TUESDAY, DAY 12 OF LENT 2025

Continuing in John chapter 9: I absolutely love the responses of the man who was healed after he washed off the mud Jesus made with spit from his eyes. He had attested that he was indeed the man who was healed - not a look-alike. Then he was asked by the people he was with, "Then how were your eyes opened?  And he gave a clear, concise answer: "The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed and received my sight."

Instead of being ebulliently grateful and praising God for the miracle, their reaction to that proclamation was to take him to the Pharisees. After all it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud! That was 'work' and work was forbidden. So, he had to repeat himself to the inquiries of the Pharisees: "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees declared Jesus was not from God 'because he does not keep the Sabbath'. Others queried how a man who is a sinner could do such things. And they were divided. So they asked the healed man's opinion and he replied, "He is a prophet." 

The Jews next interrogation was for the man's parents, because they did not believe him that he had been blind and could now see. The parents admitted he was their son, but they deferred to him for his answer because they were afraid of being ostracized from the Synagogue. And that was a big deal! 

So, a second time they called in the man and basically asked him to lie by declaring Jesus was a sinner. I LOVE his answer. His boldness in the face of their interrogation is inspiring! Verse 25 tells us what he said, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see."

And as they continued to press him for the answer they wanted, He says, (vs30ff): "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." And they threw him out of the synagogue. Wow! What a response! I look forward to meeting this guy in heaven! What a stellar testimony. 

Once I was blind but now I can see! It is the basis for every believer's spiritual journey story.

 

MONDAY, 17TH OF MARCH, THE 11TH DAY OF LENT 2025

I woke up earlier than intended! Took my shower, got dressed, read part of John 9, and left to meet friends to go to a CELEBRATION OF LIFE for a stellar man we went to college with. As with all memorial services, I learned a lot about him that I didn't know, and appreciated the wonderful things said about him by his friends. 

Now, back home, after a long day, I have to write. It will be short. In the early part of John 9 Jesus heals a man born blind. Obviously the view in that day was that if someone was physically impaired it was because of sin. Not so, Jesus said. He was born blind so he could be healed. Not in those words - but that was the point. And then Jesus spat his spit on the ground, mixed it with the dirt to make mud and slathered it on the guy's eyes and told him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam. The best part of the story is: "So he went...." Well, maybe the best part was that in obeying he was healed! But - what I need to pay attention to is that even though what Jesus did might have seemed preposterous or unnecessary, the man just simply obeyed. I can learn from that! I hope I do! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

SUNDAY MARCH 16 (WAS) THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (AKA THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER)

I totally forgot to write yesterday! So will just insert that comment and move on! 

We had a wonderful service at church. It was one of two Mission Sundays for this Spring. A group of Samoans sang and played for leading worship - and WOW can they worship! And then we had a wonderful speaker from El Salvador who had an amazing story translated beautifully by another great gal. I came home so refreshed and basking in that joy that I spaced....  It is a good thing I didn't make the commitment to write EVERY day! :)

SATURDAY, DAY 10 OF LENT 2025

John Chapter 8 is today's focus. The first thing to note is that John 6:53 - John 8:11 was not in the original manuscripts, but was added sometime later. It is very characteristic of what I would expect Jesus to do, but we have no way of knowing who added it in later texts. Still, it is one of my favorite stories. A group of seemingly self-righteous pious men come to Jesus forcing the woman they have brought to stand in front of Jesus outside the temple. (It had to be outside or he couldn't have done what he did!) They told Jesus, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?" Their goal was to make Jesus slip up so they could accuse him - but, again, he didn't bite.

I can see the woman standing there in front of him, disheveled because of being caught in the act and brought as they found her, ashamed, her eyes cast down, waiting.... And Jesus bent down and started writing in the dirt. The men persisted in their questioning, so Jesus stood up, looked them in the eyes and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Then he bent down again and continued writing.... The result was that from the eldest to the youngest, the men went away, until Jesus and the woman were the only ones left. Then, and only then, he spoke to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, Lord." And Jesus lovingly said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

This is the Jesus I know. Loving, forgiving, tender.

As for the men who brought her to Jesus, I have always wondered why it is only the woman who was  brought. What about the man? That seems patently unfair.

In the rest of Chapter 8, Jesus begins (verse 12) by declaring he is the Light of the World! And he is! He alone is TRUTH, and as long as we are completely aligned with him we are bathed in that Light. Darkness can come near us, but it cannot overwhelm us. And when we are following Jesus we have the opportunity reflect his light to others. May it be so! 

For the unbeliever this is a hard chapter, but it isn't meant to condemn. It is meant to convict and allow introspection. It allows us to see through Jesus' eyes, and hear TRUTH. Sometimes truth hurts, and sometimes it seems harsh. In this case, if the truth is heard, it will save souls!

FRIDAY, DAY 9 OF LENT 2025

We spent a few days in Chapter 6 of John. Today: Chapter 7.

We learn in this chapter that Jesus' brothers wanted him to go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles and make himself known so he could get public acknowledgement. Instead, he waited until halfway through the Festival - which lasted 8 days. The Feast of Tabernacles, AKA The Feast of Booths was an annual celebration honoring the time of their ancestors living in shelters in the desert for 40 years under Moses' leadership after they escaped from Egypt. It is still practiced today. Annually, each Fall on the prescribed days, the Jewish faithful build outside shelters and live in them as a memorial celebration. It is an annual event that is part of the outline for Christ's return, and God is all about timing!

Jesus was also all about timing. He knew that the Chief Priests and Pharisees wanted to kill him - and he knew it wasn't yet time. What stands out to me most saliently in their discussions and arguments about him was that they didn't even ask him where he was born. They knew that their Scriptures said the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem and they were caught up in believing he was from Galilee, so couldn't be the Messiah. All they had to do is ask! They could have asked him. They could have gone to Nazareth and interviewed his mother. They didn't do either! They jumped to a wrong conclusion and it deterred them from knowing the ONE who is, was, and always will be TRUTH. 

I don't have to look far to see that happening in our world. The news media proves it daily! I also recognize that I can too easily jump to conclusions! My line about that is: "Sometimes that is the only exercise I get!" 

This time reading through John I am seeing very clearly that many people who were intrigued by Jesus never came to know him as Savior. And those in authority who could have and should have done their due diligence in finding out more about him failed. They had such an amazing firsthand opportunity and they blew it. On the other hand, we are also given an amazing opportunity to know Jesus because of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not leave us alone. He walks with us through every circumstance if we let him. 

Lord, renew your Spirit in me!

THURSDAY, DAY 8 OF LENT 2025

We are still in Chapter 6 of the book of John! The barley loaves donated by the boy "yesterday" must have been delicious bread! Jesus fed a massive crowd with them and they wanted more! They also clearly paid attention to his whereabouts! They knew he didn't get in the boat with his disciples. They knew there was no other boat but that one. And they set out on what was likely a several mile hike to find him. Jesus didn't tell them he had walked on the water to the boat. He didn't answer their question about when he got to Capernaum. What he did was use 'bread' as a teaching moment, declaring himself to be the bread of life.

In verse 28, they ask him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Verse 29, Jesus answer was "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." and clearly the miracle of the feeding over  5000 the day before wasn't enough for them to believe, so they asked for another sign!

Jesus reiterated that he is the BREAD OF LIFE in verse 35, verse 51, & verse 58. And in between he shared with them - and ultimately with all who read God's Word - the basics of God's wonderful plan of salvation, and that no person comes to Jesus unless the Father draws that person to him. 

It is shocking to me that some of the people who pursued Jesus out of curiosity didn't ever accept him, and he knew that even as he spoke to them in the words John records for us in this chapter. That was a turning point for many, and precipitates one of my most cherished responses from impetuous Peter! 

After so many turned away from following him, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, "Do you want to go away from me as well?" And  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

Thank you, Peter! That is a foundational truth of our faith! Even when things get hard - and they do - there is no one else or nothing else we can turn to but Jesus. He has the words of eternal life! This is just the preparation period before eternity begins!

As the Lord reminded me after 9/11: Keep on keeping on. Occupy until I come! And everything going on in our world points to that being very soon!

WEDNESDAY, DAY 7 OF LENT 2025

We are still in Chapter 6 of the book of John. We join the narrative at Verse 16. When evening came the disciples decided to head back to home base, so they got in a boat headed for Capernaum. The wind came up, not unusual on the Sea, but unwelcome, as it made the sea rough and the rowing challenging. They were 3 or 4 miles into the journey, according to the text, when Jesus appeared to them walking on the water. They were frightened! But Jesus said, "It is I; don't be afraid." 

The Bible accounts come to life in a new way once you've been to Israel and have the terrain and logistics of the trip clearly in mind. I have had the joy of going to Israel 2 times. I have been on a boat on Lake Galilee, experienced a little storm on our journey to Tiberias that day, and thus experiencing how quickly storms can come up and whip the surface of the sea into whitecaps. I've been to Capernaum (Capharnum is the sign we saw) and the words of the Bible come alive with all of that in my visual imagery.

We need to hear those words just as clearly in our most challenging moments: "It is I. Don't be afraid."

Lord, thank you for being with us, no matter what comes. 

Postscript: One more tidbit about being in Israel: Being present there, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt (because it resonated to my core) that Jerusalem was the absolute center of the world. I know that Satan fights against Israel because of that. Not only is it the center of the world, it is the center of God's heart, where he placed his Name! 

I also know with equal certainty that the Lord honors those who honor Israel. If America or any other nation goes against Israel, they are going against God, and he will punish those who do.