man in our story had been an invalid for 38 years, and, as he explained to Jesus, he had no one to help him get into the pool in time....someone always beat him to it. It is a story with many layers - but the one I want to explore is Jesus' question, "Do you want to be healed?" The man never actually gives a direct answer to what that question addresses. At first glance it would be easy for us to say, "Duh! Do you think? Everyone wants to be healed!" Do they?
"Do you want to be healed - or do you want to continue lying here? Is your identity so wrapped up in your frailty that you cannot function outside of who you see yourself to be? Are you willing to be chastised for being healed on the Sabbath? Do you WANT to be healed with all that entails...perhaps even having to get a job?"
All this man saw was the immediate. The question Jesus asked appears to me to be far deeper than what he had considered.
Another thing that strikes me in this story is that the man pretty much throws Jesus under the bus. He is chastised for carrying his mat on the Sabbath - - which was absolutely forbidden, of course, under the plethora of laws added to God's basic laws, by men who defined exactly what work was. And, upon being chastised, he deflects blame to the One who told him to - then after his next encounter with Jesus, he makes a point of telling the Jews that it was Jesus who healed him. For Jesus' loving good deed, he was persecuted instead of adored.
Note to self: don't expect to be appreciated or honored for doing the right thing. Jesus wasn't.
I had the great joy of attending my second Governor's Prayer Breakfast this morning. I was blessed to be able to sit at a table with three of our State's Representatives: Rep Terry Nealey, Rep Norma Smith and Rep Hans Zeigler; two Legislative Aids: Meagen and Sarah; Rep Smith's daughter, Natalie; Natalie Closner, the young woman who provided special music; and another young woman connected to Young Life. Many facets of the morning touched my heart. Among the highlights were: a very touching, heartfelt prayer of invocation by Senator Paull Shin; student remarks by Josh Allison of UW (who provided hope as he represents the caliber of young people who could step in to lead us into the future); and the testimony of the Keynote Speaker, Tamrat Layne, who was a former Prime Minister of Ethiopia. What a story!
As a young person he was both an atheist and a communist. He led a revolt against his country's leadership, after being the leader of a guerrilla group that built an army of 150,000 people over 15 years time. He then became Prime Minister, with his best friend placed in the role of President. But then the ideology fell apart. In trying to institute the values of Socialism and Communism that he had so thoroughly believed he learned they didn't work - and when he told his friends he was wrong, rather than trying to find a better way to solve their country's problems, his best friends turned against him and had him thrown in jail. His wife and two small children had to flee the country and live in a refugee camp. He was totally disillusioned and devastated. Destroyed. Hopeless.
After five years in prison, he was given one small tract that told about Jesus - and for the first time in his life, Tamrat prayed.... It was a 'God, if you are really there' prayer. He repeated the prayer a few times over the next few days....hungering to know if it could be true.
In response, one night in the middle of the night he awoke to a light of myriads of colors, and out of the center of that light came another light - - and out of that light, a man who was all light. The man spoke to him and said, "I am Jesus." For three consecutive nights they conversed. Jesus told him he would get him out of the prison, and that Tamrat would speak to others about Jesus.
After his conversion, Tamrat asked the lady who gave him the tract for something else to read - and she gave him a small pocket Bible, and suggested he begin with the Gospel of John, but the Bible first fell open to Psalm 119, so that is where he started.
It was 7 more years before Tamrat was released. He spent a total of 12 years in solitary confinement. Because of the extreme change in his life, born out by his demeanor, several of the guards accepted Jesus as well. During the 7 years following his conversion, Jesus was definitely with him! During that time, God spoke clearly to him about forgiveness. It was hard to commit to, but finally, he surrendered his anger and bitterness over how he had been abandoned and abused by his former friends, and he committed to go ask for their forgiveness - as well as to tell them he forgave them - as soon as he was released from jail. By then, he was a completely changed man, and when he asked the Lord if it was really necessary for him to go through all he had been through, Jesus told him, "Yes."
His is a wonderful story of God's amazing intervention and a totally changed life.
Following a long, heartfelt standing ovation for Tamrat, Natalie Closner sang a beautiful, stylized rendition of "It is Well With my Soul," inviting us to join her on the choruses; and with a closing prayer, we departed, knowing it was good to be present, to pray together, and to be reminded that Jesus supersedes every barrier! May it be so!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 8
In chapter 4, John records one of my absolutely hands-down favorite stories of the Bible. While many of the gospel stories are shared by the writers of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke), only John tells this story. As the author who bears witness to Jesus' love, it is appropriate that he would be willing to include the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well....
There are so many aspects to this story! It is exciting every time I read it!
Observant Jews did not go through Samaria. It was the shortest distance between the area of Judea and Galilee - but the Jews shunned the Samaritans, so they took a longer route - just to avoid the Samaritans. The Samaritans were totally denigrated by the Jewish pure, and it is no secret that the animosity existed. It comes up several times in the New Testament.
The Samaritans were shunned, but within Samaritan society this woman was shunned. That's why she came out to the well at noon, in the heat of the day. All of the other women would have come out early, creating a social opportunity in the process of gathering their daily water. But not this woman. She avoided both their conspicuous contemptuous disdain and the potential of their scalding glares by coming alone at a time of day when no one else was likely to be there. But on this day, someone was. Still, he was a man. And not just any man. He was a Jew. He would ignore her. She would do what she came to do and be gone as quickly as possible. Or so she thought!
Even apart from being a Jew speaking to a Samaritan, it was abnormal for a man to speak to a woman - certainly to an unfamiliar woman. But speak he did.
Not only did he speak to her (unimaginable as that was), he put himself in need of her by telling her to give him a drink of water. Unheard of! Once she responds, she is engaged, and he moves from the physical need of water to the spiritual need of living water, ultimately introducing himself as the Messiah.
She is so excited she drops her water jar and runs back into town. Some believe just because of her story. Others have to hear for themselves to believe - but Jesus stays with them for 2 days, immersing them in Living Water.
After 2 days in Samaria, Jesus and the disciples headed on to Cana in Galilee, where not long before Jesus had turned water into wine. An official from Capernaum, which was about a 20-mile walk away, heard Jesus was back in Galilee, and went to him and asked Jesus to come heal his sick son who was about to die. Jesus spoke life for the son, and the man believed him and headed back home. On the journey, his servants met him and told him his son was getting better - and when he asked the time he began to get better, it was precisely the same time Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." He became a believer, along with all of his household. But, the reality to me is his faith that preceded his son's healing. He believed Jesus could or he'd never have left his son's bedside; and when Jesus said the man's son was healed, the official believed him.
It has been just over a year since I came back from my second trip to Israel. We walked through Capernaum (Capharnum on their sign). I know the location of the city the official was from. I know what the countryside looks like. It makes reading the Bible so much more visual! It makes the steps Jesus took come alive.
There are so many aspects to this story! It is exciting every time I read it!
Observant Jews did not go through Samaria. It was the shortest distance between the area of Judea and Galilee - but the Jews shunned the Samaritans, so they took a longer route - just to avoid the Samaritans. The Samaritans were totally denigrated by the Jewish pure, and it is no secret that the animosity existed. It comes up several times in the New Testament.
The Samaritans were shunned, but within Samaritan society this woman was shunned. That's why she came out to the well at noon, in the heat of the day. All of the other women would have come out early, creating a social opportunity in the process of gathering their daily water. But not this woman. She avoided both their conspicuous contemptuous disdain and the potential of their scalding glares by coming alone at a time of day when no one else was likely to be there. But on this day, someone was. Still, he was a man. And not just any man. He was a Jew. He would ignore her. She would do what she came to do and be gone as quickly as possible. Or so she thought!
Even apart from being a Jew speaking to a Samaritan, it was abnormal for a man to speak to a woman - certainly to an unfamiliar woman. But speak he did.
Not only did he speak to her (unimaginable as that was), he put himself in need of her by telling her to give him a drink of water. Unheard of! Once she responds, she is engaged, and he moves from the physical need of water to the spiritual need of living water, ultimately introducing himself as the Messiah.
She is so excited she drops her water jar and runs back into town. Some believe just because of her story. Others have to hear for themselves to believe - but Jesus stays with them for 2 days, immersing them in Living Water.
After 2 days in Samaria, Jesus and the disciples headed on to Cana in Galilee, where not long before Jesus had turned water into wine. An official from Capernaum, which was about a 20-mile walk away, heard Jesus was back in Galilee, and went to him and asked Jesus to come heal his sick son who was about to die. Jesus spoke life for the son, and the man believed him and headed back home. On the journey, his servants met him and told him his son was getting better - and when he asked the time he began to get better, it was precisely the same time Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." He became a believer, along with all of his household. But, the reality to me is his faith that preceded his son's healing. He believed Jesus could or he'd never have left his son's bedside; and when Jesus said the man's son was healed, the official believed him.
It has been just over a year since I came back from my second trip to Israel. We walked through Capernaum (Capharnum on their sign). I know the location of the city the official was from. I know what the countryside looks like. It makes reading the Bible so much more visual! It makes the steps Jesus took come alive.
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